Constraining carbon cycle processes at watershed, ecoregional and national scales using radiocarbon

Timothy Eglinton has been Professor of Biogeoscience within the Geological Institute at ETH Zurich since July 2010. Tim Eglinton's research is focussed on understanding of the processes that govern the Earth's carbon cycle from the molecular level to the global scale, and on the legacy of past biological activity and environmental conditions contained in organic signatures preserved in the geologic record. This is centered on a “source-to-sink” approach that examines the production, transport, transformation and burial of terrestrial and marine biospheric organic materials at the Earth surface over a range of spatial and temporal scales. Current emphasis is placed on better understanding basin-scale organic matter dynamics within terrestrial and oceanic realms, with a focus on modern-day carbon cycle processes, and on variability in the carbon cycle during the Late Quaternary. The development and application of new analytical approaches represents a key component of Tim Eglinton's research activities, as are field-based programs both in continental and marine settings.