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WAHLEN, MARTIN

Professor of Physics

Degrees:

• M.S., University of Bern, Switzerland
• Ph.D., University of Bern, Switzerland

Research Interests:

• Reconstruction of paleoatmospheres from ice core records in Greenland and Antarctica back to > 500,000 years covering at least 5 glacial/interglacial cycles; main emphasis is to reconstruct atmospheric CO2 and d13CO2.
• Global biogeochemical cycles of radiatively important atmospheric trace gases; biosphere-atmosphere interaction.
• Stable isotopes in atmospheric CO2 (d13C and d18O) to arrive at improved global carbon cycle budgets (in collaboration with C. D. Keeling).
• Stable isotopes of Cl and Br in aerosols to determine if Cl and Br radicals are produced in the troposphere.
• Investigations on CO2, CH4, 85Kr and N2O in the stratosphere (and their isotopic species 13C and 18O in CO2, 13C, D and 14C and CH4, 15N and 18O in N2O) to determine the troposphere/stratosphere air exchange rate.
• Process-oriented studies to determine the significance of 18O in atmospheric CO2.

Courses Recently Taught:

• SIO192: Senior Seminar/SIOceanogrphy
• SIO87: Freshman Seminar

Mentoring:

• Shen, S. (Undergrad; 2002-2003)
• Ahn, Jinho (Graduate; 2000-2005)
• Fessenden, Julianna (Graduate; 1994-1999)
• Weyhenmeyer, Constanze (Masters; 1993-1996)
• Rahn, Thomas (Graduate; 1992-1998)
• Volpe, Christopher (Graduate; 1992-1998)

A. Indermühle, T.F. Stocker, F. Joos, H. Fischer, H.J. Smith, M. Wahlen, B. Deck, D. Mastroianni, J. Tschumi, T. Blunier, R. Meyer and B. Stauffer, Holocene carbon-cycle dynamics based on CO2 trapped in ice at Taylor Dome, Antarctica, Nature, 398 (1999) 121-126.

N. Gruber, C.D. Keeling, R.B. Bacastow, P.R. Guenther, T.J. Lueker, M. Wahlen, H.A.J. Meijer, W.G. Mook and T.F. Stocker, Spatiotemporal patterns of carbon-13 in the global surface oceans and the oceanic Suess effect, Global Biogeochem. Cycles, 13/2 (1999) 307-335.

C. M. Stevens and M. Wahlen, The isotopic composition of atmospheric methane and its sources, In: Atmospheric methane, its role in the environment (M. A. K. Khalil, ed.), Springer Verlag Berlin Heidelberg (2000) 25-40. Book Chapter

A. Indermuehle, E. Monnin, B. Stauffer, T. Stocker and M. Wahlen, Atmospheric CO2 concentration from 60 to 20 kyr BP from the Taylor Dome ice core, Antarctica, Geophys. Res. Lett. 27/5 (2000) 735-738. Research Article

T. Rahn and M. Wahlen, A reassessment of the global isotopic budget of atmospheric nitrous oxide, Global Biogeochemical Cycles 14/2 (2000) 537-543. Research Article

K. Mandernack, T. Rahn, C. Kinney and M. Wahlen, The biogeochemical controls of the δ15N and δ18O of nitrous oxide produced in landfill cover soils, J. Geophys. Res.105/D14 (2000) 17709-17720. Research Article

A. Bollenbacher, P. Guenther, C. Keeling, E. Stewart, M. Wahlen and T. Whorf, Calibration methodology for the Scripps 13C/12C and 18O/16O stable isotope program 1992-1996, SIO Ref. Series UCSD No. 01-02 (2001), 144 pp. Research Report

P. Guenther, A. Bollenbacher, C. Keeling, E. Stewart and M. Wahlen, Calibration methodology for the Scripps 13C/12C and 18O/16O stable isotope program 1996-2000, SIO Ref. Series UCSD No. 01-03 (2001), 119 pp. Research Report

C. Keeling, S. Piper, R. Bacastow, M. Wahlen, T. Whorf, M. Heimann and H. Meijer, Exchanges of atmospheric CO2 and 13CO2 with the terrestrial biosphere and oceans from 1978 to 2000. SIO Ref. Series UCSD No. 01-06 (2001), 90 pp. Research Report

D. Lowe, J. White, I. Levin, P. Bergamaschi, M. Wahlen and J. Miller, Isotope measurement techniques for atmospheric methane, International Atomic Energy Agency TECHDOC-1268: Stable isotope measurement techniques for atmospheric greenhouse gases (2002), 25-46. Refereed Research Article

T. Rahn and M.Wahlen, Mass spectrometric method for the determination of the stable isotopic content of nitrous oxide by the technique of direct injection, International Atomic Energy Agency TECHDOC-1268: Stable isotope measurement techniques for atmospheric greenhouse gases (2002), 47-57. Refereed Research Article

M. Leuenberger, C. Bourg, R. Francey and M. Wahlen, Extraction of trapped gases in ice cores for isotopic analysis, International Atomic Energy Agency TECHDOC-1268: Stable isotope measurement techniques for atmospheric greenhouse gases (2002) 59-71. Refereed Research Article

T. Rahn, M. Wahlen, H. Zhang and G. Blake, Isotopic discrimination during nitrous oxide loss processes: An important piece of the N2O global atmospheric budget, International Atomic Energy Agency TECHDOC-1269: Isotope aided studies of atmospheric carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, Phase II (2002) 107-114. Refereed Research Article

C. Allison, R. Francey, J. White, B. Vaughn, M. Wahlen, A. Bollenbacher and T. Nakazawa, What have we learnt about stable isotope measurement from the IAEA CLASSIC? (Circulation of Laboratory Air Standards for Stable Isotope interComparison), IAEA World Meteorological Organization Global Atmosphere Watch TD No. 1138, 17-30 (2003). Refereed Research Article

M. van Zuilen, A. Lepland, J. Terances, J. Finarelli, M. Wahlen and G. Arrhenius, Graphite and carbonates in the 3.8 GA old Isua supracrustal belt, southern West Greenland, Precambrian Research 126 (2003) 331-348. Research Article

H. Fischer, M. Wahlen and J. Smith, Reconstruction of glacial/interglacial changes in the global carbon cycle from CO2 and δ13CO2 in Antarctic ice cores, in Global Scale Climate and Environment Study through Polar Deep Ice Cores, edited by H. Shoji and O. Watanabe, Memoirs of National Institute of Polar Research Special Issue No. 57, pp. 121-138 (2003). Research Article

J. Ahn, M. Wahlen, B. Deck, E. Brook, P. Mayewski, K. Taylor and J. White, A record of atmospheric CO2 during the last 40,000 years from the Siple Dome, Antarctica ice core. J. Geophysical Res. 109D, 13305, doi: 10.1029/2003JD004415, 2004. Research Article

C. Keeling, S. Piper, R. Bacastow, M. Wahlen, T. Whorf, M. Heimann and H. Meijer, Atmospheric CO2 and 13CO2 exchange with the terrestrial biosphere and oceans from 1978 to 2000: Observations and carbon cycle implications, Chapter 5 in A History of Atmospheric CO2 and Its Effects on Plants, Animals and Ecosystems, p. 83-113, eds. J. Ehleringer, T. Cerling, and M. Dearing, Springer, 2005. Research Article