Robert Dietz

dietzDegree Program: Ph.D.

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