Judson Mead Geologic Field Station

Research Interests

My expertise is in paleoclimatology. I use a combination of stable isotope geochemistry, and micropaleontology to study how the Earth's climate changed through time. Research interests include 1) understanding the dynamics of the global carbon cycle, climate change, and major mass extinction events and 2) the use of stable oxygen isotopes to understand the paleoecology of conodonts (extinct marine eel-like organisms). My research involves both laboratory and field components. The field component has taken me from road outcrops in Alabama to rock exposures on sheep ranches in Australia. Students who complete research with me work on projects focusing on the collection and identification of microfossil assemblages and the use of stable carbon and oxygen isotopes to address paleoclimatic questions.