About Me

Education:

Ph.D. in Geography, May 2016, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA

• Paleoclimate change in southern Indiana determined from speleothem climate proxies and analysis of modern precipitation oxygen isotope variations

M.S. in Geography, December 2011, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA

• Climate and Maya cultural change: detecting connections using Belizean stalagmites

B.S. in Plant Biology, May 2009, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA

• Graduated with distinction and completed Honors Program in Agriculture

Publications:

Akers, P.D., Savarino, J., Caillon, N., Magand, O., Le Meur, E., 2022: Photolytic modification of seasonal nitrate isotope cycles in East Antarctica. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 22, 15637–15657.

Akers, P.D., Savarino, J., Caillon, N., Servettaz, A.P.M., Le Meur, E., Magand, O., Martins, J., Agosta, C., Crockford, P., Kobayashi, K., Hattori, S., Curran, M., van Ommen, T., Jong, L., Roberts, J.L., 2022: Sunlight-driven nitrate loss records Antarctic surface mass balance. Nature Communications, 13(1):4247.

Akers, P.D., Kopec, B.G., Mattingly, K.S., Klein, E.S., Causey, D., Welker, J.M., 2020: Baffin Bay sea ice extent and synoptic moisture transport drive water vapor isotope (d¹⁸O, d²H, deuterium excess) variability in coastal northwest Greenland. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 20, 13929-13955.

Bailey, H., Hubbard, A., Klein, E.S., Mustonen, K., Akers, P.D., Marttila, H., Welker, J.M., 2021: Arctic sea-ice loss fuels extreme European snowfall. Nature Geoscience, 14, 283-288.

Akers, P.D., Brook, G.A., Railsback, L.B, Cherkinksy, A., Liang, F., Ebert, C.E., Hoggarth, J.A., Awe, J.J., Cheng, H., and Edwards, R.L., 2019: Integrating U-Th, ¹⁴C, and ²¹⁰Pb methods to produce a chronologically reliable isotope record for the Belize River Valley Maya from a low-uranium stalagmite. The Holocene, 29(7), 1234-1248.

Akers, P.D., Welker, J.M., and Brook, G.A., 2017: Reassessing the role of temperature in precipitation isotopes across the eastern and central United States through weekly precipitation-day data. Water Resources Research, 53(9), 7644-7661.

Akers, P.D., Brook, G.A., Railsback, L.B., Liang, F., Webster, J.W., Reeder, P.P., Cheng, H. and Edwards, R.L., 2016: Extended and higher-resolution record of climate and land use from stalagmite MC01 from Macal Chasm, Belize: connections between major dry events, climate variability, and Maya sociopolitical changes. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 459, 268-288.

Railsback, L.B., Xiao, H., Liang, F., Akers, P.D., Brook, G.A., Dennis, W.M., Lanier, T.E., Tan, M., Cheng, H., and Edwards, R.L., 2014: A stalagmite record of abrupt climate change and possible westerlies-derived atmospheric precipitation during the Penultimate Glacial Maximum in northern China. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 393, 30-44.

Railsback, L.B., Akers, P.D., Wang, L., Holdridge, G.A., and Voarintsoa, N.R., 2013: Layer-bounding surfaces in stalagmites as keys to better paleoclimatological histories and chronologies. International Journal of Speleology, 42, 167-180.

Grundstein, A.J., Ramseyer, C., Zhao, F., Pesses, J.L., Akers, P., Qureshi, A., Becker, L., Knox, J.A., and Petro, M., 2010: A retrospective analysis of United States football hyperthermia deaths. International Journal of Biometeorology, 56(1), 11-20.

Professional Experience:

• Assistant Professor of Physical Geography (Environmental Change) (2022-present)
• Discipline of Geography, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland

• Marie Skłodowska-Curie postdoctoral research fellow (2021-2022)
• Joël Savarino, Environmental Geoscience Institute (IGE), National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), Grenoble, France
  • Project SCADI: Snow Core Accumulation from Delta-¹⁵N IsotopesEuropean Commission Horizon 2020 individual fellowship #889508
    • Developing new nitrate isotope proxy for Antarctic surface mass balance
    • Nitrate analysis using ion chromatography, bacterial denitrification, MAT 253 mass spectrometer, and ice core continuous flow analysis (PANDA platform)
    • Supervised two undergraduate research internships and one MS internship

• Postdoctoral researcher (2019-2020)
• Joël Savarino, IGE, CNRS, Grenoble, France
  • Project EAIIST: East Antarctic International Ice Sheet TraverseOperation and field sampling on ice sheet traverse from coast to interior East Antarctic Plateau from Nov 2019 to Feb 2020
    • Media liaison and documentary videographer
    • Laboratory analysis of nitrate isotopes and methodological training for new students and visiting researchers
    • Collaborative research exchange with Shohei Hattori, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan

• Postdoctoral field and lab manager (2018, 2019)
• Jeffrey M. Welker, University of Alaska-Anchorage, USA
  • Isotopic monitoring of High Arctic hydrosphere, Thule Air Base, Greenland
    • Led field sampling of surface waters coinciding with 2019 Greenland Ice Sheet melt
    • Trained new postdoc on existing isotope analyzer system and local field sampling
  • Environmental monitoring of High Arctic ecosystems, Thule Air Base, Greenland
    • Installation/maintenance of Picarro L2130-i water vapor isotope analyzer system
    • Isotopic field sampling of lakes, streams, precipitation, and ice sheet melt
    • Installation/maintenance of tundra warming experiment to monitor CO₂ flux of soil and vegetation under different warming/wetting scenarios

• Visiting assistant professor (2016-2018)
• Dept. of Geographical and Sustainability Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
  • Teaching-focused position (95% time)
    • 11 courses, 613 total students
    • Average teaching evaluation rating: 4.70 / 5.00 (5= excellent, 1 = poor)
  • Served on faculty committee for undergraduate studies and advised multiple student research projects

• Graduate research assistant (2009-2016)
• George A. Brook, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
  • Paleoclimate reconstruction through isotopic analysis of speleothems
    • Major focus on climate change impacts on Maya society and on modern economies
    • Climate controls on isotope variations in modern North American precipitation
    • Linking millennial-scale global climate change to local abrupt climate changes at sites in American Midwest, western China, and Patagonia
    • Field sampled >12 caves in Indiana, USA, and Belize
    • Analyzed >50 total stalagmites from four continents

• Graduate teaching assistant (2011-2015)
• Dept. of Geography, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
  • 10 courses, 442 total students
  • Average teaching evaluation rating: 4.74 / 5.00 (5= excellent, 1 = poor)

• Laboratory manual content reviewer (2013-2014)
• Pearson Education, Boston, MA, USA
  • Reviewed physical geography laboratory activities for accuracy and effectiveness
  • Thomsen, C.E. and Christopherson, R.W., Applied Physical Geography: Geosystems in the Laboratory, 9th Edition

• Graduate research assistant (2012)
• David F. Porinchu, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
  • High altitude lake coring for chironomid-based paleo-temperature reconstructions, White River National Forest, CO, USA
    • Performed comprehensive botanical inventories at each lake
    • Created taxonomic training presentation for future field workers

• Biological science technician (monitoring) GS-0404-05 (2009)
• Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, US National Park Service, Porter, IN, USA
  • Prescribed fire effects monitoring
  • Field identification and database entry of plant species in survey plots

• Undergraduate research assistant (2007-2009)
• Kevin D. Gibson, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
  • Invasive plant and earthworm sampling in native forest ecosystems
  • Sustainable agriculture productivity and general site maintenance in intercropped market tomato plots

• Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) (2006)
• Fabio H. Ribeiro, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
  • Conversion of coal and biomass into hydrocarbon fuels through the Fischer-Tropsch process

Conference Proceedings:

Akers, P.D., Savarino, J., Caillon, N., Casado, M., 2023: Improving ice core nitrate interpretation through a decade of monitoring at Dome C. XXI INQUA Congress, Rome, Italy.

Akers, P.D., Savarino, J., Caillon, N., Casado, M., Larue, F., Spolaor, A., Le Meur, E., Picard, G., Possenti, P., Stenni, B., 2022: Nitrate isotope variability on the East Antarctic plateau: Results from the EAIIST (East Antarctic International Ice Sheet Traverse) project. International Partnerships in Ice Core Sciences (IPICS) 3rd Open Science Conference, Crans-Montana, Switzerland.

Akers, P.D., Savarino, J., Caillon, N., 2021: Unexpected isotopic changes to nitrate beneath the snowpack photic zone in East Antarctica. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, New Orleans, LA, USA.

Akers, P.D., 2020: Reconstructing Antarctic snow accumulation though nitrogen isotopes in nitrate. French-Russian Climate and Environments from Ice Archives Annual Meeting, online.

Akers, P.D., Savarino, J., Caillon, N., 2020: Snow accumulation rate and atmospheric oxidation pathway proxies from nitrate isotopes in East Antarctica. Paper abstract EGU2020-9109, European Geophysical Union General Assembly, online.

Akers, P.D., 2019: Spatial variation of nitrate isotopes in East Antarctica and links to snow accumulation. French-Russian Climate and Environments from Ice Archives Annual Meeting, Grenoble, France.

Akers, P.D., Klein, E.S., Corgan, W., Welker, J.M., 2018: Moisture source and transport history in High Arctic Greenland revealed by two years of continuous water vapor isotope measurement. Session Abstract PP14B-08, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, Washington, DC, USA.

Akers, P.D., Brook, G.A., Liang, F., Cheng, H., Edwards, R.L., 2017: Middle Holocene changes in Midwestern precipitation intensity captured by Indiana stalagmites. Poster Abstract PP41A-1278, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, New Orleans, LA, USA.

Akers, P.D., and Brook, G.A., 2017: Southern Indiana stalagmite growth reflects high Northern Hemisphere summer insolation, strong precipitation seasonality, and abrupt climate transitions. KR8: The 8^th International Conference on Climate Change: The Karst Record, Austin, TX, USA.

Akers, P.D., Welker, J.M., and Brook, G.A., 2016: Combining HYSPLIT modeling, weather radar analysis, and weekly USNIP δ¹⁸O data to constrain the effect of changing moisture source on precipitation δ¹⁸O values in the American Midwest. Session Abstract PP23E-05, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Akers, P.D., 2016: Using intermittent stalagmite growth to reveal millennial-scale climate change in Indiana.  Geography Graduate Research Symposium, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.

Akers, P.D. and Welker, J.M., 2015: Changes in precipitation isotope-climate relationships from temporal grouping and aggregation of weekly-resolved USNIP data: impacts on paleoclimate and environmental applications. Poster Abstract PP11B-2216, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Akers, P.D., 2015: Severe dry events and precipitation seasonality changes in the American Midwest during the Holocene: evidence from multiple proxies in a southern Indiana stalagmite calibrated with modern precipitation isotopes. Paper Abstracts, 70th Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Division of the Association of American Geographers, Pensacola, FL, USA.

Akers, P.D., 2015: Holocene climate change in the Midwestern US: paleoclimate evidence from Upper Porter Cave stalagmites, Indiana.  Paper Abstracts, Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, USA.

Akers, P.D., 2015: Temporal and spatial trends in precipitation δ¹⁸O values: Keys toward improved paleoclimate research in the Eastern United States.  Geography Graduate Research Symposium, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.

Akers, P.D., 2014: Southern hemisphere westerly wind belt shifts during the Late Pleistocene-Holocene transition (10-20 ka) as detected in five Argentine speleothems. Paper Abstracts, 69th Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Division of the Association of American Geographers, Athens, GA, USA.

Akers, P.D., Brook, G.A., Liang, F., Wang, X., Auler, A.S., Railsback, L.B., Cheng, H., Edwards, R.L., Bendetto, C., 2014; A 48,000 year record of climate change in west-central Argentina from stalagmites in Caverna de las Brujas, Mendoza Province. Paper Abstracts, KR7: The 7^th International Conference on Climate Change: The Karst Record, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.

Akers, P.D., Brook, G.A., and Liang, F., 2014: A 5300-yr stalagmite paleoclimate record from Macal Chasm, Vaca Plateau, Belize, indicating aridity during the Maya Terminal Classic and Postclassic Periods from multiple proxies. Paper Abstracts, Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting, Tampa, FL, USA.

Akers, P.D. and Brook, G.A., 2013: Paleoclimate implications of Late Pleistocene calcium carbonate travertine from Santa Cruz province, Argentina. Paper Abstracts, Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Akers, P.D., 2012: The characteristics and spatial distribution of current paleoenvironmental research on the penultimate glaciation and termination. Poster Abstracts, 67th Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Division of the Association of American Geographers, Asheville, NC, USA.

Railsback, L.B., Akers, P.D., and Wang, L., 2012: Layer bounding surfaces in stalagmites as keys to better chronologies and paleoclimate records.  Poster Abstracts, The Geological Society of America Annual Meeting & Exposition, Charlotte, NC, USA.

Akers, P.D., 2012: Climate and Maya cultural change: detecting connections using Belizean stalagmites.  Paper Abstracts, Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting, New York, NY, USA.

Akers, P.D., 2011: Climate change during the Maya Classic & Postclassic derived from a Belizean Stalagmite.  Poster Abstracts, 66th Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Division of the Association of American Geographers, Savannah, GA, USA.

Railsback, L.B., Akers, P., Babcock, L.N., Fraley, T.K., Holdridge, G.A, McMullen, S.K., Ostrowicki, K., Sletten, H.R., Wang, L., & Cox, J.E., 2011: Origin and potential paleoenvironmental significance of caliche crusts on basalt and limestone substrates in and near the Snake River Plain, southeastern Idaho.  Poster Abstracts, Southeastern Section of the Geological Society of America 60th Annual Meeting, Wilmington, NC, USA.