Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences

David Harning

(He/Him)

Research Scientist II

Headshot of David Harning
Education
  • PhD, University of Colorado Boulder, 2019
  • PhD, University of Iceland, 2019
  • BS, Bates College, 2013
Also on the web

Research Interests

I use sedimentary records of Earth history to understand how the Arctic will change in a warmer, wetter, and human-dominated world. My research currently focuses on how Holocene climate impacts glaciers, shrubs, and carbon cycling in lake and marine environments. To do so, I develop and use geochemical tools based on lipids, stable isotopes, and ancient DNA, and incorporate new geochronological, data science, and modeling approaches. These data underpin predictive climate models, conservation efforts, and carbon dioxide removal strategies.

Current Research

NSF OCE-2405185 “Environmental controls on the magnitude of organic carbon burial in Icelandic fjords” 2025-2027, lead PI with Áslaug Geirsdóttir (University of Iceland), Julio Sepúlveda (University of Colorado Boulder), and Gesine Mollenhauer (AWI Bremerhaven)

NSF P2C2-2102949 “Bayesian detection of Holocene abrupt transitions in proxy records and climate model simulations” 2021-2026, PIs Carrie Morrill (NOAA) and Chris Guiterman (University of Colorado Boulder/NOAA)

NSF MGG-2408962 “Benthic biomarker preservation: Proxy development for improving climate reconstructions” 2024-2026, PI Allison Jacobel (Middlebury College) 

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P.I.(s)

About CECA

CECA connects and creates a supportive environment for graduate students and postdocs who come from various academic units to do research in CIRES.