Dr. Dorothy M. Peteet is a Senior Research Scientist at NASA/Goddard Institute for Space Studies and Adjunct Professor, Columbia University. She directs the Paleoecology Division of the New Core Lab at Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia and in collaboration with GISS climate modelers and LDEO geochemists is studying the Late Pleistocene and Holocene archives of lakes and wetlands (peatlands, salt marshes, tidal freshwater marshes, bogs, fens). Documenting past vegetational change using pollen and spores, plant and animal macrofossils, loss-on-ignition, carbon, and charcoal in conjunction with accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dating, her research provides local and regional records of vegetational and climate history and carbon sequestration. Peteet has performed GCM experiments to test hypotheses concerning LGM and abrupt climate change. She is interested in climate sensitivity from past climate changes and ecological shifts with future climate change. Droughts are of recent interest.
Paleoclimate
Understanding of past shifts in climate, including abrupt events. Research in eastern N. America,
Siberia, Arctic and subarctic regions of Alaska, Easter Island, etc...and timing is from present back to last interglacial. Droughts are of particular interest in the northeastern US.
Paleoecology
Understanding past vegetational change throughout areas of research and the response of terrestrial ecosystems to climate change. Pollen and plant macrofossil studies. Ecosystem functions.
Carbon sequestration
Relationship of past vegetational change to past carbon storage in wetlands.
Human impact
Human impact and its effect on ecosystems...record in sediment cores reveals invasive species, erosion of watersheds, pollution, etc.
Alaskan paleoclimate and paleovegation records and their relationship to carbon storage
Transect of peatland sites both N-S and E-W in Alaska documents the relationship of past climate and vegetational change to carbon sequestered in the peatlands.
Timing of Deglaciation in Northeastern US
Understanding timing of deglaciation in northeastern US and its relationship to Greenland ice cores, sea level rise, and ocean temperature shifts.
Climate Sensitivity
Differences in climate sensitivity of planet earth during different time intervals since last ice age.
Feedbacks such as vegetational change very important.
Abrupt climate shifts
Understanding relationship of terrestrial abrupt climate shifts of the past and their effects on forest and wetland vegeational change in various regions of the globe. Younger Dryas cooling and Medieval Warming are examples.
Drought
Past droughts in the northeastern US are visible through forest shifts in species composition and increases in fire frequency. We document past drought frequency and intensity and the importance of future droughts for urban areas of the northeast.
1999
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Present
Senior Research Scientist
NASA/Goddard Institute for Space Studies,
New York, NY
1999
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Present
Adjunct Professor
Columbia University,
New York, NY Teach undergraduate and graduate students, "Wetlands and Climate Change" class at Columbia, and direct Paleoecology Laboratory at LDEO
1985
-
1999
Research Scientist
NASA/Goddard Institute for Space Studies,
New York, NY
1985
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1999
Adjunct Associate Research Scientist
Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory,
Palisades, NY
1983
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1985
National Research Council Resident Research Associate
National Research Council,
NASA/GISS 2-yr postdoctorate
1999-present Teaching 4000 level course "Wetlands and Climate Change" at Columbia University
1997- present Developed and taught "Wetlands and Climate Change" at Columbia University in Dept. of Earth and Environmental Science
Taught Paleoclimate undergraduate class at Columbia University
Mentoring Ph.D, MS., undergraduate, and high school students
- Ph.D., New York University, l983
- MS., New York University, l979
- BA, Botany, Duke University, l974
Board of Directors, NYC Audubon Society,
2009
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2014
North American Pollen Database,
2009
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Present
Panel Member
Hudson River Environmental Society,
2004
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2007
Board of Directors
NY Institute for Climate and Planets Summer Program,
1995
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Present
Mentor for high school and college students
National Academy Sciences Abrupt Climate Change: Science and Policy,
2000
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2001
Panel Member
NSF/OPP Antarctic Glaciology ,
1995
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Present
Panel Member
Board of Earth Science Division of UNESCO Intl. Global Climate Program Project entitled Global Younger Dryas?,
1990
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1994
Coordinator
AMQUA Paleoclimatology,
1990
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1994
Councilor
AGU Oceanography Committee,
1994
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1998
Panel Member
NSF Ice Core Working Group,
1990
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1992
Panel Member
US National Committee for International Union of Quaternary Research,
1992
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1994
Panel Member
Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory Climate Center Committee,
1996
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2010
Panel Member
AGU,
1990
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Present
Member
AMQUA,
1985
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Present
Member
Ecological Society of America,
2008
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Present
Member
American Assn. of Stratigraphic Palynologists,
1985
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Present
member
Torrey Botanical Club,
1985
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Present
member
Botanical Society of America,
2000
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Present
NYC Audubon Society, Hudson River Environmental Society, NSF Panelist, Journal Reviews, etc.
2006 New York City Research Initiative Achievement Award
2004 NASA/GISS Special Act Award
2003 NASA/GISS Special Act Award
1999 NASA/GSFC Performance Award
1992 NASA/GISS Peer Review Award
l983-1985 National Research Council Award
l982 Gladys Mateyco Biology Award for Excellence in Biology
1980 Torrey Botanical Club Annette Hervey Award, Best Student Paper
