Active Research Projects
Deglaciation of the Western Margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet
The Greenland Ice Sheet (GIS) is shrinking today in response to the warming atmosphere and ocean. The GIS holds enough freshwater to raise sea level by 7.4 meters (24 feet) if it melted completely. Thus, understanding how it responds to warming is important. In this project we are investigating GIS vulnerability by studying how the GIS responded to climate warming in the past. At the end of the last ice age, about 20,000 years ago, the western GIS margin extended farther into Baffin Bay, hundreds of kilometers west of its present position.
Pliocene-Pleistocene Variability of Weddell Embayment and Antarctic Peninsula Glaciation
The potential for future sea level rise from melting and collapse of Antarctic ice sheets and glaciers is concerning. We can improve our understanding of how water is exchanged between Antarctic ice sheets and the ocean by studying how ice sheets behaved in past climates, especially conditions that were similar to or warmer than those at present.
News
Baffin Bay Deglacial Experiment Short Film at EGU
A short film from our 2023 summer field season to Baffin Bay is premiering this week at EGU and can now be watched at EGU. In addition to shots at sea, our video also includes footage from LDEO archives. Check it out and enjoy!
Lab upgrades and a new website
It is an exciting time for the LDEO Paleomagnetics Lab as we make progress on needed electric upgrades and get ready to install our Helium Free 2G Enterprises Long Core Magnetometer, recently donated to Columbia University from ETH Zurich. At the same time, we are launching this website and growing with new hires. Stay tuned to this website for more updates in the future.