Nadja Insel
- T.C. Chamberlin Postdoc Fellow
Nadja Insel
- T.C. Chamberlin Postdoc Fellow
My research integrates numerical modeling of climate, stable isotopes, topography, and erosion as well as field work, and sample analysis to investigate the interactions between tectonics, climate and Earth surface processes. I am particularly interested in understanding the mechanisms that link mountain surface uplift and regional climate, and the role of climate variability in shaping landscapes. My research aims to better understand the coupled processes involved, such as the role of mountain growth in climate dynamics and water isotope cycles and conversely the influence of climate change on active tectonic processes and landscape evolution.
To better understand these processes my work involves
-evaluating dynamical and physical atmospheric changes associated with variations in mountain heights,
-investigating the processes that control modern and past variability in the isotopic composition of precipitation (δ18O),
-quantifying changes in δ18O associated with surface uplift and/or climate change, and
-reconstructing and analyzing spatial and temporal variations in erosion rates over different timescales and their sensitivity to climate change.
The task to correctly differentiate between tectonically and climatically driven processes and their influence on denudation and topographic evolution is one of the major challenges in Earth Sciences. Types of tools and observations I use include global and regional climate models, isotope tracking modules, climate station data, digital topographic analysis, geomorphologic field observations, and cosmogenic radionuclide analysis.
tectonics AND climate
Change is the only constant - Heraclitus