Pam Vervoort

Current research

My current research at UC Riverside is centered around astronomical climate forcing. I use a numerical Earth System Model (cGENIE) to simulate astronomically-forced insolation changes, evaluate how marine environments respond, and how this affects the global carbon cycle. I use the dynamic, warmer-than-present-day climate of the early Cenozoic as a case-study. In another part of this research I investigate how orbital variations are recorded in marine records and how signals are distorted by processes such as bioturbation and dissolution. Deciphering signals that are encoded the sedimentary record is of great importance for our understanding of the link between climate and carbon cycling.

Astronomical climate forcing is not only experienced by Earth, but by all planetary objects within and outside of our Solar System. With an increasing amount of Earth-like exoplanets that are currently being discovered, our curiosity about their habitability grows. The energy a planet receives from its star is directly related to orbital and spin dynamics and is therefore a fundamental component in exo-climate research. I use a combination of n-body simulations, obliquity models, and numerical modeling to dive into the 'world' of exoplanetary science.