The Terrestrial Paleoenvironments group at Brown investigates signals in lake sediments to reconstruct global climate and environmental change. These include seasonal to orbitally-driven climate changes, annual- to millennial-scale climate variability, and massive environmental perturbations in the geologic record. We pursue an integrative approach that stresses understanding the geology, chemisty, physics, and biology of modern lake systems, and applying this knowledge to interpreting paleodata from lacustrine sediments and sedimentary rocks. We employ a huge array of analytical techniques including organic and inorganic geochemical methods, sedimentology, stable isotopes, and microfossils. Members of the terrestrial paleoenvironments group are investigating lakes and lake basins in North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Indonesia.
Research
Terrestrial Paleoclimatology
Millennial-scale climate variability
Monsoon variability
ENSO history and Dynamics
High-frequency changes in continental hydrology and temperature
North American paleoclimatology
Tropical mountain climates and glaciers dynamics
Terrestrial Paleoenvironments and Ecosystem Dynamics
Orbital forcing of climate and ecosystems
North American vegetation dynamics
Paleobiology
Modern Environmental Processes
Stable isotope hydrology