The Earth System Isotope MOAT Laboratory investigates how Earth’s systems respond and adapt to climate and environmental change across multiple spatial and temporal scales. MOAT, which stands for Multiscale Observations and Analysis of Tracers, reflects both our scientific approach and our vision of building a strong and distinctive scientific foundation. Beyond the acronym, moat symbolizes a stabilizing and protective mechanism — representing our effort to understand the natural buffering processes and opposing feedbacks that can resist or moderate major perturbations within the Earth system. Using stable isotopes and environmental tracers as powerful tools, we explore the interactions and feedbacks among the atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, and geosphere.

Our research focuses on the global water and material cycles through multiscale observations, advanced geochemical analyses, and numerical modeling in temperate and polar regions. We aim to identify sensitive environmental proxies that record rapid environmental changes and to better understand hydrological and biogeochemical processes from local to global scales. Through isotope-based Earth system science, we seek to bridge ideas and expand impacts.

Earth System Isotope MOAT Laboratory
Bridge ideas and Expand impacts