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Research Interests

My research interests are to better understand the environment through the use of organic geochemical techniques. The goal of my PhD, more specifically, is to explore past atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide (pCO₂).

pCO₂ is central for the biosphere, carbon cycle, and climate. To better understand pCO₂ for today and tomorrow, the history of pCO₂ needs to be better understood. Secular trends of pCO₂ often rely on compiling many different proxies in order to average the conflicting estimations and to extend records. Thus, a single well-constrained proxy that spans the Phanerozoic may strengthen and support the current pCO₂ reconstructions.

One of the most robust pCO₂ proxies is photosynthetic carbon isotopic fractionation (Ɛ_p), which occurs during CO₂-fixation when the enzyme Rubisco uses lighter carbon (¹²C) from the environment's CO₂ before they use the heavier carbon (¹³C), making the photoautotroph isotopically lighter than the environment.  Ɛ_p is generally applied to species-specific compounds which have an evolution-limited record (e.g. alkenones limited ca. 50 Ma). To extend the use of Ɛ_p, we explore the general phytoplankton biomarkers like phytane.

Phytane is a diagenetic product of all phytoplankton, making it spatially and temporally ubiquitous in the geologic record. To develop and validate its potential as a pCO₂ proxy, we explored phytane in modern environments, in a multi-proxy case study, and in a Phanerozoic reconstruction.

Collecting seawater filters, plankton net filters, and sediment samples at Shikine Island, Japan

Comparing CO₂ vents sites, collecting seawater filters, plankton net filters, and sediment samples at Vulcano Island, Italy

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