Carbonate clumped isotope geochemistry as an applied tool in paleoclimate and paleoceanography - Livestream

The carbonate clumped isotope thermometer is a promising proxy for the study of environmental change through time. In principle, this technique can provide a thermodynamically based estimate of carbonate mineral formation temperature and a relatively assumption-free calculation of water 18O/16O ratios. Over the past thirteen years, I have studied the systematics of carbonate clumped isotopes in foraminifera and coccoliths and other geological archives including lacustrine and soil carbonates. In this talk, I will discuss work we have done to improve measurement capabilities, overcome challenges such as sample size requirements and accuracy, and develop its usability for paleoceanographic and paleoclimatic reconstructions. I will highlight applications to reconstruct terrestrial hydroclimates and tropical sea surface temperature in the past, including proxy-model comparisons to understand underlying dynamical mechanisms. My talk will also touch on new developments relating to the physical geochemistry of clumped isotopes in carbonates. We are using both theory and experiments to quantify kinetic isotope effects, and have developed the novel capability to make measurements of multiple clumped isotope species in carbonates. I will also briefly discuss the work we have been doing in my research group and in the Center for Diverse Leadership in Science to support equity, justice and innovation in the geosciences.

Speaker: Aradhna Tripati, UC Los Angeles

See weblink for connection/location information