Quaternary Paleoenvironments
Dr. Jordan Clayton, Dr. Daniel Deocampo, and Dr. Lawrence Kiage conduct active research programs studying various aspects of continental sediments. The overall purpose of this research is to understand the sedimentary record of environmental change on the continents.
Dr. Clayton studies both Pleistocene and modern river environments (see Geomorphology and Surface Hydrology). His field studies have included the reconstruction of catastrophic flooding associated with the drainage of Glacial Lake Wisconsin in the late Pleistocene.
Dr. Deocampo uses geochemical and mineralogical methods to study the sedimentary records of paleolakes, wetlands, and volcaniclastic sediment to reconstruct paleohydrology and paleoclimate. Much of this work relates to paleoenvironments associated with ancient humans and hominids (see Archaeological Geology). He has studied modern and ancient lake basins in East Africa, the Great Basin of the western U.S.A., and volcanic paleosols in central Italy.
Dr. Kiage uses remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), and palynology (fossil pollen) to understand Quaternary and Recent biogeography and environmental change. He has studied environments and paleoenvironments in East Africa and coastal Louisiana, and he is actively involved in the new field of Paleotempestology, involving the reconstruction of ancient tropical cyclone (hurricane) activity by means of geological proxies.
