Justin Sirico Stroup

My research locations are wide ranging. In the high Peruvian Andes, I am studying changes at Quelccaya Ice Cap to understand temperature and precipitation conditions from the last glaciation to present. In Searles Valley California, I am developing climate records of past drought conditions extending back more than 200,000 years. In central New York, I am working to understand the evolution of rare wetland systems that have developed after deglaciation and the influences of recent human activity. In the Canadian North, I have worked to understand the evolution of the Laurentide Ice Sheet during its final retreat and its potential role in causing abrupt climate change events.

To me, the landscape is an amazing puzzle containing different geologic archives that allow us a window into the past. They are the only means of understanding our Earth's history. Past climate changes and their mechanisms place current and future conditions in context. They give us tools for understanding our future and our role in determining its direction.