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Contact ChristinaRiesselman

Office Marine Science: 310 Castle Street, room 150, Geology: room GN1
Tel Marine Science +64 3 479 5732, Geology +64 3 479 7505
Emailchristina.riesselman@otago.ac.nz

Academic qualifications

BA (University of Nebraska-Lincoln)
PhD (Stanford University)

Research interests

  • Cenozoic paleoceanography and paleoclimate
  • Antarctic climate evolution
  • Micropaleontology (diatoms)
  • Geochemical proxies of paleoenvironmental change

I am a paleoceanographer with a focus on Southern Ocean response to changing climate. My research uses stable isotope geochemistry and diatom micropaleontology in marine sediments to examine the evolution of the Antarctic cryosphere through the Cenozoic. In support of these aims, I also participate in collaborative investigations into the modern controls on phytoplankton community structure. This modern-process research underscores the role of biogenic marine sedimentation as a uniquely sensitive recorder of past conditions, both geochemically and from an assemblage-based perspective.

I am also a member of the Coastal People: Southern Skies collaboration that connects communities with world-leading, cross-discipline research to rebuild coastal ecosystems.
Coastal People: Southern Skies

Riesselman1
Examining the sediment-water interface aboard the RVIB Nathanial B. Palmer. Photo credit: R Stevens.

Courses

Postgraduate students

Jacob Anderson - Thesis Title (PhD): Determining Antarctica's terrestrial climate history from microbial populations in permafrost

Publications

Illing, M. T., Strachan, L. J., Moy, C. M., Riesselman, C. R., Rigalleau, V., Arz, H. W., & Lamy, F. (2025). Chilean margin sediments reveal millennial-scale Patagonian ice sheet fluctuations and Antarctic circumpolar current variability over the last 160,000 years. Quaternary Science Reviews, 356, 109280. doi: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2025.109280 Journal - Research Article

Truax, O. J., Nelson, F., Riesselman, C. R., Ohneiser, C., Lee, J. I., Yoo, K.-C., Dagg, B., & Wilson, G. (2025). A Holocene paleosecular variation record from the northwestern Ross Sea, Antarctica. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 26, e2024GC011912. doi: 10.1029/2024GC011912 Journal - Research Article

Unland, E., Gorman, A., Wilson, G., Bowman, H., Dagg, B., Riesselman, C., Gilmer, G., … Moy, C., … Hillman, J. (2024). Assessing carbon storage capacities in Fiordland fjords: Insights from high-resolution seismic imaging. In F. Nelson, H. Jack & S. Chanony (Eds.), Geoscience Society of New Zealand Miscellaneous Publication: Mountains to Sea. 167A, (pp. 256). Wellington, New Zealand: Geoscience Society of New Zealand. [Abstract] Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Das, S. K., Singh, R. K., Saavedra-Pellitero, M., Gottschalk, J., Alvarez Zarikian, C. A., Lembke-Jene, L., … Moy, C. M., … Riesselman, C. R., … Expedition 383 Scientists. (2024). Recent deep-sea nematodes and agglutinated foraminifera select specific grains and bioclasts from their environments: Ecological implications. Marine Micropaleontology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.marmicro.2024.102409 Journal - Research Article

Duke, G., Frazer, J., Taylor-Silva, B., & Riesselman, C. (2024). Two new clavate Fragilariopsis and one new Rouxia diatom species with biostratigraphic and paleoenvironmental applications for the Pliocene-Pleistocene, East Antarctica. Journal of Micropalaeontology, 43(1), 139-163. doi: 10.5194/jm-43-139-2024 Journal - Research Article

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