Dr Georgy Falster

Dr Georgy Falster

Contacts

Postdoctoral Fellow
ANU College of Science

I am a climate scientist, with a main focus on understanding Earth's water cycle. 

 

My PhD research focussed on reconstructing Australian Quaternary palaeo-environments, using palaeolimnology, and the stable & clumped isotopic composition of various carbonate phases. 

 

After finishing my doctorate, I held a Postdoctoral Research Associate position at Washington University in St. Louis, where I used proxy records for the stable isotopic composition of environmental waters through the Common Era to investigate changes in global hydroclimate. I also used water isotope observations alongside palaeoclimate proxy data to investigate variability in tropical Pacific atmospheric circulation through the last millennium. 

 

I have also worked as a Marine Scientist for Geoscience Australia, where I mapped and analysed seabed morphology. 

 

Outside academia, my interests are many & varied: some edited highlights include cross country & telemark skiing, open water swimming, hiking, reading fantasy novels, and playing assorted musical instruments. 

Research interests

My research uses information from weather observations, climate models, and natural archives (like tree rings and ice cores) to understand how human activities are changing Earth's rainfall patterns. 

I use climatic information from the Common Era (the past ~2000 years) to contextualise modern climate change. Specifically, I seek to develop ‘pre-industrial climatic baselines’ against which we can assess the influence of human activities on Earth’s climate. 

I have a particular focus on hydroclimatic variability; that is, understanding the nature and drivers of variability in the water cycle. The main research tool I use is the stable isotopic composition of water, which is an integrative tracer of many water cycle processes. As well as observational and climate model data, I use water isotope proxy data from multiple archives including: 

  • lake & marine sediments
  • glacier ice
  • corals & other marine carbonates
  • terrestrial & marine molluscs
  • tree rings
  • speleothems (cave carbonate)

I also have a particular interest in the influence of the tropical Pacific on global hydroclimate. 

Groups

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