Daniel Muhs
I study geomorphology, soils and Quaternary stratigraphy to reconstruct paleoclimates over the past two and a half million years of geologic time.
My main study areas are in the central and western USA (Mississippi Valley, Great Plains, Rocky Mountains, desert Southwest, Pacific Coast and Alaska), but I have also worked in the Caribbean, Spain and Israel. My main interests are in origin and paleoclimatic significance of dune fields, stratigraphy and paleopedology of loess, effects of long-range-transported dust on soils, the atmosphere, oceans and ecosystems, and sea level history.
Education:
University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 1977-1980 (Ph.D., Physical geography/Geology)
University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 1973-1975 (M.S., Physical geography/Soil science)
University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 1972-1973 (B.A., Physical geography)
University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 1970-1972 (B.A., English, History)
Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 1968-1970 (English)
Professional experience:
1995-date: Geologist, Geology and Environmental Change Science Center, USGS, Denver, CO
1985-1995: Geologist, Branch of Isotope Geology, USGS, Denver, CO
1983-1984: Soil Scientist with USGS while on leave-of-absence with the University of Wisconsin to accept National Research Council Research Associateship, Denver, Colorado.
1980-1985: Assistant and Associate Professor of Geography, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
1978-1980, part-time Soil Scientist, U.S. Geological Survey, Branch of Central Regional Geology.
1977-1979: Instructor (while a Ph.D student), Department of Geography, University of Colorado at Boulder and University of Colorado at Denver
1975-1976: Soil Scientist, U.S. Soil Conservation Service/Iowa State University
Science and Products
The origin and paleoclimatic significance of carbonate sand dunes deposited on the California Channel Islands during the last glacial period
Palaeoclimate
Geochemical evidence for airborne dust additions to soils in Channel Islands National Park, California
Paleoclimatic significance of chemical weathering in loess-derived paleosols of subarctic central Alaska
Origin and paleoclimatic significance of late Quaternary loess in Nebraska: Evidence from stratigraphy, chronology, sedimentology, and geochemistry
Isotopic evidence for the diversity of late Quaternary loess in Nebraska: Glaciogenic and nonglaciogenic sources
Geochemical evidence for African dust inputs to soils of western Atlantic islands: Barbados, the Bahamas, and Florida
Airborne dust transport to the eastern Pacific Ocean off southern California: Evidence from San Clemente Island
Loess sedimentation in Tibet: provenance, processes, and link with Quaternary glaciations
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
The origin and paleoclimatic significance of carbonate sand dunes deposited on the California Channel Islands during the last glacial period
Palaeoclimate
Geochemical evidence for airborne dust additions to soils in Channel Islands National Park, California
Paleoclimatic significance of chemical weathering in loess-derived paleosols of subarctic central Alaska
Origin and paleoclimatic significance of late Quaternary loess in Nebraska: Evidence from stratigraphy, chronology, sedimentology, and geochemistry
Isotopic evidence for the diversity of late Quaternary loess in Nebraska: Glaciogenic and nonglaciogenic sources
Geochemical evidence for African dust inputs to soils of western Atlantic islands: Barbados, the Bahamas, and Florida
Airborne dust transport to the eastern Pacific Ocean off southern California: Evidence from San Clemente Island
Loess sedimentation in Tibet: provenance, processes, and link with Quaternary glaciations
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.