I am interested in understanding abrupt climate change and other mechanisms of the climate system that relate to society. I am a polar scientist; my research focus areas are in the cryosphere, with a focus on ice sheets and permafrost. I work to push boundaries with new technology, for example, in ultra-high resolution analysis of past variability in the hydrologic cycle using water isotopes in ice cores. In some aspects of my research, I focus on past abrupt climate change events, such as the large abrupt warmings in Greenland during the last glacial period, known as Dansgaard-Oeschger Events. In other research, I am working to understand methane emissions and fluxes from permafrost regions of Alaska, especially for hotspot emission sites associated with abrupt thaw lakes. I also utilize cutting-edge drone technology by designing adaptable systems with removable and highly customizable sampling pods. For example, I utilize custom nose-cone sampling pods on a fixed-wing aircraft for analysis of water isotopic variability in the atmospheric boundary layer over the Greenland Ice Sheet, and to detect methane emissions above permafrost thaw features in Alaska.
