A man standing in front of stairs that lead up to a large ship. He is pointing at the ship.

Pekar’s first blog: An Introduction

Greeting!!

My name is Steve Pekar and I am a professor at Queens College, which is part of the City University of New York. I study climate changes that happened a long time ago—roughly 15 to 51 million years ago!

This is me on the JOIDES Resolution (the same ship I will be on) just off the coast of East Antarctica in 2010 during IODP Expedition 318.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the library at Queens College.  The college is located in New York City but it has a large campus with trees and a long mall with green lawns.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My research deciphers past climate and oceanographic changes during times (like 15- 50 million years ago) when carbon dioxide (CO2) was as high as what is predicted to occur in this century (500-1000 ppm). With CO2 rising rapidly today – which is due to anthropogenic fossil fuel use and changes in land use (e.g., cutting down forests, etc.)- humanity has started an uncontrolled experiment that is like putting our planet on a “hot plate”.  As greenhouse gases are rising to levels not seen in tens of millions of years, exploring these past time intervals (i.e., 15-50 million years ago) for me is like “Looking Back to Our Future”. To investigate climate change of the past, I look at sediments, microfossils (i.e., the shells made by one-celled organisms called foraminifers), and geochemical data obtained from sediment cores collected from near-shore to deep-sea locations ranging from the tropics to Antarctica. My research has taken me on expeditions around the world, including four to Antarctica, one of which I was the project leader.

These are the shells of foraminifers that live on the sea bottom.  They are the size of small sand grains. I think they look amazing!  What do you think?  Aren’t they beautiful?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Being a scientist is the coolest job I can imagine. Every day I get to play detective, like a Sherlock Holmes or his cool sister, Enola Holmes. I look at tiny fossils through a microscope, collecting clues to find answers about our planet’s past. Right now, I am about to embark on an expedition to examine rocks that lie far beneath the surface of the Atlantic Ocean, and I welcome you to join me on this scientific adventure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I grew up about a block away from the ocean in Far Rockaway, a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. I attended Queens College, where I majored in music and learned how to compose music and play the piano. After that, I became a second-grade schoolteacher and then returned to college to study geology. It took me some time to finally get all my degrees (Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree, and Doctorate/Ph.D), and in the end, I was able to get a job as a professor back at Queens College, where it all began.

I am enthralled and in love with exploring and discovering new places, cultures, and ideas. I have traveled to all eight continents (including the newly named continent called Zealandia) and have explored over 60 countries, working in six of them ranging from archeology in France, grape picking in Germany, movie extra in China, to house pianist in a restaurant in Israel. My favorite place to explore has been Antarctica, as it is the most remote place on Earth and for me going there to conduct research is like going to another planet and exploring undiscovered country.

Author:
Stephen Pekar
About:
Stephen Pekar, a geology professor at Queens College, has been investigating past climate and oceanographic changes during times (16- 45 million years ago) when CO2 was as high as what is predicted for this century (500-1000 ppm). As CO2 is rising rapidly today, which is predicted to be like putting our climate on a “hot plate”, exploring these times for him is like “Looking Back to Our Future”. To investigate climate change of the past, he looks at sediments, microfossil, and geochemical data obtained from cores obtained from near-shore to deep-sea locations ranging from the tropics to Antarctica. His research has taken him on expeditions around the world, including four to Antarctica, one of which he was the project leader. Professor Pekar is a Queens native, growing up in the Rockaways and attending Queens College, first as a 20th-century music composition major, but ended up studying Geology and getting his Ph.D. at Rutgers University and doing a Post Doctoral Research at Columbia University. He is enthralled and in love with exploring and discovering new places, cultures, and ideas. He has traveled to all eight continents (including the newly named eighth continent called Zealandia) and has explored over 60 countries, working in six of them ranging from archeology in France, grape picking in Germany, movie extra in China, to house pianist in a restaurant in Israel. His favorite place has been Antarctica, as it is the most remote place on Earth and for him going there to conduct research is like going to another planet and exploring undiscovered country.
More articles by: Stephen Pekar

1 Comment

  1. Hey – that 318 picture looks familiar! Hope the seas are easy and everyone is feeling well. Looking forward to more updates!
    – Steph Carr

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