IoES/Luskin Lunch Research Seminar – Aradhna Tripati

Glacial Climate 

Aradhna Tripati, Assistant Professor
University of California, Los Angeles
Departments of Earth and Space Sciences & Atmospheric and
Oceanic Sciences, Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics

My research group uses
the sedimentary record to address fundamental questions about the dynamics of
climate change, both past and future. We work on the development and
application of novel geochemical tools to document and understand the evolution
of temperature, ice volume, and pH. The principal aim of our research is to
understand the role of the carbon cycle in changing seawater chemistry and
climate.

Our research is
focused on applying innovative experimental approaches in order to use the
geologic record as a rich laboratory for the study of climate processes. The
primary tools we use include the new ‘clumped isotope’ thermometer, and the
elemental composition of carbonates. We also integrate geochemical measurements
with field-based observations, sedimentologic and micropaleontologic data, and
models.

Research topics we are
currently pursuing include studying: (1) changes in tropical and subtropical
climate from the Last Glacial Maximum to the present, (2) calcification and
diagenetic processes that govern isotopic and elemental distributions in
carbonate minerals, (3) polar climate stability during past warm intervals in
Earth’s history, (4) the evolution of atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and its
consequences on oceanic pH, and (5) the history of the major cationic
composition of seawater.