Maureen Raymo
Encyclopedia
Maureen E. Raymo is an American
paleoclimatologist
and marine
geologist
. She is a research professor
at the University of Boston. She has won various prizes for her scientific work. In 2002, she was included by the illustrated magazine Discover in a list of the 50 most important women in science. Raymo earned her reputation particularly from developing (along with William Ruddiman
and Philip Froelich
) the uplift-weathering hypothesis. According to this hypothesis, tectonic uplift
of areas such as the Tibetan plateau
has contributed to surface cooling. During phases of mountain range formation, there are at the surface many minerals which can chemically interact with carbon dioxide. During the process of chemical weathering, there is a net removal of CO2 from the atmosphere, as a result of which the temperature on the ground decreases. She and her co-workers suggested that measuring the proportions of isotopes of strontium
in deep ocean sediments could substantiate the uplift-weathering hypothesis, but there are controversial ambiguities. She has also done important stratigraphic
and paleoclimatologic work by means of oxygen isotope analysis of foraminifera
from sample cores of deep ocean sediments.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
paleoclimatologist
Paleoclimatology
Paleoclimatology is the study of changes in climate taken on the scale of the entire history of Earth. It uses a variety of proxy methods from the Earth and life sciences to obtain data previously preserved within rocks, sediments, ice sheets, tree rings, corals, shells and microfossils; it then...
and marine
Marine (ocean)
Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...
geologist
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
. She is a research professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
at the University of Boston. She has won various prizes for her scientific work. In 2002, she was included by the illustrated magazine Discover in a list of the 50 most important women in science. Raymo earned her reputation particularly from developing (along with William Ruddiman
William Ruddiman
William F. Ruddiman is a palaeoclimatologist and Professor Emeritus at the University of Virginia. Ruddiman earned an undergraduate degree in geology in 1964 at Williams College, and a Ph.D. in marine geology from Columbia University in 1969. Ruddiman worked at the US Naval Oceanographic Office...
and Philip Froelich
Philip Froelich
Dr. Philip 'Flip' Froelich is an American academic oceanographic scientist whose research uses biogeochemistry dynamics to address human impacts on the world's oceans. He is presently a Francis Eppes Professor of Oceanography at Florida State University, where he is involved in the...
) the uplift-weathering hypothesis. According to this hypothesis, tectonic uplift
Tectonic uplift
Tectonic uplift is a geological process most often caused by plate tectonics which increases elevation. The opposite of uplift is subsidence, which results in a decrease in elevation. Uplift may be orogenic or isostatic.-Orogenic uplift:...
of areas such as the Tibetan plateau
Tibetan Plateau
The Tibetan Plateau , also known as the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau is a vast, elevated plateau in Central Asia covering most of the Tibet Autonomous Region and Qinghai, in addition to smaller portions of western Sichuan, southwestern Gansu, and northern Yunnan in Western China and Ladakh in...
has contributed to surface cooling. During phases of mountain range formation, there are at the surface many minerals which can chemically interact with carbon dioxide. During the process of chemical weathering, there is a net removal of CO2 from the atmosphere, as a result of which the temperature on the ground decreases. She and her co-workers suggested that measuring the proportions of isotopes of strontium
Strontium
Strontium is a chemical element with the symbol Sr and the atomic number 38. An alkaline earth metal, strontium is a soft silver-white or yellowish metallic element that is highly reactive chemically. The metal turns yellow when exposed to air. It occurs naturally in the minerals celestine and...
in deep ocean sediments could substantiate the uplift-weathering hypothesis, but there are controversial ambiguities. She has also done important stratigraphic
Stratigraphy
Stratigraphy, a branch of geology, studies rock layers and layering . It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks....
and paleoclimatologic work by means of oxygen isotope analysis of foraminifera
Foraminifera
The Foraminifera , or forams for short, are a large group of amoeboid protists which are among the commonest plankton species. They have reticulating pseudopods, fine strands of cytoplasm that branch and merge to form a dynamic net...
from sample cores of deep ocean sediments.