Robert K. Booth

Assistant Scientist
PhD, 2003 University of Wyoming
Center for Climatic Research

University of Wisconsin-Madison 1153 Atmospheric, Oceanic & Space Science Bldg.
1225 W. Dayton Street
Madison, WI 53706
Phone: 610.758.6580
Fax: 608.263.4190
Email: robert.booth@lehigh.edu


Research Interests

My research interests are at the intersection of ecology, paleoecology, and paleoclimatology. I am interested in understanding past patterns, rates, and mechanisms of climate change at decadal to millennial timescales, and gaining a better understanding of ecological responses to this variability. I am currently focused on several areas of study:

  • Development and application of multiple-proxy approaches to peat-based paleoclimate reconstruction
  • Synoptic climatology of drought
  • Patterns and mechanisms of late Holocene climate variability, particularly abrupt climate changes
  • Vegetation responses to climate variability, and interactions between vegetation, hydrology, and fire
  • Modern ecology, biogeography, and paleoenvironmental applications of testate amoebae

Selected Publications

Booth, R.K., S.T. Jackson, & C.E.D. Gray. 2004. Paleoecology and high-resolution paleohydrology of a kettle peatland in Upper Michigan. Quaternary Research, in press.

Booth, R.K. & S.T. Jackson. 2003. A high-resolution record of late Holocene moisture variability from a Michigan raised bog. The Holocene 13: 865-878.

Booth, R.K., F.J. Rich, & S.T. Jackson. 2003. Paleoecology of mid-Wisconsinan peat clasts from Skidaway Island, Georgia. Palaios 18: 63-68.

Booth, R.K. 2002. Testate amoebae as paleoindicators of surface-moisture changes on Michigan peatlands: modern ecology and hydrological calibration. Journal of Paleolimnology 28: 329-348.

Jackson, S.T. & R.K. Booth. 2002. The role of late Holocene climate variability in the expansion of yellow birch in the western Great Lakes region. Diversity and Distributions 8: 275-284.

Booth, R.K., S.T. Jackson, & T.A. Thompson. 2002. Paleoecology of a northern Michigan lake and the relationship among climate, vegetation, and Great Lakes water-levels. Quaternary Research 57: 120-130.

Booth, R.K. 2001.  Ecology of testate amoebae in two Lake Superior coastal wetlands: implications for paleoecology and environmental monitoring. Wetlands 21: 564-576.