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Contact ChristinaRiesselman

Office 360 Castle Street, room GN1
Tel Geology +64 3 479 7505
Email christina.riesselman@otago.ac.nz

Academic qualifications

BA (University of Nebraska-Lincoln)
PhD (Stanford University)

Research interests

  • Cenozoic paleoceanography and paleoclimate
  • Antarctic climate evolution
  • Micropaleontology (diatoms)
  • Geochemical proxies of paleoenvironmental change

I am a paleoceanographer with a focus on Southern Ocean response to changing climate. My research uses stable isotope geochemistry and diatom micropaleontology in marine sediments to examine the evolution of the Antarctic cryosphere through the Cenozoic. In support of these aims, I also participate in collaborative investigations into the modern controls on phytoplankton community structure. This modern-process research underscores the role of biogenic marine sedimentation as a uniquely sensitive recorder of past conditions, both geochemically and from an assemblage-based perspective.

I am also a member of the Coastal People: Southern Skies collaboration that connects communities with world-leading, cross-discipline research to rebuild coastal ecosystems.
Coastal People: Southern Skies

Riesselman1
Examining the sediment-water interface aboard the RVIB Nathanial B. Palmer. Photo credit: R Stevens.

Courses

Completed postgraduate students

Jacob Anderson – Thesis Title (PhD): Determining Antarctica's terrestrial climate history from microbial populations in permafrost

Publications

Unland, E., Gorman, A. R., Barnes, P. M., Moy, C. M., Wilson, G. S., Riesselman, C. R., & Hillman, J. I. T. (2026). Glacial imprints and marine overprints: Sediment architecture and fjord evolution in Fiordland, New Zealand. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 131(8), e2026JF009175. doi: 10.1029/2026JF009175 Journal - Research Article

Sinnen, V. M., Esper, O., Duffy, M., Riesselman, C. R., Lamy, F., Frederichs, T., & Lange, C. B. (2026). Tracing the migration of fronts in the Pacific Southern Ocean across the mid-pleistocene transition. Paleoceanography & Paleoclimatology, 41, e2025PA005351. doi: 10.1029/2025PA005351 Journal - Research Article

Beagley, J. E., Moy, C. M., Wilson, G. S., Arnaud, G. E., Kinsey, R., Riesselman, C. R., & Smith, R. O. (2026). Characteristics and drivers of deep water properties in a temperate fjord in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 131, e2025JC023541. doi: 10.1029/2025JC023541 Journal - Research Article

Fernandez, D., Stevens, C., Riesselman, C., Bowen, M., Stewart, C., Truax, O., … Duffy, M., … Fontanot, L., Frazer, J., … Bertler, N. (2025). Spatiotemporal connections in the Ross Sea: A synthesis from the New Zealand Antarctic Science Platform Ocean Mechanics project. Elementa, 13, 1. doi: 10.1525/elementa.2024.00097 Journal - Research Article

Parker, R. L., Riesselman, C. R., Truax, O. J., Jones, R. S., Lee, J. I., Lee, M. K., … Yoo, K.-C. (2025). Synchronous mid-Holocene marine and terrestrial deglaciation in the Ross Sea, Antarctica. Nature Communications, 16(1), 11291. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-65494-5 Journal - Research Article

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