Rapid climate change and ocean dynamics: past, present and future.
Research Area
I am a paleoceanographer, geochronologist, and climate scientist focused on the timing and mechanisms of abrupt climate change, primarily using marine sediments from polar regions, numerical techniques, and climate models.
My research includes the use of geochemical and sedimentological parameters in marine records and ice cores, such as stable water isotopes, chemical components, and cosmogenic radionuclides. This data helps reconstructing climate and cryosphere-ocean interactions at high latitudes and determining the timing and rate of climate change in polar regions. We analyse marine sediment records from the North Atlantic, Arctic, and Antarctic Oceans, covering timescales from the last few hundred years to several glacial-interglacial cycles.
I lead the Climate and Environmental Dynamic thematic group and co-lead the Cambridge Computational Paleoclimatology Research Group at the Department of Geography, overseeing 15 researchers working on various international projects. Our work includes:
- Studying the spatial and temporal structure of AMOC during the Common Era using climate proxies.
- Reconstructing the carbon cycle of the last 50,000 years with paleoclimate data assimilation.
- Developing machine learning tools for paleoclimate record chronologies.
- Researching deep ocean circulation changes using 14C and kinematic tracers.
- Examining the role of volcanism on climate change during the last ice age with climate models.
Project Interests
I seek individuals with strong analytical and computing skills interested in addressing climate and paleoclimate issues.
Possible projects include:
- Extending the AMOC record: Using lab and computational methods to study AMOC's vertical structure and variability.
- Machine learning in Arctic marine sediments: Automating detection of environmental features in marine sediments using imaging techniques to unlock their potential in climate research.
- Synchronizing ice cores: Developing numerical methods for continuous ice core synchronization to study global volcanism and solar activity.
- Using the Sun’s 'heartbeat' to measure time in the ocean: Developing a new geochronometer for deep-sea sediments using cosmogenic 10Be.
