Mudith Weerabaddana

I am a postdoctoral research associate at the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, synthesizing multi-proxy archives to understand decadal- to multidecadal-scale modes of climate variability in the Pacific. My expertise is in the geochemistry of marine archives, primarily corals and bivalves, to reconstruct past climate and ocean conditions, shedding light on the behavior of both natural and forced climate systems. Carbonate skeletons of long-lived corals and bivalves record geochemical imprints of their environment during growth. I taps into these records using trace elements and stable isotopes that serve as proxies for specific ocean parameters such as temperature and salinity. My work analyzes these geochemical signals to reconstruct decades- to centuries-long histories of sea surface temperature, salinity, and rainfall patterns across the Pacific Ocean. More broadly, my research interests include carbonate geochemistry for understanding the climate of the Common Era, fingerprinting sources of marine pollution, and informing the management of coral reef ecosystems.

Degrees

• Ph.D. Geoscience
• M.S. Marine Environment and Resources
• B.S. Fisheries and Marine Science