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Prof. David McGee
Associate Professor of Paleoclimatology
Associate Department Head for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
Margaret MacVicar Faculty Fellow
Primary DLC
Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
MIT Room:
4-441
(617) 324-3545
davidmcg@mit.edu
https://www-mcgeelab-mit-edu.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/
Assistant
Elizabeth Washburn
(617) 253-7934
elwash@mit.edu
Areas of Interest and Expertise
Geochronology, i.e. Looking at the Past Using Geomechanics
Timescales (10K - 500K Years, Not Millions)
Slow Decay of Radioactive Materials, Primarily Uranium and Thorium
Research Summary
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.
Recent Work
Projects
January 19, 2017
Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
Speleothem Records of Permafrost Thaw and Paleoclimate in the North American Arctic
Principal Investigator
David McGee
January 19, 2017
Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
Reconstructing Interactions Between the East Asian Monsoon and Westerly Jet at Multiple Timescales Via the Flux and Provenance of Eolian and Fluvial Supply
Principal Investigator
David McGee
January 19, 2017
Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
Insights into North African Climate Variability Over the Last 1.1 Million Years from Dust Fluxes and Leaf Wax Isotopes
Principal Investigator
David McGee
December 22, 2016
Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
Deep Drilling of Lake Junin, Peru: Continuous Tropical Records of Glaciation, Climate Change and Magnetic Field Variations Spanning the Late Quaternary
Principal Investigator
David McGee
February 29, 2016
Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
Tracing Hydroclimate Changes Using Stalagmites
Principal Investigator
David McGee
September 10, 2015
Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
Understanding Precipitation Changes Using Models and Theory
Principal Investigator
David McGee
September 10, 2015
Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
Tracking Windblown Mineral Dust
Principal Investigator
David McGee
June 7, 2012
Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
McGee Lab for Paleoclimate and Geochronology
Principal Investigator
David McGee
July 14, 2006
Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
Terrascope
Principal Investigator
David McGee
Related Faculty
Dr. Zhenya Zhu
Research Affiliate
Prof. Benjamin P Weiss
Robert R Shrock Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences
Prof. Raffaele M Ferrari
Cecil and Ida Green Professor in Earth and Planetary Sciences