front row: Julia Marks Peterson, Kathleen Wendt, Christo Buizert
PI: Ed Brook (Professor)
My research uses geochemistry to understand earth history. Our group focuses primarily on the history of the atmospheric greenhouse gases and links to climate change, with occasionally forays in to dating glacial deposits and studying extraterrestrial dust in ice. We work on deep ice core projects with colleagues around the world, and on novel records from ablation zones on the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets. Our group builds analytical equipment for ice core analysis (and works hard to keep it running).
Christo Buizert (Associate Professor)
My work aims to reconstruct and understand past climate change and atmospheric composition, using deep ice cores from Greenland and Antarctica. I combine numerical modeling, data analysis, ice core measurements and field work to achieve those goals. My work includes reconstructing Greenland climate, investigating inter-hemispheric climate coupling, ice core time scales and dating, and firn processes.
Mike Kalk (Lab Manager)
Mike began working as the lab technician in 2008 after finishing a masters degree in geology. His primary responsibilities include measuring trace gases from ice cores using gas chromatography, data management, assisting students and post-docs with technical aspects of research, method development, curating ice cores, maintaining lab facilities, and assisting with daily operations of the lab. He occasionally assists with fieldwork. When he is not working Mike enjoys spending time with his family and running with his Australian shepherd, Ned, on the local trails.
Asmita Banerjee, Postdoc
Howdy! I’m a postdoc in the OSU Ice Core Lab. My work involves building a Continuous Flow Analysis (CFA) system here at OSU to obtain high resolution measurements of methane, chemistry, water isotopes and dust concentrations from old ice cores drilled as part of the Center for the Oldest Ice Exploration (COLDEX) project. Before coming to OSU, I got my PhD at Rice University, Houston. I investigated changes in atmospheric dynamics and trace gases (particularly ozone) on glacial-interglacial timescales. To do so, I worked on applying a novel stable isotope tracer, clumped isotopes of oxygen, on the ice core gas record. In my free time, I enjoy backpacking, riding my bike and learning to cook food from different parts of the world!
Quinn Mackay, Graduate Student
I’m a Ph.D. student studying ice core chronologies, which define the age-depth relationships of ice cores. By accurately aligning many ice cores on the same time scale, we can better understand the timing of past climate events and their impact on the Earth. My research focuses on developing a bipolar ice core chronology (BICC), where I synchronize ice cores from both hemispheres by using common signals such as volcanic eruptions, and by manually counting distinct layers. Before OSU, I received my B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Notre Dame. There, I focused on terrestrial and marine geochemistry and physical oceanography. Outside the lab, I enjoy flyfishing, backpacking, and photography.
Olivia Williams, Graduate Student
I’m a PhD student in the OSU ice core lab studying past melting events. By looking at the concentrations of water-soluble elements in ice, we can determine when liquid water was present and thus determine when melting occurred. This record will help us understand what causes melting and what extent of melting we may see in the future. Before I came to OSU, I got my B.A. in Earth & Environmental Science and English at Boston University, where I studied silica cycling in coastal salt marshes. Outside the lab, I enjoy tabletop games, baking, and creative writing.
Julia Marks Peterson, Graduate Student
I am a PhD student in the ice core lab and love to spend my time thinking about what ice cores can tell us about past climate, particularly about the carbon cycle. I measure concentrations of greenhouse gases and stable isotopes of carbon dioxide from the gases trapped in ice. I am part of the Center for Oldest Ice Exploration (COLDEX) and am working toward extending our carbon dioxide record further into the past. Before joining the lab, I completed a master’s in teaching and taught middle school science in Seattle. Before teaching, I obtained my undergraduate degree from the University of Washington in oceanography and political science. I am passionate about making science accessible to the public and love doing community outreach!
Abby Hudak, Graduate student
I am a Ph.D. student interested in understanding past climate, particularly climate over one million years ago. As a researcher on the COLDEX project, I am excited to investigate greenhouse gases and dust concentrations within old ice from Antarctica to learn about climate dynamics of the past and what it might tell us about our current climate state. Before coming to OSU, I received a B.S. and M.S. in biology and worked for a couple of years as a data analyst. Somewhere along the grapevine, I fell in love with paleoclimate and polar research, and am so excited to be researching ice cores.
