Tom Marchitto

My main interests revolve around the reconstruction of past ocean circulation and marine biogeochemical cycles, particularly as they relate to abrupt climate changes and atmospheric CO2. For example, widespread changes in deep ocean circulation during the last deglaciation appear to have resulted in massive releases of CO2 from the ocean into the atmosphere, but the mechanisms responsible remain rather nebulous. I use trace and minor elements in marine carbonates like foraminifera to reconstruct such past seawater properties as temperature, salinity, nutrient content, and carbonate system parameters. This work is done in a clean lab facility with an ICP-MS (Element2) that I oversee. Most of my work has focused on the past glacial-interglacial cycle including the Holocene, but I am receptive to projects on longer time scales.