Maureen Raymo

Maureen E. "Mo" Raymo (born 1959) is an American paleoclimatologist and marine geologist. She is the Co-Founding Dean Emerita of the Columbia Climate School^[1] and the G. Unger Vetlesen Professor of Earth & Environmental Sciences at Columbia University. From 2011 to 2022 she was also the Director of the LDEO Core Repository and until 2024 was the Founding Director of the LDEO Hudson River Field Station. ^[2] From 2020 to 2023 she was first Interim Director then Director of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, the first climate scientist and first female scientist to head the institution.^[3]

Maureen E. Raymo
Maureen Raymo
Born	1959 (age 64–65) Los Angeles
Alma mater	Brown University (Sc.B) Columbia University (M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D.)
Awards	Wollaston Medal, Milutin Milankovic Medal
Scientific career
Fields	Paleoclimatology
Institutions	Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory Columbia University Columbia Climate School

Raymo has done pioneering work on the origin of the ice ages, the geologic temperature record of the Earth, and past sea level change, publishing over 100 peer-reviewed scientific articles. Her work underlies fundamental ideas in paleoceanography including the uplift weathering hypothesis, the "41,000-year problem", the Pliocene sea-level paradox, and the Lisiecki-Raymo δ18O stack.^[4][5][6][7]

Among other awards and honors, Raymo became in 2014 the first woman to win the Wollaston Medal for geology, which had been awarded for 183 years at the time. She was described in her nomination as "... one of the foremost and influential figures in the last 30 years".^[8]

Background

Raymo was born in Los Angeles^[9] and attended Brown University, receiving her Sc.B. Geology in 1982. She then attended Columbia University, where she earned her M.A. in geological sciences in 1985, her M.Phil. in geology in 1988, and her Ph.D. in geology in 1989.^[9]

Research

Raymo is known for developing (along with William Ruddiman and Philip Froelich) the Uplift-Weathering Hypothesis. According to this hypothesis, tectonic uplift of areas such as the Himalayas and Tibetan plateau in the late Cenozoic contributed to surface cooling and thus the Ice Ages. Mountain uplift enhances the chemical weathering of minerals, a process that removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The resulting cooling led to the growth of large ice sheets at both poles. She and her colleagues initially suggested that measuring the proportions of isotopes of strontium (Sr) in deep ocean sediments could substantiate the Uplift-Weathering Hypothesis but soon recognized that ambiguities in the sources of Sr to the ocean existed. Over 35 years later, the hypothesis continues to be debated and studied.^[10][11][12]This mechanism of CO2 removal is also the inspiration behind numerous projects aiming to remove anthropogenic CO2 from the atmosphere via artificially enhanced chemical weathering.

 

Reconstruction of the past 5 million years of climate history, based on oxygen isotope composition of microfossils in deep sea sediment cores (serving as a proxy for the total global mass of glacial ice sheets)(Lisiecki and Raymo 2005)^[13] and to the temperature scale derived from Vostok ice cores following Petit et al. (1999).^[12]

Raymo is also well known for her interdisciplinary work, particularly using palaeoceanography to better understand the thermohaline circulation of the global ocean as well as the pacing of ice ages over the Pleistocene and Pliocene and how they link to changes in orbital forcing and Milankovitch climate dynamics.^[14] Raymo, along with her collaborator Lorraine Lisiecki, made important contributions to stratigraphy and the dating of the past by means of oxygen isotope analysis of foraminifera from cores of deep ocean sediments, including publishing the widely used 5 million year LR04 benthic foraminifera stable oxygen isotope stack record.^[15]

Scientific process

Maureen Raymo has “shaped our understanding of Earth’s natural climate variability and her many landmark papers have influenced a generation of climate scientists" states a biography by Columbia University in New York.^[16] In her years as a graduate student, she began her career studying the history of ice ages, specifically the glacial/interglacial cycles that took place over the last few million years. “I would examine ice-rafted detritus material brought in by icebergs and try to figure out what it could tell us about how cold the Atlantic was through time.” (Aronsohn 2019).^[17] She stated that these cores were “like a tape recorder through time” (Aronsohn, 2019). This work resulted in a series of papers in the late 80s and early 90s that published the first continuous high resolution records of Earth's climate history from oxygen and carbon isotopes.

In an analysis of collapsed polar ice sheets during the stage 11 Marine Isotope Interglacial (MIS), Maureen Raymo and Jerry Mitrovica computed global sea-level variations over the past 500 kyr. In their analysis, they assumed that the melting of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) and the Greenland Ice Sheet (GIS) happened towards the end of this interglacial period (Raymo & Mitrovica, 2012).^[18] One of the methods they used in their examination involved using a “gravitationally self-consistent theory”. Additionally, the researchers performed a Monte Carlo parameter where they observed mantle viscosity, lithospheric thickness, and the duration of the break during MIS 11 (Raymo & Mitrovica, 2012). Raymo and Mitrovica have said that employing this method “yields a preferred bound on the peak eustatic sea level (ESL) during MIS 11” (Raymo & Mitrovica, 2012). Understanding the durability of existing ice sheets amidst climate change remains a significant concern for societal safety.

During the PLIOMAX project, Maureen Raymo formulated a method for correcting shorelines during the Pliocene period, for post-depositional isostatic changes (PLIOMAX, n.d.).^[19] One of the main hurdles the PLIOMAX project faced was the ability to adjust and verify the model performance under CO2 and climate conditions (PLIOMAX, n.d.).^[20] The accuracy of accessible paleoclimate data hindered these factors as mentioned earlier (PLIOMAX, n.d.). In another analysis, Maureen Raymo and her colleagues examined how polar ice sheets evolved during previous warm periods, specifically during the Pliocene period. For their research, the scientists examined existing evidence of previous sea levels and ice sheet constructions (Dutton et al., 2015). Despite many geological advances in the understanding of global mean sea level during previous warm periods, potential research hindrances still exist for future paleoclimate researchers. For instance, the peak heat temperatures during previous warm periods may have varied on the span of the respective interglacial period, which suggests that warm periods that lasted thousands of years may not represent “equilibrium conditions for the climate-cryosphere system” (Dutton et al., 2015). Additionally, it is currently not possible for researchers and scientists to make exact estimates of peak global mean sea level during the Pliocene period. In a research paper by Maureen Raymo and her colleagues, they explained that the majority of existing sea level projections focus on shorter timelines of <2000 years, however, longer timeline projections are critical for predicting potential future sea-level heights to effectively develop long-term sea level defense infrastructure (Kemp et al., 2015).^[21] The demand to present location-specific details regarding future sea level projections in the midst of climate change is a critical aspect of climatology research because of the growing concentration of socioeconomic and residential activity along global coastlines (Kemp et al., 2015).

Scientific context

Maureen Raymo is known famously for her Weathering hypothesis. Maureen’s hypothesis consisted of mending the ideas of global cooling and the beginning of the ice ages to a decline in atmospheric CO2. The Tibetan plateau and the Himalayas are a direct cause of this. Raymo has also come up with a hypothesis concerning the flexibility and arrangement of ice sheets over a few million years.^[22] Furthermore, Raymo was innovating new ways of researching previous sea level changes. Maureen’s focal point in her research had always been centered around identifying where and how the Earth's oceans, biogeochemical cycles, and climate have changed in previous years compared to models of past and future climate.

Awards and honors

Raymo is a fellow of the American Geophysical Union and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 2016 she was elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences.^[4] Raymo has won various prizes for her scientific work, including becoming in 2014 the first woman to be awarded the prestigious Wollaston Medal - the highest award of the Geological Society of London.^[8][23] In 2014, she received the Milutin Milankovic Medal at the European Geosciences Union’s annual meeting for her use of geochemistry, geology and geophysics to solve paleoclimatology’s big problems.^[24] In 2019 she was awarded the Maurice Ewing Medal by the American Geophysical Union.^[25] In 2022 she was elected as a Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Class for Geosciences.^[26]

In 2002, she was included by the illustrated magazine Discover in a list of the 50 most important women in science^[5][27] and in her nomination for the Wollaston Medal, Professor James Scourse described her as ".. one of the foremost and influential figures in the last 30 years...She's been an important role model to women scientists—you can get to the top".^[8]

See also

• Timeline of women in science

References

1. "Leadership of the Columbia Climate School".
2. "Maureen Raymo". Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
3. Schwartz, John (2020-07-10). "She's an Authority on Earth's Past. Now, Her Focus Is the Planet's Future". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-07-12.
4. "Ice & Sea-Level Scientist Maureen Raymo Elected to National Academy of Sciences". Columbia University. Center for Climate and Life. May 4, 2016. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
5. Fitzgerald, Brian (26 September 2003). "2003-04 Guggenheim fellowship winner, Maureen Raymo: studying 40 million years or climate change". B. U. Bridge. VII (5). Boston University.
6. Gornitz, Vivien (2009). "Active mountain building and climate change". Encyclopedia of paleoclimatology and ancient environments. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer. p. 855. ISBN 9781402045516. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
7. Gornitz, Vivien (2009). "Issues in middle Pliocene warming". Encyclopedia of paleoclimatology and ancient environments. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer. pp. 567–568. ISBN 9781402045516. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
8. "Climate Scientist Is First Woman to Win Geology's Storied Wollaston Medal". Lamont -Doherty Earth Observatory. March 4, 2014. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
9. M.E. Raymo (July 2018). "Curriculum vitae" (PDF). Retrieved 2020-02-10.
10. "Theory on a Plateau And the Climate Gains". The New York Times. November 3, 1992. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
11. "Cracking the Ice Age". NOVA. September 30, 1997. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
12. Petit, J. R.; Jouzel, J.; Raynaud, D.; Barkov, N. I.; Barnola, J. M.; Basile, I.; Bender, M.; Chappellaz, J.; Davis, J.; Delaygue, G.; Delmotte, M.; Kotlyakov, V. M.; Legrand, M.; Lipenkov, V.; Lorius, C.; Pépin, L.; Ritz, C.; Saltzman, E.; Stievenard, M. (1999). "Climate and Atmospheric History of the Past 420,000 years from the Vostok Ice Core, Antarctica". Nature. 399 (6735): 429–436. Bibcode:1999Natur.399..429P. doi:10.1038/20859. S2CID 204993577.
13. Lisiecki, Lorraine E.; Raymo, Maureen E. (January 2005). "A Pliocene-Pleistocene stack of 57 globally distributed benthic d¹⁸O records" (PDF). Paleoceanography. 20 (1): PA1003. Bibcode:2005PalOc..20.1003L. doi:10.1029/2004PA001071. hdl:2027.42/149224. S2CID 12788441.

    • Supplement: Lisiecki, L. E.; Raymo, M. E. (2005). "Pliocene-Pleistocene stack of globally distributed benthic stable oxygen isotope records". Pangaea. doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.704257.

    Lisiecki, L. E.; Raymo, M. E. (May 2005). "Correction to "A Pliocene-Pleistocene stack of 57 globally distributed benthic δ¹⁸O records"". Paleoceanography. 20 (2): PA2007. Bibcode:2005PalOc..20.2007L. doi:10.1029/2005PA001164. S2CID 128995657.
    data: doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.704257.
14. Raymo, M. E.; Huybers, P. (2008). "Unlocking the mysteries of the Ice Ages". Nature. 451 (7176): 284–285. Bibcode:2008Natur.451..284R. doi:10.1038/nature06589. PMID 18202644. S2CID 4360319.
15. Lisiecki, Lorraine E.; Raymo, Maureen E. (March 2005). "A Pliocene-Pleistocene stack of 57 globally distributed benthic D 18 O records" (PDF). Paleoceanography. 20 (1): n/a. Bibcode:2005PalOc..20.1003L. doi:10.1029/2004PA001071. hdl:2027.42/149224. S2CID 12788441.
16. "Maureen E. Raymo | Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences". eesc.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
17. "Maureen Raymo on Lamont's Living Library of Earth History". State of the Planet. 2019-04-16. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
18. Raymo, Maureen E.; Mitrovica, Jerry X. (March 2012). "Collapse of polar ice sheets during the stage 11 interglacial". Nature. 483 (7390): 453–456. Bibcode:2012Natur.483..453R. doi:10.1038/nature10891. ISSN 1476-4687. PMID 22419155. S2CID 4425122.
19. "PLIOMAX". PLIOMAX. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
20. "Projects". Maureen E. Raymo. 2014-03-28. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
21. Kemp, Andrew C.; Dutton, Andrea; Raymo, Maureen E. (2015-09-01). "Paleo Constraints on Future Sea-Level Rise". Current Climate Change Reports. 1 (3): 205–215. Bibcode:2015CCCR....1..205K. doi:10.1007/s40641-015-0014-6. ISSN 2198-6061.
22. "Dr. Maureen E. Raymo - Staff Profiles - Columbia Climate School". people.climate.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
23. "Wollaston Medal". The Geological Society of London. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
24. European Geosciences Union - Milutin Milankovic Medal 2014
25. "Past Recipients". American Geophysical Union. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
26. "Several researchers elected new members of the Academy". Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. 23 January 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
27. Svitil, Kathy A. (November 1, 2002). "The 50 Most Important Women in Science". Discover. Retrieved 16 February 2018.

External links

• "Maureen Raymo". Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University.
• Personal Website for Maureen Raymo
• Current projects of Maureen Raymo