OverviewPaleoclimate research at Georgia Tech seeks to understand how and why climate has changed in the past. Looking back beyond the instrumental record can provide us with the context to better understand present-day climate change. Our work focuses on reconstructing past temperature, precipitation, and circulation patterns of key components of the global climate system such as the tropical Pacific El Nino-Southern Oscillation and the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation. We apply a wide variety of geochemical paleoclimate proxies to carbonate archives such as corals, deep-sea sediments, and cave stalagmites to reconstruct climate. We are actively involved in proxy calibration research, which takes us into the field on cruises and other expeditions, as well as paleoclimate modeling, which involves collaboration with other EAS faculty in the ocean/climate group. Our analytical facilities include a ThermoFisher Delta Plus/Kiel and a ThermoFisher 235/Kiel (for the measurement of oxygen isotopes in carbonates), a JY-Horiba ICP-OES (for the measurement of trace metals in solids and waters), and a Picarro water oxygen isotope analyzer.

EAS Paleoclimate Faculty & Research Interests

•Dr. Annalisa BraccoOcean mesoscale dynamics and Climate variability and

the role of the oceans at interannual and decadal scales•Dr. Kim CobbTropical Pacific climate variability on decadal to

millennial timescales; Paleoclimate reconstruction and modeling; Water isotopes; Energy and

climate policy•Dr. Emanuele Di LorenzoOceanography, Climate Dynamics, Inverse and Ocean Modeling, Ecosystems and Climate Change

• Dr. Ellery IngallGeochemistry of natural waters and sediments, Cycling of phosphorus, nitrogen and carbon

• Dr. Taka ItoModeling large-scale ocean circulation an

biogeochemical cycles•Dr. Jean Lynch-StieglitzReconstruction of past ocean circulation, and the tropical ocean/climate system; Focus on the last

100,000 years on millennial to multi-millennial time scales • Dr. Peter Webster

Low frequency Atmospheric and Ocean Dynamics, Ocean-Atmosphere Interactions, Monsoon Predictability

EAS Research Areas•Atmospheric Chemistry, Aerosols & Clouds•Paleoclimate•Planetary Science•Geochemistry•Dynamics of Weather and Climate•Geophysics•Oceanography and Climate•Remote Sensing

Graduate Students

Postdoctoral StudentsJess Conroy (NSF-EAR Fellow)

Past Students and Post-docsJud Partin (postdoc, UT-Austin)

Intan Suci Nurhati (postdoc, MIT-Smart)Julien Emile-Geay (Asst. Prof, USC)

Matthew Schmidt (Asst. Prof, TAMU)Caroline Cleroux (postdoc, LDEO)

James BelangerStacy Carolin (NSF Grad Fellow)

Yuley CardonaAndrew Davis

Fernando HirataPeter Leech

Jessica Moerman (NSF Grad Fellow)Hussein Sayani (NSF Grad Fellow)

Wei-Ching HsuYohei TakanoYisen Zhong

Application Requirements•B.S. or M.S. in any science, math, or

engineering field•GPA: 3.0/4.0 & Higher•Graduate record Exam (GRE)•TOEFL (International Students)

Paleoclimate

Degree RequirementsM.S. Students•Course: 30 Credit Hours•Thesis or Non-Thesis

Ph.D. Students•EAS Course: 15 Credit Hours•Minor Course: 9 Credit Hours•Academic Breadth•Comprehensive Exam•Doctoral Examination

Application TargetJanuary 15

Admissions: Dr. Kim Cobbkim.cobb@eas.gatech.edu

Information: Kathy Plummerplummer@eas.gatech.edu

Application Materials•Application Form (Online)•Personal Statement•Recommendation Letters (3)•Official Transcripts (each school)•Test Scores (GRE and/or TOEFL)

EAS Opportunities•Research field expeditions•State-of-the-art laboratories•Local environmental monitoring•Broad range of computing resources•Interdisciplinary seminar series

Financial Assistance•Graduate Assistantships (RA/TA)•Full Tuition Payment•National and Local Fellowships•Professional Conference Support

School of Earth & Atmospheric Science

Related Courses•Paleoclimate•Oceanography•Biogeochemical Cycles•Global Climate Change•Isotope Geochemistry•Environmental Data Analysis•Ocean Dynamics