The End-Triassic mass extinction, caused by climate warming in response to increased volcanism, had severe consequences for animal life. We seek to better understand marine feedbacks which may have contributed to the extinction.

My work focuses on understanding changes in phosphorus cycling before, during, and after the extinction. Because phosphorus is redox sensitive and can be sequestered in several different ways, external perturbations can cause limited availability in this essential nutrient. We use phosphorus speciation on rocks from Alaska to understand phosphorus cycling dynamics.