The academic drillship JOIDES Resolution, a component of the International Ocean Discovery Program, which is sponsored by 26 countries (photo credit William Crawford, IODP).

Abstract

Much of what we understand about ancient oceans and climates comes from information
extracted from marine sediments. The International Ocean Discovery Program has been
instrumental to providing the framework that allows scientists to reconstruct changing
environmental conditions through geologic time. These reconstructions provide critical
insight on how Earth system processes operate, and in particular, respond to climate
perturbations. A global warming event that occurred 55 million years ago provides our
best analog for modern climate change, and offers a window into our future. Similarly,
reconstruction of past global sea level changes provides context for modern sea level
change. This talk will illustrate the importance of studying the geologic history of global
change.

Bio

Mimi Katz, Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Rensselaer, studies ancient, deep-sea fossils to reconstruct the history of the Earth’s climate.  Katz has done extensive research at sea through the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP), and was named a 2012-2013 Ocean Leadership Distinguished Lecturer representing the work of geoscience and the IODP.

IODP samples are analyzed in the micropaleontology lab. Left to right – Ulrich Kotthoff (Hamburg University, Germany), Miriam Katz (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, USA), and Denise Kulhanek (GNS Science, New Zealand) (photo credit – MARUM/ IODP).

Fossil foraminifera extracted from deep-sea sediment samples. Scale bars indicate 100 microns.