Prof. David McGee

Professor McGee's research builds records of past climate changes using geochemical tools, with a focus on applications of uranium-series isotopes. Current projects seek to improve understanding the response of atmospheric circulation and the hydrological cycle to different boundary conditions. In marine sediments, he uses uranium and thorium isotopes to quantify accumulation rates in an effort to understand changes in the emission and transport of dust from the world’s drylands. In speleothems and lake carbonates, uranium and thorium provide precise and accurate dating of changes in water balance and precipitation source. Building upon these robust chronologies, we can then compare records from different locations in order to build a global picture of past climate changes.

McGee’s research focuses on understanding the atmosphere’s response to past climate changes. By documenting past changes in precipitation and winds using geochemical measurements of stalagmites, lake deposits and marine sediments and interpreting these records in the light of models and theory, he aims to offer data-based insights into the patterns, pace and magnitude of past hydroclimate changes. His primary tool is measurements of uranium-series isotopes, which provide precise uranium-thorium dates for stalagmites and lake deposits and allow reconstructions of windblown dust emission and transport using marine sediments.