Assistant Professor
Assistant Professor
My research focuses on developing new proxies relevant to reconstructing paleoclimate variation, often in the Pleistocene and Holocene. Methodologically, I focus on isotopic and elemental archives derived from microsampling accretionary carbonate skeletons. This sampling includes fish otoliths, deepwater corals, and coastal and estuarine mollusk valves. I have particular interest in reconstructing how climate influences organisms, including humans, especially as related to paleoecology. This approach often necessitates the investigation of the life history of organisms that may act as paleoclimate indicators and the use archaeological remains as a source of paleoenvironmental data. Field research includes modern, fossil, and archaeological sampling on the Pacific Coast of Peru, submersible and shipboard coral sampling on the Blake Plateau – Northwest Atlantic Ocean, and modern, fossil, and archaeological sampling along the US South Atlantic Bight and the Gulf of Mexico.
Current Research Projects:
-Determination of the skeletal geochemistry and growth rate of modern and fossil deep water coral from the Blake Plateau to facilitate their use as paleoceanographic proxies.
-Radiocarbon analysis of mollusks from coastal Peru as a proxy of Holocene upwelling conditions related to El Niño.
-Stable isotope analysis of otoliths from several fish taxa excavated from Peruvian middens to reconstruct past sea surface temperatures.
-Development and application of Donax clam oxygen isotope microanalysis as paleoclimate archives useful along open coasts.
-Assessment of fish migration patterns based on otolith geochemistry.
-Reconstructing past estuarine climate variation and its human impact based on carbonates in archaeological middens in the Southeast US.
In Press, Andrus, C. Fred T., Hodgins, Gregory W. L., Sandweiss, Daniel H., and Crowe, Douglas E. Molluscan radiocarbon as a proxy for El Niño-related upwelling variation in Peru. In Isotopic and Elemental Tracers of Late Quaternary Climate Change, edited by Donna Surge and German Mora. Geological Society of America Special Publication.
2004, Sandweiss, Daniel H., Maasch, Kirk A., Chai, Fei., Andrus, C. Fred T., and Reitz, Elizabeth J. Geoarchaeological evidence for fish regime shift linked to multidecadal Pacific climate change. Quaternary Research 61: 330-334.
2003, Andrus, C. Fred T., Crowe, Douglas E., Sandweiss, Daniel H., Reitz, Elizabeth J. Romanek, Christopher S., and Kirk A. Maasch, 2003. Comment on “Otolith d18O record of mid-Holocene sea surface temperature in Peru - response”. Science 299: 203b.
2002, Andrus, C. Fred T. and Crowe, Douglas E. 2002. Alteration of otolith aragonite: Effects of prehistoric cooking methods on otolith chemistry. Journal of Archaeological Science. 29: 291-299.
2002, Andrus, C. Fred T., Crowe, Douglas E., Sandweiss, Daniel H., Reitz, Elizabeth J., and Romanek, Christopher S. 2002. Otolith d18O record of mid-Holocene sea surface temperature in Peru. Science 295: 1508-1511.
2002, Andrus, C. Fred T., Crowe, Douglas E. and Romanek, C. S. 2002. Oxygen isotope record of the 1997-1998 El Niño in Peruvian sea catfish (Galeichthys peruvianus) otoliths. Paleoceanography 17(5): 1053-1060 - doi:10.1029/2001PA000652.
2000, Andrus, C. Fred T. and Crowe, Douglas E. 2000. Geochemical analysis of Crassostrea virginica as a method to determine season of capture. Journal of Archaeological Science 27: 33-42.
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