Student Blogs & Vignettes

Emily Kaiser

About My Research

My research takes me back into geologic time. I use marine sediments to study climate change in Antarctica and its surrounding water mass, the Southern Ocean. This region is not only important to global climate and sea level, but also the world carbon cycle. In the Southern Ocean, deepwater masses (which have accumulated carbon dioxide [CO2] over time) are “pulled up” to the surface ocean, where that CO2 can outgas into the atmosphere. With the unnatural addition of CO2 into our modern atmosphere via the burning of fossil fuels, it is essential to understand the natural climate cycle to further understand how our climate will change with these added CO2 emissions. Throughout my PhD research, I plan to utilize both micropaleontological and geochemical methods to explore the influence of CO2 outgassing in the Southern Ocean on global climate.

Why USF CMS?

I was first introduced to USF’s College of Marine Science as an undergraduate student at Eckerd College (also in St. Pete). While volunteering at the St. Petersburg Science Festival, I was amazed by the diversity of studies at CMS. Specifically, I was intrigued by the Southern Ocean working group (which is quite funny because of Florida’s warm climate). While completing my Master’s degree focusing on Southern Ocean paleoceanography at the University of Delaware, many professors and collaborators encouraged me to reach out to Dr. Amelia Shevenell at CMS to continue my studies as a PhD student. Dr. Shevenell’s lab, specifically, stood out to me because of the lab’s use of many different geologic proxies and Dr. Shevenell’s involvement in scientific drilling projects such as the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP).