Professor Alexandra Turchyn

Biogeochemical Cycles in Response to Perturbations in Earth’s Climate

My primary research interests involve understanding how the chemistry of the ocean has evolved over various timescales over Earth history. I am particularly interested in changes in biogeochemical cycles in response to perturbations to Earth’s climate and how different biogeochemical cycles are coupled. This leads to the study of the interface between geochemistry and microbiology and how these interplay in biogeochemical cycling. Geomicrobiology is a critical component of understanding and interpreting biogeochemical cycles in a paleoceanographic context. My current research uses both analytical measurements of stable isotopes and quantitative modelling of biogeochemical cycles. I am particularly interested in understanding the impact of microbial processes in continental margin sediments and chemical alteration in hydrothermal systems on the chemistry of the ocean.