Scientists study past climate to learn more about our planet's climate system in order to better understand ongoing climate changes. At UM, this investigation of climate, past and future, takes forms ranging from terrestrial to marine, from recent to deep in the past, from model to data collection. Ongoing projects include reconstructing the Eocene terrestrial climate in the western US, Cretaceous climate change across intervals of mass extinction, and the historical behavior of El Nino. Groups model hydrology over ancient and modern mountain ranges, relate regional climate and vegetation shifts to human evolutionary history and use soil chemistry to determine past rainfall patterns.

Faculty Specialties Associated Laboratories and Research Groups
Brian Arbic Physical oceanography, numerical modeling, satellite oceanography, oceanography capacity development in Africa. Arbic Group
Julie Cole Coral reefs, caves, drought, El Nino, Common Era, Holocene. Julia Cole's Climate Lab
Rose Cory Environmental biogeochemistry, geochemistry, climate change, geobiology Personal Website
Jessica Fayne    
Ingrid Hendy Sedimentology, micropaleontology, paleoceanography, glaciology  
Naomi Levin Stratigraphy, paleoecology, isotope hydrology, isotope geochemistry, environments of early humans.

Levin Research Group

Iso Paleo Lab
Kacey Lohmann Carbonate geochemistry, sedimentology, field geology, paleoceanography, stable isotope geochemistry, sclerochronology. Personal Website
Ben Passey Analytical isotope geochemistry, paleoecology, animal diet & physiology, paleoclimate, fossil mammals. Iso Paleo Lab
Sierra Petersen Past greenhouse climates, mass extinctions, stable and clumped isotope paleothermometry, fossil mollusks, sclerochronology. Lab Website
Nathan Sheldon Paleosols, terrestrial biogeochemistry, Precambrian geobiology, paleoecology. Continental Environments Research Group
Affiliated Faculty Specialties Primary Affiliation Associated Laboratories and Research Groups
Jeremy Bassis   Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering Glaciology at the University of Michigan
Mark Flanner   Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering Research
Jonathan Overpeck   School for Environment and Sustainability  
Allison Steiner Environmental Sciences, Paleoclimate & Climate Change Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering Research Group
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