Home Teaching Resources and Links Openings

Research

 

Research Interests

Our interests lie in the feedbacks between atmospheric chemistry and climate change.  We make use of the oxygen isotopic composition of sulfate and nitrate aerosols from aerosol, water, snow and ice core samples to study photochemical oxidation pathways on a variety of time scales.  See below for more detailed information about our current and past projects!

 Photo by M.G. Hastings

Research Tools

Laboratory: Our lab consists of a Dionex 2000 ion chromatograph, Barnstead water purification system, clean (laminar flow) hood, and a MAT 253 isotope ratio mass spectrometer.  We are also part of the ISOLAB at the University of Washington.  Click on the ISOLAB link for information on facilities, people, projects, etc. 

Global 3D chemical transport modeling (CTM): We use the GEOS-Chem model, a global 3 dimensional model of atmospheric chemistry and transport.  We use the model to help interpret our isotope data.  In turn, the isotope measurements provide an additional chemical diagnostic, allowing us to improve the model's chemistry. 

Dionex 2000 Ion Chromatograph
MAT 253 Isotope Ratio Mass Spec.

Click on the links below for more detailed descriptions of our research projects!!

Current ongoing projects:

West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) Divide ice core project

ICE age Chemistry And Proxies (ICECAP)

Sulfate aerosol production in the marine boundary layer

Influence of sea-ice extent on MSA deposition in Antarctica

Antarctic photodenitrification and nitrate sources

Examples of recent, past projects:

Anthropogenic impacts on the oxidizing capacity of the atmosphere

First 3D global chemical transport model of nitrate Δ17O

Quantifying the influence of metal catalyzed sulfur oxidation on the global sulfur budget

Measurements and modeling of Greenland snowpit nitrate Δ17O