Portrait of Valerie Morris
Laboratory Technician, SIL
• Greenhouse gases • Isotopic analysis of ice cores

Stable Isotope Lab

Bio

Isotopic analysis of ice cores, greenhouse gases, and many other matrices; looking at biogeochemistry, carbon cycling and climate change.

In 2001, I came to the SIL with a strong background in geology and previous experience with TOC analyzers, and EA CHN analyzers and ICP mass spectrometers. My previous field research areas have included Hawaii and Northern Texas. During the first 4 years I was with the Stable Isotope Lab, I was responsible for the analyses of the stable isotopes in atmospheric CO2 and CH4 on isotope ratio mass spectrometers, as well as the data managment of the isotopic data for the project in collaboration with CMDL at NOAA. I left the U.S. to manage the Stable Isotope Laboratory at GNS Science in New Zealand for four years, and have returned to the INSTAAR Stable Isotope Lab. I am currently working with Bruce Vaughn on the development of the continuous flow melter attached to a Picarro Cavity Ringdown Spectrometer and analysing the stable isotopes in an ice core from WAIS Divide. When not in the lab, I can be found dancing in the air with local aerial dance company Frequent Flyers Productions, where I am a performer, choreographer, and teacher.

Education

  • BA: University of Colorado Boulder, 2001

Research

Isotopic analysis of ice cores, greenhouse gases, and many other matrices; looking at biogeochemistry, carbon cycling and climate change.

  • Development and analysis of stable isotopes in ice cores on a continuous flow melter system attached to CRDS.
  • Analysis of stable isotopes in atmospheric carbon dioxide and methane.
  • Analysis of C, N, O, H, and S isotopes in a range of sample types.
  • Carbon cycling in semi arid regions with in soil processes.

Publications

See Valerie Morris's Google Scholar profile >

Selected publications

Kevin Rozmiarek, Bruce H. Vaughn, Tyler Jones, Valerie Morris, William Skorski, Hughes, A. G., Elston, J. , Wahl, S., Faber, A. K., Steen-Larsen, H. C. 2021: An unmanned aerial vehicle sampling platform for atmospheric water vapor isotopes in polar environments. Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 14(11): 7045-7067. DOI: 10.5194/amt-14-7045-2021

Steig, E. J., Tyler Jones, Schauer, A. J., Kahle, E. C., Valerie Morris, Bruce H. Vaughn, Davidge, L., James W. C. White 2021: Continuous-flow analysis of delta17O, delta18O, and deltaD of H2O on an ice core from the South Pole. Frontiers in Earth Science, 9: 640292. DOI: 10.3389/feart.2021.640292

Abigail Thayer, Hughes, A. G., Tyler Jones, Vinther, B. M., Gkinis, V., Stevens, M., Valerie Morris, Bruce H. Vaughn, Holme, C., Bradley Markle, James W. C. White 2020: High-frequency climate variability in the Holocene from a coastal-dome ice core in east-central Greenland. Climate of the Past, 16: 1369-1386. DOI: 10.5194/cp-16-1369-2020

Kahle, E. C., Steig, E. J., Tyler Jones, Fudge, T. J., Koutnik, M. R., Valerie Morris, Bruce H. Vaughn, Schauer, A. J., Stevens, M. C., Conway, H., Waddington, E. D., Buizert, C., Epifanio, J., James W. C. White 2020: Reconstruction of temperature, accumulation rate, and layer thinning from an ice core at South Pole, using a statistical inverse method. Journal of Geophysical Research—Atmospheres, in press. DOI: 10.1002/essoar.10503447.3

Holmes, C., Gkinis, V., Lanzky, M., Valerie Morris, Olesen, M., Abigail Thayer, Bruce H. Vaughn, Vinther, B. M. 2019: Varying regional delta O-18-temperature relationship in high-resolution stable water isotopes from east Greenland. Climate of the Past, 15(3): 893-912. DOI: 10.5194/cp-15-893-2019

Garland, J., Tyler Jones, Neuder, M., Valerie Morris, James W. C. White, Bradley, E. 2018: Anomaly detection in paleoclimate records using permutation entropy. Entropy, 20(12): article 931. DOI: 10.3390/e20120931

Tyler Jones, James W. C. White, Steig, E. J., Bruce H. Vaughn, Valerie Morris, Gkinis, V. , Markle, B. R. , Schoenemann, S. W. 2017: Improved methodologies for continuous-flow analysis of stable water isotopes in ice cores. Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 10: 617-632. DOI: 10.5194/amt-10-617-2017