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Avery Point Paleoclimate Lab 

About Us

 

Research in the Avery Point Paleo Lab (APPL) focuses on the mechanisms that govern Earth's climate variability on centennial and longer timescales.

 

Areas of research include: quantitative estimates of the ocean circulation and sea ice extent, the ocean's role in the global carbon cycle, and long-term variations in mid-ocean ridge hydrothermal and volcanic activity.

 

Research in APPL is based on a range of lab techniques, including analyses of stable isotopes, trace element concentrations, helium isotopes, U/Th, and radiocarbon.

 
Recent News

2024

January
- Manuscript by Monica Garity (Ph.D. student) entitled 'Multi-proxy evidence for Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation weakening during deglaciations of the past 150,000 years' published in Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology

- Manuscript by Alec Stub (M.S. student) and Monica Garity (Ph.D. student) entitled 'Brazil Margin stable isotope profiles for the last glacial cycle: Implications for watermass geometry and oceanic carbon storage' published in Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology

2023

December
- Lund lab presents at Fall AGU meeting in San Francisco, including presentations by Monica Garity (Ph.D. student), Ethan Taylor (M.S. student), and Sarah McCart (lab manager/super tech)

- Sea-going proposal entitled "Collaborative Research - Resolving the LGM ventilation age conundrum: New radiocarbon records from high sedimentation rate sites in the deep western Pacific" funded by NSF Marine Geology and Geophysics Program

- Manuscript by Monica Garity (Ph.D. student) entitled 'Multi-proxy evidence for Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation weakening during deglaciations of the past 150,000 years' accepted for publication in Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology

November
- Manuscript by Alec Stub (M.S. student) and Monica Garity (Ph.D. student) entitled 'Brazil Margin stable isotope profiles for the last glacial cycle: Implications for watermass geometry and oceanic carbon storage' accepted for publication in Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology

- Dr. Alan Seltzer, Assistant Scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, presents in the Marine Science Department seminar series

- Department of Marine Sciences Diversity Committee collaborates with Dr. Vicki Magley and PhD student Corey Grantham in UConn Psychological Sciences to implement departmental climate survey

October
- After a two-year planning and implementation process that included consultation with Marine Sciences, Sea Grant, CIRCA, Avery Point administration, UConn Facilities, the Rainbow Center and the Fire Marshall and Building Inspector's office, bathrooms in the Marine Sciences Building are updated to include gender inclusive options

September 
- Dr. Sophie Hines, Assistant Scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, presents in the Marine Science Department seminar series


July
- Two new high school students start summer research projects in the lab, including Ko Parlagreco (Marine Science Magnet School) and Ella Booc (Fitch High School)


June
- Hope Jerris (Middlebury College) starts her NSF REU project in the Avery Point Paleoclimate Lab.  See here for video of previous REU student Jacquelyn McBride explaining her project. 


May
- Department of Marine Sciences hosts ADVANCEGeo bystander intervention and code of conduct workshops to improve departmental climate

March 
- Proposal entitled "Was the deep Atlantic dominated by southern source waters during the LGM? A conservative view based on the oxygen isotopic ratio of benthic foraminifera" funded by NSF Marine Geology and Geophysics Program

- Paper by Muglia et al. on compilation of high-resolution stable isotope data published in Nature Scientific Data

February
Manuscript by Monica Garity (Ph.D. student) entitled 'Multi-proxy evidence for Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation weakening during deglaciations of the past 150,000 years' submitted to Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology

Manuscript by Alec Stub (M.S. student) entitled 'Brazil Margin stable isotope profiles for the last glacial cycle: Implications for watermass geometry and oceanic carbon storage' submitted to Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology

2022

December
-
Proposal entitled "Anomalous mid-ocean ridge volcanism during glacial terminations: Exploring new archives from the East Pacific Rise" funded by UConn College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

November
- Dr. Baerbel Hoenisch, Dansgaard Award winner and AGU Emiliani lecturer, presents in the Marine Science Department seminar series

 
October
- Dr. Katherine Allen, Associate Professor at the University of Maine, presents in the Marine Science Department seminar series

August
- NSF REU student Jacquelyn McBride presents her project results showing evidence for ocean acidification during the last major drop in atmospheric carbon dioxide 

​June
- Lab group travels to Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory for deep sea sediment sampling party


- Undergraduate Jacquelyn McBride begins her project as part of the NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)

​May
- Dr. Erika Marin-Spiotta, AGU Fellow and Presidential Early Career Award winner, visits Marine Science Department to discuss ADVANCEGeo survey results

- Undergraduate Walker Melzen completes his honors thesis project on hydrothermal plume fallout along the East Pacific Rise

April 
- Review paper on Southern Ocean sea ice reconstruction techniques published in Climate of the Past.

March 
- Paper on oceanic carbon release during the last deglaciation published in Nature Geoscience.

- Dr. Peter Clark, AAAS and AGU Fellow and professor at Oregon State University, visits the Marine Science Department.

2021

December 
- UConn Marine Sciences department selected to partner with the AGU Bridge Program, see formal announcement here.
 
- Ph.D. candidate Monica Garity presents her research in the 'Advances in Understanding the Global Meridional Overturning Circulation' session at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting

November
- Dr. Danny Sigman, MacArthur Fellow and professor at Princeton University, visits the Marine Science Department 

October
- Marine Sciences Department awarded grant from UConn College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for partner application to the American Geophysical Union Bridge Program

- Dave gives presents new deep Pacific radiocarbon results at the Geological Society America Meeting in Portland

June
- New Ph.D. candidate Ethan Taylor starts at the Avery Point Paleoclimate Lab

- Ph.D. candidate Monica Garity begins University of Potsdam virtual summer school on 'Trends, Rhythms, Events in Earth's Climate System - Past, Present, and Future'

May 
- Ph.D. candidate Monica Garity presents at the biennial Feng Colloquium in the Department of Marine Sciences

- Undergraduate Walker Melzen begins honors thesis project on hydrothermal activity along the East Pacific Rise

- Paper on new method for reconstructing sea ice extent published in Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology


February 
- Former M.S. student Alec Shub begins Knauss Fellowship with the
NOAA Climate Program Office

January
- Ph.D. candidate Monica Garity successfully passes her qualifying exams - congratulations Monica!

2020

December
- M.S. graduate student Alec Shub working with Governor's Council on Climate Change

November

- Sarah McCart successfully defends her Master's thesis entitled: "Assessing the sea level hypothesis with hydrothermal and volcanic ash records from the East Pacific Rise and Pacific-Antarctic Ridge"

- Alec Shub successfully defends his Master's thesis entitled: "Deep South Atlantic watermass variability during the last glacial cycle: New stable isotope records from the Brazil Margin"  

- Ph.D. candidate Monica Garity presents her research entitled "Carbon isotope evidence for AMOC weakening during deglaciations of the past 140 ka" at the PAGES Quaternary Interglacial Meeting

August
- Grant awarded for "Do metalliferous sediments record mid-ocean ridge hydrothermal activity: Constraining the roles of iron oxidation rate and 230Th scavenging" by NSF Marine Geology and Geophysics

 
July
- Graduate student Alec Shub awarded prestigious Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship in Washington, D.C.

June
- Grant awarded for "Tracking Southern Ocean sea ice extent and frontal positions: Novel techniques based on oxygen isotope and Mg/Ca analyses of foraminifera" by NSF Paleo Perspectives on Climate Change

February
- Publication of 230Th review paper by Costa et al. in Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology

January
Dave begins sabbatical at the University of Tasmania, collaborating with Drs. Zanna Chase and Rebecca Carey

 
2019

December
- Sampling trip to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Core Repository

September
International Conference on Paleoceanography (ICP), Sydney, Australia 
  - Graduate student Alec Shub presented on new stable isotope profiles from the Brazil Margin
  - Dave presented on evidence for hydrothermal scavenging of 230Th along the East Pacific Rise

August
- Compilation of consistently dated sediment cores published by Waelbroeck et al. in Scientific Data

- New Ph.D. student Monica Garity (B.S. UC Santa Barbara) joins the lab

July
- Publication of manuscript by graduate student Matt Lacerra in Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology

June
Sampling trip to Columbia University's Lamont Doherty Core Repository

May
Publication of South Atlantic sub-surface warming paper by Umling et al. in Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology

April
- Incoming Ph.D. student Monica Garity (B.S. Earth Sciences, UCSB) awarded prestigious Harriott Fellowship from the UCONN Graduate School

March
- Publication of air-sea carbon isotope equilibration paper in Environmental Research Letters

January
- Publication of East Pacific Rise hydrothermal scavenging paper in Earth and Planetary Science Letters


2018

December
- Manuscript by Matt Lacerra (M.S. student) entitled 'Less remineralized carbon in the intermediate depth South Atlantic during Heinrich Stadial 1 ' submitted to Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology

November
- Invited manuscript entitled 'Carbon isotope minima in the South Atlantic during the last deglaciation: Evaluating the influence of air-sea gas exchange' submitted to Environmental Research Letters 

September
- Two new M.S. graduate students join the lab:  Sarah McCart (B.S. Marine Sciences, UCONN) and Alec Shub (B.A. Geology, Macalaster College)

August 
- Publication of Pacific-Antarctic Ridge volcanism paper in G-cubed

- Goldschmidt International Conference, Boston, MA

- Matt presented on the biological pump hypothesis and AMOC during HS1

- Dave presented on the biogeochemical impact of AMOC collapse using South Atlantic records spanning MIS 2-6

- Sarah presented a poster on the newly published Pacific-Antarctic Ridge volcanism paper

- Matt presented his M.S. thesis defense on the biological pump hypothesis
 
July
- Grant awarded for "Anomalous submarine volcanism during glacial terminations: Exploring archives from the global mid-ocean ridge system" project by NSF Marine Geology and Geophysics

June 
- Sampling trip to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Core Repository 

April
- Grant awarded for "The Atlantic's role in ice age inception and termination: Assessing carbon storage and release with new Brazil Margin profiles form MIS 2 to MIS 6" project by NSF Paleo Perspectives on Climate Change program
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