Investigación

Mi investigación básica documenta la formación geológica de arrecifes modernos y fósiles e intenta identificar procesos ecológicos y geológicos que controlan el inicio, desarrollo y muerte de sistemas arrecifales. Actualmente tengo varios proyectos enfocados a esta área:

• Desarrollo de sistemas arrecifales modernos a lo largo de la costa Caribe de México y el Banco de Campeche.
• Arrecifes Vestigiales del Holoceno

Usando información proveniente de estos registros arrecifales, mi investigación se enfoca a identificar la interacción entre el clima, la dinámica de la capa de hielo y el cambio en el nivel del mar durante ciclos glacial-interglaciar. Un aspecto importante es determinar si el calentamiento global podría desestabilizar las capas de hielo que quedan en la tierra y causar una rápida elevación del nivel del mar en escala de metros. Para responder a esta preocupación, intento usar sucesiones arrecifales para restringir y cuantificar la interacción entre las capas de hielo y el nivel del mar durante interglaciares cálidos del Pleistoceno. Actualmente tengo varios proyectos relacionados con este problema:

• Significado climático de Sistemas Arrecifales del Pleistoceno en la Península de Yucatán (Fundado: DGAPA, Proyecto # IN218799).
• Significado climático de Sistemas Arrecifales del Pleistoceno en islas elevadas de la Provincia Arrecifal Caribe-Atlántico.

Docencia

Además de la investigación, otro compromiso es enseñar y entrenar estudiantes a ser científicos y pensadores críticos. Esta tarea es muy importante pues la sociedad moderna esta basada en ser capaz de discernir críticamente entre la verdad y lo falso, ya sea en áreas judiciales, políticas o económicas. Entrenar estudiantes para pensar críticamente es por lo tanto de importancia nacional.

Tengo 3 proyectos disponibles para estudiantes:

1. Sedimentary development of the reef lagoon in Puerto Morelos (Maestría o Doctorado).
2. Relic sediments of the fore-reef shelf off Puerto Morelos (Maestría o Doctorado).
3. Relic reef deposits on the fore-reef shelf off Puerto Morelos (Maestría o Doctorado).

Tengo experiencia enseñando los siguientes cursos:

1. Biología Marina (UNAM).
2. Métodos Oceanográficos (UNAM).
3. Presentaciones Orales y Escritas de Trabajos Científicos (UNAM).
4. Earth, Our Habitable Planet, (Indiana Univ.).

Activitidades Académicas

Estoy involucrado con mi comunidad científica y reviso manuscritos para las siguientes revistas y agencias de financiamiento:

• Science (AAAS)
• Nature
• Geology
• Journal of Sedimentary Research (SEPM)
• Sedimentary Geology
• Sedimentology (IAS)
• Coral Reefs (ICRS)
• Marine Geology
• Paleogeography, Paleoecology, Paleoclimatology
• Geo-Marine Letters
• U.S. National Science Foundation:
  NSF Paleoclimate Program
  NSF Geology and Paleontology Program
  NSF Marine Geology and Geophysics
  NSF Active Tectonics Program

También soy miembro de las siguientes organizaciones:

• Systema Nacional de Investigadores (Nivel 1)
• International Association of Sedimentologists (Correspondiente nacional para Mexico)
• Union of Concerned Scientists(www.ucsusa.org)
• American Geophysical Union(www.agu.org)
• Society for Sedimentary Geology (www.sepm.org)

Research Summary

My basic research documents the geological formation of modern and fossil coral-reef systems and attempts to identify the ecological and geological processes that control their initiation, development and demise. At present, I have several research projects focussed on this basic research:

• Development of modern reef systems along the Caribbean coast of Mexico and the Campeche Bank.
• Relict Holocene reef systems

Using insights gained from these reef records, my applied research focuses on identifying the interaction between climate, ice-sheet dynamics and sea-level change that have taken place during glacial-interglacial cycles. A particularly important aspect of this effort is assessing if global warming could destabilize the Earth’s remaining ice sheets and cause a rapid meter-scale sea-level rise. To address this concern, I am attempting to use fossil reef successions to constrain and quantify the interaction between ice-sheets and sea-level during warm Pleistocene interglacials. At present I have several research projects related to this problem:

• Climatic significance of Pleistocene Reef Systems of the Yucatan Peninsula (Funded: DGAPA Project number IN218799).
• Climatic significance of Pleistocene Reef Systems on uplifted islands in the Caribbean-Atlantic Reef Province.

Teaching & Training

In addition to research, my other major commitment is to teach and train students to become scientists and critical thinkers. This task is particularly important because the basis of any modern society is being able to critically discern truth from falsehood, whether this be in judicial, political or economic arenas. Training students to think critically is therefore of national importance.

Presently, I have 3 student projects available:

1. Sedimentary development of the reef lagoon in Puerto Morelos (M.Sc. or Ph.D).
2. Relic sediments of the fore-reef shelf off Puerto Morelos (M.Sc. or Ph.D).
3. Relic reef deposits on the fore-reef shelf off Puerto Morelos (M.Sc. or Ph.D).

In terms of teaching, I have been involved in disseminating the following courses:

1. Marine Biology (UNAM).
2. Oceanographic Methods (UNAM).
3. Oral and written presentations in Science (UNAM).
4. Earth, Our Habitable Planet, (Indiana University).

Academic Activities

I am actively involved in my scientific community and frequently review papers or proposals for the following journals and funding agencies:

• Science (AAAS)
• Nature
• Geology
• Journal of Sedimentary Research (SEPM)
• Sedimentary Geology (Guest Editor)
• Sedimentology (IAS)
• Coral Reefs (ICRS)
• Marine Geology
• Paleogeography, Paleoecology, Paleoclimatology
• Geo-Marine Letters
• U.S. National Science Foundation:
  NSF Paleoclimate Program
  NSF Geology and Paleontology Program
  NSF Marine Geology and Geophysics
  NSF Active Tectonics Program
  
  

I am also a member of the following organizations:

• National System of Researchers (SNI level 1)
• International Association of Sedimentologists (I am the national correspondant for Mexico)
• Union of Concerned Scientists (www.ucsusa.org)
• American Geophysical Union (www.agu.org)
• Society for Sedimentary Geology (www.sepm.org)

Publications | Publicaciones

Blanchon P., Eisenhauer A. Fietzke J., Liebetrau V. (2009) Rapid sea-level rise and reef back-stepping at the close of the last interglacial highstand. Nature 458: 881-884.

Beddows P., Blanchon P., Escobar E., Torres Talamante O. (2007) Las características geológicas de los cenotes. [The geological characterisitcs of cenotes] Arqueologia Mexicana XIV, No. 83: 32-35.

Blanchon P., (2005). Comments on "Corrected western Atlantic sea-level curve for the last 11,000 years based on calibrated 14C dates from Acropora palmata framework and intertidal mangrove peat" by Toscano and Macintyre [Coral reefs (2003) 22: 257-270] Coral Reefs 24, 183-186.

Hepburn L., Blanchon P., Perry C. (2005) Distribution of macroborers in reef rubble, Puerto Morelos, Mexican Caribbean. In: Proceedings, 10th International Coral Reef Symposium, Okinawa, Japan, June 28-July 02, 2004.

MacDonald I., Bohrmann G., Escobar E., Abegg F., Blanchon P., Blinova V., Brückmann W., Drews M., Eisenhauer A., Han X., Heeschen K., Meier F., Mortera C., Naehr T., Orcutt B., Bernard B., Brooks J., de Farago M. (2004). Asphalt volcanism and chemosynthetic life, Campeche Knolls, Gulf of Mexico. Science 304: 999-1002.

Blanchon P., Perry C.T. (2004). Taphonomic differentiation of Acropora palmata facies in cores from Campeche-Bank Reefs, Gulf of México. Sedimentology 51: 53-76.

Blanchon, P. and Blakeway, D. (2003). Are catch-up reefs and artifact of coring? Sedimentology 50: 1271-1282. (pdf. 0.4Mb)

Blanchon, P. and Montaggioni, L., Editors (2003). Special Issue: Late Quaternary Reef Development. Editorial: Impact of rapid sea-level and climate change on late Quaternary reef development. Sedimentary Geology 159: 1-4. (pdf. 65Kb)

Yamano, H., Abe, O., Matsumoto, E., Kayanne, H., Yonekura, N., and Blanchon, P., (2003). Influence of wave energy on Holocene coral-reef development: an example from Ishigaki Island, Ryukyu Islands, Japan. Sedimentary Geology 159: 27-42. (pdf. 1.8Mb)

Sugihara, K., Nakamori, T., Iryu, Y., Sasaki, K., and Blanchon, P. (2003). Holocene Sea-level change and tectonic uplift deduced from raised reef terraces, Kikai-jima, Ryukyu Islands, Japan. Sedimentary Geology 159: 5-26. (pdf. 0.8Mb)

Blanchon, P., (2003). Discovery of an early Holocene relict reef off Grand Cayman. In: Kasim Moosa, et al. (Editors), Proceedings, 9th International Coral Reef Symposium, Bali, Indonesia, October 23-27 2000. Indonesian Institute of Sciences/State Ministry for Environment. v.1, p. 223-230. (pdf. 6.1Mb)

Blanchon, P., Jones, B. and Ford, D.C., (2002). Discovery of a submerged relic reef and shoreline off Grand Cayman: Further support for an early Holocene jump in sea level. Sedimentary Geology 147: 253-270. (pdf. 1.4Mb)

Blanchon, P., Eisenhauer, A., (2001). Multi-stage reef development on Barbados during the Last Interglaciation. Quaternary Science Reviews 20: 1093-1112. (pdf. 5.6Mb)

Blanchon, P., (1998). Comment and reply: Continuous record of reef growth over the past 14 ka on the mid-Pacific island of Tahiti. Geology 26: 479-479. (pdf. 0.2Mb)

Blanchon, P., (1997). Architectural variation in submerged shelf-edge-reef systems: The hurricane-control hypothesis. In: Lessios, H.A. and Macintyre, I.G. (Editors), Proceedings, 8th International Coral Reef Symposium, Panama, 22-26th June 1996. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama. v. 1, p. 547-554. (pdf. 2.7Mb)

Blanchon, P., and Jones, B. (1997). Hurricane control on shelf-edge-reef architecture around Grand Cayman. Sedimentology, 44: 479-506. (pdf. 5.2Mb)

Li, C., Jones, B., and Blanchon, P. (1997). Lagoon-shelf sediment exchange during storms: Evidence from Foraminiferal tracers, Grand Cayman. Journal of Sedimentary Research, 67: 17-25. (pdf. 2.0Mb)

Blanchon, P., Jones, B., and Kalbfleisch, W., (1997). Anatomy of a fringing reef around Grand Cayman: Storm rubble, not coral framework. Journal of Sedimentary Research 67: 1-16. (pdf. 3.5Mb)

Blanchon, P., and Shaw, J., (1995). Comment and reply: Reef drowning during the last deglaciation: Evidence for catastrophic sea-level rise and ice-sheet collapse. Geology 23: 958-959. (pdf. 0.3Mb)

Blanchon, P., and Shaw, J., (1995). Reef drowning during the last deglaciation: Evidence for catastrophic sea-level rise and ice-sheet collapse. Geology 23: 4-8. (pdf. 0.5Mb)

Blanchon, P., and Jones, B., (1995). Marine-planation terraces on the shelf around Grand Cayman: A result of stepped Holocene sea-level rise. Journal of Coastal Research 11: 1-33. (pdf. 6.5Mb)

Jones, B., Phimester, K.F., Hunter, I.G., and Blanchon, P., (1992). A quick, inexpensive, self-contained sediment coring system for use underwater. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 62: 725-728. (pdf. 0.7Mb)

 

Directed Thesis | Tesis Dirigidas

Nick Mulcahey.. Impact of Hurricane Wilma on coastal dynamics along the coast of the northeast Yucatan Peninsula. Tesis de Maestría. Co-tutor con Dr. David Kennedy, School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. (En proceso, 2010).

Luis Fernando Vasquez Bedoya. Registros del nivel del mar y la temperatura superficial del océano del último máximo interglaciar en el Pleistoceno en arrecifes fosiles, Quintanna Roo, Mexico. Tesis de Doctorado. Postgrado en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico (UNAM). En processo.

Paula Andrea Zapata Ramirez. Hábitats Bénticos y desarrollo de la plataforma de Q. Roo, México. Tesis de Maestría.Postgrado en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). En proceso.

Javier Humberto Echavarria Saldaña. Costas vestigiales del Holoceno presentes en el noreste costa de Quintana Roo. Tesis de Maestría.Postgrado en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). En proceso.

Miguel Sócrates Ibarra Fernández. Desarrollo del arrecife de Pta. Maroma, México. Tesis de Maestría.Postgrado en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). 2009.

Adriano Medina. Where the land meets the sea: Provenance and distribution of carbonate beach sand at Punta Maroma. Tesis de Maestría.Co-tutor con Dr. Andre Strasser, Dept. of Geosciences, University of Fribourg, Switzerland. 2008.

Leanne Hepburn. Bioerosion and encrustation on a Mexican Coral Reef. Tesis de Doctorado. Co-tutor with Dr. Chris Perry, Dept. of Environmental & Geographical Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University. 2006.

Réjane Georgeault (Servicio Social). Recuperación de Playas de Cancún y Q. Roo después de Huracán Wilma. [Recovery of beaches in Cancun and Q. Roo after Hurricane Wilma] Institut des Sciences de l'Ingénieur de Toulon et du Var, Francia. (2007).