“Throughout Earth’s history, climate has undergone dynamic changes. I am inspired by these changes and seek to try to understand natural climate variability and place it within the context of modern climate dynamics.”
Aaron Chesler
Visiting Assistant ProfessorEnvironmental Studies
Aaron Chesler is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Goucher College in Baltimore, MD. He completed his doctorate, with a specialization in ice core analysis of Southern Hemisphere atmospheric variability over the past 54,000 years, in 2022 at the University of Maine. Aaron joined Goucher College’s Environmental Studies program as a Visiting Lecturer in the Fall 2021 while finishing his PhD. Prior to attending the University of Maine, Aaron received his master's degree at Lancaster University in the UK studying subglacial methane emissions from a glacially capped volcano, and his undergraduate degree from St. Lawrence University, majoring in Geology. Outside of academia, Aaron has been a glacier guide in New Zealand and in Alaska, enjoys hiking, backpacking, playing guitar and has played in several bands.
Research, Scholarship, Creative Work in Progress
I am an Earth Scientist who focuses on past and modern atmospheric variability. To accomplish this, I analyze particles that are transported by the atmosphere and deposited and stored in glaciers. I have two areas of interest: 1) modern atmospheric particulate matter in urban areas and 2) particle geochemistry and physical properties of atmospheric particles over glacial/interglacial timescales.
Publications
Chesler, A., Winski, D., Kreutz, K., Koffman, B., Osterberg, E., Ferris, D., Thundercloud, Z., Mohan, J., Cole-Dai, J., Wells, M., Handley, M., Putnam, A., Anderson, K., and Harmon, N., 2023, Non-spherical microparticle shape in Antarctica during the last glacial period affects dust volume-related metrics: Clim. Past, v. 19, no. 2, p. 477-492.
Burns, R., Wynn, PM., Barker, P., McNamara, N., Oakley, S., Ostle, N., Stott, AW., Tuffen, H., Zhou, Z., Tweed, FS., Chesler, A., Stuart, M., 2018, Direct isotopic evidence of biogenic methane production and efflux from beneath a temperate glacier, Scientific Reports, v. 8, p. 1-8, DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-35253-2.