Oceanography and Marine Geochemistry Lab

Research Interests & Philosophy

How did Earth’s climate, oceans, and ecosystems work in the past? And how are they changing today? The deep sea houses one of the greatest archives of our planet’s history- layers and layers of mud that build up over time. Single celled, shell-building organisms called foraminifera, or “forams”, are super common in marine environments and are amazing indicators of environmental change. When preserved in the sediment, foram shells record changes in climate, ecology, and biogeochemistry though time. How do we know that atmospheric CO2 is higher today than it has been in millions of years? Foram shells, of course!

There’s more… forams are also indicators of modern ecosystem health and play an important role in carbon cycling in the ocean. In my lab we use geochemistry and population dynamics of fossil and living foraminifera, along with sediment properties and water chemistry, to understand past, present, and future changes to carbon cycling and environmental change in marine environments ranging from the open ocean to the Hudson River Estuary.

Earth science is for everyone!! As a lab leader and educator my ultimate goal is to create environments where everyone can bring their full selves to their work and feel fundamentally like they belong. The dominant culture of western science has been one of exclusion and gatekeeping (e.g., only isolated “geniuses” are real scientists). This culture reflects systemic racism, sexism, and ableism in STEM, and perpetuates the lack of diversity we see in Earth Science today. Inclusion is critical for scientific excellence- full stop! In the OMG lab we are committed to creating environments that recognize and celebrate the full humanity of our members and working with the Earth Science community to create a new culture that reflects this.

In this vein you can find our field Code of Conduct & shared expectations document that encompasses our lab philosophy (co-created with Catalina 2022 season members). Any feedback and comments are welcome! Adapted from Yale EPS fieldwork and Willis Lab, U Alberta CoCs.

Current Projects

Students, send me an email if you’re interested in research opportunities! Options include a research assistant position, independent studies, and senior theses. Vassar is an undergraduate-only institution, and does not support Master’s or PhD students.

• Response of Foraminifera to Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (OAE), a Proposed Climate Solution

  Many have argued that in order to stay below a global temperature increase of 1.5C, carbon dioxide removal from the atmosphere will become necessary. One proposed solution for doing this is enhancing the alkalinity, or buffering capacity, of the ocean. However, the effects of OAE on the surface ocean carbon cycle and its organisms remain largely unknown. We are filling a key gap in our understanding of OAE risks and efficacy by evaluating the influence of increased alkalinity on foraminifera calcification. When foraminifera make their shells, they take alkalinity out of the ocean- which would make OAE less efficient. Funded by the NOAA Ocean Acidification Program, we’re growing foraminifera in the lab at Vassar and in Bermuda in 2025/2026 under enhanced alkalinity to understand the impacts of this proposed climate solution on ocean chemistry. Click here for Press Release

• Climate and Carbon Cycling during Past Warm Climates

  From Jan-March of 2020, I sailed on IODP Expedition 378, where we collected sediment cores from south of New Zealand to study high-latitude climate and ocean dynamics during the Eocene, a period of profound global warmth (56-47 million years ago). Ongoing work from this expedition focuses on understanding how surface and deep ocean carbon cycle and foraminifera population dynamics functioned during the warm Eocene epoch. (Exp 378 Link)

• Foraminifera in the Hudson River as Indicators of Environmental Change

  Foraminifera can be found throughout shallow marine environments, including the Hudson River Estuary. Because foraminifera are so abundant in shallow sediments, their species assemblages and geochemistry serve as powerful indicators of current and past environmental conditions. We are investigating how foraminifera record environmental conditions and pollution in the lower Hudson River.

• Deep Ocean Carbon Dynamics and Ocean Circulation across the Mid-Pleistocene Transition

During the Pleistocene epoch, Earth’s climate regularly swung in and out of glacial and interglacial periods. Approximately 1.3 to 0.6 million years ago, the pacing of these oscillations changed without any alterations in external solar radiation forcing.  I am using the B/Ca proxy in benthic foraminifera to constrain changes to carbon storage in the deep Pacific and Atlantic oceans that may have helped to facilitate this transition. We are collaborating with large group of researchers using both foraminiferal trace element proxies and neodymium isotopes to investigate the links between ocean circulation and carbon storage in the deep ocean across this critical time period.

Lab Facilities in Ely Hall

Ely 201- Geochemistry Lab

• Tabletop Scanning Electron Microscope with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometer: for determining structure, morphology, and chemical composition of tiny objects (like forams, thin sections of rocks, pollen, etc.).

• Leica M205 Microscope: This stereo microscope allows us to make high-resolution reflected light images of tiny, round objects (like forams) by using z-stacking. We also can make quick area measurements and perform shape analysis on multiple specimens. I love this thing!

• Mettler Toledo XPR2U Ultramicrobalance: Allows us to weigh tiny, individual objects (like forams) with readability to the 0.1 microgram.

• Flow Bench and Hood: This lab is constructed in polypropylene to support trace element geochemistry.

• Metrohm Autotitrator: For analyzing seawater alkalinity.

• Milli-Q system

• Percival Incubator: Equipped with diurnal light, temperature, and CO2 control.

• pH and Conductivity Meters, Balances,

Ely 206- Dirty Lab

• Freeze Dryer (-50C): For drying out deep sea sediments.

• Sediment washing tables and end-over end tumbling wheel: charmingly home-made and functional.

• Sediment Picking Stations: All of the tiny brushes you could ever need.