My interests are in oceanic and atmospheric dynamics and their interactions with biogeochemical cycles over a broad range of Earth history. Synthesizing comprehensive earth system models with high-resolution paleoclimatic data is essential to the understanding of past climates, climate change, and the consequences for future climate evolution. During my Ph.D. studies at the Max-Planck-Institute (MPI) for Meteorology in Hamburg, Germany, I worked in the Ocean Group of Ernst Maier-Reimer on an inverse ocean general circulation modelling. Sponsored research at the University of Texas at Arlington focused on applying comprehensive earth system models in the geologic past for example, investigating ocean anoxia at the Permian-Triassic boundary, the hot-house climate during the Paleocene Eocene Thermal Maximum, and rapid climate change during the Younger Dryas. More recently, the climate group at UTA worked also on regional climate change and climate impact on the infrastructure.
Research Group
The oceanic and atmospheric research group is comprised of senior personnel, PhD, masters, and undergraduate students investigating changes in oceanic and atmospheric dynamics in the past, present, and future. We utilize comprehensive earth system models developed by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), as well as NCAR’s supercomputing facilities. These resources are applied to paleoclimate projects, which include examining oceanic dynamics that contributed to the Permian-Triassic mass extinction event, and abrupt climate change during the Younger-Dryas as well as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum. Research also involves regional climate exploring the urban heat island of the Dallas-Fort Worth area in relation to drought conditions.