Robert Dietz
Campus: Twin Cities
Advisor(s): Daniel Engstrom and Emi Ito
Research Topic/Interests: 1) paleoenvironmental reconstructions from aquatic sediments/fossils; 2) application of stable isotope geochemistry to problems in (paleo)limnology and (paleo)ecology; 3) linking conservation science and paleoenvironmental research; and 4) public policy implications of geosciences research.
Current research projects focus on:
- Regional and temporal variation in organic carbon burial in lake sediments (extent, causation, and relevance to regional/global carbon cycling)
- Historical changes in sediment loading and nutrient delivery to Minnesota lakes – and their implications for land management
- Anthropogenic nutrient pollution patterns in rivers and lakes, as revealed by stable isotopes of nitrogen preserved in mollusk shells (field sites in Minnesota and Japan)
- Cross-ecosystem comparison of long-term carbon burial rates
Previous Degrees: M.S. in Geosciences, University of Arizona (Primary Research Project: “Nitrogen Isotopes in Bivalve Shells from the Colorado River Estuary: Evaluating a Potential Proxy for Changes in Riverine Nutrient Delivery”); B.S. in Environmental Science and Political Science, Iowa State University
Contact Information: dietz070@umn.edu