Bio


My research and teaching interests include Climate Dynamics, Oceanography, Marine Ecology, and Biogeochemistry. I am interested in environmental policy directed towards problem-solving. My research group studies global environmental change with a focus on air-sea interactions, tropical marine ecosystems, polar climate, and biogeochemistry. In October, 2001, I became the founding director of the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Environment and Resources (now E-IPER), a position I maintained until 2005. In January, 2003, I was appointed the Victoria P. and Roger W. Sant Director of the Earth Systems Program, the largest undergraduate and co-terminal masters program in the School of Earth Sciences, an appointment that ran through 2012. In January, 2004, I was named the J. Frederick and Elisabeth B. Weintz University Fellow in Undergraduate Education in recognition of teaching and mentoring of Stanford undergraduate students. I was awarded the William M. Keck Professorship in 2008, the same year that I moved from the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences to the newly created Department of Environmental Earth System Science. In 2009, I was elected as a Trustee for the Consortium for Ocean Leadership in Washington D.C. where I am active in promoting the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program and the Ocean Observatories Initiative. I am currently serving as the Chairperson of OL’s Board of Trustees. In 2004 I helped start the Palmyra Atoll Research Consortium (PARC) to promote research and conservation of Pacific coral reefs.

Administrative Appointments


  • Lecturer in Earth Sciences, University of California, San Diego (1979 - 1980)
  • Visiting Assistant Professor of Earth Sciences, University of California, San Diego (1981 - 1982)
  • Assistant/Associate Professor of Geology, Rice University (1982 - 1994)
  • Visiting Research Fellow, School of Earth Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand (1988 - 1988)
  • Visiting Scientist, Geology Department, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico (1988 - 1988)
  • Master of Baker College, Rice University (1989 - 1994)
  • Visiting Scientist, National Geophysical Data Center (1994 - 1996)
  • Professor of Geology and Geophysics, Rice University (1994 - 1997)
  • Adjunct Professor of Geology and Geophysics, Rice University (1997 - 2004)
  • Professor of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Stanford University (1997 - 2007)
  • Senior Fellow Freeman Spogli Institute of International Studies, Stanford University (1998 - 2010)
  • Associate Chair, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Stanford University (2000 - 2004)
  • Founding Director, Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Environment and Resources, Stanford University (2001 - 2005)
  • Victoria P. and Roger W. Sant Director of the Earth Systems Program, Stanford University (2003 - 2012)
  • J. Frederick and Elisabeth B. Weintz University Fellow in Undergraduate Education, Stanford University (2004 - Present)
  • Senior Fellow, Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University (2004 - Present)
  • Professor of Environmental Earth System Science, Stanford University (2007 - Present)
  • W.M. Keck Sr. Professor of Earth Sciences, Stanford University (2008 - Present)
  • Trustee, Consortium for Ocean Leadership (2009 - Present)
  • Adjunct Professor Victoria, University of Wellington, New Zealand (2010 - Present)
  • Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Consortium for Ocean Leadership (2013 - Present)

Honors & Awards


  • Antarctic Service Medal, The United States of America (1988)
  • Best Paper Award, Coral Reefs Journal, 1995, International Society for Reef Studies (1996)
  • S.T. Lee Lecturer in Antarctic Studies, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand (2003)
  • J. Frederick and Elisabeth Brewer Weintz University Fellowship, Stanford University (2004)
  • W.M. Keck Sr. Professorship in Earth Sciences, Stanford University (2008)
  • Richard W. Lyman Award, Stanford University (2009)
  • TED Speaker, TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) (2010)
  • SCAR Medal for Excellence in Antarctic Research, Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research (2016)

Boards, Advisory Committees, Professional Organizations


  • Participant and Writer, Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research Horizon Scan (2014 - Present)
  • Chair, Board of Trustees, Consortium for Ocean Leadership (2013 - Present)
  • Committee Member, NAS/NRC Panel on "Future Science Opportunities in the Antarctic and Southern Ocean" (2013 - Present)
  • Member, Audit Committee, Consortium for Ocean Leadership (2013 - Present)
  • Invited Speaker, NASA/GISS (2013 - 2013)
  • Re-elected to Board of Trustees, Consortium for Ocean Leadership (2012 - Present)
  • U.S. Member, Science Implementation and Planning Committee, (SIPCOM),Intergated Ocean Drilling Program (2012 - 2014)
  • Co-Leader, GSA/UT Austin Geologic Field Trip to Antarctica (2012 - 2013)
  • Invited Plenary Speaker, 5th Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research Open Sciences Conference (2012 - 2012)
  • Invited participant, US-Korean-Italian Workshop on Time Series Observation in the Ross Sea, Incheon, Korea (2012 - 2012)
  • Invited speaker, SETI Institute (2012 - 2012)
  • Keynote speaker, Ecopoesis Conference, California College of the Arts (2012 - 2012)
  • Keynote speaker, UC Davis Graduate Ecology Symposium (2012 - 2012)
  • Member, Past Antarctic Ice Sheet Dynamics (PAIS) development team, Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (2012 - 2012)
  • Member, Coral Reefs and Climate Change Working Group, Center for Ocean Solutions (2011 - Present)
  • Member, HOLOCLIP project team, European Union (2011 - Present)
  • Mentor, Jefferson High School Science Teacher, NASA Mentoring Program, Stanford University (2011 - Present)
  • Chair, Public Policy Committee, Consortium for Ocean Leadership (2011 - 2013)
  • Member, Committee on Undergraduate Standards and Policy (C-USP), Stanford University (2011 - 2013)
  • Member, Faculty Search Committee for an appointment to “The Douglas Chair”, Stanford University (2011 - 2013)
  • Vice-Chair, Board of Trustees, Consortium for Ocean Leadership (2011 - 2013)
  • Coordinator, EESS weekly seminar series for Spring, 2012, Stanford University (2011 - 2012)
  • Invited Speaker, Northern Illinois University, Livermore Valley Association, Kennedy Middle School (2011 - 2011)
  • Session Chair and Keynote Speaker, International Symposium on Antarctic Earth Sciences, Edinburgh (2011 - 2011)
  • U.S. Member, Science Planning Committee (SPC), Intergated Ocean Drilling Program (2011 - 2011)
  • Member, Working Group on Sea Level Rise and the Pacific Small Island and Developing States, Earth Justice and U.N. Foundation (2010 - Present)
  • Member, Sample Allocation Committee, IODP Expedition 318 (2010 - Present)
  • Member, Vice-Provost’s “critical engagement” focus group, Stanford University (2010 - Present)
  • Chair, Scientific Ocean Drilling Subcommittee, Consortium for Ocean Leadership (2010 - 2013)
  • Member, Advisory Board, Haas Center for Public Service, Stanford University (2010 - 2013)
  • Member, Freshman and Sophomore Programs Advisory Committee, Stanford University (2010 - 2013)
  • Chair, NSF-UNOLS Polar Research Vessel Committee (2010 - 2012)
  • Member, New Ship Acquisition and Funding Committee, Consortium for Ocean Leadership (2010 - 2012)
  • Mentor of Middle School Science Teacher through NASA Mentoring Program, Stanford University (2010 - 2011)
  • Invited Participant, US-Italian Workshop on Time Series Observation in the Ross Sea, Ischia Italy (2010 - 2010)
  • Invited Speaker, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, Los Altos Earth Day Event, Bohemian Grove, Steve Schneider Symposium (Monterey), Cal Academy of Arts and Sciences, Ocean Leadership (DC) (2010 - 2010)
  • Invited Speaker, TED Mission Blue (2010 - 2010)
  • Member, Visiting Review Committee, Ocean Sciences Program, Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi (2010 - 2010)
  • Presenter, Woods Institute, Oceans Salon, California Academy of Sciences (2010 - 2010)
  • Trustee, Trustee, Consortium for Ocean Leadership (2009 - Present)
  • Member, Committee of Visitors evaluating Office of Polar Programs at the US National Science Foundation (2009 - 2010)
  • Member, Committee of Visitors, Public evaluation of effectiveness of Office of Polar Research, US National Science Foundation (2009 - 2010)
  • Member, External Revue Panel, Department of Marine Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand (2009 - 2010)
  • Member, Faculty Search Committee for Director of Center for Ocean Solutions, Stanford University (2009 - 2010)
  • Invited Lecturer, Stanford University, IAEA ENSO Workshop, Lima , Peru, ACE Science Conference, Granada, Spain, ANDRILL Workshop, Wellington, New Zealand, SF Exploratorium, Stanford Club of Monterey (2009 - 2009)
  • Invited Participant, INVEST Workshop on the Future of Ocean Drilling (2009 - 2009)
  • Member, Program Committee, Antarctic Climate Evolution Conference, Granada, Spain (2009 - 2009)
  • Member, Visiting Review Committee, Oceanography Department, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas (2009 - 2009)
  • Member, Visiting Review Committee, Department of Marine Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand (2009 - 2009)
  • Participant, McMurdo Ice Shelf Drilling Project Workshop, Wellington, New Zealand (2009 - 2009)
  • Speaker, Oceans Forum, Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change (COP-15) (2009 - 2009)
  • Chair, Palmyra Atoll Research Consortium Finance Commitee (2008 - Present)
  • Member, Center for Ocean Solutions Management Committee (2008 - Present)
  • Proponent and Shipboard Participant, Integrative Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 318 to Antarctica (2008 - Present)
  • Member, Y2E2 Building Management Committee, Stanford University (2008 - 2012)
  • Member, Faculty Search Committee in area of Chemical Oceanography, Stanford University (2008 - 2010)
  • Member, External Revue Panel, College of Geoscience, Oceanography Department Texas A&M University (2008 - 2009)
  • Invited Lecturer, Stanford University, for Stanford Development Office (events in NYC and LA), San Francisco State University, British Antarctic Survey, SCAR-OSC, St. Petersburg, Russia (2008 - 2008)
  • Invited Speaker Stanford Admit Weekend, Stanford University (2008 - 2008)
  • Invited Speaker, Stanford Parents Day, Stanford University (2008 - 2008)
  • Peer Review Team Member, Department of Oceanography, Texas A&M University (2008 - 2008)
  • Stanford representative, Consortium for Ocean Leadership (2007 - Present)
  • Member, Program Committee, 2008 SCAR Open Sciences Congress, St. Petersburg (2007 - 2008)
  • Chief Scientist, Deep Sea Coral Collectiion by Submersibles, RV KOK, Pisces V 2007 | Leader, Coral Coring expedition to Palmyra (2007 - 2007)
  • Co-Chief Scientist, Stanford@SEA, RV Robert Seamans (2007 - 2007)
  • Expert Panelist, Site visit for Foundation for Research, Science, and Technology review of Crown Research Institutes, New Zealand (2007 - 2007)
  • Invited Lecturer, University of Toronto, The Nature Conservancy, Australian National University, Stanford University (2007 - 2007)
  • Invited Speaker, Stanford Homecoming (2007 - 2007)
  • Invited Speaker, Stanford Admit Weekend, Stanford University (2007 - 2007)
  • Member, Woods Institute Research Committee (2007 - 2007)
  • Participant, Southern McMurdo Sound ANDRILL Project (2007 - 2007)
  • Invited Speaker, Stanford Parents Day, Stanford University (2006 - 2007)
  • Member, Search Committee for a faculty hire in Physical Oceanography, Stanford University (2006 - 2007)
  • Off-ice designated scientist, ANDRILL McMurdo Ice Shelf Project (2006 - 2007)
  • Scientist, Marine Biology, Biogeochemistry, and Ocean Physics, Ross Sea, Antarctica, R/V Nathaniel Palmer (2006 - 2007)
  • Faculty Leader, Stanford Travel Study Trip to New Guinea, Stanford University (2006 - 2006)
  • Invited Lecturer, U.S. Geological Survey, Hopkins Marine Station, University of Queensland, Australian National University (2006 - 2006)
  • Invited Speaker, End of Oil Symposium, Stanford (2006 - 2006)
  • Invited Speaker, Stanford Club of San Diego (2006 - 2006)
  • Invited Speaker, End of Oil Public Lecture Series, SES, Stanford University (2006 - 2006)
  • Keynote Plenary Speaker, SCAR Open Sciences Conference, Hobart, Australia (2006 - 2006)
  • Leader, IAEA sampling mission to Raja Ampat archipelago, West Papua, Indonesia (2006 - 2006)
  • Leader, Lake coring trip to Lago Fagnano, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina (2006 - 2006)
  • Member, American Geophysical Union Program Committee for 2006 Joint Meeting in Baltimore (2006 - 2006)
  • Member, Program Committee, 2006 SCAR (Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research) biannual Open Science Conference, Hobart Australia (2006 - 2006)
  • Plenary Speaker, SCAR Open Sciences Congress, Hobar (2006 - 2006)
  • Scientist, Coral Reef Control Volume Experiment, Heron Island, Australia (2006 - 2006)
  • Seminar speaker, Heron Island Marine Station, Australia, and at the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia (2006 - 2006)
  • Speaker, Stanford Alumni Clubs in San Diego, Los Angeles (2006 - 2006)
  • Elected Chair, International Atomic Energy Agency Cooperative Reserach Porject Isotopic Studies of El Nino (2005 - 2014)
  • Participant, ANDRILL (Antarctic Drilling) McMurdo Sound Drilling Program (2005 - 2013)
  • Co-Chair, Faculty search committee for a new hire in the area of Climate Science, Stanford University (2005 - 2009)
  • Chair, Antarctic Research Vessel Oversight Committee (2005 - 2008)
  • Member, AGU Program Committee, AGU 2006 Joint Meeting, Baltimore (2005 - 2006)
  • Scientist, Marine Biology, Biogeochemistry, and Ocean Physics, Ross Sea, Antarctica, R/V Nathaniel (2005 - 2006)
  • Chief Scientist, Deep submerisble diving expedition from Samoa to Hawaii (2005 - 2005)
  • Co-Chief Scientist, coral coring expedition to Palmyra Atoll, Stanford University (2005 - 2005)
  • Faculty Leader, Stanford Travel Study Trip to Antarctica, Stanford University (2005 - 2005)
  • Faculty Leader, Stanford Travel Study Trip to Russian Far East, Stanford University (2005 - 2005)
  • Invited Participant, East Antarctic Margin Drilling Workshop, Spoleto, Italy (2005 - 2005)
  • Invited Speaker, Stanford Club of Wyoming, Stanford Club of Monterey, Stanford Club of Philadelphia (2005 - 2005)
  • Invited Testimony, National Academy of Sciences Panel on future U.S. Polar Researh Vessel Needs (2005 - 2005)
  • Leader, Expedition to easter Island for coral coring and lake sediment coring (2005 - 2005)
  • Co-Chair, Interdisciplinary Grants Committee, Stanford's Institute for the Environment, Stanford University (2004 - 2006)
  • Member, Program Committee, 2008 SCAR Open Sciences Congress, Hobart, Australia (2004 - 2006)
  • Chair Science Committee, Palmyra Atoll Research Consortium (2004 - 2005)
  • Invited Participant, SCAR (Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research) meeting (2004 - 2005)
  • Member, Faculty search committee in the area of Paleobiology, Stanford University (2004 - 2005)
  • Chief Scientist, Deep submerisble diving in the Hawaiian Islands and at Cross Seamount, DSRV Pisces V and RV Kanaloa o Kamaikai (2004 - 2004)
  • Faculty Leader, Stanford Travel Study Trip to Alaska, Stanford University (2004 - 2004)
  • Invited Participant, SCAR (Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research) meeting, Bremen (2004 - 2004)
  • Invited Speaker, International Conference on Isotopes in Environmental Studies, Monoco (2004 - 2004)
  • Invited Speaker, Isotopes as climate tracers short course, IAEA, Trieste (2004 - 2004)
  • Lecturer, Instituto de Verano, Universidad de Concepcion, Chile (2004 - 2004)
  • Member, Palmyra Atoll Consortium Leadership Committee (2003 - Present)
  • Director, Earth Systems Program, Stanford University (2003 - 2012)
  • Faculty Leadership Committee, Stanford Institute for the Environment, Stanford University (2003 - 2009)
  • Member, Next Generation Polar Research Vessel Design Committee (2003 - 2008)
  • Governor, Joint Oceanographic Insitutions, Inc. (2003 - 2007)
  • Member. Scheduling Committee, AGU Ocean Sciences Meeting (2003 - 2004)
  • Faculty Leader, Stanford Travel Study Trip to Antarctica, Stanford University (2003 - 2003)
  • Invited Participant, Scientific Planning Committee, Integrated Ocean Drilling Program transition meeting, Sapporo (2003 - 2003)
  • Invited speaker, Holocene Climate Workshop, Eikom, Norway (2003 - 2003)
  • Leader, Lake coring team in Patagonia, Stanford University (2003 - 2003)
  • Member, Antarctic Research Vessel Oversight Committee (2002 - 2008)
  • Member, Scientific Experts Group, IMAGES (2002 - 2008)
  • Secretary, Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology Focus Group, AGU (2002 - 2004)
  • Alternate Governor, Joint Oceanographic Institutions (2002 - 2003)
  • Chief Scientist, Marine Geology and Geophysics, Antarctic Peninsula, RV L.M. Gould (2002 - 2002)
  • Co-convener, IMAGES Southern Ocean Working Group conference, Barcelona, Spain (2002 - 2002)
  • Co-convener, IMAGES Southern Ocean Working Group conference II, Barcelona (2002 - 2002)
  • Invited Participant, Antarctic Climate Evolution Data/Model Integration Workshop, Amherst, MA (2002 - 2002)
  • Invited Participant, National Science Foundation Earth System History RFP panel, Washington D.C. July (2002 - 2002)
  • Invited Speaker, Climate Change in the Antarctic Peninsula Workshop, Hamilton, New York (2002 - 2002)
  • Invited participant, Conference on U.S. Participation (CUSP) in the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program, Washington D.C. (2002 - 2002)
  • Member of review panel, National Science Foundation Integrated Global C cycle (2002 - 2002)
  • Member, CEE faculty search committee, Stanford University (2002 - 2002)
  • Provost's Lecturer, SUNY Stony Brook (2002 - 2002)
  • Scientist, Expedition to Eilat Israel to instrument coral reef for global change studies (2002 - 2002)
  • Scientist, Deep submerisble diving expedition to the Gulf of Alaska, DSRV Alvin and RV Atlantis (2002 - 2002)
  • Director, Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program in Environment and Resources, Stanford University (2001 - 2005)
  • Distinguished Lecture Speaker, Ocean Drilling Program: Portland State University, Columbus State University, SUNY Albany, Duke University, SUNY Stonybrook (2001 - 2002)
  • Co-convener, IMAGES Southern Ocean Working Group conference, Bremerhaven, June (2001 - 2001)
  • Convener, First ARTS (Annual Records of Tropical Systems) Open Science Meeting, Noumea, New Caledonia, November (2001 - 2001)
  • Invited Speaker, ANTOSTRAT symposium, Erice, Italy, September (2001 - 2001)
  • Member, Steering Committee, ACE (Antarctic Climate Evolution), a new SCAR project (2001 - 2001)
  • Member, American Geophysical Union Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology Focus Group (2000 - 2008)
  • Associate Chair, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Stanford University (2000 - 2004)
  • Editor (with Jack Ditullio), American Geophysical Union, Antarctic Research Series monograph on Biogeochemistry of the Ross Sea Shelf (2000 - 2003)
  • Member, University Committee on Admissions and Financial Aid, Stanford University (2000 - 2003)
  • Elected representative, Academic Senate, Stanford University (2000 - 2002)
  • Chief Scientist, PISCO (Paleoenvironmental Investigations of Sediment in the Coastal Ocean), RVIB L.M. Gould, April/May (2000 - 2000)
  • Invited Speaker, University of California, Santa Barbara (2 talks); California Institute of Technology; University of California, Berkeley (2 talks), University of Idaho, Joint Global Ocean Flux Study Biogeochemistry Conference in Brest, France (2000 - 2000)
  • Invited participant and speaker, International Marine Geosciences Sampling (IMAGES) executive committee meeting, Woods Hole, MA; Shallow Water Drilling Workshop, St. Petersburg, FL; (2000 - 2000)
  • Session chair, Paleoclimate (2 sessions) (2000 - 2000)
  • Member, Earth Sciences Advisory Council, Stanford University (1999 - 2012)
  • Member, Provost's Committee on Environmental Science, Technology and Policy, Stanford University (1999 - 2008)
  • Leader, Annual Records of Tropical Systems (International Geosphere Biosphere Program IGBP/PAGES) (1999 - 2003)
  • Chair, Ion Microprobe Faculty Search Committee (1999 - 2000)
  • Invited Speaker, Gordon Conference on Polar Marine Processes, Ventura; Dean's Seminar Series, School of Earth Sciences, Stanford; Institute for the Study of Planet Earth, University of Arizona, Tuscon; Peninsula Geological Society Seminar Series, Stanford (1999 - 1999)
  • Invited participant and speaker, AESOPS Workshop, US Joint Global Ocean Flux Study, Keystone, Colorado, August (1999 - 1999)
  • Participant, Marine Geology and Geophysics cruise, Palmer Deep and Antarctic Peninsula, R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer March-April (1999 - 1999)
  • Session chair, COMPLEX workshop on the future of Ocean Scientific Drilling, Vancouver, Canada, May (1999 - 1999)
  • Academic advisor to 19 Earth Systems students, 3 GES, and 2 IDM undergraduates, Stanford University (1998 - Present)
  • Chair, Ad-hoc committee on development of Oceans curricular track, Stanford University (1998 - Present)
  • Director, Stable Isotope Biogeochemistry Lab, Stanford University (1998 - Present)
  • Member of CESP faculty (Center for Environmental Science and Policy), Stanford University (1998 - 2007)
  • Elected alternate representative, electoral unit 2, faculty senate, Stanford University (1998 - 1999)
  • Chief Scientist, ROAVERRS (Research on Ocean Atmosphere Variability and Ecosystem Response in the Ross Sea, RVIB N.B. Palmer, October-December, 1998) (1998 - 1998)
  • Co-leader, Submerged coral drilling, Galapagos Islands, RV Samba, June, 1998 (1998 - 1998)
  • Invited Speaker, American Quaternary Association Annual Meeting, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; American Geophysical Union/American Society Limnology and Oceangraphy biennial meeting, San Diego; EastFest '98, Stanford; Stanford Parents Day Lectures; ENRON Corp (1998 - 1998)
  • Invited participant, PAGES Open Sciences Meeting, London; Sclerosponges as Paleoclimate indicators workshop, Miami (1998 - 1998)
  • Session organizer and chair, History of El Nio, PAGES Pole-Equator-Pole Americas Transect Workshop, Merida, Venezuela (1998 - 1998)
  • Lead adviser to 24 M.S. or Ph.D. students, Stanford University (1997 - Present)
  • Earth Systems Program Steering Committee, Stanford University (1997 - 2012)
  • Graduate Student Admissions Committee, G&ES, Stanford University (1997 - 2000)
  • Executive Committee member, USSAC, the U.S. National Committee for Ocean Drilling (1997 - 1999)
  • Consulting member, search committee, New sedimentology faculty, Lehigh University (1997 - 1998)
  • Member, Oceans Faculty Search Committee, SES, Stanford University (1997 - 1998)
  • Chief Scientist Positions, ROAVERRS (Research on Ocean-Atmosphere Variability and Ecosystem Response in the Ross Sea), RVIB Palmer; Lake Titicaca piston coring, RV Neecho, May, 1997; Submersible Diving off Hawaii, RV Kaimikai O Kanaloa, DSRV Pisces V, Au (1997 - 1997)
  • Invited lecturer, Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, Princeton; Princeton University, Department of Geology; Department of Mathematics and Applied Statistics, Rice University, Houston, Texas; Princeton University, Department of Ocean Sciences, UC San Diego (1997 - 1997)
  • Invited participant, Workshop on cross-validation of high-resolution climate proxies and instrument records, University of Washington; Warm Climates of the Tropics, International Center for Theoretical - Physics (ICTP), Trieste, Italy (1997 - 1997)
  • Leader, Research on Ocean/Atmosphere Variability and Ecosystem Response in the Ross Sea (ROAVERRS) Program (1996 - 2002)
  • Member, U.S. Science Advisory Council, Ocean Drilling Program (1996 - 1999)
  • Ocean Drilling Program Fellowship Proposal Review Panel, NSF-USSAC (1996 - 1998)
  • Co-leader, Annual Records of Tropical Systems Activity (PAGES) (1995 - 1998)
  • Member, steering committee, PEP-1 (Pole-Equator-Pole transects) (1995 - 1998)
  • Proposal Review Panel, Earth Systems History Program, NSF (1995 - 1997)
  • Committee Member, American Geophysical Union, Paleoceanography (1994 - 2000)

Program Affiliations


  • Center for Latin American Studies

Professional Education


  • Ph.D., University of California, San Diego, Oceanography (1981)
  • B.S., University of Texas, Austin, Geology (1975)

Current Research and Scholarly Interests


Research

My group specializes in high resolution studies of climatic and oceanic variability during modern times as well as over the past 50 to 12,000 years. Our most productive archives for this work include the skeletons of long-lived corals from the tropics and the deep sea, as well as sediments from lakes and marine environments. We use chemical, isotopic, and morphological measurements of these materials to investigate the timing and rates of change associated with past climate and C cycle excursions. Current field areas include the American Samoa, Antarctica, the Line Islands, Easter Island, Chile, Patagonian Argentina, and Palau. We also collect deep sea corals to better understand their ecology as well as their self-contained records of change in the deep sea. We do this work using deep diving research submersibles in the Gulf of Alaska and the central tropical and north Pacific. We dive with the Hawaii Undersea Research Lab, using their two submersibles Pisces IV and Pisces V. We are currently working on several projects in Antarctica to assess the impacts of climate change on Southern Ocean ecosystems and C-system chemistry. Much of this work focuses on the Ross Sea where we are studying the modern uptake of carbon dioxide by the ocean and the sensitivity of primary production to changes in nutrients, temperature, sea ice cover, and CO2. We are also using sediment cores from fjords and shelf basins of East Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula to study past and changes in the Antarctic Ice Sheet. My lab participated in the ANDRILL program as shore-based and field-based scientists exploring the history of Antarctic climate at Windless Bight (McMurdo Ice Shelf Drilling) and Southern McMurdo Sound. I am also a proponent and participant on the 2010IODP Expedition 318 to Wilkes Land, Antarctica.

We have recently engaged in an extensive collaboration with colleagues in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford to develop instrumentation and methodologies for directly measuring C system transformations (production/ respiration and calcification/ dissolution) in coastal marine systems. We are instrumenting coral reefs at several Pacific locations as well as a kelp forest in Monterey Bay. In parallel with our studies of field-scale variability in carbon system chemistry we have also been engaged in a series of efforts to understand the controls on carbonate biomineralization in organisms ranging from reef-building corals to clams from the deep sea. We hope that a better understanding of this process leads to better predictions for the impact of global environmental change on marine organisms.

Teaching

I teach both undergraduate and graduate courses in climate and global change, geochemistry, oceanography, marine geology, and paleoclimatology. I am particularly intrigued with teaching in the field and have taken over 250 Stanford students to remote locations such as Antarctica and the Line Islands to participate in educational and research expeditions.

Projects


  • Understanding Coral Reef Resilience to Advance Science and Conservation

    Location

    Palmyra Atoll

  • Collaborative Research: Developing a Continuous Reconstruction of Tropical Pacific Climate over the Last 500-700 Years: Analysis of Massive Porites Corals from American Samoa

    Location

    American Samoa

  • Collaborative Research: TRacing the fate of Algal Carbon Export in the Ross Sea (TRACERS)

    Location

    Ross Sea, Antarctica

  • Collaborative Research: An Ultra-High Resolution Holocene Climate Record from a Varved Sediment Sequence from the Adelie Coast, Antarctica (IODP Exp 318)

    Location

    Adelie Land, Antarctica

  • Holocene Climate Change in Southwestern Patagonia: New Insights from Large Lake Paleolimnology

    Location

    Puerto Natales, Chile

  • Observations and modeling of the C system dynamics at Palmyra Atoll: In support of the development of management strategies for ocean acidification impacts in the tropics

    Location

    Palmyra Atoll

  • Research Project, Stanford

    Location

    line islands

  • Research project, Stanford

    Location

    Chile

  • Research project, Stanford

    Location

    Patagonia Argentina

  • Research project, Stanford

    Location

    Tierra del Fuego

  • Research project, Stanford

    Location

    Palau

2023-24 Courses


Stanford Advisees


All Publications


  • Remote reef cryptobenthic diversity: Integrating autonomous reef monitoring structures and in situ environmental parameters FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE Steyaert, M., Lindhart, M., Khrizman, A., Dunbar, R. B., Bonsall, M. B., Mucciarone, D. A., Ransome, E., Santodomingo, N., Winslade, P., Head, C. I. 2022; 9
  • Southern Hemisphere Westerly Winds have modulated the formation of laminations in sediments in Lago Fagnano (Tierra del Fuego, Argentina) over the past 6.3 ka BOREAS Vizcaino, A., Jimenez-Espejo, F. J., Dunbar, R. B., Mucciarone, D., Garcia-Alix, A., Neugebauer, I., Ariztegui, D. 2022

    View details for DOI 10.1111/bor.12600

    View details for Web of Science ID 000855005500001

  • Beryllium isotope variations recorded in the Adelie Basin, East Antarctica reflect Holocene changes in ice dynamics, productivity, and scavenging efficiency QUATERNARY SCIENCE ADVANCES Behrens, B. C., Yokoyama, Y., Miyairi, Y., Sproson, A. D., Yamane, M., Jimenez-Espejo, F. J., McKay, R. M., Johnson, K. M., Escutia, C., Dunbar, R. B. 2022; 7
  • Limited biogeochemical modification of surface waters by kelp forest canopies: Influence of kelp metabolism and site-specific hydrodynamics LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY Traiger, S. B., Cohn, B., Panos, D., Daly, M., Hirsh, H. K., Martone, M., Gutierrez, I., Mucciarone, D. A., Takeshita, Y., Monismith, S. G., Dunbar, R. B., Nickols, K. J. 2021

    View details for DOI 10.1002/lno.11999

    View details for Web of Science ID 000731867700001

  • Towards an ocean-based large ocean states country classification MARINE POLICY Hume, A., Leape, J., Oleson, K. L., Polk, E., Chand, K., Dunbar, R. 2021; 134
  • The last glacial termination in northwestern Patagonia viewed from the Lago Fonk (similar to 40 degrees S) record QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS Henriquez, C. A., Moreno, P., Dunbar, R. B., Mucciarone, D. A. 2021; 271
  • Sensitivity of Holocene East Antarctic productivity to subdecadal variability set by sea ice NATURE GEOSCIENCE Johnson, K. M., McKay, R. M., Etourneau, J., Jimenez-Espejo, F. J., Albot, A., Riesselman, C. R., Bertler, N. N., Horgan, H. J., Crosta, X., Bendle, J., Ashley, K. E., Yamane, M., Yokoyama, Y., Pekar, S. F., Escutia, C., Dunbar, R. B. 2021
  • Isoscape Models of the Southern Ocean: Predicting Spatial and Temporal Variability in Carbon and Nitrogen Isotope Compositions of Particulate Organic Matter GLOBAL BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES Glew, K., Espinasse, B., Hunt, B. P., Pakhomov, E. A., Bury, S. J., Pinkerton, M., Nodder, S. D., Gutierrez-Rodriguez, A., Safi, K., Brown, J. S., Graham, L., Dunbar, R. B., Mucciarone, D. A., Magozzi, S., Somes, C., Trueman, C. N. 2021; 35 (9)
  • Autonomous submersible multiport water sampler HARDWAREX Mucciarone, D. A., DeJong, H. B., Dunbar, R. B., Takeshita, Y., Albright, R., Mertz, K. 2021; 9
  • Autonomous submersible multiport water sampler. HardwareX Mucciarone, D. A., DeJong, H. B., Dunbar, R. B., Takeshita, Y., Albright, R., Mertz, K. 2021; 9: e00197

    Abstract

    Oceanography and limnology projects often require the collection of water samples for chemical analysis. Manual water sample collection is labor-intensive and often difficult, especially in remote locations or during nighttime hours. Here we describe a compact and inexpensive autonomous submersible multiport water sampler (AutoSampler) that is largely fabricated with off-the-shelf parts making it easier to build and maintain. The system can collect up to 12 discrete samples at user controllable times or intervals and is operated using open source Arduino hardware and software that can be user modified to meet deployment requirements. While the underwater pressure housing presented here is custom built from readily available materials, there are many commercially available pressure case options that can be used as a substitute. The electronic mounting plates and battery pack are designed so that they can easily be adapted to fit into other pressure case housings. Samples can be collected into bags or syringes and sample volume is set by adjusting how long the peristaltic pump is actuated. This AutoSampler allows research that would otherwise be too labor-intensive or logistically difficult to conduct, especially in remote locations.

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.ohx.2021.e00197

    View details for PubMedID 35492048

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC9041238

  • Multi-decadal trends in Antarctic sea-ice extent driven by ENSO-SAM over the last 2,000 years NATURE GEOSCIENCE Crosta, X., Etourneau, J., Orme, L. C., Dalaiden, Q., Campagne, P., Swingedouw, D., Goosse, H., Masse, G., Miettinen, A., McKay, R. M., Dunbar, R. B., Escutia, C., Ikehara, M. 2021
  • Mid-Holocene Antarctic sea-ice increase driven by marine ice sheet retreat CLIMATE OF THE PAST Ashley, K. E., McKay, R., Etourneau, J., Jimenez-Espejo, F. J., Condron, A., Albot, A., Crosta, X., Riesselman, C., Seki, O., Mass, G., Golledge, N. R., Gasson, E., Lowry, D. P., Barrand, N. E., Johnson, K., Bertler, N., Escutia, C., Dunbar, R., Bendle, J. A. 2021; 17 (1): 1–19
  • Drivers of Biogeochemical Variability in a Central California Kelp Forest: Implications for Local Amelioration of Ocean Acidification JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-OCEANS Hirsh, H. K., Nickols, K. J., Takeshita, Y., Traiger, S. B., Mucciarone, D. A., Monismith, S., Dunbar, R. B. 2020; 125 (11)
  • A review of a decade of lessons from one of the world's largest MPAs: conservation gains and key challenges MARINE BIOLOGY Hays, G. C., Koldewey, H. J., Andrzejaczek, S., Attrill, M. J., Barley, S., Bayley, D. I., Benkwitt, C. E., Block, B., Schallert, R. J., Carlisle, A. B., Carr, P., Chapple, T. K., Collins, C., Diaz, C., Dunn, N., Dunbar, R. B., Eager, D. S., Engel, J., Embling, C. B., Esteban, N., Ferretti, F., Foster, N. L., Freeman, R., Gollock, M., Graham, N. J., Harris, J. L., Head, C. I., Hosegood, P., Howell, K. L., Hussey, N. E., Jacoby, D. P., Jones, R., Pilly, S., Lange, I. D., Letessier, T. B., Levy, E., Lindhart, M., McDevitt-Irwin, J. M., Meekan, M., Meeuwig, J. J., Micheli, F., Mogg, A. M., Mortimer, J. A., Mucciarone, D. A., Nicoll, M. A., Nuno, A., Perry, C. T., Preston, S. G., Rattray, A. J., Robinson, E., Roche, R. C., Schiele, M., Sheehan, E. V., Sheppard, A., Sheppard, C., Smith, A. L., Soule, B., Spalding, M., Stevens, G. W., Steyaert, M., Stiffel, S., Taylor, B. M., Tickler, D., Trevail, A. M., Trueba, P., Turner, J., Votier, S., Wilson, B., Williams, G. J., Williamson, B. J., Williamson, M. J., Wood, H., Curnick, D. J. 2020; 167 (11)
  • Automated multiport flow-through water pumping and sampling system. HardwareX Mucciarone, D. A., Dunbar, R. B. 2020; 8: e00147

    Abstract

    Flow-through systems are often used in aquarium and aquaculture facilities, laboratories, and aboard research vessels and other mobile systems to collect, analyze, and monitor water properties as they vary across time and location. These systems most often intake water from a single source and deliver it to a suite of flow-through sensors after which waste water either exits the system or is recirculated back to the source. Here we describe a system that is designed to take water from multiple sources via a multiport valve manifold and deliver it to a common sample stream, facilitating analysis by a single suite of flow-through and probe type sensors. Build cost depends on the manifold design and the number of valves, but generally under $9000. The inclusion of a Free Surface Interface Cup (FSIC) allows probe type sensors or sample "sippers" that require unpressurized conditions to be utilized down-stream of the pumping system and manifold. With the exception of the multiport sampling manifold, all components of this system are available off-the-shelf, simplifying construction, service, and maintenance. The operating system code is open source and based on the Arduino platform, enabling users to customize the code to better fit their requirements.

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.ohx.2020.e00147

    View details for PubMedID 35498241

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC9041265

  • Autonomous underwater pumping system HARDWAREX Mucciarone, D. A., DeJong, H. B., Dunbar, R. B. 2020; 8
  • Automated multiport flow-through water pumping and sampling system HARDWAREX Mucciarone, D. A., Dunbar, R. B. 2020; 8
  • Autonomous underwater pumping system. HardwareX Mucciarone, D. A., DeJong, H. B., Dunbar, R. B. 2020; 8: e00154

    Abstract

    We present an inexpensive autonomous underwater pumping system that is lightweight, compact, independent, and versatile, making it easy to deploy in a multitude of settings. This system can be used to pump water into discrete and flow-through sensor systems. With the exception of the custom built pressure case housing, this system can be fabricated with off-the-shelf parts, making it easier to maintain. This system uses open source Arduino software code for easier customization and operations. The electronics and battery pack used to power this system can be adapted to fit into commercially available pressure case housings.

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.ohx.2020.e00154

    View details for PubMedID 35498232

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC9041212

  • Marine geological investigation of Edward VIII Gulf, Kemp Coast, East Antarctica ANTARCTIC SCIENCE Dove, I. A., Leventer, A., Metcalf, M. J., Brachfeld, S. A., Dunbar, R. B., Manley, P., Shevenell, A. E., Murray, R. W., Hommeyer, M., Kryc, K. A., McLenaghan, N., Taylor, F., Huber, B. A. 2020; 32 (3): 210–22
  • Estimating Carbon Flux From Optically Recording Total Particle Volume at Depths Below the Primary Pycnocline FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE Bochdansky, A. B., Dunbar, R. B., Hansell, D. A., Herndl, G. J. 2019; 6
  • Living coral tissue slows skeletal dissolution related to ocean acidification NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION Kline, D., Teneva, L., Okamoto, D. K., Schneider, K., Caldeira, K., Miard, T., Chai, A., Marker, M., Dunbar, R. B., Mitchell, B., Dove, S., Hoegh-Guldberg, O. 2019; 3 (10): 1438–44

    Abstract

    Climate change is causing major changes to marine ecosystems globally, with ocean acidification of particular concern for coral reefs. Using a 200 d in situ carbon dioxide enrichment study on Heron Island, Australia, we simulated future ocean acidification conditions, and found reduced pH led to a drastic decline in net calcification of living corals to no net growth, and accelerated disintegration of dead corals. Net calcification declined more severely than in previous studies due to exposure to the natural community of bioeroding organisms in this in situ study and to a longer experimental duration. Our data suggest that reef flat corals reach net dissolution at an aragonite saturation state (ΩAR) of 2.3 (95% confidence interval: 1.8-2.8) with 100% living coral cover and at ΩAR > 3.5 with 30% living coral cover. This model suggests that areas of the reef with relatively low coral mortality, where living coral cover is high, are likely to be resistant to carbon dioxide-induced reef dissolution.

    View details for DOI 10.1038/s41559-019-0988-x

    View details for Web of Science ID 000488304100017

    View details for PubMedID 31558830

  • Coral carbon isotope sensitivity to growth rate and water depth with paleo-sea level implications NATURE COMMUNICATIONS Linsley, B. K., Dunbar, R. B., Dassie, E. P., Tangri, N., Wu, H. C., Brenner, L. D., Wellington, G. M. 2019; 10
  • Recent history of persistent organic pollutants (PAHs, PCBs, PBDEs) in sediments from a large tropical lake JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS Feliciano Ontiveros-Cuadras, J., Carolina Ruiz-Fernandez, A., Sanchez-Cabeza, J., Sericano, J., Hascibe Perez-Bernal, L., Paez-Osuna, F., Dunbar, R. B., Mucciarone, D. A. 2019; 368: 264–73

    Abstract

    210Pb-dated sediment cores and surface sediments from Lake Chapala (LC), Mexico, were analyzed to assess the temporal trends in concentrations and fluxes of persistent organic pollutants (POPs: PAHs, PCBs and PBDEs). Total sediment concentrations of PAHs (95-1,482 ng g-1), PCBs (9-27 ng g-1) and PBDEs (0.2-2.5 ng g-1) were indicative of moderate to intense contamination. The POP concentrations have progressively increased since the 1990s. The light molecular weight PAHs, and the prevalence of PCB congeners with low-chlorination levels (e.g., di- to tri-CB) and low-to medium-brominated (tri- to penta-BDE) PBDEs in most sections of the sediment profiles, suggested that these POPs have most likely reached these sediments by long-range atmospheric transport from distant sources; although the significant presence of heavier PAH, PCB and PBDE congeners in the topmost sediments, indicate that other nearby and local sources (soil erosion from the catchment, urban and industrial wastewaters discharges, as well as navigation) might have also contributed to the recent input of POPs to LC. Taking into account the relevance of LC as regional freshwater supply and commercial fishing ground, the potential risk posed by the organic contaminated sediments to the biota and human population should not be underestimated.

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2018.11.010

    View details for Web of Science ID 000461270900030

    View details for PubMedID 30684764

  • Chemistry of the consumption and excretion of the bumphead parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum), a coral reef mega-consumer CORAL REEFS Goldberg, E., Raab, T. K., Desalles, P., Briggs, A. A., Dunbar, R. B., Millero, F. J., Woosley, R. J., Young, H. S., Micheli, F., Mccauley, D. J. 2019; 38 (2): 347–57
  • Flow and Drag in a Seagrass Bed JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-OCEANS Monismith, S. G., Hirsh, H., Batista, N., Francis, H., Egan, G., Dunbar, R. B. 2019; 124 (3): 2153–63
  • Keeping an Eye on Antarctic toe Sheet Stability OCEANOGRAPHY Escutia, C., DeConto, R. M., Dunbar, R., De Santis, L., Shevenell, A., Naish, T. 2019; 32 (1): 32–46
  • Author Correction: Coral carbon isotope sensitivity to growth rate and water depth with paleo-sea level implications. Nature communications Linsley, B. K., Dunbar, R. B., Dassié, E. P., Tangri, N. n., Wu, H. C., Brenner, L. D., Wellington, G. M. 2019; 10 (1): 2940

    Abstract

    The original version of the Source Data associated with this Article included an error, in which the 'Fiji AB d13C-Suess' data point and the 'TNI2 d13C-Suess Effect' data point for the year '1950.5' where incorrectly omitted from the Figure 3 tab. The missing values are '-0.24' and '-0.64', respectively. The HTML has been updated to include a corrected version of Source Data.

    View details for DOI 10.1038/s41467-019-11041-y

    View details for PubMedID 31253796

  • Coral carbon isotope sensitivity to growth rate and water depth with paleo-sea level implications. Nature communications Linsley, B. K., Dunbar, R. B., Dassié, E. P., Tangri, N. n., Wu, H. C., Brenner, L. D., Wellington, G. M. 2019; 10 (1): 2056

    Abstract

    Although reef coral skeletal carbon isotopes (δ13C) are routinely measured, interpretation remains controversial. Here we show results of a consistent inverse relationship between coral δ13C and skeletal extension rate over the last several centuries in Porites corals at Fiji, Tonga, Rarotonga and American Samoa in the southwest Pacific. Beginning in the 1950s, this relationship breaks down as the atmospheric 13C Suess effect shifts skeletal δ13C > 1.0‰ lower. We also compiled coral δ13C from a global array of sites and find that mean coral δ13C decreases by -1.4‰ for every 5 m increase in water depth (R = 0.68, p < 0.01). This highlights the fundamental sensitivity of coral δ13C to endosymbiotic photosynthesis. Collectively, these results suggest that photosynthetic rate largely determines mean coral δ13C while changes in extension rate and metabolic effects over time modulate skeletal δ13C around this mean value. The newly quantified coral δ13C-water depth relationship may be an effective tool for improving the precision of paleo-sea level reconstruction using corals.

    View details for PubMedID 31053736

  • Early life history connectivity of Antarctic silverfish (Pleuragramma antarctica) in the Ross Sea FISHERIES OCEANOGRAPHY Brooks, C. M., Caccavo, J., Ashford, J., Dunbar, R., Goetz, K., La Mesa, M., Zane, L. 2018; 27 (3): 274–87

    View details for DOI 10.1111/fog.12251

    View details for Web of Science ID 000428400500008

  • Iceberg Alley, East Antarctic Margin: Continuously laminated diatomaceous sediments from the late Holocene MARINE MICROPALEONTOLOGY Alley, K., Patacca, K., Pike, J., Dunbar, R., Leventer, A. 2018; 140: 56–68
  • Acetoclastic Methanosaeta are dominant methanogens in organic-rich Antarctic marine sediments ISME JOURNAL Carr, S. A., Schubotz, F., Dunbar, R. B., Mills, C. T., Dias, R., Summons, R. E., Mandernack, K. W. 2018; 12 (2): 330–42

    Abstract

    Despite accounting for the majority of sedimentary methane, the physiology and relative abundance of subsurface methanogens remain poorly understood. We combined intact polar lipid and metagenome techniques to better constrain the presence and functions of methanogens within the highly reducing, organic-rich sediments of Antarctica's Adélie Basin. The assembly of metagenomic sequence data identified phylogenic and functional marker genes of methanogens and generated the first Methanosaeta sp. genome from a deep subsurface sedimentary environment. Based on structural and isotopic measurements, glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers with diglycosyl phosphatidylglycerol head groups were classified as biomarkers for active methanogens. The stable carbon isotope (δ13C) values of these biomarkers and the Methanosaeta partial genome suggest that these organisms are acetoclastic methanogens and represent a relatively small (0.2%) but active population. Metagenomic and lipid analyses suggest that Thaumarchaeota and heterotrophic bacteria co-exist with Methanosaeta and together contribute to increasing concentrations and δ13C values of dissolved inorganic carbon with depth. This study presents the first functional insights of deep subsurface Methanosaeta organisms and highlights their role in methane production and overall carbon cycling within sedimentary environments.

    View details for PubMedID 29039843

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC5776447

  • Taking the metabolic pulse of the world's coral reefs PLOS ONE Cyronak, T., Andersson, A. J., Langdon, C., Albright, R., Bates, N. R., Caldeira, K., Carlton, R., Corredor, J. E., Dunbar, R. B., Enochs, I., Erez, J., Eyre, B. D., Gattuso, J., Gledhill, D., Kayanne, H., Kline, D. I., Koweek, D. A., Lantz, C., Lazar, B., Manzello, D., McMahon, A., Melendez, M., Page, H. N., Santos, I. R., Schulz, K. G., Shaw, E., Silverman, J., Suzuki, A., Teneva, L., Watanabe, A., Yamamoto, S. 2018; 13 (1): e0190872

    Abstract

    Worldwide, coral reef ecosystems are experiencing increasing pressure from a variety of anthropogenic perturbations including ocean warming and acidification, increased sedimentation, eutrophication, and overfishing, which could shift reefs to a condition of net calcium carbonate (CaCO3) dissolution and erosion. Herein, we determine the net calcification potential and the relative balance of net organic carbon metabolism (net community production; NCP) and net inorganic carbon metabolism (net community calcification; NCC) within 23 coral reef locations across the globe. In light of these results, we consider the suitability of using these two metrics developed from total alkalinity (TA) and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) measurements collected on different spatiotemporal scales to monitor coral reef biogeochemistry under anthropogenic change. All reefs in this study were net calcifying for the majority of observations as inferred from alkalinity depletion relative to offshore, although occasional observations of net dissolution occurred at most locations. However, reefs with lower net calcification potential (i.e., lower TA depletion) could shift towards net dissolution sooner than reefs with a higher potential. The percent influence of organic carbon fluxes on total changes in dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) (i.e., NCP compared to the sum of NCP and NCC) ranged from 32% to 88% and reflected inherent biogeochemical differences between reefs. Reefs with the largest relative percentage of NCP experienced the largest variability in seawater pH for a given change in DIC, which is directly related to the reefs ability to elevate or suppress local pH relative to the open ocean. This work highlights the value of measuring coral reef carbonate chemistry when evaluating their susceptibility to ongoing global environmental change and offers a baseline from which to guide future conservation efforts aimed at preserving these valuable ecosystems.

    View details for PubMedID 29315312

  • Improving Characterization of Anthropogenic Methane Emissions in the United States Introduction IMPROVING CHARACTERIZATION OF ANTHROPOGENIC METHANE EMISSIONS IN THE UNITED STATES White, J. C., Allen, D., Amar, P. K., Bogner, J., Bruhwiler, L., Cooley, D., Frankenberg, C., George, F., Hanle, L., Hristov, A. H., Kebreab, E., Leytem, A., Mastalerz, M., Wofsy, S., Ravishankara, A. R., Chen, S. S., Bitz, C., Cane, M. A., Cullen, H., Dunbar, R., Emch, P., Fiore, A., Frumhoff, P., Gail, W. B., Glackin, M., Hogue, T. S., Joseph, E., Keener, R., Kopp, R., Leung, L., Overpeck, J., Steiner, A., Titley, D. W., Waliser, D., Comm Anthropogenic Methane, Board Atmospheric Sci Climate, Board Agr Nat Resources, Board Earth Sci Resources, Board Energy Environm Syst, Board Environm Studies Toxicology, Div Earth Life Studies, Natl Acad Sci, Natl Acad Engn, Natl Acad Med, Natl Acad Sci Engn Med 2018: 21–36
  • Late summer frazil ice-associated algal blooms around Antarctica Geophysical Research Letters DeJong, H. B., Dunbar, R. B., Lyons, E. A. 2018: 1-8

    View details for DOI 10.1002/2017GL075472

  • Porites coral response to an oceanographic and human impact gradient in the Line Islands LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY Carilli, J. E., Hartmann, A. C., Heron, S. F., Pandolfi, J. M., Cobb, K., Sayani, H., Dunbar, R., Sandin, S. A. 2017; 62 (6): 2850–63

    View details for DOI 10.1002/lno.10670

    View details for Web of Science ID 000415930800034

  • Dissolved organic carbon in the Ross Sea: Deep enrichment and export LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY Bercovici, S. K., Huber, B. A., DeJong, H. B., Dunbar, R. B., Hansell, D. A. 2017; 62 (6): 2593–2603

    View details for DOI 10.1002/lno.10592

    View details for Web of Science ID 000415930800017

  • Air-Sea CO2 Exchange in the Ross Sea, Antarctica JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-OCEANS DeJong, H. B., Dunbar, R. B. 2017; 122 (10): 8167–81
  • Macro-nutrient concentrations in Antarctic pack ice: Overall patterns and overlooked processes ELEMENTA-SCIENCE OF THE ANTHROPOCENE Fripiat, F., Meiners, K. M., Vancoppenolle, M., Papadimitriou, S., Thomas, D. N., Ackley, S. F., Arrigo, K. R., Carnat, G., Cozzi, S., Delille, B., Dieckmann, G. S., Dunbar, R. B., Fransson, A., Kattner, G., Kennedy, H., Lannuzel, D., Munro, D. R., Nomura, D., Rintala, J., Schoemann, V., Stefels, J., Steiner, N., Tison, J. 2017; 5
  • Net community production and carbon export during the late summer in the Ross Sea, Antarctica GLOBAL BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES DeJong, H. B., Dunbar, R. B., Koweek, D. A., Mucciarone, D. A., Bercovici, S. K., Hansell, D. A. 2017; 31 (3): 473-491
  • Examining the utility of coral Ba/Ca as a proxy for river discharge and hydroclimate variability at Coiba Island, Gulf of Chirquí, Panamá. Marine pollution bulletin Brenner, L. D., Linsley, B. K., Dunbar, R. B. 2017

    Abstract

    Panamá's extreme hydroclimate seasonality is driven by Intertropical Convergence Zone rainfall and resulting runoff. River discharge (Q) carries terrestrially-derived barium to coastal waters that can be recorded in coral. We present a Ba/Ca record (1996-1917) generated from a Porites coral colony in the Gulf of Chiriquí near Coiba Island (Panamá) to understand regional hydroclimate. Here coral Ba/Ca is correlated to instrumental Q (R=0.67, p<0.001), producing a seasonally-resolved Reduced Major Axis regression of Ba/Ca (μmol/mol)=Q (m(3)/s)×0.006±0.001 (μmol/mol)(m(3)/s)(-1)+4.579±0.151. Our results support work in the neighboring Gulf of Panamá that determined seawater Ba/Ca, controlled by Q, is correlated to coral Ba/Ca (LaVigne et al., 2016). Additionally, the Coiba coral Ba/Ca records at least 5 El Niño events and identified 22 of the 37 wet seasons with below average precipitation. These data corroborate the Q proxy and provide insight into the use of coral Ba/Ca as an El Niño and drought indicator.

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.02.013

    View details for PubMedID 28215613

  • A coupled wave-hydrodynamic model of an atoll with high friction: Mechanisms for flow, connectivity, and ecological implications OCEAN MODELLING Rogers, J. S., Monismith, S. G., Fringer, O. B., Koweek, D. A., Dunbar, R. B. 2017; 110: 66-82
  • A year in the life of a central California kelp forest: physical and biological insights into biogeochemical variability BIOGEOSCIENCES Koweek, D. A., Nickols, K. J., Leary, P. R., Litvin, S. Y., Bell, T. W., Luthin, T., Lummis, S., Mucciarone, D. A., Dunbar, R. B. 2017; 14 (1): 31-44
  • Carbonate "clumped" isotope signatures in aragonitic scleractinian and calcitic gorgonian deep-sea corals BIOGEOSCIENCES Kimball, J., Eagle, R., Dunbar, R. 2016; 13 (23): 6487-6505
  • Thermodynamics and hydrodynamics in an atoll reef system and their influence on coral cover LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY Rogers, J. S., Monismith, S. G., Koweek, D. A., Torres, W. I., Dunbar, R. B. 2016; 61 (6): 2191-2206

    View details for DOI 10.1002/lno.10365

    View details for Web of Science ID 000387749500017

  • Science-based management in decline in the Southern Ocean. Science Brooks, C. M., Crowder, L. B., Curran, L. M., Dunbar, R. B., Ainley, D. G., Dodds, K. J., Gjerde, K. M., Sumaila, U. R. 2016; 354 (6309): 185-187

    View details for PubMedID 27738163

  • Accretion rates in coastal wetlands of the southeastern Gulf of California and their relationship with sea-level rise HOLOCENE Carolina Ruiz-Fernandez, A., Sanchez-Cabeza, J., Serrato de la Pena, J. L., Hascibe Perez-Bernal, L., Cearreta, A., Flores-Verdugo, F., Luisa Machain-Castillo, M., Chamizo, E., Garcia-Tenorio, R., Queralt, I., Dunbar, R., Mucciarone, D., Diaz-Asencio, M. 2016; 26 (7): 1126-1137
  • Coral delta O-18 evidence for Pacific Ocean mediated decadal variability in Panamanian ITCZ rainfall back to the early 1700s PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY Brenner, L. D., Linsley, B. K., Dunbar, R. B., Wellington, G. 2016; 449: 385-396
  • Bubble Stripping as a Tool To Reduce High Dissolved CO2 in Coastal Marine Ecosystems ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY Koweek, D. A., Mucciarone, D. A., Dunbar, R. B. 2016; 50 (7): 3790-3797

    Abstract

    High dissolved CO2 concentrations in coastal ecosystems are a common occurrence due to a combination of large ecosystem metabolism, shallow water, and long residence times. Many important coastal species may have adapted to this natural variability over time, but eutrophication and ocean acidification may be perturbing the water chemistry beyond the bounds of tolerance for these organisms. We are currently limited in our ability to deal with the geochemical changes unfolding in our coastal ocean. This study helps to address this deficit of solutions by introducing bubble stripping as a novel geochemical engineering approach to reducing high CO2 in coastal marine ecosystems. We use a process-based model to find that air/sea gas exchange rates within a bubbled system are 1-2 orders of magnitude higher than within a nonbubbled system. By coupling bubbling-enhanced ventilation to a coastal ecosystem metabolism model, we demonstrate that strategically timed bubble plumes can mitigate exposure to high CO2 under present-day conditions and that exposure mitigation is enhanced in the more acidic conditions predicted by the end of the century. We argue that shallow water CO2 bubble stripping should be considered among the growing list of engineering approaches intended to increase coastal resilience in a changing ocean.

    View details for DOI 10.1021/acs.est.5b04733

    View details for Web of Science ID 000373655800058

    View details for PubMedID 26988138

  • Wave dynamics of a Pacific Atoll with high frictional effects JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-OCEANS Rogers, J. S., Monismith, S. G., Koweek, D. A., Dunbar, R. B. 2016; 121 (1): 350-367
  • High-resolution physical and biogeochemical variability from a shallow back reef on Ofu, American Samoa: an end-member perspective CORAL REEFS Koweek, D. A., Dunbar, R. B., Monismith, S. G., Mucciarone, D. A., Woodson, C. B., Samuel, L. 2015; 34 (3): 979-991
  • Six Month In Situ High-Resolution Carbonate Chemistry and Temperature Study on a Coral Reef Flat Reveals Asynchronous pH and Temperature Anomalies PLOS ONE Kline, D. I., Teneva, L., Hauri, C., Schneider, K., Miard, T., Chai, A., Marker, M., Dunbar, R., Caldeira, K., Lazar, B., Rivlin, T., Mitchell, B. G., Dove, S., Hoegh-Guldberg, O. 2015; 10 (6)

    Abstract

    Understanding the temporal dynamics of present thermal and pH exposure on coral reefs is crucial for elucidating reef response to future global change. Diel ranges in temperature and carbonate chemistry parameters coupled with seasonal changes in the mean conditions define periods during the year when a reef habitat is exposed to anomalous thermal and/or pH exposure. Anomalous conditions are defined as values that exceed an empirically estimated threshold for each variable. We present a 200-day time series from June through December 2010 of carbonate chemistry and environmental parameters measured on the Heron Island reef flat. These data reveal that aragonite saturation state, pH, and pCO2 were primarily modulated by biologically-driven changes in dissolved organic carbon (DIC) and total alkalinity (TA), rather than salinity and temperature. The largest diel temperature ranges occurred in austral spring, in October (1.5 - 6.6°C) and lowest diel ranges (0.9 - 3.2°C) were observed in July, at the peak of winter. We observed large diel total pH variability, with a maximum range of 7.7 - 8.5 total pH units, with minimum diel average pH values occurring during spring and maximum during fall. As with many other reefs, the nighttime pH minima on the reef flat were far lower than pH values predicted for the open ocean by 2100. DIC and TA both increased from June (end of Fall) to December (end of Spring). Using this high-resolution dataset, we developed exposure metrics of pH and temperature individually for intensity, duration, and severity of low pH and high temperature events, as well as a combined metric. Periods of anomalous temperature and pH exposure were asynchronous on the Heron Island reef flat, which underlines the importance of understanding the dynamics of co-occurrence of multiple stressors on coastal ecosystems.

    View details for DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0127648

    View details for Web of Science ID 000355700700070

    View details for PubMedID 26039687

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC4454517

  • Frictional wave dissipation on a remarkably rough reef GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS Monismith, S. G., Rogers, J. S., Koweek, D., Dunbar, R. B. 2015; 42 (10): 4063-4071
  • Identification of frequent La Nina events during the early 1800s in the east equatorial Pacific GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS Druffel, E. R., Griffin, S., Vetter, D., Dunbar, R. B., Mucciarone, D. M. 2015; 42 (5): 1512-1519
  • Environmental and ecological controls of coral community metabolism on Palmyra Atoll CORAL REEFS Koweek, D., Dunbar, R. B., Rogers, J. S., Williams, G. J., Price, N., Mucciarone, D., Teneva, L. 2015; 34 (1): 339-351
  • Field observations of wave-driven circulation over spur and groove formations on a coral reef JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-OCEANS Rogers, J. S., Monismith, S. G., Dunbar, R. B., Koweek, D. 2015; 120 (1): 145-160
  • Carbonate saturation state of surface waters in the Ross Sea and Southern Ocean: controls and implications for the onset of aragonite undersaturation BIOGEOSCIENCES DeJong, H. B., Dunbar, R. B., Mucciarone, D., Koweek, D. A. 2015; 12 (23): 6881-6896
  • Positive and Negative Effects of a Threatened Parrotfish on Reef Ecosystems CONSERVATION BIOLOGY McCauley, D. J., Young, H. S., Guevara, R., Williams, G. J., Power, E. A., Dunbar, R. B., Bird, D. W., Durham, W. H., Micheli, F. 2014; 28 (5): 1312-?

    Abstract

    Species that are strong interactors play disproportionately important roles in the dynamics of natural ecosystems. It has been proposed that their presence is necessary for positively shaping the structure and functioning of ecosystems. We evaluated this hypothesis using the case of the world's largest parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum), a globally imperiled species. We used direct observation, animal tracking, and computer simulations to examine the diverse routes through which B. muricatum affects the diversity, dispersal, relative abundance, and survival of the corals that comprise the foundation of reef ecosystems. Our results suggest that this species can influence reef building corals in both positive and negative ways. Field observation and simulation outputs indicated that B. muricatum reduced the abundance of macroalgae that can outcompete corals, but they also feed directly on corals, decreasing coral abundance, diversity, and colony size. B. muricatum appeared to facilitate coral advancement by mechanically dispersing coral fragments and opening up bare space for coral settlement, but they also damaged adult corals and remobilized a large volume of potentially stressful carbonate sediment. The impacts this species has on reefs appears to be regulated in part by its abundance-the effects of B. muricatum were more intense in simulation scenarios populated with high densities of these fish. Observations conducted in regions with high and low predator (e.g., sharks) abundance generated results that are consistent with the hypothesis that these predators of B. muricatum may play a role in governing their abundance; thus, predation may modulate the intensity of the effects they have on reef dynamics. Overall our results illustrate that functionally unique and threatened species may not have universally positive impacts on ecosystems and that it may be necessary for environmental managers to consider the diverse effects of such species and the forces that mediate the strength of their influence.

    View details for DOI 10.1111/cobi.12314

    View details for Web of Science ID 000342668700001

  • Long-range atmospheric transport of persistent organic pollutants to remote lacustrine environments. The Science of the total environment Ruiz-Fernández, A. C., Ontiveros-Cuadras, J. F., Sericano, J. L., Sanchez-Cabeza, J., Liong Wee Kwong, L., Dunbar, R. B., Mucciarone, D. A., Pérez-Bernal, L. H., Páez-Osuna, F. 2014; 493: 505-520

    Abstract

    Concentrations, temporal trends and fluxes of persistent organic pollutants (POPs: PAHs, PCBs and PBDEs) were determined in soil and (210)Pb-dated sediment cores from remote lacustrine environments (El Tule and Santa Elena lakes) in rural areas of Central Mexico. In both areas, the concentrations of target analytes in soil and sediment samples were comparable and indicative of slightly contaminated environments. The prevalence of low-molecular-weight PAHs in soils suggested their mainly atmospheric origin, in contrast to the aquatic sediments where runoff contribution was also significant. Increasing contamination trends of PCBs and PBDEs were evident, showing maximum fluxes of 4.8±2.1 and 0.3±0.1ngcm(-2)a(-1) for PCBs and PBDEs, respectively. The predominance of lower-brominated PBDEs and lower-chlorinated PCBs in soils and sediments indicated that their presence is mostly due to long-range atmospheric transport.

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.05.002

    View details for PubMedID 24971459

  • Retreat history of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet since the Last Glacial Maximum QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS Mackintosh, A. N., Verleyen, E., O'Brien, P. E., White, D. A., Jones, R. S., McKay, R., Dunbar, R., Gore, D. B., Fink, D., Post, A. L., Miura, H., Leventer, A., Goodwin, I., Hodgson, D. A., Lilly, K., Crosta, X., Golledge, N. R., Wagner, B., Berg, S., Van Ommen, T., Zwartz, D., Roberts, S. J., Vyverman, W., Masse, G. 2014; 100: 10-30
  • A community-based geological reconstruction of Antarctic Ice Sheet deglaciation since the Last Glacial Maximum QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS Bentley, M. J., Cofaigh, C. O., Anderson, J. B., Conway, H., Davies, B., Graham, A. G., Hillenbrand, C., Hodgson, D. A., Jamieson, S. S., Larter, R. D., Mackintosh, A., Smith, J. A., Verleyen, E., Ackert, R. P., Bart, P. J., Berg, S., Brunstein, D., Canals, M., Colhoun, E. A., Crosta, X., Dickens, W. A., Domack, E., Dowdeswell, J. A., Dunbar, R., Ehrmann, W., Evans, J., Favier, V., Fink, D., Fogwill, C. J., Glasser, N. F., Gohl, K., Golledge, N. R., Goodwin, I., Gore, D. B., Greenwood, S. L., Hall, B. L., Hall, K., Hedding, D. W., Hein, A. S., Hocking, E. P., Jakobsson, M., Johnson, J. S., Jomelli, V., Jones, R. S., Klages, J. P., Kristoffersen, Y., Kuhn, G., Leventer, A., Licht, K., Lilly, K., Lindow, J., Livingstone, S. J., Masse, G., McGlone, M. S., McKay, R. M., Melles, M., Miura, H., Mulvaney, R., Nel, W., Nitsche, F. O., O'Brien, P. E., Post, A. L., Roberts, S. J., Saunders, K. M., Selkirk, P. M., Simms, A. R., Spiegel, C., Stolldorf, T. D., Sugden, D. E., Van der Putten, N., Van Ommen, T., Verfaillie, D., Vyverman, W., Wagner, B., White, D. A., Witus, A. E., Zwartz, D. 2014; 100: 1-9
  • A 215-yr coral delta O-18 time series from Palau records dynamics of the West Pacific Warm Pool following the end of the Little Ice Age CORAL REEFS Osborne, M. C., Dunbar, R. B., Mucciarone, D. A., Druffel, E., Sanchez-Cabeza, J. 2014; 33 (3): 719-731
  • Oxygen and carbon isotope fractionation in calcitic deep-sea corals: Implications for paleotemperature reconstruction CHEMICAL GEOLOGY Kimball, J. B., Dunbar, R. B., Guilderson, T. P. 2014; 381: 223-233
  • Seasonal radiocarbon and oxygen isotopes in a Galapagos coral: Calibration with climate indices GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS Druffel, E. R., Griffin, S., Glynn, D. S., Dunbar, R. B., Mucciarone, D. A., Toggweiler, J. R. 2014; 41 (14): 5099-5105
  • Conservation management options and actions: Putative decline of coral cover at Palmyra Atoll, Northern Line Islands, as a case study MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN Gardner, J. P., Bartz, R. J., Brainard, R. E., Cohen, J. D., Dunbar, R. B., Garton, D. W., Powell, S. 2014; 84 (1-2): 182-190

    Abstract

    Localised loss of live coral cover at Palmyra Atoll (central Pacific Ocean) has been attributed to increased temperature and/or sedimentation arising from alterations made to the lagoon system. It has been hypothesised that a causeway spanning the lagoon hinders water circulation, resulting in warmer and/or more turbid water flowing towards a site of high coral cover and diversity (Coral Gardens). Analyses of a multi-site and multi-year data set revealed no differences in mean temperature or turbidity values on either side of the causeway and provided no evidence of significantly warmer or more turbid water at Coral Gardens. We conclude that the putative decline in live coral cover cannot be attributed to the presence of the causeway and that proposed management actions involving modification to the causeway cannot achieve the conservation outcomes suggested of them.

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.05.013

    View details for Web of Science ID 000338804700034

    View details for PubMedID 24889316

  • Sedimentology of lower Pliocene to Upper Pleistocene diamictons from IODP Site U1358, Wilkes Land margin, and implications for East Antarctic Ice Sheet dynamics ANTARCTIC SCIENCE Orejola, N., Passchier, S., Brinkhuis, H., Escutia Dotti, C., Klaus, A., Fehr, A., Williams, T., Bendle, J. A., Bijl, P. K., Bohaty, S. M., Carr, S. A., Dunbar, R. B., Flores, J., Gonzalez, J. J., Hayden, T. G., Iwai, M., Jimenez-Espejo, F. J., Katsuki, K., Kong, G. S., McKay, R. M., Nakai, M., Olney, M. P., Passchier, S., Pekar, S. F., Pross, J., Riesselman, C., Roehl, U., Sakai, T., Shrivastava, P. K., Stickley, C. E., Sugisaki, S., Tauxe, L., Tuo, S., van de Flierdt, T., Welsh, K., Yamane, M. 2014; 26 (2): 183-192
  • (submitted) Nature's last stand: Locating and protecting the planet's most remote and biodiverse sites Nature McCauley, D. J., , D. J., McInturf, A., , A., Young, H. S., , H. S., Dunbar, R. B., , R. B., Hastie, T., , T., Mazumder, R., , R., Viladomat, J., , J., Dirzo, R., , R., Micheli, F., F. 2014
  • COMPOUND-SPECIFIC C-14 DATING OF IODP EXPEDITION 318 CORE U1357A OBTAINED OFF THE WILKES LAND COAST, ANTARCTICA RADIOCARBON Yamane, M., Yokoyama, Y., Miyairi, Y., Suga, H., Matsuzaki, H., Dunbar, R. B., Ohkouchi, N. 2014; 56 (3): 1009-1017

    View details for DOI 10.2458/56.17773

    View details for Web of Science ID 000341861800008

  • (submitted) 32Si dating of the upper Adelie Drift sediment core U1357C to resolve the 14C reservoir age Geochimica Cosmochimica Acta Morgenstern, U., Dunbar, R., Ditchburn, R., McKay, R., Crosta, X., Masse, G., Elod, J., Jimenez-Espejo, F., Escutia, C. 2014
  • (submitted) Seasonal radiocarbon and oxygen isotopes in a Galapagos coral: Calibration with climate indices Geophysical Research Letters Druffel, E., Griffin, S., Glynn, D., Dunbar, R., Mucciarone, D. 2014
  • A 215 year coral δ18O time series from Palau records dynamics of the West Pacific Warm Pool (WPWP) following the end of the Little Ice Age (LIA) Coral Reefs Osborne, M., Dunbar, R., Mucciarone, D., Druffel, E., Sanchez-Cabeza, J. 2014
  • (In Press) Dynamic coral community metabolism and its controls on Palmyra Atoll Coral Reefs Koweek, D., Dunbar, R. B., Rogers, J., Williams, G., Price, N., Mucciarone, D., Teneva, L. 2014
  • (submitted) Reef exposure metrics of environmental stress based on diel and seasonal trends in carbonate chemistry and temperature PLOS ONE Kline, D., Teneva, L., Schneider, K., Hauri, C., Miard, T., Chai, A., Marker, M., Dunbar, R., Caldeira, K., Lazar, B., Rivlin, T., Mitchell, B., Dove, S., Hoegh-Guldberg, O. 2014
  • Pushing back against paper-park pushers – Reply to Craigie et al. Biological Conservation McCauley, D., Power, E., Bird, D., Dunbar, R., Durham, W., Micheli, F., Young, H. 2014; 173
  • (submitted) Biological controls on coral reef seawater chemistry and potential capacity for offsetting future ocean acidification Limnology and Oceanography Teneva, L., Dunbar, R., Koweek, D., Mucciarone, D. 2014
  • (In Press) A community-based reconstruction of Antarctic Ice Sheet deglaciation since the Last Glacial Maximum Quaternary Science Reviews Bentley, M., Consortium, R., Dunbar, R. 2014
  • (In Press) Compound-specific 14C dating of IODP Expedition 318 Core 1357A obtained off the Wilkes Land Coast, Antarctica Radiocarbon Yamane, Y., Yokoyama, Y., Miyairi, Y., Suga, H., Matsuzaki, H., Dunbar, R., Ohkouchi, N. 2014
  • Conservation management options and actions: Putative decline of coral cover at Palmyra Atoll, Northern Line Islands, as a case study Marine Pollution Bulletin Gardner, J., Bartz, J., Brainard, R., Collen, J., Dunbar, R., Garton, D., Powell, S. 2014
  • (In Press) Underwater elephants: functionally important species and the importance of ecosystem functioning Conservation Biology McCauley, D. J., Young, H. S., Guevara, R., Power , E., Dunbar, R. B., Bird, D., Durham , W., Williams, G. J., Micheli, F. 2014
  • Retreat history of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet since the Last Glacial Maximum Quaternary Science Reviews Mackintosh, A. N., Verleyen, E., O’Brien, P. E., White, D., McKay, R., Gore, D. B., Dunbar, R. B., Fink, D., Jones, R. S., Post, A. L., Miura, H., Leventer, A., Goodwin, I., Lilly, K., Crosta, X., Golledge, N., Wagner, B., Berg, S., van Ommen, T., Zwartz, D., Hodgson, D. A., Roberts, S. J., Vyverman, W., Masse, G. 2014; 85
  • Oxygen and carbon isotope fractionation in calcitic deep-sea corals: Implications for paleotemperature reconstruction Chemical Geology Kimball, J. B., Dunbar, R. B., Guilderson, T. P. 2014; 381: 223-233
  • (in Press) Long-range atmospheric transport of persistent organic pollutants to remote lacustrine environments Science of the Total Environment Ruiz-Fernández, A. C., Ontiveros-Cuadras, J. F., Luis Sericano, J., Sánchez-Cabeza, J. A., Wee-Kwon, L. L., Dunbar, R. B., Mucciarone, D., Pérez-Bernal, H. L., Páez-Osuna, F. 2014
  • Regional calibration of coral-based climate reconstructions from Palau, West Pacific Warm Pool (WPWP) PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY Osborne, M. C., Dunbar, R. B., Mucciarone, D. A., Sanchez-Cabeza, J., Druffel, E. 2013; 386: 308-320
  • Spatial and temporal variations in variable fluoresence in the Ross Sea (Antarctica): Oceanographic correlates and bloom dynamics DEEP-SEA RESEARCH PART I-OCEANOGRAPHIC RESEARCH PAPERS Smith, W. O., Tozzi, S., Long, M. C., Sedwick, P. N., Peloquin, J. A., Dunbar, R. B., Hutchins, D. A., Kolber, Z., DiTullio, G. R. 2013; 79: 141-155
  • Dynamic behaviour of the East Antarctic ice sheet during Pliocene warmth NATURE GEOSCIENCE Cook, C. P., van de Flierdt, T., Williams, T., Hemming, S. R., Iwai, M., Kobayashi, M., Jimenez-Espejo, F. J., Escutia, C., Jairo Gonzalez, J., Khim, B., McKay, R. M., Passchier, S., Bohaty, S. M., Riesselman, C. R., Tauxe, L., Sugisaki, S., Lopez Galindo, A., Patterson, M. O., Sangiorgi, F., Pierce, E. L., Brinkhuis, H., IODP Expedition 318 Scientists 2013; 6 (9): 765–69

    View details for DOI 10.1038/NGEO1889

    View details for Web of Science ID 000323717500021

  • High-resolution carbon budgets on a Palau back-reef modulated by interactions between hydrodynamics and reef metabolism LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY Teneva, L., Dunbar, R. B., Mucciarone, D. A., Dunckley, J. F., Koseff, J. R. 2013; 58 (5): 1851-1870
  • delta N-15 values of settling biogenic particles in the eastern Bransfield Basin (west Antarctic) and their records for the surface-water condition GEOSCIENCES JOURNAL Khim, B., Dunbar, R., Kim, D. 2013; 17 (3): 255-265
  • Conservation at the edges of the world BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION McCauley, D. J., Power, E. A., Bird, D. W., McInturff, A., Dunbar, R. B., Durham, W. H., Micheli, F., Young, H. S. 2013; 165: 139-145
  • Bacterial abundance and composition in marine sediments beneath the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica GEOBIOLOGY Carr, S. A., Vogel, S. W., Dunbar, R. B., Brandes, J., Spear, J. R., Levy, R., Naish, T. R., Powell, R. D., Wakeham, S. G., Mandernack, K. W. 2013; 11 (4): 377-395

    Abstract

    Marine sediments of the Ross Sea, Antarctica, harbor microbial communities that play a significant role in the decomposition, mineralization, and recycling of organic carbon (OC). In this study, the cell densities within a 153-cm sediment core from the Ross Sea were estimated based on microbial phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) concentrations and acridine orange direct cell counts. The resulting densities were as high as 1.7 × 10⁷ cells mL⁻¹ in the top ten centimeters of sediments. These densities are lower than those calculated for most near-shore sites but consistent with deep-sea locations with comparable sedimentation rates. The δ¹³C measurements of PLFAs and sedimentary and dissolved carbon sources, in combination with ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene pyrosequencing, were used to infer microbial metabolic pathways. The δ¹³C values of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in porewaters ranged downcore from -2.5‰ to -3.7‰, while δ¹³C values for the corresponding sedimentary particulate OC (POC) varied from -26.2‰ to -23.1‰. The δ¹³C values of PLFAs ranged between -29‰ and -35‰ throughout the sediment core, consistent with a microbial community dominated by heterotrophs. The SSU rRNA gene pyrosequencing revealed that members of this microbial community were dominated by β-, δ-, and γ-Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Chloroflexi and Bacteroidetes. Among the sequenced organisms, many appear to be related to known heterotrophs that utilize OC sources such as amino acids, oligosaccharides, and lactose, consistent with our interpretation from δ¹³CPLFA analysis. Integrating phospholipids analyses with porewater chemistry, δ¹³CDIC and δ¹³CPOC values and SSU rRNA gene sequences provides a more comprehensive understanding of microbial communities and carbon cycling in marine sediments, including those of this unique ice shelf environment.

    View details for DOI 10.1111/gbi.12042

    View details for Web of Science ID 000320552800006

    View details for PubMedID 23682649

  • Eocene cooling linked to early flow across the Tasmanian Gateway PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Bijl, P. K., Bendle, J. A., Bohaty, S. M., Pross, J., Schouten, S., Tauxe, L., Stickley, C. E., McKay, R. M., Roehl, U., Olney, M., Sluijs, A., Escutia, C., Brinkhuis, H., Klaus, A., Fehr, A., Williams, T., Carr, S. A., Dunbar, R. B., Gonzalez, J. J., Hayden, T. G., Iwai, M., Jimenez-Espejo, F. J., Katsuki, K., Kong, G. S., Nakai, M., Passchier, S., Pekar, S. F., Riesselman, C., Sakai, T., Shrivastava, P. K., Sugisaki, S., Tuo, S., van de Flierdt, T., Welsh, K., Yamane, M. 2013; 110 (24): 9645-9650

    Abstract

    The warmest global temperatures of the past 85 million years occurred during a prolonged greenhouse episode known as the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum (52-50 Ma). The Early Eocene Climatic Optimum terminated with a long-term cooling trend that culminated in continental-scale glaciation of Antarctica from 34 Ma onward. Whereas early studies attributed the Eocene transition from greenhouse to icehouse climates to the tectonic opening of Southern Ocean gateways, more recent investigations invoked a dominant role of declining atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations (e.g., CO2). However, the scarcity of field data has prevented empirical evaluation of these hypotheses. We present marine microfossil and organic geochemical records spanning the early-to-middle Eocene transition from the Wilkes Land Margin, East Antarctica. Dinoflagellate biogeography and sea surface temperature paleothermometry reveal that the earliest throughflow of a westbound Antarctic Counter Current began ~49-50 Ma through a southern opening of the Tasmanian Gateway. This early opening occurs in conjunction with the simultaneous onset of regional surface water and continental cooling (2-4 °C), evidenced by biomarker- and pollen-based paleothermometry. We interpret that the westbound flowing current flow across the Tasmanian Gateway resulted in cooling of Antarctic surface waters and coasts, which was conveyed to global intermediate waters through invigorated deep convection in southern high latitudes. Although atmospheric CO2 forcing alone would provide a more uniform middle Eocene cooling, the opening of the Tasmanian Gateway better explains Southern Ocean surface water and global deep ocean cooling in the apparent absence of (sub-) equatorial cooling.

    View details for DOI 10.1073/pnas.1220872110

    View details for Web of Science ID 000320930100026

    View details for PubMedID 23720311

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC3683727

  • Relative sea-level rise around East Antarctica during Oligocene glaciation NATURE GEOSCIENCE Stocchi, P., Escutia, C., Houben, A. J., Vermeersen, B. L., Bijl, P. K., Brinkhuis, H., DeConto, R. M., Galeotti, S., Passchier, S., Pollard, D., Brinkhuis, H., Escutia, C., Klaus, A., Fehr, A., Williams, T., Bendle, J. A., Bijl, P. K., Bohaty, S. M., Carr, S. A., Dunbar, R. B., Flores, J. A., Gonzalez, J. J., Iwai, M., Jimenez-Espejo, F. J., Katsuki, K., Kong, G. S., McKay, R. M., Nakai, M., Olney, M. P., Passchier, S., Pekar, S. F., Pross, J., Riesselman, C., Rohl, U., Sakai, T., Shrivastava, P. K., Stickley, C. E., Sugisaki, S., Tauxe, L., Tuo, S., van de Flierdt, T., Welsh, K., Yamane, M., Hayden, T. G. 2013; 6 (5): 380-384

    View details for DOI 10.1038/NGEO1783

    View details for Web of Science ID 000318227000019

  • Reorganization of Southern Ocean Plankton Ecosystem at the Onset of Antarctic Glaciation SCIENCE Houben, A. J., Bijl, P. K., Pross, J., Bohaty, S. M., Passchier, S., Stickley, C. E., Roehl, U., Sugisaki, S., Tauxe, L., van de Flierdt, T., Olney, M., Sangiorgi, F., Sluijs, A., Escutia, C., Brinkhuis, H., Brinkhuis, H., Dotti, C. E., Klaus, A., Fehr, A., Williams, T., Bendle, J. A., Bijl, P. K., Bohaty, S. M., Carr, S. A., Dunbar, R. B., Flores, J., Gonzalez, J. J., Hayden, T. G., Iwai, M., Jimenez-Espejo, F. J., Katsuki, K., Kong, G. S., McKay, R. M., Nakai, M., Olney, M. P., Passchier, S., Pekar, S. F., Pross, J., Riesselman, C., Rohl, U., Sakai, T., Salzmann, U., Shrivastava, P. K., Stickley, C. E., Sugisaki, S., Tauxe, L., Tuo, S., van de Flierdt, T., Welsh, K., Yamane, M. 2013; 340 (6130): 341-344

    Abstract

    The circum-Antarctic Southern Ocean is an important region for global marine food webs and carbon cycling because of sea-ice formation and its unique plankton ecosystem. However, the mechanisms underlying the installation of this distinct ecosystem and the geological timing of its development remain unknown. Here, we show, on the basis of fossil marine dinoflagellate cyst records, that a major restructuring of the Southern Ocean plankton ecosystem occurred abruptly and concomitant with the first major Antarctic glaciation in the earliest Oligocene (~33.6 million years ago). This turnover marks a regime shift in zooplankton-phytoplankton interactions and community structure, which indicates the appearance of eutrophic and seasonally productive environments on the Antarctic margin. We conclude that earliest Oligocene cooling, ice-sheet expansion, and subsequent sea-ice formation were important drivers of biotic evolution in the Southern Ocean.

    View details for DOI 10.1126/science.1223646

    View details for Web of Science ID 000317657500052

  • Reorganization of Southern Ocean plankton ecosystem at the onset of Antarctic glaciation. Science Houben, A. J., Bijl, P. K., Pross, J., Bohaty, S. M., Passchier, S., Stickley, C. E., Röhl, U., Sugisaki, S., Tauxe, L., van de Flierdt, T., Olney, M., Sangiorgi, F., Sluijs, A., Escutia, C., Brinkhuis, H., Dotti, C. E., Klaus, A., Fehr, A., Williams, T., Bendle, J. A., Carr, S. A., Dunbar, R. B., Flores, J., Gonzàlez, J. J., Hayden, T. G., Iwai, M., Jimenez-Espejo, F. J., Katsuki, K., Kong, G. S., McKay, R. M., Nakai, M., Pekar, S. F., Riesselman, C., Sakai, T., Salzmann, U., Shrivastava, P. K., Tuo, S., Welsh, K., Yamane, M. 2013; 340 (6130): 341-344

    Abstract

    The circum-Antarctic Southern Ocean is an important region for global marine food webs and carbon cycling because of sea-ice formation and its unique plankton ecosystem. However, the mechanisms underlying the installation of this distinct ecosystem and the geological timing of its development remain unknown. Here, we show, on the basis of fossil marine dinoflagellate cyst records, that a major restructuring of the Southern Ocean plankton ecosystem occurred abruptly and concomitant with the first major Antarctic glaciation in the earliest Oligocene (~33.6 million years ago). This turnover marks a regime shift in zooplankton-phytoplankton interactions and community structure, which indicates the appearance of eutrophic and seasonally productive environments on the Antarctic margin. We conclude that earliest Oligocene cooling, ice-sheet expansion, and subsequent sea-ice formation were important drivers of biotic evolution in the Southern Ocean.

    View details for DOI 10.1126/science.1223646

    View details for PubMedID 23599491

  • The roles of productivity and ecosystem size in determining food chain length in tropical terrestrial ecosystems ECOLOGY Young, H. S., McCauley, D. J., Dunbar, R. B., Hutson, M. S., Ter-Kuile, M., Dirzo, R. 2013; 94 (3): 692-701

    Abstract

    Many different drivers, including productivity, ecosystem size, and disturbance, have been considered to explain natural variation in the length of food chains. Much remains unknown about the role of these various drivers in determining food chain length, and particularly about the mechanisms by which they may operate in terrestrial ecosystems, which have quite different ecological constraints than aquatic environments, where most food chain length studies have been thus far conducted. In this study, we tested the relative importance of ecosystem size and productivity in influencing food chain length in a terrestrial setting. We determined that (1) there is no effect of ecosystem size or productive space on food chain length; (2) rather, food chain length increases strongly and linearly with productivity; and (3) the observed changes in food chain length are likely achieved through a combination of changes in predator size, predator behavior, and consumer diversity along gradients in productivity. These results lend new insight into the mechanisms by which productivity can drive changes in food chain length, point to potential for systematic differences in the drivers of food web structure between terrestrial and aquatic systems, and challenge us to consider how ecological context may control the drivers that shape food chain length.

    View details for Web of Science ID 000317044300016

    View details for PubMedID 23687895

  • Relative sea-level rise around East Antarctica during Oligocene glaciation Nature Geoscience Stocchi, P., Escutia, C., Houben, A.J.P., Vermeersen, B.L.A., Bijl, P.K., Brinkhuis, H., DeConto, R.M., Galeotti, S., Passchier, S., Pollard, D., Klaus, A., Fehr, A., Williams, T., Bendle, J.A.P., Bohaty, S.M., Carr, S.A., Dunbar, R.B., Flores, J.A., et al. 2013; 6: 380-384

    View details for DOI 10.1038/ngeo1783

  • Provenance of Pleistocene sediments from Site U1359 of the Wilkes Land IODP Leg 318-evidence for multiple sourcing from the East Antarctic Craton and Ross Orogen ANTARCTIC PALAEOENVIRONMENTS AND EARTH-SURFACE PROCESSES Pant, N. C., Biswas, P., Shrivastava, P. K., Bhattacharya, S., Verma, K., Pandey, M., Brinkhuis, H., Dotti, C., Klaus, A., Fehr, A., Williams, T., Bendle, J. P., Bijl, P. K., Bohaty, S. M., Carr, S. A., Dunbar, R. B., Flores, J., Gonzalez, J. J., Hayden, T. G., Iwai, M., Jimenez-Espejo, F. J., Katsuki, K., Kong, G., McKay, R. M., Nakai, M., Olney, M. P., Passchier, S., Pekar, S. F., Pross, J., Riesselman, C., Roehl, U., Sakai, T., Stickley, C. E., Sugisaki, S., Tauxe, L., Tuo, S., van de Flierdt, T., Welsh, K., Yamane, M., Brinkhuis, D., IODP EXPEDITION 318 SCI PARTY, Hambrey, M. J., Barker, P. F., Barrett, P. J., Bowman, Davies, B., Smellie, J. L., Tranter, M. 2013; 381: 277–97

    View details for DOI 10.1144/SP381.11

    View details for Web of Science ID 000343054800019

  • Early Bomb Radiocarbon Detected in Palau Archipelago Corals Radiocarbon Glynn, D., Druffel, E., Griffin, S., Dunbar, R., Osborne, M., Sanchez-Cabeza, J. 2013
  • EARLY BOMB RADIOCARBON DETECTED IN PALAU ARCHIPELAGO CORALS RADIOCARBON Glynn, D., Druffel, E., Griffin, S., Dunbar, R., Osborne, M., Sanchez-Cabeza, J. A. 2013; 55 (2-3): 1659-1664
  • Late Holocene variations in Pacific surface circulation and biogeochemistry inferred from proteinaceous deep-sea corals BIOGEOSCIENCES Guilderson, T. P., McCarthy, M. D., Dunbar, R. B., Englebrecht, A., Roark, E. B. 2013; 10 (9): 6019-6028
  • Reorganization of Southern Ocean Plankton Ecosystem at the Onset of Antarctic Glaciation Science Houben, A.J.P., Bijl, P.K., Pross, J., Bohaty, S.M., Passchier, S., Stickley, C.E., Röhl, U., Sugisaki, S., Tauxe, L., van de Flierdt, T., Olney, M., Sangiorgi, F., Sluijs, A., Escutia, C.and Brinkhuis, H., Scientists, 3. 2013; 340: 341-344

    View details for DOI 10.1126/science.1223646

  • High-resolution carbon budgets on a Palau back-reef modulated by interactions between hydrodynamics and reef metabolism: insights for ocean acidification impacts Limnology and Oceanography Teneva, L., Dunckley, J. F., Dunbar, R. B., Mucciarone, D. A., Koseff, J. R. 2013; 58 (5): 1851-1870
  • Diatom evidence for the onset of Pliocene cooling from AND-1B, McMurdo Sound, Antarctica PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY Riesselman, C. R., Dunbar, R. B. 2013; 369: 136-153
  • Neogene tectonic and climatic evolution of the Western Ross Sea, Antarctica - Chronology of events from the AND-1B drill hole GLOBAL AND PLANETARY CHANGE Wilson, G. S., Levy, R. H., Naish, T. R., Powell, R. D., Florindo, F., Ohneiser, C., Sagnotti, L., Winter, D. M., Cody, R., Henrys, S., Ross, J., Krissek, L., Niessen, F., Pompillio, M., Scherer, R., Alloway, B. V., Barrett, P. J., Brachfeld, S., Browne, G., Carter, L., Cowan, E., Crampton, J., DeConto, R. M., Dunbar, G., Dunbar, N., Dunbar, R., von Eynatten, H., Gebhardt, C., Giorgetti, G., Graham, I., Hannah, M., Hansaraj, D., Harwood, D. M., Hinnov, L., Jarrard, R. D., Joseph, L., Kominz, M., Kuhn, G., Kyle, P., Laeufer, A., McIntosh, W. C., McKay, R., Maffioli, P., Magens, D., Millan, C., Monien, D., Morin, R., Paulsen, T., Persico, D., Pollard, D., Raine, J. I., Riesselman, C., Sandroni, S., Schmitt, D., Sjunneskog, C., Strong, C. P., Talarico, F., Taviani, M., Villa, G., Vogel, S., Wilch, T., Williams, T., Wilson, T. J., Wise, S. 2012; 96-97: 189-203
  • Assessing the effects of large mobile predators on ecosystem connectivity. Ecological applications McCauley, D. J., Young, H. S., Dunbar, R. B., Estes, J. A., Semmens, B. X., Micheli, F. 2012; 22 (6): 1711-1717

    Abstract

    Large predators are often highly mobile and can traverse and use multiple habitats. We know surprisingly little about how predator mobility determines important processes of ecosystem connectivity. Here we used a variety of data sources drawn from Palmyra Atoll, a remote tropical marine ecosystem where large predators remain in high abundance, to investigate how these animals foster connectivity. Our results indicate that three of Palmyra's most abundant large predators (e.g., two reef sharks and one snapper) use resources from different habitats creating important linkages across ecosystems. Observations of cross-system foraging such as this have important implications for the understanding of ecosystem functioning, the management of large-predator populations, and the design of conservation measures intended to protect whole ecosystems. In the face of widespread declines of large, mobile predators, it is important that resource managers, policy makers, and ecologists work to understand how these predators create connectivity and to determine the impact that their depletions may be having on the integrity of these linkages.

    View details for PubMedID 23092009

  • Assessing the effects of large mobile predators on ecosystem connectivity ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS McCauley, D. J., Young, H. S., Dunbar, R. B., Estes, J. A., Semmens, B. X., Michel, F. 2012; 22 (6): 1711-1717

    Abstract

    Large predators are often highly mobile and can traverse and use multiple habitats. We know surprisingly little about how predator mobility determines important processes of ecosystem connectivity. Here we used a variety of data sources drawn from Palmyra Atoll, a remote tropical marine ecosystem where large predators remain in high abundance, to investigate how these animals foster connectivity. Our results indicate that three of Palmyra's most abundant large predators (e.g., two reef sharks and one snapper) use resources from different habitats creating important linkages across ecosystems. Observations of cross-system foraging such as this have important implications for the understanding of ecosystem functioning, the management of large-predator populations, and the design of conservation measures intended to protect whole ecosystems. In the face of widespread declines of large, mobile predators, it is important that resource managers, policy makers, and ecologists work to understand how these predators create connectivity and to determine the impact that their depletions may be having on the integrity of these linkages.

    View details for Web of Science ID 000309437100001

  • A NEW US POLAR RESEARCH VESSEL FOR THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY OCEANOGRAPHY Dunbar, R. B., Alberts, J., Ashjian, C., Asper, V., Chayes, D., Domack, E., Ducklow, H., Huber, B., Lawver, L., Oliver, D., Russell, D., Smith, C. R., Vernet, M. 2012; 25 (3): 204-207
  • Persistent near-tropical warmth on the Antarctic continent during the early Eocene epoch NATURE Pross, J., Contreras, L., Bijl, P. K., Greenwood, D. R., Bohaty, S. M., Schouten, S., Bendle, J. A., Roehl, U., Tauxe, L., Raine, J. I., Huck, C. E., van de Flierdt, T., Jamieson, S. S., Stickley, C. E., van de Schootbrugge, B., Escutia, C., Brinkhuis, H., Dotti, C. E., Klaus, A., Fehr, A., Williams, T., Bendle, J. A., Carr, S. A., Dunbar, R. B., Gonzalez, J. J., Hayden, T. G., Iwai, M., Jimenez-Espejo, F. J., Katsuki, K., Kong, G. S., McKay, R. M., Nakai, M., Olney, M. P., Passchier, S., Pekar, S. F., Pross, J., Riesselman, C. R., Rohl, U., Sakai, T., Shrivastava, P. K., Stickley, C. E., Sugisaki, S., Tauxe, L., Tuo, S., van de Flierdt, T., Welsh, K., Yamane, M. 2012; 488 (7409): 73-77

    Abstract

    The warmest global climates of the past 65 million years occurred during the early Eocene epoch (about 55 to 48 million years ago), when the Equator-to-pole temperature gradients were much smaller than today and atmospheric carbon dioxide levels were in excess of one thousand parts per million by volume. Recently the early Eocene has received considerable interest because it may provide insight into the response of Earth's climate and biosphere to the high atmospheric carbon dioxide levels that are expected in the near future as a consequence of unabated anthropogenic carbon emissions. Climatic conditions of the early Eocene 'greenhouse world', however, are poorly constrained in critical regions, particularly Antarctica. Here we present a well-dated record of early Eocene climate on Antarctica from an ocean sediment core recovered off the Wilkes Land coast of East Antarctica. The information from biotic climate proxies (pollen and spores) and independent organic geochemical climate proxies (indices based on branched tetraether lipids) yields quantitative, seasonal temperature reconstructions for the early Eocene greenhouse world on Antarctica. We show that the climate in lowland settings along the Wilkes Land coast (at a palaeolatitude of about 70° south) supported the growth of highly diverse, near-tropical forests characterized by mesothermal to megathermal floral elements including palms and Bombacoideae. Notably, winters were extremely mild (warmer than 10 °C) and essentially frost-free despite polar darkness, which provides a critical new constraint for the validation of climate models and for understanding the response of high-latitude terrestrial ecosystems to increased carbon dioxide forcing.

    View details for DOI 10.1038/nature11300

    View details for Web of Science ID 000307010700035

    View details for PubMedID 22859204

  • Seasonally laminated diatom-rich sediments from Dumont d'Urville Trough, East Antarctic Margin: Late-Holocene Neoglacial sea-ice conditions HOLOCENE Maddison, E. J., Pike, J., Dunbar, R. 2012; 22 (8): 857-875
  • Chronostratigraphic framework for the IODP Expedition 318 cores from the Wilkes Land Margin: Constraints for paleoceanographic reconstruction PALEOCEANOGRAPHY Tauxe, L., Stickley, C. E., SUGISAKI, S., Bijl, P. K., Bohaty, S. M., Brinkhuis, H., Escutia, C., Flores, J. A., Houben, A. J., Iwai, M., Jimenez-Espejo, F., McKay, R., Passchier, S., Pross, J., Riesselman, C. R., ROEHL, U., Sangiorgi, F., Welsh, K., Klaus, A., Fehr, A., Bendle, J. A., Dunbar, R., Gonzalez, J., Hayden, T., Katsuki, K., Olney, M. P., Pekar, S. F., Shrivastava, P. K., van de Flierdt, T., Williams, T., Yamane, M. 2012; 27
  • Resilience of cold-water scleractinian corals to ocean acidification: Boron isotopic systematics of pH and saturation state up-regulation GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA McCulloch, M., Trotter, J., Montagna, P., Falter, J., Dunbar, R., Freiwald, A., Foersterra, N., Lopez Correa, M., Maier, C., Ruggeberg, A., Taviani, M. 2012; 87: 21-34
  • A short-term in situ CO2 enrichment experiment on Heron Island (GBR) SCIENTIFIC REPORTS Kline, D. I., Teneva, L., Schneider, K., Miard, T., Chai, A., Marker, M., Headley, K., Opdyke, B., Nash, M., Valetich, M., Caves, J. K., Russell, B. D., Connell, S. D., Kirkwood, B. J., Brewer, P., Peltzer, E., Silverman, J., Caldeira, K., Dunbar, R. B., Koseff, J. R., Monismith, S. G., Mitchell, B. G., Dove, S., Hoegh-Guldberg, O. 2012; 2

    Abstract

    Ocean acidification poses multiple challenges for coral reefs on molecular to ecological scales, yet previous experimental studies of the impact of projected CO₂ concentrations have mostly been done in aquarium systems with corals removed from their natural ecosystem and placed under artificial light and seawater conditions. The Coral-Proto Free Ocean Carbon Enrichment System (CP-FOCE) uses a network of sensors to monitor conditions within each flume and maintain experimental pH as an offset from environmental pH using feedback control on the injection of low pH seawater. Carbonate chemistry conditions maintained in the -0.06 and -0.22 pH offset treatments were significantly different than environmental conditions. The results from this short-term experiment suggest that the CP-FOCE is an important new experimental system to study in situ impacts of ocean acidification on coral reef ecosystems.

    View details for DOI 10.1038/srep00413

    View details for Web of Science ID 000304394000002

    View details for PubMedID 22639723

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC3356889

  • From wing to wing: the persistence of long ecological interaction chains in less-disturbed ecosystems SCIENTIFIC REPORTS McCauley, D. J., DeSalles, P. A., Young, H. S., Dunbar, R. B., Dirzo, R., Mills, M. M., Micheli, F. 2012; 2

    Abstract

    Human impact on biodiversity usually is measured by reduction in species abundance or richness. Just as important, but much more difficult to discern, is the anthropogenic elimination of ecological interactions. Here we report on the persistence of a long ecological interaction chain linking diverse food webs and habitats in the near-pristine portions of a remote Pacific atoll. Using biogeochemical assays, animal tracking, and field surveys we show that seabirds roosting on native trees fertilize soils, increasing coastal nutrients and the abundance of plankton, thus attracting manta rays to native forest coastlines. Partnered observations conducted in regions of this atoll where native trees have been replaced by human propagated palms reveal that this complex interaction chain linking trees to mantas readily breaks down. Taken together these findings provide a compelling example of how anthropogenic disturbance may be contributing to widespread reductions in ecological interaction chain length, thereby isolating and simplifying ecosystems.

    View details for DOI 10.1038/srep00409

    View details for Web of Science ID 000304393800001

    View details for PubMedID 22624091

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC3354671

  • Antarctic and Southern Ocean influences on Late Pliocene global cooling PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA McKay, R., Naish, T., Carter, L., Riesselman, C., Dunbar, R., Sjunneskog, C., Winter, D., Sangiorgi, F., Warren, C., Pagani, M., Schouten, S., Willmott, V., Levy, R., DeConto, R., Powell, R. D. 2012; 109 (17): 6423-6428

    Abstract

    The influence of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean on Late Pliocene global climate reconstructions has remained ambiguous due to a lack of well-dated Antarctic-proximal, paleoenvironmental records. Here we present ice sheet, sea-surface temperature, and sea ice reconstructions from the ANDRILL AND-1B sediment core recovered from beneath the Ross Ice Shelf. We provide evidence for a major expansion of an ice sheet in the Ross Sea that began at ∼3.3 Ma, followed by a coastal sea surface temperature cooling of ∼2.5 °C, a stepwise expansion of sea ice, and polynya-style deep mixing in the Ross Sea between 3.3 and 2.5 Ma. The intensification of Antarctic cooling resulted in strengthened westerly winds and invigorated ocean circulation. The associated northward migration of Southern Ocean fronts has been linked with reduced Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation by restricting surface water connectivity between the ocean basins, with implications for heat transport to the high latitudes of the North Atlantic. While our results do not exclude low-latitude mechanisms as drivers for Pliocene cooling, they indicate an additional role played by southern high-latitude cooling during development of the bipolar world.

    View details for DOI 10.1073/pnas.1112248109

    View details for Web of Science ID 000303249100024

    View details for PubMedID 22496594

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC3340021

  • Radiocarbon and stable isotopes in Palmyra corals during the past century GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA Druffel-Rodriguez, K. C., Vetter, D., Griffin, S., Druffel, E. R., Dunbar, R. B., Mucciarone, D. A., Ziolkowski, L. A., Sanchez-Cabeza, J. 2012; 82: 154-162
  • Control of phytoplankton bloom inception in the Ross Sea, Antarctica, by Ekman restratification GLOBAL BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES Long, M. C., Thomas, L. N., Dunbar, R. B. 2012; 26
  • Integrated biomagnetostratigraphy of the Wilkes Land Margin for reconstruction of 53 Ma of Antarctic Margin paleoceanography: New results from IODP Expedition 318 Paleoceanography Tauxe, L., Stickley, C., Sugisaki, S., Bijl, P., Bohaty, S., Brinkhuis, H., Escutia, C., Flores, J., Iwai, M., Jiménez-Espejo, F. J., McKay, R., Passchier, S., Pross, J., Riesselman, C., Roehl, U., Sangiorini, F., Welsh, K., Williams, T., Klaus, A., Fehr, A., Bendle, J., Dunbar, R., Gonzalez, J., Hayden, T., Olney, M., Pekar, S., Shrivastava, P., van de Flierdt, T., Yamane, M. 2012; 27

    View details for DOI 10.1029/2012PA002308

  • Stazioni di Ricerca in Antartide, 20.1, Il sito di ricerca Mooring A, Ross Sea, Antarctica La rete Italiana per la ricerca ecologica lungo termine (LTER-Italia) Ravaioli, M., Giglio, F., Langone, L., Capotondi, L., Bergami, C., Chiarini, F., Dunbar, R., Aliani, S., Paschini, E., Meloni, R., Focaccia, P. edited by Bertoni, R. ARACNE. 2012
  • Seasonally-laminated diatom-rich sediments from Dumont d'Urville Trough, East Antarctic Margin: Late Holocene Neoglacial sea-ice conditions The Holocene Maddison, E. J., Pike, J., Leventer, A., Dunbar, R. 2012; 22: 1-19

    View details for DOI 10.1177/0959683611434223

  • Persistent near-tropical warmth on the Antarctic continent during the early Eocene epoch Nature Pross, J., Contreras, L., Bijl, P.K., Greenwood, D.R., Bohaty, S.M., Schouten, S., Bendle, J.A., Röhl, U., Tauxe, Dunbar, R., et. al. 2012; 488: 73-77
  • Early season depletion of dissolved iron in the Ross Sea polynya: Implications for iron dynamics on the Antarctic continental shelf JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-OCEANS Sedwick, P. N., Marsay, C. M., Sohst, B. M., Aguilar-Islas, A. M., Lohan, M. C., Long, M. C., Arrigo, K. R., Dunbar, R. B., Saito, M. A., Smith, W. O., DiTullio, G. R. 2011; 116
  • Effects of diagenesis on paleoclimate reconstructions from modern and young fossil corals GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA Sayani, H. R., Cobb, K. M., Cohen, A. L., Elliott, W. C., Nurhati, I. S., Dunbar, R. B., Rose, K. A., Zaunbrecher, L. K. 2011; 75 (21): 6361-6373
  • Vertical structure, seasonal drawdown, and net community production in the Ross Sea, Antarctica JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-OCEANS Long, M. C., Dunbar, R. B., Tortell, P. D., Smith, W. O., Mucciarone, D. A., DiTullio, G. R. 2011; 116
  • Holocene mass-wasting events in Lago Fagnano, Tierra del Fuego (54 degrees S): implications for paleoseismicity of the Magallanes-Fagnano transform fault BASIN RESEARCH Waldmann, N., Anselmetti, F. S., Ariztegui, D., Austin, J. A., Pirouz, M., Moy, C. M., Dunbar, R. 2011; 23 (2): 171-190
  • Retreat of the East Antarctic ice sheet during the last glacial termination NATURE GEOSCIENCE Mackintosh, A., Golledge, N., Domack, E., Dunbar, R., Leventer, A., White, D., Pollard, D., DeConto, R., Fink, D., Zwartz, D., Gore, D., Lavoie, C. 2011; 4 (3): 195-202

    View details for DOI 10.1038/NGEO1061

    View details for Web of Science ID 000287802300021

  • A geochemical and sedimentary record of high southern latitude Holocene climate evolution from Lago Fagnano, Tierra del Fuego EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS Moy, C. M., Dunbar, R. B., Guilderson, T. P., Waldmann, N., Mucciarone, D. A., Recasens, C., Ariztegui, D., Austin, J. A., Anselmetti, F. S. 2011; 302 (1-2): 1-13
  • The atmospheric lead record preserved in lagoon sediments at a remote equatorial Pacific location: Palmyra Atoll, northern Line Islands MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN Collen, J. D., Baker, J. A., Dunbar, R. B., Rieser, U., Gardner, J. P., Garton, D. W., Christiansen, K. J. 2011; 62 (2): 251-257

    Abstract

    Anthropogenic lead (Pb) inputs to the atmosphere increased greatly over the past century and now dominate Pb supply to the oceans. However, the Pb content of sediments across the equatorial Pacific region is relatively unknown, and data exist only for deep sea sites where Pb deposition lags surface water inputs by up to a century. Here we present ICP-MS analyses of Pb of a core from a lagoon at Palmyra Atoll, northern Line Islands, that spans approximately the past 160 years. The non-bioturbated sediments of the euxinic lagoon, coupled with rapid rates of deposition, provide a unique fine-scale record of atmospheric Pb supply at a remote Pacific location. These first observations of historic Pb sedimentation in an atoll lagoon reveal a 63-fold increase in Pb flux to sediments during the past century and correlate directly with the North American consumption of leaded gasoline that began in 1926.

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2010.11.004

    View details for Web of Science ID 000288296400017

    View details for PubMedID 21094962

  • Iron limitation of springtime bacterial and phytoplankton community in the Ross Sea: Implications for vitamin B12 nutrition Frontiers in Microbiology Bertrand, E. M., Saito, M. A., Lee, P. A., Dunbar, R. B., DiTullio, G. R. 2011; 2

    View details for DOI 10.3389/fmicb.2011.00160

  • Iron limitation of a springtime bacterial and phytoplankton community in the Ross Sea: implications for vitamin B-12 nutrition FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY Bertrand, E. M., Saito, M. A., Lee, P. A., Dunbar, R. B., Sedwick, P. N., DiTullio, G. R. 2011; 2

    Abstract

    The Ross Sea is home to some of the largest phytoplankton blooms in the Southern Ocean. Primary production in this system has previously been shown to be iron limited in the summer and periodically iron and vitamin B(12) colimited. In this study, we examined trace metal limitation of biological activity in the Ross Sea in the austral spring and considered possible implications for vitamin B(12) nutrition. Bottle incubation experiments demonstrated that iron limited phytoplankton growth in the austral spring while B(12), cobalt, and zinc did not. This is the first demonstration of iron limitation in a Phaeocystis antarctica-dominated, early season Ross Sea phytoplankton community. The lack of B(12) limitation in this location is consistent with previous Ross Sea studies in the austral summer, wherein vitamin additions did not stimulate P. antarctica growth and B(12) was limiting only when bacterial abundance was low. Bottle incubation experiments and a bacterial regrowth experiment also revealed that iron addition directly enhanced bacterial growth. B(12) uptake measurements in natural water samples and in an iron fertilized bottle incubation demonstrated that bacteria serve not only as a source for vitamin B(12), but also as a significant sink, and that iron additions enhanced B(12) uptake rates in phytoplankton but not bacteria. Additionally, vitamin uptake rates did not become saturated upon the addition of up to 95 pM B(12). A rapid B(12) uptake rate was observed after 13 min, which then decreased to a slower constant uptake rate over the next 52 h. Results from this study highlight the importance of iron availability in limiting early season Ross Sea phytoplankton growth and suggest that rates of vitamin B(12) production and consumption may be impacted by iron availability.

    View details for DOI 10.3389/fmicb.2011.00160

    View details for Web of Science ID 000208863500169

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC3155878

  • Iron limitation of a springtime bacterial and phytoplankton community in the ross sea: implications for vitamin b(12) nutrition. Frontiers in microbiology Bertrand, E. M., Saito, M. A., Lee, P. A., Dunbar, R. B., Sedwick, P. N., DiTullio, G. R. 2011; 2: 160-?

    Abstract

    The Ross Sea is home to some of the largest phytoplankton blooms in the Southern Ocean. Primary production in this system has previously been shown to be iron limited in the summer and periodically iron and vitamin B(12) colimited. In this study, we examined trace metal limitation of biological activity in the Ross Sea in the austral spring and considered possible implications for vitamin B(12) nutrition. Bottle incubation experiments demonstrated that iron limited phytoplankton growth in the austral spring while B(12), cobalt, and zinc did not. This is the first demonstration of iron limitation in a Phaeocystis antarctica-dominated, early season Ross Sea phytoplankton community. The lack of B(12) limitation in this location is consistent with previous Ross Sea studies in the austral summer, wherein vitamin additions did not stimulate P. antarctica growth and B(12) was limiting only when bacterial abundance was low. Bottle incubation experiments and a bacterial regrowth experiment also revealed that iron addition directly enhanced bacterial growth. B(12) uptake measurements in natural water samples and in an iron fertilized bottle incubation demonstrated that bacteria serve not only as a source for vitamin B(12), but also as a significant sink, and that iron additions enhanced B(12) uptake rates in phytoplankton but not bacteria. Additionally, vitamin uptake rates did not become saturated upon the addition of up to 95 pM B(12). A rapid B(12) uptake rate was observed after 13 min, which then decreased to a slower constant uptake rate over the next 52 h. Results from this study highlight the importance of iron availability in limiting early season Ross Sea phytoplankton growth and suggest that rates of vitamin B(12) production and consumption may be impacted by iron availability.

    View details for DOI 10.3389/fmicb.2011.00160

    View details for PubMedID 21886638

  • Holocene climate variability at high-southern latitudes: an integrated perspective (HOLOCLIP) (not peer-reviewed) PAGES newsletter Stenni, B., Crosta, X., Oerter, H., Dotti, E. C., Renssen, H., Goosse, H., Pike, H., Dunbar, R. B. 2011; 19 (1): 37
  • Early-season iron depletion in the Ross Sea polynya: Implications for iron dynamics on the Antarctic continental shelf Journal of Geophysical Research Sedwick, P. N., Marsay, C. M., Aguilar-Islas, A. M., Lohan, M. C., Sohst, B., Long, M. C., Arrigo, K. R., Bruland, K. W., DiTullio, G. R., Dunbar, R. B., Saito, M. A., Smith, W. O. 2011; 116

    View details for DOI 10.1029/2010JC006553

  • Holocene climatic fluctuations and positioning of the Southern Hemisphere westerlies in Tierra del Fuego (54 degrees S), Patagonia JOURNAL OF QUATERNARY SCIENCE Waldmann, N., Ariztegui, D., Anselmetti, F. S., Austin, J. A., Moy, C. M., Stern, C., Recasens, C., Dunbar, R. B. 2010; 25 (7): 1063-1075

    View details for DOI 10.1002/jqs.1263

    View details for Web of Science ID 000283697100003

  • Stable isotope composition of dissolved inorganic carbon and particulate organic carbon in sea ice from the Ross Sea, Antarctica JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-OCEANS Munro, D. R., Dunbar, R. B., Mucciarone, D. A., Arrigo, K. R., Long, M. C. 2010; 115
  • Poleward decrease in the isotope effect of nitrate assimilation across the Southern Ocean GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS DiFiore, P. J., Sigman, D. M., Karsh, K. L., Trull, T. W., Dunbar, R. B., Robinson, R. S. 2010; 37
  • Uranium-series dating and growth characteristics of the deep-sea scleractinian coral: Enallopsammia rostrata from the Equatorial Pacific GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA Houlbreque, F., McCulloch, M., Roark, B., Guilderson, T., Meibom, A., Kimball, J., Mortimer, G., Cuif, J., Dunbar, R. 2010; 74 (8): 2380-2395
  • Interactive effects of iron, irradiance and CO2 on Ross Sea phytoplankton DEEP-SEA RESEARCH PART I-OCEANOGRAPHIC RESEARCH PAPERS Feng, Y., Hare, C. E., Rose, J. M., Handy, S. M., DiTullio, G. R., Lee, P. A., Smith, W. O., Peloquin, J., Tozzi, S., Sun, J., Zhang, Y., Dunbar, R. B., Long, M. C., Sohst, B., Lohan, M., Hutchins, D. A. 2010; 57 (3): 368-383
  • Plants cause ecosystem nutrient depletion via the interruption of bird-derived spatial subsidies PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Young, H. S., McCauley, D. J., Dunbar, R. B., Dirzo, R. 2010; 107 (5): 2072-2077

    Abstract

    Plant introductions and subsequent community shifts are known to affect nutrient cycling, but most such studies have focused on nutrient enrichment effects. The nature of plant-driven nutrient depletions and the mechanisms by which these might occur are relatively poorly understood. In this study we demonstrate that the proliferation of the commonly introduced coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, interrupts the flow of allochthonous marine subsidies to terrestrial ecosystems via an indirect effect: impact on birds. Birds avoid nesting or roosting in C. nucifera, thus reducing the critical nutrient inputs they bring from the marine environment. These decreases in marine subsidies then lead to reductions in available soil nutrients, decreases in leaf nutrient quality, diminished leaf palatability, and reduced herbivory. This nutrient depletion pathway contrasts the more typical patterns of nutrient enrichment that follow plant species introductions. Research on the effects of spatial subsidy disruptions on ecosystems has not yet examined interruptions driven by changes within the recipient community, such as plant community shifts. The ubiquity of coconut palm introductions across the tropics and subtropics makes these observations particularly noteworthy. Equally important, the case of C. nucifera provides a strong demonstration of how plant community changes can dramatically impact the supply of allochthonous nutrients and thereby reshape energy flow in ecosystems.

    View details for DOI 10.1073/pnas.0914169107

    View details for Web of Science ID 000274296300049

    View details for PubMedID 20133852

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC2836700

  • Niche partitioning among and within sympatric tropical seabirds revealed by stable isotope analysis MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES Young, H. S., McCauley, D. J., Dirzo, R., Dunbar, R. B., Shaffer, S. A. 2010; 416: 285-294

    View details for DOI 10.3354/meps08756

    View details for Web of Science ID 000283446400023

  • Coconut palm causes ecosystem nutrient depletion via the interruption of bird derived spatial subsidies Proceedings National Academy of Sciences Young, H. S., McCauley, D. J., Dunbar, R. B., Dirzo, R. 2010

    View details for DOI 10.1073/pnas.0914169107

  • Interactive Effects of CO2, Irradiance and Iron on Ross Sea Phytoplankton Deep Sea Research, Part I Feng, Y., Hare, C. E., Rose, J. M., Handy, S. M., DiTullio, G. R., Lee, P. A., Smith, W. O. Jr., Peloquin, J., Tozzi, S., Sun, J., Zhang, Y., Dunbar, R. B., Long, M. C., Sohst, B., Hutchins, D. A. 2010; 57: 368-383
  • The Coral Proto - Free Ocean Carbon Enrichment System (CP-FOCE): Engineering and Development IEEE Engineering and Development, OCEANS' 10 Marker, M. D., Kline, I., Kirkwood, W. J., Headley, K., Brewer, P. G., Peltzer, E. T., Miard, T., Chai, A., James, M., Schneider, K., Silverman, J., Caldeira, K., Koseff, J. R., Monismith, S., Opdyke, B., Dunbar, R., White, R., Dove, S., Hoegh-Guldberg, O. 2010
  • Upper ocean nitrogen fluxes in the Polar Antarctic Zone: Constraints from the nitrogen and oxygen isotopes of nitrate GEOCHEMISTRY GEOPHYSICS GEOSYSTEMS DiFiore, P. J., Sigman, D. M., Dunbar, R. B. 2009; 10
  • Late 20th century warming and freshening in the central tropical Pacific GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS Nurhati, I. S., Cobb, K. M., Charles, C. D., Dunbar, R. B. 2009; 36
  • Extreme longevity in proteinaceous deep-sea corals PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Roark, E. B., Guilderson, T. P., Dunbar, R. B., Fallon, S. J., Mucciarone, D. A. 2009; 106 (13): 5204-5208

    Abstract

    Deep-sea corals are found on hard substrates on seamounts and continental margins worldwide at depths of 300 to approximately 3,000 m. Deep-sea coral communities are hotspots of deep ocean biomass and biodiversity, providing critical habitat for fish and invertebrates. Newly applied radiocarbon age dates from the deep water proteinaceous corals Gerardia sp. and Leiopathes sp. show that radial growth rates are as low as 4 to 35 mum year(-1) and that individual colony longevities are on the order of thousands of years. The longest-lived Gerardia sp. and Leiopathes sp. specimens were 2,742 years and 4,265 years, respectively. The management and conservation of deep-sea coral communities is challenged by their commercial harvest for the jewelry trade and damage caused by deep-water fishing practices. In light of their unusual longevity, a better understanding of deep-sea coral ecology and their interrelationships with associated benthic communities is needed to inform coherent international conservation strategies for these important deep-sea habitat-forming species.

    View details for DOI 10.1073/pnas.0810875106

    View details for Web of Science ID 000264790600046

    View details for PubMedID 19307564

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC2663997

  • Strontium-86 labeling experiments show spatially heterogeneous skeletal formation in the scleractinian coral Porites porites GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS Houlbreque, F., Meibom, A., Cuif, J., Stolarski, J., Marrocchi, Y., Ferrier-Pages, C., Domart-Coulon, I., Dunbar, R. B. 2009; 36
  • Synergistic effects of iron and temperature on Antarctic phytoplankton and microzooplankton assemblages BIOGEOSCIENCES Rose, J. M., Feng, Y., DiTullio, G. R., Dunbar, R. B., Hare, C. E., Lee, P. A., Lohan, M., Long, M., Smith, W. O., Sohst, B., Tozzi, S., Zhang, Y., Hutchins, D. A. 2009; 6 (12): 3131-3147
  • Climate Change in Southern South America During the Last Two Millennia PAST CLIMATE VARIABILITY IN SOUTH AMERICA AND SURROUNDING REGIONS: FROM THE LAST GLACIAL MAXIMUM TO THE HOLOCENE Moy, C. M., Moreno, P. I., Dunbar, R. B., Kaplan, M. R., Francois, J., Villalba, R., Haberzettl, T., Vimeux, F., Sylvestre, F., Khodri, M. 2009; 14: 353–93
  • Climate change in southern South America during the last two millennia Past climate variability from the Last Glacial Maximum to the Holocene in South America and Surrounding Regions Moy, C. M., Moreno, P. I., Dunbar, R. B., Francois, J. P., Kaplan, M. R., Villalba, R., Haberzettl,, T. edited by Vimeux, F., Sylvestre, F., Khodri, M. Springer. 2009 : 353–393
  • Recent advances in understanding Antarctic climate evolution ANTARCTIC SCIENCE Siegert, M. J., Barrett, P., Decont, R., Dunbar, R., Cofaigh, C. O., Passchier, S., Naish, T. 2008; 20 (4): 313-325
  • Isotopic evidence for hydrologic change related to the westerlies in SW Patagonia, Chile, during the last millennium QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS Moy, C. M., Dunbar, R. B., Moreno, P. I., Francois, J., Villa-Martinez, R., Mucciarone, D. M., Guilderson, T. P., Garreaud, R. D. 2008; 27 (13-14): 1335-1349
  • Persistence of depleted abalones in marine reserves of central California BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION Micheli, F., Shelton, A. O., Bushinsky, S. M., Chiu, A. L., Haupt, A. J., Heiman, K. W., Kappel, C. V., Lynch, M. C., Martone, R. G., Dunbar, R. B., Watanabe, J. 2008; 141 (4): 1078-1090
  • Compositional variations at ultra-structure length scales in coral skeleton GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA Meibom, A., Cuif, J., Houlbreque, F., Mostefaoui, S., Dauphin, Y., Meibom, K. L., Dunbar, R. 2008; 72 (6): 1555-1569
  • Seismic stratigraphy of Lago Fagnano sediments (Tierra del Fuego, Argentina) - A potential archive of paleoclimatic change and tectonic activity since the Late Glacial GEOLOGICA ACTA Waldmann, N., Ariztegui, D., Anselmetti, F. S., Austin, J. A., Dunbar, R., Moy, C. M., Recasens, C. 2008; 6 (1): 101-110
  • CO2 sensitivity of Southern Ocean phytoplankton GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS Tortell, P. D., Payne, C. D., Li, Y., Trimborn, S., Rost, B., Smith, W. O., Riesselman, C., Dunbar, R. B., Sedwick, P., DiTullio, G. R. 2008; 35 (4)
  • Antarctic records of precession-paced insolation-driven warming during early Pleistocene Marine Isotope Stage 31 GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS Scherer, R. P., Bohaty, S. M., Dunbar, R. B., Esper, O., Flores, J., Gersonde, R., Harwood, D. M., Roberts, A. P., Taviani, M. 2008; 35 (3)
  • Multidecadal- to century-scale and episodes on the northern Altiplano during the middle Holocene PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY Theissen, K. M., Dunbar, R. B., Rowe, H. D., Mucciarone, D. A. 2008; 257 (4): 361-376
  • Sedimentary sterols as biogeochemical indicators in the Southern Ocean 16th Annual V M Goldschmidt Conference Villinski, J. C., Hayes, J. M., Brassell, S. C., Riggert, V. L., Dunbar, R. B. PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD. 2008: 567–88
  • Multi-decadal to century scale arid episodes on the northern Altiplano during the middle Holocene Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology Theissen, K., Dunbar, R. B., Rowe, H. R., Mucciarone, D. A. 2008; 257: 361–376
  • Response of southern ocean phytoplankton to CO2 Geophysical Research Letters Tortell, P. D., Payne, C. D., Li, Y., S. Trimborn, B. Rost, Smith, W. O., Riesselman, C., Dunbar, R. B., Sedwick, P., DiTullio, G. R. 2008; 35

    View details for DOI 10.1029/2007GL032583

  • Sedimentary sterols as biogeochemical indicators in the Southern Ocean Organic Geochemistry Villinski, J. C., Hayes, J. M., Brassell, S., Riggert, V., Dunbar, R. B. 2008; 39: 569-588
  • Chemical variations at ultra-structure length-scales in coral skeleton: Towards an understanding of 'vital' effects Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta Meibom, A., Cuif, J.-P., Mostefaoui, S., Dauphin, Y., Houlbreque, F., Meibom, K., Dunbar, R. 2008
  • Seasonal rhythms of net primary production and particulate organic carbon flux to depth describe the efficiency of biological pump in the global ocean JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-OCEANS Lutz, M. J., Caldeira, K., Dunbar, R. B., Behrenfeld, M. J. 2007; 112 (C10)
  • Oceanic climate and circulation changes during the past four centuries from radiocarbon in corals GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS Druffel, E. R., Griffin, S., Beaupre, S. R., Dunbar, R. B. 2007; 34 (9)
  • High apex predator biomass on remote Pacific islands CORAL REEFS Stevenson, C., Katz, L. S., Micheli, F., Block, B., Heiman, K. W., Perle, C., Weng, K., Dunbar, R., Witting, J. 2007; 26 (1): 47-51
  • East African soil erosion recorded in a 300 year old coral colony from Kenya GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS Fleitmann, D., Dunbar, R. B., McCulloch, M., Mudelsee, M., Vuille, M., McClanahan, T. R., Cole, J. E., Eggins, S. 2007; 34 (4)
  • Reconstruction of seasonal temperature variability in the tropical Pacific Ocean from the shell of the scallop, Comptopallium radula GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA Thebault, J., Chauvaud, L., Clavier, J., Guarini, J., Dunbar, R. B., Fichez, R., Mucciarone, D. A., Morize, E. 2007; 71 (4): 918-928
  • Biological forcing controls the chemistry of reef-building coral skeleton GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS Meibom, A., Mostefaoui, S., Cuif, J., Dauphin, Y., Houlbreque, F., Dunbar, R., Constantz, B. 2007; 34 (2)
  • The history of soil erosion in Kenya recorded in a 300 year-long coral Geophysical Research Letters Fleitmann, D., Dunbar, R. B., McCulloch, M., Mudelsee, M., Vuille, M., McClanahan, T., Cole, J., Andrews, C., Mucciarone, D. A. 2007

    View details for DOI 10.1029/2006GL028525

  • Recent Advances in understanding Antarctic Climate Evolution (not peer-reviewed) PAGES Newsletter Siegert, M. J., Barrett, P. J., DeConto, R., Dunbar, R. B., Cofaigh, O., Passchier, S., Naish, T. R. 2007; 15: 9-11
  • High resolution stable isotope and carbonate variability during the early Oligocene climate transition: Walvis Ridge (ODP Site 1263) USGS OF-2007-1047, Short Research Paper 095 Riesselman, C. R., Dunbar, R. B., Mucciarone, D. A., Kitasei, S. S. U.S. Geological Survey and The National Academies. 2007
  • Solar forcing and El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) influences on productivity cycles interpreted from a late-Holocene high-resolution marine sediment record, Adélie Drift, East Antarctic Margin USGS OF-2007-1047, Short Research Paper 036 Costa, E., Dunbar, R. B., Kryc, K. A., Mucciarone, D. A., Brachfeld, S., Roark, E. B., Manley, P. L., Murray, R. W., Leventer, A. U.S. Geological Survey and The National Academies. 2007
  • Lago Fagnano (Tierra del Fuego, Argentina) - A continuous archive of paleoclimatic change and tectonic activity since the Late Glacial Geologica Acta Waldmann, N., Ariztegui, D., Anselmetti, F. S., Jr., Austin, J. A., Dunbar, R., M. Moy, C. M., Recasens, C. 2007; 5: 1-10
  • Post-glacial seasonal diatom record of the Mertz Glacier Polynya, East Antarctica MARINE MICROPALEONTOLOGY Maddison, E. J., Pike, J., Leventer, A., Dunbar, R., Brachfeld, S., Domack, E. W., Manley, P., McClennen, C. 2006; 60 (1): 66-88
  • Vital effects in coral skeletal composition display strict three-dimensional control GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS Meibom, A., Yurimoto, H., Cuif, J., Domart-Coulon, I., Houlbreque, F., Constantz, B., Dauphin, Y., Tambutte, E., Tambutte, S., Allemand, D., Wooden, J., Dunbar, R. 2006; 33 (11)
  • Glacial morphology and sediment formation in the Mertz Trough, East Antarctica 32nd International Geological Congress McMullen, K., Domack, E., Leventer, A., Olson, C., Dunbar, R., Brachfeld, S. ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV. 2006: 169–80
  • East Antarctic Margin Marine Sediment Record of Deglaciation GSA Today Leventer, A., Domack, E., Dunbar, R., Pike, J., Stickley, C., Maddison, E., Brachfeld, S., Manley, P., McClennen, C. 2006; 16: 4-10

    View details for DOI 10.1130/GSAT01612A.1

  • Sediment colour analysis from digital images and correlation with sediment composition Geological Society, London, Special Publications Nederbragt, A. J., Dunbar, R. B., Osborn, A. T., Palmer , A., Thurow, J. W., Wagner, T. 2006; 267: 113-128
  • Radiocarbon-based ages and growth rates of Hawaiian deep-sea corals MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES Roark, E. B., Guilderson, T. P., Dunbar, R. B., Ingram, B. L. 2006; 327: 1-14
  • Deglacial ocean and climate seasonality in laminated diatom sediments, Mac.Robertson Shelf, Antarctica PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY Stickley, C. E., Pike, J., Leventer, A., Dunbar, R., Domack, E. W., Brachfeld, S., Manley, P., McClennan, C. 2005; 227 (4): 290-310
  • Coral skeletal delta N-15 reveals isotopic traces of an agricultural revolution MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN Marion, G. S., Dunbar, R. B., Mucciarone, D. A., Kremer, J. N., Lansing, J. S., Arthawiguna, A. 2005; 50 (9): 931-944

    Abstract

    This study introduces a new method of tracing the history of nutrient loading in coastal oceans via delta(15)N analysis of organic nitrogen preserved in the skeleton of the massive Porites coral. Four coral cores were collected in Bali, Indonesia, from reefs exposed to high levels of fertilizers in agricultural run-off, from lagoonal corals impacted by sewage, and from a reef located 30 km offshore. Skeletal delta(15)N in the agriculturally exposed coral declined from 10.7+/-0.4 per thousand in 1970-1971, when synthetic fertilizers (-0.8 per thousand+/-0.2 per thousand) were introduced to Bali, to a depleted "anthropogenic" baseline of 3.5 per thousand+/-0.4% in the mid-1990s. delta(15)N values were negatively correlated with rainfall, suggesting that marine delta(15)N lowers during flood-bourn influxes of waste fertilizers. Reef cores exposed to untreated sewage in terrestrial discharge were enriched (7.8 and 7.3+/-0.4 per thousand), while the offshore core reflected background oceanic signals (6.2+/-0.4 per thousand). delta(15)N, N concentration, and C:N systematics indicate that the N isotopic composition of skeletal organic matter was generally well preserved over 30 years. We suggest that skeletal organic delta(15)N can serve as a recorder of past nitrogen sources. In Bali, this tracer suggests that the intensification of Western style agricultural practices since 1970 are contributing to the degradation of coastal coral reefs.

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2005.04.001

    View details for Web of Science ID 000232347600014

    View details for PubMedID 16054162

  • Shell of the Great Scallop Pecten maximus as a high-frequency archive of paleoenvironmental changes GEOCHEMISTRY GEOPHYSICS GEOSYSTEMS Chauvaud, L., Lorrain, A., Dunbar, R. B., Paulet, Y. M., Thouzeau, G., Jean, F., Guarini, J. M., Mucciarone, D. 2005; 6
  • A comparative analysis of the nutritional and elemental composition of macroalgae from the western Antarctic Peninsula PHYCOLOGIA Peters, K. J., Amsler, C. D., Amsler, M. O., McClintock, J. B., Dunbar, R. B., Baker, B. J. 2005; 44 (4): 453-463
  • Record of redox status in laminated sediments from Lake Titicaca: A sulfur K-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) study CHEMICAL GEOLOGY Bostick, B. C., Theissen, K. M., Dunbar, R. B., Vairavamurthy, M. A. 2005; 219 (1-4): 163-174
  • Intrabasin comparison of surface radiocarbon levels in the Indian Ocean between coral records and three-dimensional global ocean models GLOBAL BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES Grumet, N. S., Duffy, P. B., Wickett, M. E., Caldeira, K., Dunbar, R. B. 2005; 19 (2)
  • Radiocarbon-based ages and growth rates of bamboo corals from the Gulf of Alaska GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS Roark, E. B., Guilderson, T. P., Flood-Page, S., Dunbar, R. B., Ingram, B. L., Fallon, S. J., McCulloch, M. 2005; 32 (4)
  • Pronounced occurrence of long-chain alkenones and dinosterol in a 25,000-year lipid molecular fossil record from Lake Titicaca, South America GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA Theissen, K. M., Zinniker, D. A., Moldowan, J. M., Dunbar, R. B., Rowe, H. D. 2005; 69 (3): 623-636
  • Cenozoic ice sheet history from East Antarctic Wilkes Land continental margin sediments Joint Assembly of the EGS/AGU/EUG Escutia, C., De Santis, L., Donda, F., Dunbar, R. B., Cooper, A. K., Brancolini, G., Eittreim, S. L. ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV. 2005: 51–81
  • Record of Redox Status in Sediment Laminations from Lake Titicaca: A Sulfur K-edge X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structure (XANES) Study Chemical Geology Bostick, B. C., Theissen, K. T., Dunbar, R., Fendorf, S., Vairavamurthy, M. A. 2005; 219: 163-174
  • Distribution of magnesium in coral skeleton GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS Meibom, A., Cuif, J. P., Hillion, F. O., Constantz, B. R., Juillet-Leclerc, A., Dauphin, Y., Watanabe, T., Dunbar, R. B. 2004; 31 (23)
  • delta C-13 variation in scallop shells: Increasing metabolic carbon contribution with body size? GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA Lorrain, A., Paulet, Y. M., Chauvaud, L., Dunbar, R., Mucciarone, D., Fontugne, M. 2004; 68 (17): 3509-3519
  • Hydrologic-energy balance constraints on the Holocene lake-level history of lake Titicaca, South America CLIMATE DYNAMICS Rowe, H. D., Dunbar, R. B. 2004; 23 (3-4): 439-454
  • Coral radiocarbon records of Indian Ocean water mass mixing and wind-induced upwelling along the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-OCEANS Grumet, N. S., Abram, N. J., Beck, J. W., Dunbar, R. B., Gagan, M. K., Guilderson, T. P., Hantoro, W. S., Suwargadi, B. W. 2004; 109 (C5)
  • Synthetic seismograms linking ODP sites to seismic profiles, continental rise and shelf of Prydz Bay, Antarctica Proc. ODP, Sci. Results Handwerger, D. A., Cooper, A. K., O'Brien, P. E., Williams, T., Barr, S. R., Dunbar, R. B., Leventer, A., Jarrard, R. D., Cooper (ed.), A. K., O'Brien (ed.), P. E., Richter (ed.) , C. 2004; 188
  • Seismic stratigraphic correlations between ODP Sites 742 and 1166: implications for depositional paleoenvironments in Prydz Bay, Antarctica Proc. ODP, Sci. Results Erohina, T., Cooper, A., Handwerger, D., Dunbar, R., Cooper (ed.), A. K., O'Brien (ed.), P. E., Richter (ed.), C. 2004; 188: 21pp
  • The Pleistocene evolution of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet in the Prydz bay region: stable isotopic evidence from ODP site 1167 GLOBAL AND PLANETARY CHANGE Theissen, K. M., Dunbar, R. B., Cooper, A. K., Mucciarone, D. A., Hoffmann, D. 2003; 39 (3-4): 227-256
  • Physical control of chlorophyll a, POC, and TPN distributions in the pack ice of the Ross Sea, Antarctica JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-OCEANS Arrigo, K. R., ROBINSON, D. H., Dunbar, R. B., Leventer, A. R., Lizotte, M. P. 2003; 108 (C10)
  • Late Quaternary lake-level changes constrained by radiocarbon and stable isotope studies on sediment cores from Lake Titicaca, South America GLOBAL AND PLANETARY CHANGE Rowe, H. D., Guilderson, T. P., Dunbar, R. B., Southon, J. R., Seltzer, G. O., Mucciarone, D. A., Fritz, S. C., Baker, P. A. 2003; 38 (3-4): 273-290
  • A Late Quaternary diatom record of tropical climatic history from Lake Titicaca (Peru and Bolivia) Workshop on Paleoclimates of the Central Andes Tapia, P. M., Fritz, S. C., Baker, P. A., Seltzer, G. O., Dunbar, R. B. ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV. 2003: 139–64
  • Monthly Strontium/Calcium oscillations in symbiotic coral aragonite: Biological effects limiting the precision of the paleotemperature proxy GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS Meibom, A., Stage, M., Wooden, J., Constantz, B. R., Dunbar, R. B., Owen, A., Grumet, N., Bacon, C. R., CHAMBERLAIN, C. P. 2003; 30 (7)
  • Sediment trap records of glacimarine sedimentation at Muller Ice Shelf, Lallemand Fjord, Antarctic Peninsula ARCTIC ANTARCTIC AND ALPINE RESEARCH Gilbert, R., Chong, A., Dunbar, R. B., Domack, E. W. 2003; 35 (1): 24-33
  • Global change - Leads, lags and the tropics NATURE Dunbar, R. B. 2003; 421 (6919): 121-122

    View details for DOI 10.1038/421121a

    View details for Web of Science ID 000180267200023

    View details for PubMedID 12520285

  • Decadal timescale shift in the C-14 record of a central equatorial Pacific coral RADIOCARBON Grottoli, A. G., Gille, S. T., DRUFFEL, E. R., Dunbar, R. B. 2003; 45 (1): 91-99
  • Non-Redfield production and export of marine organic matter: a recurrent part of the annual cycle in the Ross Sea, Antarctica Biogeochemistry of the Ross Sea Dunbar, R. B., Arrigo, K. R., DiTullio, G. D., Leventer, A., Lizotte, M. P., Van Woert, M. L., Robinson, D. H. edited by DiTullio, G., Dunbar, R. American Geophysical Union. 2003: 179–196
  • Biogeochemistry of the Ross Sea Antarctic Research Series Monograph edited by DiTullio, G. D., Dunbar, R. B. American Geophysical Union. 2003; 78

    View details for DOI 10.1029/ar078

  • Stable isotope record of El Nino-Southern Oscillation events from Easter Island Easter Island: Scientific exploration into the world's environmental problems in microcosm Mucciarone, D. A., Dunbar, R. B. edited by Loret, J., Tanacredi, J. T. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, LTD. London/New York. 2003: 113–132
  • The Ross Sea circulation during the 1990s Biogeochemistry of the Ross Sea Van Woert, M. L., Johnson, E. S., Langone, L., Worthen, D. L., Monaghan, A., Bromwich, D. H., Meloni, R., Dunbar, R. B. edited by DiTullio, G., Dunbar, R. American Geophysical Union. 2003: 5–34

    View details for DOI 10.1029/078ars02

  • Rapid sinkimg of biogenic material during the late austral (Summer) in the Ross Sea, Antarctica Biogeochemistry of the Ross Sea Langone, L., Dunbar, R. B., Mucciarone, D. A., Ravaioli, M., Meloni, R., Nittrouer, C. A. edited by DiTullio, G., Dunbar, R. American Geophysical Union. 2003: 221–234

    View details for DOI 10.1029/078ars14

  • Biogeochemistry of the Ross Sea: A Summary Biogeochemistry of the Ross Sea DiTullio, G. D., Dunbar, R. B. edited by DiTullio, G., Dunbar, R. American Geophysical Union. 2003: 355–358

    View details for DOI 10.1029/078ars22

  • Stable isotopic measurements of sedimentary organic matter and N. pachyderma (s.) from Site 1166, Prydz Bay continental shelf Proc. ODP, Sci. Results Theissen, K. M., Dunbar, R. B., Cooper, A. K., Cooper (ed.), A. K., O'Brien (ed.), P. E., Richter (ed.), C. 2003; 188: 1-11
  • Oceanographic versus bathymetric control of benthic megafaunal communities in the SW Ross Sea, Antarctica Biogeochemistry of the Ross Sea Barry, J. P., Grebmeier, J. M., Smith, J., Dunbar, R. B. edited by DiTullio, G., Dunbar, R. American Geophysical Union. 2003: 327–354

    View details for DOI 10.1029/078ars21

  • Antarctic Climate Evolution (ACE) Research Initiative Terra Antarctica Florindo, F., Dunbar, R., Siegert, M., DeConto, R., Barrett, P., Cooper, A., Escutia, C., Janecek, T., Larter, R., Naish, T., Powell, R. 2003; 9: 127-132
  • Global Change: Leads, lags, and the tropics Nature Dunbar, R. B. 2003; 421: 121-122

    View details for DOI 10.1038/421121a

  • Biogeochemistry of the Ross Sea: An Introduction Biogeochemistry of the Ross Sea DiTullio, G. D., Dunbar, R. B. edited by DiTullio, G. D., Dunbar, R. B. American Geophysical Union. 2003: 1–4

    View details for DOI 10.1029/078ars01

  • Sediment trap records of glaciomarine sedimentation at Miller Ice Shelf, Lallemand Fjord, Antarctic Peninsula, Arctic Antarctic and Alpine Research Gilbert, R., Chong, A., Dunbar, R. B., Domack, E. W. 2003; 35: 24-33
  • Early deglaciation in the tropical Andes - Response SCIENCE Seltzer, G. O., Rodbell, D. T., Baker, P. A., Fritz, S. C., Tapia, P. M., Rowe, H. D., Dunbar, R. B. 2002; 298 (5591)
  • Taxon-specific differences in C/P and N/P drawdown for phytoplankton in the Ross Sea, Antarctica GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS Arrigo, K. R., Dunbar, R. B., Lizotte, M. P., ROBINSON, D. H. 2002; 29 (19)
  • Meridional transport in the Indian Ocean traced by coral radiocarbon JOURNAL OF MARINE RESEARCH Grumet, N. S., Guilderson, T. P., Dunbar, R. B. 2002; 60 (5): 725-742
  • Regional variability in the vertical flux of particulate organic carbon in the ocean interior GLOBAL BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES Lutz, M., Dunbar, R., Caldeira, K. 2002; 16 (3)
  • Early warming of tropical South America at the Last Glacial-interglacial transition SCIENCE Seltzer, G. O., Rodbell, D. T., Baker, P. A., Fritz, S. C., Tapia, P. M., Rowe, H. D., Dunbar, R. B. 2002; 296 (5573): 1685-1686

    Abstract

    Glaciation in the humid tropical Andes is a sensitive indicator of mean annual temperature. Here, we present sedimentological data from lakes beyond the glacial limit in the tropical Andes indicating that deglaciation from the Last Glacial Maximum led substantial warming at high northern latitudes. Deglaciation from glacial maximum positions at Lake Titicaca, Peru/Bolivia (16 degrees S), and Lake Junin, Peru (11 degrees S), occurred 22,000 to 19,500 calendar years before the present, several thousand years before the Bølling-Allerød warming of the Northern Hemisphere and deglaciation of the Sierra Nevada, United States (36.5 degrees to 38 degrees N). The tropical Andes deglaciated while climatic conditions remained regionally wet, which reflects the dominant control of mean annual temperature on tropical glaciation.

    View details for Web of Science ID 000175976200057

    View details for PubMedID 12040193

  • Particulate barium fluxes in the Ross Sea MARINE GEOLOGY McManus, J., Dymond, J., Dunbar, R. B., Collier, R. W. 2002; 184 (1-2): 1-15
  • Late-Quaternary lowstands of Lake Titicaca: evidence from high-resolution seismic data PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY D'Agostino, K., Seltzer, G., Baker, P., Fritz, S., Dunbar, R. 2002; 179 (1-2): 97-111
  • Insolation, moisture balance and climate change on the South American Altiplano since the last glacial maximum CLIMATIC CHANGE Rowe, H. D., Dunbar, R. B., Mucciarone, D. A., Seltzer, G. O., Baker, P. A., Fritz, S. 2002; 52 (1-2): 175-199
  • Coral radiocarbon as a tracer for meridional transport in the Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Research Grumet, N. S., Guilderson, T. P., Dunbar, R. B. 2002; 60: 725-742
  • Multisite Record of Climate Change from Indian Ocean Corals 9th International Coral Reef Symposium Grumet, N. S., Dunbar, R. B., Cole, J. E. 2002: 359–364
  • Late Quaternary seismic stratigraphy of Lake Titicaca (Peru/Bolivia) Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology D'Agostino, K., Seltzer, G. O., Baker, P. A., Fritz, S. C., Dunbar, R. B. 2002; 179: 97-111
  • Pre-bomb radiocarbon variability inferred from a Kenyan coral record RADIOCARBON Grumet, N. S., Guilderson, T. P., Dunbar, R. B. 2002; 44 (2): 581-590
  • Late quaternary climate and hydrology of tropical South America inferred from an isotopic and chemical model of Lake Titicaca, Bolivia and Peru QUATERNARY RESEARCH Cross, S. L., Baker, P. A., Seltzer, G. O., Fritz, S. C., Dunbar, R. B. 2001; 56 (1): 1-9
  • The history of South American tropical precipitation for the past 25,000 years SCIENCE Baker, P. A., Seltzer, G. O., Fritz, S. C., Dunbar, R. B., Grove, M. J., Tapia, P. M., Cross, S. L., Rowe, H. D., Broda, J. P. 2001; 291 (5504): 640-643

    Abstract

    Long sediment cores recovered from the deep portions of Lake Titicaca are used to reconstruct the precipitation history of tropical South America for the past 25,000 years. Lake Titicaca was a deep, fresh, and continuously overflowing lake during the last glacial stage, from before 25,000 to 15,000 calibrated years before the present (cal yr B.P.), signifying that during the last glacial maximum (LGM), the Altiplano of Bolivia and Peru and much of the Amazon basin were wetter than today. The LGM in this part of the Andes is dated at 21,000 cal yr B.P., approximately coincident with the global LGM. Maximum aridity and lowest lake level occurred in the early and middle Holocene (8000 to 5500 cal yr B.P.) during a time of low summer insolation. Today, rising levels of Lake Titicaca and wet conditions in Amazonia are correlated with anomalously cold sea-surface temperatures in the northern equatorial Atlantic. Likewise, during the deglacial and Holocene periods, there were several millennial-scale wet phases on the Altiplano and in Amazonia that coincided with anomalously cold periods in the equatorial and high-latitude North Atlantic, such as the Younger Dryas.

    View details for Web of Science ID 000166616000040

    View details for PubMedID 11158674

  • ODP Leg 178 Scientific Party, 2001, Holocene Climate Variability in the Antarctic Peninsula The Holocene Domack, E., Leventer, A., Dunbar, R., Taylor, F., Brachfeld, S. 2001; 11: 1-9
  • The biological, chemical, and physical limnology of Lake Titicaca, Bolivia/Peru The Great Lakes of the World (GLOW): Food-web, Health, and Integrity Pawley, A., Fritz, S. C., Baker, P. A., Seltzer, G. O., Dunbar, R. B. edited by Munawar, M., Hecky, R. e. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, Netherlands. 2001: 195–215
  • Chronology of the Palmer Deep site, Antarctic Peninsula: a Holocene palaeoenvironmental reference for the circum-Antarctic HOLOCENE Domack, E., Leventer, A., Dunbar, R., Taylor, F., Brachfeld, S., Sjunneskog, C. 2001; 11 (1): 1-9
  • Geologic and paleontologic features of rock samples in the cooperative Monterey organic geochemistry study, Naples Beach and Lions Head sections, California The Monterey Formation: From Rocks to Molecules Isaacs, C. M., Pollastro, R. M., Barron, J. A., Ingle, J. C., Bukry, D., Dunba, R. B., Keller, M. A., Tomson, J. H., Lewan, M. edited by Dsaacs, C. M., Rullkotte, J. Columbia University Press, New York. 2001: 373–392
  • El Nino - Clues from corals NATURE Dunbar, R. B. 2000; 407 (6807): 956-959

    View details for Web of Science ID 000090032500028

    View details for PubMedID 11069165

  • Carbon 13 Carbon 12 ratios of sedimentary organic matter from the Ross Sea, Antarctica: A record of phytoplankton bloom dynamics JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-OCEANS Villinski, J. C., Dunbar, R. B., Mucciarone, D. A. 2000; 105 (C6): 14163-14172
  • El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and decadal-scale climate variability at 10 degrees N in the eastern Pacific from 1893 to 1994: A coral-based reconstruction from Clipperton Atoll PALEOCEANOGRAPHY Linsley, R. K., Ren, L., Dunbar, R. B., Howe, S. S. 2000; 15 (3): 322-335
  • Phytoplankton taxonomic variability in nutrient utilization and primary production in the Ross Sea JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-OCEANS Arrigo, K. R., DiTullio, G. R., Dunbar, R. B., Robinson, D. H., VanWoert, M., Worthen, D. L., Lizotte, M. P. 2000; 105 (C4): 8827-8845
  • Rapid and early export of Phaeocystis antarctica blooms in the Ross Sea, Antarctica NATURE DiTullio, G. R., Grebmeier, J. M., Arrigo, K. R., Lizotte, M. P., ROBINSON, D. H., Leventer, A., Barry, J. B., VanWoert, M. L., Dunbar, R. B. 2000; 404 (6778): 595-598

    Abstract

    The Southern Ocean is very important for the potential sequestration of carbon dioxide in the oceans and is expected to be vulnerable to changes in carbon export forced by anthropogenic climate warming. Annual phytoplankton blooms in seasonal ice zones are highly productive and are thought to contribute significantly to pCO2 drawdown in the Southern Ocean. Diatoms are assumed to be the most important phytoplankton class with respect to export production in the Southern Ocean; however, the colonial prymnesiophyte Phaeocystis antarctica regularly forms huge blooms in seasonal ice zones and coastal Antarctic waters. There is little evidence regarding the fate of carbon produced by P. antarctica in the Southern Ocean, although remineralization in the upper water column has been proposed to be the main pathway in polar waters. Here we present evidence for early and rapid carbon export from P. antarctica blooms to deep water and sediments in the Ross Sea. Carbon sequestration from P. antarctica blooms may influence the carbon cycle in the Southern Ocean, especially if projected climatic changes lead to an alteration in the structure of the phytoplankton community.

    View details for Web of Science ID 000086400100051

    View details for PubMedID 10766240

  • Tropical Pacific forcing of decadal SST variability in the western Indian Ocean over the past two centuries SCIENCE Cole, J. E., Dunbar, R. B., McClanahan, T. R., Muthiga, N. A. 2000; 287 (5453): 617-619

    Abstract

    A 194-year annual record of skeletal delta(18)O from a coral growing at Malindi, Kenya, preserves a history of sea surface temperature (SST) change that is coherent with instrumental and proxy records of tropical Pacific climate variability over interannual to decadal periods. This variability is superimposed on a warming of as much as 1.3 degrees C since the early 1800s. These results suggest that the tropical Pacific imparts substantial decadal climate variability to the western Indian Ocean and, by implication, may force decadal variability in other regions with strong El Nino-Southern Oscillation teleconnections.

    View details for Web of Science ID 000084989400036

  • Paleoclimate reconstruction along the Pole-Equator-Pole transect of the Americas (PEP 1) 1st PAGES Open Science Meeting Markgraf, V., Baumgartner, T. R., Bradbury, J. P., Diaz, H. F., Dunbar, R. B., Luckman, B. H., Seltzer, G. O., Swetnam, T. W., Villalba, R. PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD. 2000: 125–40
  • On the origin of carbonaceous matter, fullerenes, and elemental sulfur in rocks of the Whitewater Group, Susbury Impact Structure, Ontario, Canada Special Publications 339: Large Meteorite Impacts and Planetary Evolution II Heymann, D., Dressler, B. O., Buseck, P. R., Knell, J., Thiemens, M. H., Dunbar, R. B., Mucciarone, D., Sharpton, V. L. edited by Dressler, B. O. Geological Society of America . 2000: 345–360
  • Holocene climate variability: an update, 2000 The Way the Wind Blows: Climate, History, and Human Action Dunbar, R. B. edited by McIntosh, R. E., McIntosh, S. K., Tainter, J. E. Columbia University Press. 2000: 45–88
  • New views of tropical paleoclimate from Corals Quaternary Science Reviews Gagan, M.K., Ayliffe, L.K., Beck, J.W., Cole, J.E., Druffel, E.R.M., Dunbar, R.B., Schrag, D.P. 2000; 19: 167-182
  • ENSO and decadal-scale climate variability at 10 Deg N in the eastern Pacific from 1893 to 1994: A coral-based reconstruction from Clipperton Atoll Paleoceanography Linsley, B. K., Ren, L., Dunbar, R. B., Howe, S. H. 2000; 15: 322-335
  • A new estimate of the Holocene lowstand level of Lake Titicaca, central Andes, and implications for tropical palaeohydrology HOLOCENE Cross, S. L., Baker, P. A., Seltzer, G. O., Fritz, S. C., Dunbar, R. B. 2000; 10 (1): 21-32
  • The vertical flux of biogenic and lithogenic material in the Ross Sea: Moored sediment trap observations 1996-1998 DEEP-SEA RESEARCH PART II-TOPICAL STUDIES IN OCEANOGRAPHY Collier, R., Dymond, J., Honjo, S., Manganini, S., Francois, R., Dunbar, R. 2000; 47 (15-16): 3491-3520
  • New views of tropical paleoclimates from corals 1st PAGES Open Science Meeting Gagan, M. K., Ayliffe, L. K., Beck, J. W., Cole, J. E., DRUFFEL, E. R., Dunbar, R. B., Schrag, D. P. PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD. 2000: 45–64
  • Assessing between-colony oxygen isotope variability in the coral Porites lobata at Clipperton Atoll CORAL REEFS Linsley, B. K., Messier, R. G., Dunbar, R. B. 1999; 18 (1): 13-27
  • Phytoplankton community structure and the drawdown of nutrients and CO2 in the Southern Ocean SCIENCE Arrigo, K. R., ROBINSON, D. H., Worthen, D. L., Dunbar, R. B., DiTullio, G. R., VanWoert, M., Lizotte, M. P. 1999; 283 (5400): 365-367

    Abstract

    Data from recent oceanographic cruises show that phytoplankton community structure in the Ross Sea is related to mixed layer depth. Diatoms dominate in highly stratified waters, whereas Phaeocystis antarctica assemblages dominate where waters are more deeply mixed. The drawdown of both carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrate per mole of phosphate and the rate of new production by diatoms are much lower than that measured for P. antarctica. Consequently, the capacity of the biological community to draw down atmospheric CO2 and transport it to the deep ocean could diminish dramatically if predicted increases in upper ocean stratification due to climate warming should occur.

    View details for Web of Science ID 000078067000041

  • Annual Records of Tropical Systems PAGES Workshop Report Series Dunbar, R.B. and , R. B., Cole, J.E., J. E. 1999; 99 (1)
  • Water column sediment fluxes in the Ross Sea, Antarctica: Atmospheric and sea ice forcing JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-OCEANS Dunbar, R. B., Leventer, A. R., Mucciarone, D. A. 1998; 103 (C13): 30741-30759
  • Experimental dendroclimatic reconstruction of the Southern Oscillation BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY Stahle, D. W., D'Arrigo, R. D., Krusic, P. J., Cleaveland, M. K., Cook, E. R., Allan, R. J., Cole, J. E., Dunbar, R. B., Therrell, M. D., Gay, D. A., Moore, M. D., Stokes, M. A., Burns, B. T., Villanueva-Diaz, J., Thompson, L. G. 1998; 79 (10): 2137-2152
  • High-resolution seismic reflection profiles from Lake Titicaca, Peru-Bolivia: Evidence for Holocene aridity in the tropical Andes GEOLOGY Seltzer, G. O., Baker, P., Cross, S., Dunbar, R., Fritz, S. 1998; 26 (2): 167-170
  • The relationship between new production and vertical flux on the Ross Sea Continental Shelf Journal of Marine Systems Smith, W. O. Jr., Dunbar, R. B. 1998; 17: 445-457
  • Factors influencing the distribution of diatoms and other algae in the Ross Sea JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-OCEANS Leventer, A., Dunbar, R. B. 1996; 101 (C8): 18489-18500
  • Lateral transport of settling particles in the Ross Sea and implications for the fate of biogenic material JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-OCEANS Jaeger, J. M., Nittrouer, C. A., DeMaster, D. J., Kelchner, C., Dunbar, R. B. 1996; 101 (C8): 18479-18488
  • Cycling of organic carbon and biogenic silica in the Southern Ocean: Estimates of water-column and sedimentary fluxes on the Ross Sea continental shelf JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-OCEANS Nelson, D. M., DeMaster, D. J., Dunbar, R. B., Smith, W. O. 1996; 101 (C8): 18519-18532
  • Calibration of stable oxygen isotope signatures in Galapagos corals PALEOCEANOGRAPHY Wellington, G. M., Dunbar, R. B., Merlen, G. 1996; 11 (4): 467-480
  • ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROLS ON URANIUM IN REEF CORALS GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA Shen, G. T., Dunbar, R. B. 1995; 59 (10): 2009-2024
  • BENTHIC AND PELAGIC FORAMINIFERA OF THE MACOMA LAYER, SANTA-BARBARA BASIN JOURNAL OF FORAMINIFERAL RESEARCH Burke, S. K., Dunbar, R. B., Berger, W. H. 1995; 25 (2): 117-133
  • STABLE ISOTOPIC SIGNATURE OF EL-NINO SOUTHERN OSCILLATION EVENTS IN EASTERN TROPICAL PACIFIC REEF CORALS CORAL REEFS Wellington, G. M., Dunbar, R. B. 1995; 14 (1): 5-25
  • A CORAL-BASED RECONSTRUCTION OF INTERTROPICAL CONVERGENCE ZONE VARIABILITY OVER CENTRAL-AMERICA SINCE 1707 JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-OCEANS Linsley, B. K., Dunbar, R. B., Wellington, G. M., Mucciarone, D. A. 1994; 99 (C5): 9977-9994
  • THE LATE PLEISTOCENE HISTORY OF SURFACE-WATER DELTA-C-13 IN THE SULU SEA - POSSIBLE RELATIONSHIP TO PACIFIC DEEP-WATER DELTA-C-13 CHANGES PALEOCEANOGRAPHY Linsley, B. K., Dunbar, R. B. 1994; 9 (2): 317-340
  • EASTERN PACIFIC SEA-SURFACE TEMPERATURE SINCE 1600-AD - THE DELTA-O-18 RECORD OF CLIMATE VARIABILITY IN GALAPAGOS CORALS PALEOCEANOGRAPHY Dunbar, R. B., Wellington, G. M., COLGAN, M. W., Glynn, P. W. 1994; 9 (2): 291-315
  • DIATOM EVIDENCE FOR LATE HOLOCENE CLIMATIC EVENTS IN GRANITE HARBOR, ANTARCTICA PALEOCEANOGRAPHY Leventer, A., Dunbar, R. B., DeMaster, D. J. 1993; 8 (3): 373-386
  • COLLECTION OF CO2 FOR C-13-C-12 MEASUREMENTS AND SIMULTANEOUS C, H, N, AND S ANALYSIS USING AN ELEMENTAL ANALYZER JOURNAL OF SEDIMENTARY PETROLOGY Mucciarone, D. A., Dunbar, R. B. 1992; 62 (4): 731-733
  • EXTREME CLIMATIC CONDITIONS RECORDED IN SANTA-BARBARA BASIN LAMINATED SEDIMENTS - THE 1835-1840 MACOMA EVENT MARINE GEOLOGY Schimmelmann, A., Lange, C. B., Berger, W. H., Simon, A., Burke, S. K., Dunbar, R. B. 1992; 106 (3-4): 279-299
  • Late Pliocene-Quaternary biosiliceous sedimentation at site 798, Japan Sea Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Results, 127/128 Dunbar, R., deMenocal, P., Burckle, L. Ocean Drilling Program. 1992: 439–456
  • Diagenetic reactions in deeply buried sediments of the Japan Sea: a synthesis of interstitial water chemistry results from Leg 127 and Leg 128 Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Results, 127/128 Murray, R., Brumsack, H., von Breymann, M., Sturz, A., Dunbar, R., Gieskes, J. Ocean Drilling Program. 1992: 1261–1274
  • PALEOCHEMISTRY OF MANGANESE IN CORALS FROM THE GALAPAGOS-ISLANDS CORAL REEFS Shen, G. T., Campbell, T. M., Dunbar, R. B., Wellington, G. M., COLGAN, M. W., Glynn, P. W. 1991; 10 (2): 91-100
  • Eastern tropical Pacific corals monitor low latitude climate during the past 400 years Proceedings of the Seventh Annual Pacific Climate (PACLIM) Workshop, April 1990 Dunbar, R., Wellington, G., Colgan, M., Glynn, P. California Department of Water Resources. 1991: 183–198
  • OCEAN DRILLING PROGRAM - EVOLUTION OF THE JAPAN SEA NATURE Anonymous 1990; 346 (6279): 18-20
  • CENOZOIC MARINE SEDIMENTATION IN THE SECHURA AND PISCO BASINS, PERU 4TH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON PACIFIC NEOGENE STRATIGRAPHY / MEETING OF THE INTERNATIONAL WORKING GROUP OF THE INTERNATIONAL GEOLOGICAL CORRELATION PROGRAMME Dunbar, R. B., MARTY, R. C., Baker, P. A. ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV. 1990: 235–61
  • ODP in the Japan Sea: Results of Leg 128 Geotimes Scientific Party, L. 1990: 25-27
  • Reef-building corals and identification of ENSO warming episodes Global ecological consequences of the 1982-83 El Nino-Southern Oscillation Druffel, E., Dunbar, R., Wellington, G., Minnis, S. Elsevier. 1990: 233–254
  • BIOGENIC SEDIMENTATION IN MCMURDO SOUND, ANTARCTICA MARINE GEOLOGY Dunbar, R. B., Leventer, A. R., STOCKTON, W. L. 1989; 85 (2-4): 155-179
  • Reply to Comment on.... Late Eocene diatomite from the Peruvian coastal desert Geology Marty, R., Dunbar, R., Baker, P., Martin, J. 1989; 17: 958-959
  • LATE EOCENE DIATOMITE FROM THE PERUVIAN COASTAL DESERT, COASTAL UPWELLING IN THE EASTERN PACIFIC, AND PACIFIC CIRCULATION BEFORE THE TERMINAL EOCENE EVENT GEOLOGY Marty, R., Dunbar, R., Martin, J. B., Baker, P. 1988; 16 (9): 819-822
  • EL-NINO AND LITTLE ICE-AGE EFFECTS ON UPWELLING IN THE EASTERN TROPICAL PACIFIC Shen, C. T., Dunbar, R. B., COLGAN, M. W., Glynn, P. W. ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV. 1988: 198–98
  • RECENT DIATOM RECORD OF MCMURDO SOUND, ANTARCTICA: IMPLICATIONS FOR HISTORY OF SEA ICE EXTENT PALEOCEANOGRAPHY Leventer, A., Dunbar, R. B. 1988; 3 (3): 259-274
  • A cooperative study of upper ocean particulate fluxes in the Weddell Sea Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, Initial Reports, 113 Biggs, D., Berkowitz, S., Altabet, M., Bidigare, R., DeMaster, D., Dunbar, R., Leventer, A., Macko, S., Nittrouer, C., Ondrusek, M. 1988: 77–86
  • Recent diatom record of McMurdo Sound, Antarctica: implications for the history of sea ice extent Paleoceanography Leventer, A., Dunbar, R. 1988: 259-274
  • Morphology of stacked marine delta lobes, East Pisco Basin, Peru. In: A. W. Bally (ed.) Atlas of Seismic Stratigraphy AAPG Studies in Geology Wright, R., Dunbar, R., Allen, M., Baker, P. 1988: 192–196
  • Phosphatic sediments of the Pisco Basin Cenozoic Geology of the Pisco Basin Allen, M., Dunbar, R. IGCP. 1988: 109–126
  • Geology of Quebrada Huaracangana Cenozoic Geology of the Pisco Basin Stock, C., Wright, R., Dunbar, R. IGCP. 1988: 79–98
  • Geologic setting, stratigraphy, and biogenic sediments of the Pisco Basin Cenozoic Geology of the Pisco Basin Dunbar, R., Baker, P., Marty, R., Cruzado, J. IGCP. 1988: 7–41
  • DIATOM FLUX IN MCMURDO SOUND, ANTARCTICA MARINE MICROPALEONTOLOGY Leventer, A., Dunbar, R. B. 1987; 12 (1): 49-64
  • The role of suspended sediment transport, sedimentation, and resuspension in controlling water quality in Lake Houston, Texas Environmental Geology Matty, J., Anderson, J., Dunbar, R. 1987; 10: 175-186
  • Role of sediment in the persistence and transport of enteric viruses in the estuarine environment Viruses in soils, sediments, and sludges Ellender, R., Anderson, J., Dunbar, R. CRC Press. 1987: 37–55
  • STABLE ISOTOPIC VARIATION IN PTEROPODS AND ATLANTIDS FROM NORTH PACIFIC SEDIMENT TRAPS MARINE MICROPALEONTOLOGY Grossman, E. L., Betzer, P. R., Dudley, W. C., Dunbar, R. B. 1986; 10 (1-3): 9-22
  • Oceanographic influences on sedimentation along the Antarctic continental shelf Oceanology of the Antarctic Shelf Dunbar, R., Anderson, J., Domack, E., Jacobs, S. American Geophysical Union. 1985: 291–312
  • STABLE ISOTOPE FRACTIONATION IN BENTHIC FORAMINIFERA FROM THE PERUVIAN CONTINENTAL-MARGIN MARINE GEOLOGY Dunbar, R. B., Wefer, G. 1984; 59 (1-4): 215-225
  • A DEAD CENTRAL AMERICAN CORAL-REEF TRACT - POSSIBLE LINK WITH THE LITTLE ICE-AGE JOURNAL OF MARINE RESEARCH Glynn, P. W., DRUFFEL, E. M., Dunbar, R. B. 1983; 41 (3): 605-637
  • Stable isotope record of upwelling and climate from Santa Barbara Basin, California Coastal Upwelling: Its Sediment Record Dunbar, R. Plenum Press. 1983: 217–246
  • Stable isotopes in foraminifera off Peru recording high fertility and change in upwelling history Coastal Upwelling: Its Sediment Record Wefer, G., Dunbar, R., Suess, E. Plenum Press. 1983: 295–310
  • STABLE ISOTOPES IN A BRANCHING CORAL MONITOR SEASONAL TEMPERATURE-VARIATION NATURE Dunbar, R. B., Wellington, G. M. 1981; 293 (5832): 453-455
  • A sediment trap intercomparison study in Santa Barbara Basin Earth and Planetary Science Letters Dymond, J., Fischer, K., Clauson, M., Cobbler, R., Gardner, W., Sullivan, L., Soutar, A., Berger, W., Dunbar, R. 1981; 53
  • A SEDIMENT TRAP INTERCOMPARISON STUDY IN THE SANTA-BARBARA BASIN EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS Dymond, J., Fischer, K., Clauson, M., COBLER, R., Gardner, W., Richardson, M. J., Berger, W., Soutar, A., Dunbar, R. 1981; 53 (3): 409-418
  • Fecal pellet flux to modern bottom sediments of Santa Barbara Basin (California) based on sediment trapping Geological Society of America Bulletin Dunbar, R., Berger, W. 1981; 92
  • FECAL PELLET FLUX TO MODERN BOTTOM SEDIMENT OF SANTA BARBARA BASIN (CALIFORNIA) BASED ON SEDIMENT TRAPPING GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA BULLETIN Dunbar, R. B., Berger, W. H. 1981; 92 (4): 212-218