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Contact ChristinaRiesselman

Office Marine Science: 310 Castle Street, room 150, Geology: room GN1
Tel Marine Science +64 3 479 5732, Geology +64 3 479 7505
Emailchristina.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

Postgraduate students

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

Publications

Gilmer, G., Moy, C. M., Vandergoes, M. J., Riesselman, C. R., & Henriquez, W. I. (2025). 16,000-year hydroclimate reconstruction from Lake Von, Aotearoa New Zealand indicates Pacific-wide synchrony in Southern Hemisphere westerly wind variability. Quaternary International, 735, 109826. doi: 10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109826 Journal - Research Article

Biessy, L., Pearman, J. K., Hobson, M. C., Thomson-Laing, J., Smith, K. F., Moy, C. M., Riesselman, C. R., Gilmer, G., … McLeod, R., & Wood, S. A. (2025). Detection of harmful algal species in a survey of eight near pristine fjords in Fiordland Marine Area, Aotearoa-New Zealand. Total Environment Microbiology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.temicr.2025.100017 Journal - Research Article

Illing, M. T., Strachan, L. J., Moy, C. M., Riesselman, C. R., Rigalleau, V., Arz, H. W., & Lamy, F. (2025). Chilean margin sediments reveal millennial-scale Patagonian ice sheet fluctuations and Antarctic circumpolar current variability over the last 160,000 years. Quaternary Science Reviews, 356, 109280. doi: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2025.109280 Journal - Research Article

Truax, O. J., Nelson, F., Riesselman, C. R., Ohneiser, C., Lee, J. I., Yoo, K.-C., Dagg, B., & Wilson, G. (2025). A Holocene paleosecular variation record from the northwestern Ross Sea, Antarctica. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 26, e2024GC011912. doi: 10.1029/2024GC011912 Journal - Research Article

Whibley, L., Moy, C., & Riesselman, C. (2024). The secrets of sequestration: Assessing the modern carbon stocks in Tamatea Dusky Sound. In F. Nelson, H. Jack & S. Chanony (Eds.), Geoscience Society of New Zealand Miscellaneous Publication: Mountains to Sea. 167A, (pp. 271). Wellington, New Zealand: Geoscience Society of New Zealand. [Abstract] Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

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