Dr. Richard E. Zeebe_
Professor
SOEST
University of Hawaii at Manoa


News : Graduate student opportunity. We are looking for a graduate student (MS or PhD) with theoretical / numerical skills to work on a funded, cross-disciplinary project involving geology and astronomy, i.e., in the area of marine geology / astrochronology / cyclostratigraphy. Quantitative skills or a background in physics, astronomy, numerics (or similar) are welcome. If you are a prospective graduate student and you fit the above profile, please contact me for more information.

Our department deadlines to submit applications for admission are Dec 15 for Fall admission and Sep 01 for Spring admission for U.S applicants (Dec 15 and Aug 01 for foreign applicants). Learn more about our graduate program here: Gradstudies




Research. The research conducted in my group focuses on various topics. Several projects deal with element cycling in the ocean, atmosphere and biosphere. This includes greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and its impact on Earth's climate in the past present and future. One of our currently funded projects investigates the effects of invasion of man-made carbon dioxide in the world's ocean, termed ocean acidification. Many of these issues require a good understanding of the carbon cycle and of the chemistry of dissolved carbon dioxide in the ocean, see our book on CO2 in seawater.

Other projects focus on physical chemistry using quantum chemistry computations to understand processes at the molecular level. Recently, we also got involved in numerical integrations of planetary systems. See here for Astronomical Solutions.

We also study the climate of the past in order to improve understanding and forecasting of future climate, following the premise: "The past as the key to the future". This includes reconstruction and modeling of past climate episodes such as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) as well as validation of so-called paleo-proxies. These are climate indicators recovered from deep-sea sediments or polar ice cores which need to be interpreted properly, just like an ancient language. The tools we use to address these questions range from molecular theory and laboratory experiments to global carbon cycle models. More details on these themes can be found under Projects:
Image credit: Howard J. Spero












Dr. Richard E. Zeebe
SOEST
University of Hawaii at Manoa
1000 Pope Road
MSB 629
Honolulu, HI 96822