Biography
I am a PGR based in Leeds at the University of Leeds working with Dr Ruza Ivanovic, investigating abrupt climate and sea level change in the last deglaciation. I previously completed my Masters by Research in Climate and Atmospheric Science at the University of Leeds.
Qualifications
2019 – 2020: Masters by Research in Climate and Atmospheric Science at the University of Leeds, UK
2015 – 2019: Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics at Saint Leo University, USA
Research Interests
I am interested in paleoclimate modelling with specific interest in the last deglaciation, abrupt climate change triggers, and climate dynamic changes surrounding abrupt events.
Project Title
Abrupt climate and sea level change
Supervisors
- Ruza Ivanovic
- Lauren Gregoire
- Sam Sherriff-Tadano
Funding
Panorama NERC DTP, 2021
Project outline
The last deglaciation is a period consisting of largescale ice sheet melt, rising summer solar insolation, increasing greenhouse gas concentrations, and warming surface air temperatures. This relatively smooth transition from the Last Glacial Maximum is also accompanied by well-documented abrupt events such as Heinrich Stadial 1, Meltwater Pulse 1a, the Bølling Warming, and the Younger Dryas. However, despite the ability to identify these events in temperature proxy records, precisely how these events occurred, what triggered them, and if they are linked is still debated.
Regardless of the disagreement on the causal mechanisms of these events, the importance of understanding how these events transpired to predict their potential reoccurrence is widely agreed upon.
My PhD project will provide critical insight into the abrupt climate changes through analysis of complex numerical earth system models, comparisons to observational data, and establishment of links between climate feedbacks and their outcomes. Comparing results of multiple models as well as observational data will assist with not only evaluating model performance but also verifying or refuting previous explanations for the events, laying a foundation for testing and building new hypotheses.
These conclusions will be beneficial not only towards those piecing together the past but also to the understanding of potential catastrophic future events, especially in light of current climate change.