Ny R. Voarintsoa
USING GEOLOGICAL ARCHIVES
to reconstruct climate and environmental changes in the past
while calibrating proxy via field monitoring and/or laboratory experiments
to reconstruct climate and environmental changes in the past
while calibrating proxy via field monitoring and/or laboratory experiments
Research Motivation
Climate and environmental changes are among important challenges facing our society today, yet rising debates whether they are "hoaxes" or not. I see them collectively as a "cancer" that can progressively destroy our planet Earth if preventative measures are not taken. This motivates me to focus more on paleo- reconstructions. Why? Because our knowledge of what has happened in the past will help us better prepare for the future.
The causes of climate and environmental changes are diverse but they can be generally grouped into three main categories: (1) natural, (2) anthropogenic, and (3) the combination of 1 and 2.
Paleoclimate and paleoenvironmental studies are among fundamental scientific disciplines that can help us understand the causes and the nature of the changes before the instrumental records. As a geologist and paleoclimate scientists, my job can be understood as follow "a doctor investigating the health states of a patient, checking the patient's level of pain, and prescribing medicines or specific treatments to minimize the pain". Analogically, I investigate a range of proxies from geological archives, such as stalagmites (=upward growing mounds of sediments in caves), including stable isotopes, petrography, and mineralogy to reconstruct the changes and to understand the magnitude of the changes. Along with other available paleo- records, I use my datasets to test climate models. With my Marie Curie Fellowship, I also investigate lake sediments and perform monitoring at caves and lakes environments to calibrate paleoclimate and paleoenvironment proxies.
I wish to communicate the results of my scientific investigations to continue to bring awareness to a broader–lay audience. I have written few blogs, participated in film documentary, and have founded a non-profit association to help me reach that goal. Public awareness is a primary antidote to the negative impacts of climate and environmental changes, and convincing policy-makers to take preventative actions would minimize the risks associated with them.
Being the first generation in STEM from my family and a minority from a developing country, I support Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). I am dedicated to encourage/inspire people around me to make DEI as a standard.
The causes of climate and environmental changes are diverse but they can be generally grouped into three main categories: (1) natural, (2) anthropogenic, and (3) the combination of 1 and 2.
Paleoclimate and paleoenvironmental studies are among fundamental scientific disciplines that can help us understand the causes and the nature of the changes before the instrumental records. As a geologist and paleoclimate scientists, my job can be understood as follow "a doctor investigating the health states of a patient, checking the patient's level of pain, and prescribing medicines or specific treatments to minimize the pain". Analogically, I investigate a range of proxies from geological archives, such as stalagmites (=upward growing mounds of sediments in caves), including stable isotopes, petrography, and mineralogy to reconstruct the changes and to understand the magnitude of the changes. Along with other available paleo- records, I use my datasets to test climate models. With my Marie Curie Fellowship, I also investigate lake sediments and perform monitoring at caves and lakes environments to calibrate paleoclimate and paleoenvironment proxies.
I wish to communicate the results of my scientific investigations to continue to bring awareness to a broader–lay audience. I have written few blogs, participated in film documentary, and have founded a non-profit association to help me reach that goal. Public awareness is a primary antidote to the negative impacts of climate and environmental changes, and convincing policy-makers to take preventative actions would minimize the risks associated with them.
Being the first generation in STEM from my family and a minority from a developing country, I support Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). I am dedicated to encourage/inspire people around me to make DEI as a standard.
"Develop a passion to learn, if you do you will never cease to grow"
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