Tim Cook

Research Associate Professor and Lecturer
Paleoclimate
Arctic
Lacustrine systems
Office: 
tcook@geo.umass.edu
Phone: 
(413)
Education: 
Ph.D. Geology, University of Massachusetts, 2009
M.S. Oceanography, University of Delaware, 2004
Sc.B. Geological Sciences, Brown University, 2001
Research Interests: 

My research interests are broadly concerned with understanding the processes that govern interactions between the climate system, the hydrosphere, land surfaces and the sedimentary record. I investigate how both natural and human changes in the Earth system influence watershed, lake, and sedimentary processes and apply this knowledge to studies of long-term climate and environmental change. I have worked in both coastal marine and freshwater lake and river environments in locations ranging from the High Arctic to the tropical Pacific. My research is currently focused on several areas: In New England, I am studying the sedimentary record in a network of regional lakes in an effort to better understand the impacts of human activity and landscape changes on sediment yield and water quality and to develop paleoclimate records that can help constrain the occurrence of extreme flood-producing precipitation events in the region. I have ongoing work in the Canadian Arctic focused on reconstructing past climate variability and constraining our understanding of the sensitivity of polar regions to climatic change. In addition, I am working in the Mealy Mountains region of Labrador, Canada investigating climatic and environmental controls on the production and burial of organic carbon in lakes.