Biography
09/2019- Assistant Professor, University of Cambridge, UK.
01-08/2019 Senior Lecturer, Northumbria University, UK.
2015–2018 Research Associate, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, UK.
Horizon 2020 Marie Sklowdowka-Curie Individual Fellowship:"Sea ice across Dansgaard-Oeschger events in Greenland”. Mentor: Prof. Eric Wolff
06-09/2015 Ice Core Laboratory Analyst, British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK.
2011-2015 Postdoctoral Scholar, College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, USA. Supervisor: Prof. Edward J. Brook
2012 Ph.D. Geology, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.
Thesis title: Insights into Late Holocene climate of the Ross Sea Region, Antarctica, from high resolution ice core chemistry. Supervisors: Dr. Nancy A.N. Bertler and Prof. Joel A. Baker
2007 MGeol (Hons) Environmental Geology (International) (1st class), University of Leeds, UK
Research
ice cores; abrupt climate change; methane biogeochemistry; ice core chemistry; sea ice reconstructions; continuous ice core gas measurement; chemical transport modelling
Current projects:
Beyond EPICA Oldest Ice - search for Antarctica's oldest continuous ice core to solve the riddle of the Mid-Pleistocene Transition.
FETCH4 - Fate, Emissions and Transport of Methane in past and modern atmospheres, including a new Greenland SE Dome drilling.
REWIND (formerly SIWHA) - Sea Ice and Westerly winds during the Holocene in coastal Antarctica, to better constrain oceanic CO2 uptake.
WACSWAIN - Stability of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, currently investigating ice sheets dynamics in glacial period using Nd-Sr isotopes for dust provenance.
Publications
*indicates supervised students
Rhodes, R., 2025. Methane studies in ice cores, in: Encyclopedia of Quaternary Science. Elsevier, pp. 138–149. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-99931-1.00261-0
Hoffmann, H., Day, J., Rhodes, R., Grieman, M., Humby, J., Rowell, I., Nehrbass-Ahles, C., Mulvaney, R., Gibson, S., Wolff, E., 2024. Laser Ablation ICP-MS measurements for high resolution chemical ice core analyses with a first application to an ice core from Skytrain Ice Rise (Antarctica). EGUsphere 1–30. https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-3071, accepted.
Strawson, I.*, Faïn, X., Bauska, T.K., Muschitiello, F., Vladimirova, D.O., Tetzner, D.R., Humby, J., Thomas, E.R., Liu, P., Zhang, B., Grilli, R., Rhodes, R.H., 2024. Historical Southern Hemisphere biomass burning variability inferred from ice core carbon monoxide records. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 121, e2402868121. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2402868121
Rhodes, R.H., Bollet-Quivogne, Y.*, Barnes, P., Severi, M., Wolff, E.W., 2024. New estimates of sulfate diffusion rates in the EPICA Dome C ice core. Climate of the Past 20, 2031–2043. https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-2031-2024
Gao, Q.*, Sime, L. C., McLaren, A., Bracegirdle, T. J., Capron, E., Rhodes, R. H., Steen-Larsen, H. C., Shi, X., and Werner, M.: Evaporative controls on Antarctic precipitation: An ECHAM6 model study using novel water tracer diagnostics, The Cryosphere, 18, 683–703, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-683-2024, 2024.
Grieman, M. M., Nehrbass-Ahles, C., Hoffmann, H. M., Bauska, T., King, A., Mulvaney, R., Rhodes, R. H., Rowell, I. F. Thomas, E. R. and Wolff, E. W., Signals of Abrupt Early Holocene Ronne Ice Shelf retreat. Nature Geoscience, 17, 227-232. 10.1038/s41561-024-01375-8, 2024
King et al. including Rhodes, R.H. Reconciling ice core CO_2 and land-use change following New World-Old World contact. Nature Communications, https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3170265/v1, 2024
2023
Faïn, X., Etheridge, D. M., Fourteau, K., Martinerie, P., Trudinger, C. M., Rhodes, R. H., Chellman, N. J., Langenfelds, R. L., McConnell, J. R., Curran, M. A. J., Brook, E. J., Blunier, T., Teste, G., Grilli, R., Lemoine, A., Sturges, W. T., Vannière, B., Freitag, J., and Chappellaz, J.: Southern Hemisphere atmospheric history of carbon monoxide over the late Holocene reconstructed from multiple Antarctic ice archives, Clim. Past, 19, 2287–2311, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-2287-2023, 2023.
Mulvaney, R., et al., including Rhodes, R. H., : The ST22 chronology for the Skytrain Ice Rise ice core – Part 2: An age model to the last interglacial and disturbed deep stratigraphy, Clim. Past, 19, 851–864, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-851-2023, 2023.
Burgay, F., Fernández, R. P., Segato, D., Turetta, C., Blaszczak-Boxe, C. S., Rhodes, R. H., Scarchilli, C., Ciardini, V., Barbante, C., Saiz-Lopez, A., and Spolaor, A., 2023: 200-years ice core bromine reconstruction at Dome C (Antarctica): observational and modelling results, The Cryosphere, 17, 391–405, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-391-2023.
2022
Crosta, X., et al., including Rhodes, R. H., 2022: Antarctic sea ice over the past 130 000 years – Part 1: a review of what proxy records tell us, Clim. Past, 18, 1729–1756, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-1729-2022
Faïn, X., Rhodes, R.H., Philip, P., Petrenko, V.V., Fourteau, K., Chellman, N., Crosier, E., McConnell, J.R., Brook, E.J., Blunier, T., Legrand, M., Chappellaz, J., 2022. Northern Hemisphere atmospheric history of carbon monoxide since preindustrial times reconstructed from multiple Greenland ice cores. Clim. Past. 18, 631–647, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-631-2022
2021
Brovkin, V., Brook, E., Williams, J.W., Bathiany, S., Lenton, T.M., Barton, M., DeConto, R.M., Donges, J.F., Ganopolski, A., McManus, J., Praetorius, S., de Vernal, A., Abe-Ouchi, A., Cheng, H., Claussen, M., Crucifix, M., Gallopín, G., Iglesias, V., Kaufman, D.S., Kleinen, T., Lambert, F., van der Leeuw, S., Liddy, H., Loutre, M.-F., McGee, D., Rehfeld, K., Rhodes, R., Seddon, A.W.R., Trauth, M.H., Vanderveken, L., Yu, Z., 2021. Past abrupt changes, tipping points and cascading impacts in the Earth system. Nat. Geosci. 14, 550–558. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-021-00790-5
Criscitiello, A.S., Geldsetzer, T., Rhodes, R.H., Arienzo, M., McConnell, J., Chellman, N., Osman, M.B., Yackel, J.J., Marshall, S., 2021. Marine Aerosol Records of Arctic Sea-Ice and Polynya Variability From New Ellesmere and Devon Island Firn Cores, Nunavut, Canada. J. Geophys. Res. Oceans 126, e2021JC017205. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JC017205
Wolff, E.W., Rhodes, R.H. and Legrand, M., 2021. Chapter 7: Sea Salt in Polar Regions, Advances in Atmospheric Chemistry, Volume 3: Chemistry in the Cryosphere, pp. 365-410. https://doi.org/10.1142/9789811230134_0007
2020
Margari, V., L.C. Skinner, L. Menviel, E. Capron, R. H. Rhodes, M. Vautravers, M.M. Ezat, B. Martrat, J. Grimalt, D.A. Hodell, P.C. Tzedakis, 2020. Fast and slow millennial-scale climate changes during Marine Isotope Stage 3. Communications Earth and Environment, 1(1) 1-9. doi:10.1038/s43247-020-0006-x
Dyonisius, M.N., Petrenko, V.V., Smith, A.M., Hua, Q., Yang, B., Schmitt, J., Beck, J., Seth, B., Bock, M., Hmiel, B., Vimont, I., Menking, J.A., Shackleton, S.A., Baggenstos, D., Bauska, T.K., Rhodes, R.H., Sperlich, P., Beaudette, R., Harth, C., Kalk, M., Brook, E.J., Fischer, H., Severinghaus, J.P., Weiss, R.F., 2020. Old carbon reservoirs were not important in the deglacial methane budget. Science 367, 907–910. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aax0504
Shackleton, S., Baggenstos, D., Menking, J.A., Dyonisius, M.N., Bereiter, B., Bauska, T.K., Rhodes, R.H., Brook, E.J., Petrenko, V.V., McConnell, J.R., Kellerhals, T., Häberli, M., Schmitt, J., Fischer, H., Severinghaus, J.P., 2020. Global ocean heat content in the Last Interglacial. Nature Geoscience 13, 77–81. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-019-0498-0
2019
Yang, X, M. M. Frey, R. H. Rhodes, S. J. Norris, I. M. Brooks, P. S. Anderson, K. Nishimura, A. E. Jones, E. W. Wolff, 2019. The sea-salt aerosol (SSA) source from blowing snow on sea ice: production mechanisms and climate implications. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 19, 8407–8424, doi:10.5194/acp-19-8407-2019
Sime, L., P. Hopcroft, R. H. Rhodes, 2019. The impact of abrupt sea ice loss on Greenland water isotopes during the Last Glacial Period. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,116 (10) 4099-4104, doi:10.1073/pnas.1807261116.
2018
P. C. Tzedakis, Drysdale, R. N., Margari, V., Skinner, L., Menviel, L. Rhodes, R. H. et al., 2018. Enhanced climate instability in the North Atlantic and S Europe during the Last Interglacial. Nature Communications 9:4235 https://rdcu.be/85vX
A. Landais, Capron, E., Masson-Delmotte, V., Toucanne, S., Rhodes, R. H. et al., 2018. Ice core evidence for mid-latitude atmospheric water cycle reorganization during the Greenland cold phase of the last deglaciation. Climate of the Past, 14, 1405-1415, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-1405-2018.
R. H. Rhodes, Yang, X., Wolff, E. W., 2018. Sea Ice Versus Storms: What Controls Sea Salt in Arctic Ice Cores? Geophysical Research Letters, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL077403
2017
McConnell, J. R., and 30 authors including R. H. Rhodes, 2017. Volcanic eruptions precisely coincident with abrupt climate change ~17.7k years ago plausibly linked by stratospheric ozone loss. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1705595114
Rhodes, R. H., Yang, X., Wolff, E. W., McConnell, J. R., and Frey, M. M., 2017, Sea ice as a source of sea salt aerosol to Greenland ice cores: a model-based study, Atmospheric Chemistry & Physics, 17, 9417-9433, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-9417-2017.
Rhodes, R. H., E. J. Brook, J. R. McConnell, T. Blunier, L. C. Sime, X. Faïn, R. Mulvaney, 2017. Atmospheric methane variability: Centennial scale signals in the Last Glacial Period. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 1, 575–590, doi:10.1002/2016GB005570. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2016GB005570/full
Maselli, O. J., Chellman, N. J., Grieman, M., Layman, L., McConnell, J. R., Pasteris, D., Rhodes, R. H., Saltzman, E., and Sigl, M., 2017. Sea ice and pollution-modulated changes in Greenland ice core methanesulfonate and bromine, Climate of the Past, 13, 39-59, doi:10.5194/cp-13-39-2017. http://www.clim-past.net/13/39/2017/
2016
Rhodes, R. H., X. Faïn, E. J. Brook, J. R. McConnell, M. Sigl, O. Maselli, J. Edwards, C. Buizert, T. Blunier, J. Chappellaz, J. Freitag, 2016. Local artifacts in ice core methane records caused by layered bubble trapping and in-situ production: a multi-site investigation. Climate of the Past, 12, 1061-1077, doi:10.5194/cp-12-1061-2016. http://www.clim-past.net/12/1061/2016/
2015
Rhodes, R. H., E. J. Brook, J. Chiang, T. Blunier, O. J. Maselli, J. R. McConnell, D. Romanini, J. P. Severinghaus, 2015. Enhanced tropical methane production in response to iceberg discharge in the North Atlantic. Science, 1016-1019. 10.1126/science.1262005.
***WAIS Divide continuous methane data are available to download at USAP data centre: awardID 609628**
WAIS Divide Project Members including R. H. Rhodes, 2015. Precise interhemispheric phasing of the bipolar seesaw during abrupt Dansgaard-Oeschger events. Nature, 520, 661-665. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v520/n7549/full/nature14401.html
Buizert, C., K. M. Cuffey, J. P. Severinghaus, D. Baggentos, T. J. Fudge, E. J. Steig, B. R. Markle, M. Winstrup, R. H. Rhodes et al., 2015. The WAIS-Divide deep ice core WD2014 chronology - Part 1: Methane synchronization (68–31 ka BP) and the gas age-ice age difference. Climate of the Past, 11, 153–173. http://www.clim-past.net/11/153/2015/cp-11-153-2015.html
2014 and earlier
Faïn, X., J. Chappellaz, R. H. Rhodes, C. Stowasser, T. Blunier, J. R. McConnell, E. J. Brook, M. Legrand, T. Debois, D. Romanini, 2014. High resolution measurements of carbon monoxide along a late Holocene Greenland ice core: evidence for in-situ production. Climate of the Past, 10, 987–1000. http://www.clim-past-discuss.net/9/2817/2013/cpd-9-2817-2013.pdf
Rhodes, R. H., X. Faïn, C. Stowasser, T. Blunier, J. Chappellaz, J. R. McConnell, D. Romanini, L. E. Mitchell, E. J. Brook, 2013. Continuous methane measurements from a late-Holocene Greenland ice core: atmospheric and in-situ signals. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 368, 9–19. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012821X13001088
Rhodes, R. H., N. A. N. Bertler, J. A. Baker, H. C. Steen-Larsen, S. B. Sneed, U. Morgenstern, S. J. Johnsen, 2012. Little Ice Age climate and oceanic conditions of the Ross Sea, Antarctica, from a coastal ice core record. Climate of the Past, 8, 1223–1238. [PDF]
Rhodes, R. H., J. A. Baker, M-A. Millet, N. A. N. Bertler, 2011. Experimental investigation of the effects of mineral dust on the reproducibility and accuracy of ice core trace element analyses. Chemical Geology, 286, 207–222. doi:10.1016/j.chemgeo.2011.05.006
Rhodes, R. H., N. A. N. Bertler, J. A. Baker, S. B. Sneed, H. Oerter, K. R. Arrigo, 2009. Sea ice variability and primary productivity in the Ross Sea, Antarctica, from methylsulphonate snow record. Geophysical Research Letters 36, L10704, doi:10.1029/2009GL037311. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2009GL037311/full
>>>>>>>>>Other publications<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Patterson, M., R. Rhodes, and C. Allen (2019), Understanding past changes in Southern Ocean sea ice, Eos (American Geophysical Union Publications), 100, doi:/10.1029/2019EO119803.
Rhodes, R. H., Kohfeld, K., Bostock, H., Crosta, X., Leventer, A., Meissner, K., Esper, O., Understanding Past Changes in Sea Ice in the Southern Ocean: First Workshop for the “Cycles of Sea Ice Dynamics in the Earth System” (C-SIDE) Working Group. Past Global Changes(PAGES) Magazine, 21(1), 31, doi:10.22498/pages.27.1.31.
Teaching and Supervisions
PhD Students
Ivo Strawson, completed 2024. Now at Oregon State University
Qinggang Gao (co-supervisor, lead: Louise Sime, BAS), completed 2024. Now at University of Melbourne
Piers Larkman (co-supervisor, lead: Pascal Bohleber, AWI). awaiting viva 2024. Now at AWI
Rachel Diamond (co-supervisor, lead: Louise Sime, BAS), current
Megan Melpas (co-supervisor, lead: Markus Frey, BAS), current
Masters Students
Yvan Bollet (2021), Cian McAuley (2021), Quan Gan (2023, co-supervisor, lead: Francesco Muscitiello, Geography) Jack Saville (2023), Daniel Clarke (2024), Ryan Simpson (current)
