Chemical Oceanography

Patrick A Rafter

Assistant Professor
Chemical Oceanography
Email: prafter@uci.edu
CV: View PDF
Ocean and Climate Lab

 

 

 

 

 

Research: Oceanography & Climate Science

Specialties: Marine Carbon Cycling, Isotope Geochemistry, Paleoclimate / Paleoceanography, Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal

My research strategy uses whatever tools are needed to improve our understanding of carbon cycling and climate from the past, present, and future. For example, my work provides insight to: (i) Greenhouse gas influence on the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) (Rafter & Charles 2012); (ii) Controls on the modern biological carbon pump (Rafter et al. 2012; 2013; 2016; 2017); (iii) The strengths and weaknesses of reconstructing ocean carbon with radiocarbon (14C) (Rafter et al. 2018); (iv) Geologic carbon and alkalinity flux to the ocean (Rafter et al. 2019); (v) Deep-sea overturning and carbon sequestration during the last ice age (Rafter et al. 2022); (vi) The utility of stable carbon isotopes for quantifying marine carbon dioxide removal (in prep.); and more.