Geochemistry, cosmogenic nuclides, stable isotopes, soil chemistry.

My research is in geochemistry of processes occurring at near Earth's surface and the geological record of ecological change. My research includes the isotope physiology and diets of modern mammals as well as the history of diets of different mammalian lineages extending over millions of years. I am also interested in the geology of Old World paleoanthropologic sites, such as are found in the Turkana Basin in East Africa and other Rif Valley sites. I study modern soils, lakes, and ecosystems in an effort to apply isotope systematics to understand the evolution of ecosystems, monsoons, and the atmosphere over geological time scales. By using isotopes produced by cosmic rays in situ in rocks my research group studies the evolution of the landscapes over the last 1 million years. I am also involved in environmental studies, including the use of tritium and helium as hydrological tracers, and in understanding contaminant migration in surface or groundwaters.

Podlesak, DW, A-M Torregrossa, JR Ehleringer,l MD Dearing, BH Passey, and TE Cerling, 2008.  Turnover of oxygen and hydrogen isotopes in the body water, CO2, hair and enamel of a small mammal after a change in drinking water. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 72:  19-35.

Ehleringer, JR, GJ Bowen, LA Chesson, AG West, DW Podlesak, TE Cerling, 2008, Hydrogen and oxygen isotope ratios in human hair are related to geography.  Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 105: 2788-1793.

Chesson, LA, DW Podlesak, AJ Thompson, TE Cerling, JR Ehleringer, 2008, Variation of hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen and oxygen stable isotope ratios in an American diet: fast food meals.  Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 56:  4084-4091.

Harris JM, TE Cerling, MG Leakey, and BH Passey, 2008, Stable isotope ecology of fossil hippopotamids from the Lake Turkana Basin region of East Africa.  Journal Zoology 275: 323-331.

Cerling, TE, JA Hart, P Kaleme, H Klingel, MG Leakey, NE Levin,  RL Lewison, BH Passey,  & JM Harris, 2008, Stable isotope ecology of modern Hippopotamus amphibius in East Africa.  Jour. Zool. 276: 204-212.

Badgley C, JC Barry, ME Morgan, SV Nelson, AK Behrensmeyer, TE Cerling, D Pilbeam,  2008, Ecological changes in Miocene mammalian record show impact of prolonged climatic forcing.  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 105:12145-12149

National Research Council (DePaolo D, TE Cerling, S Hemming, A Knoll, F Richter, R Rudnick, L Sixtrude, J Trefil), 2008. Origin and Evolution of Earth: Research Questions for a Changing Planet.  National Academy of Science Press.  Washington DC. 185 pp.

Quade J & TE Cerling, 2007,Carbonate stable isotopes: Non-lacustrine terrestial studies, In SA Elias (Ed.) Encyclopedia of Quaternary Science, Elsevier, p. 339-351.

Cerling, TE,  LK Ayliffe, MD Dearing, JR Ehleringer, BH Passey, DW Podlesak, A-M. Torregrossa, AG West, 2007, Determining biological tissue turnover using stable isotopes: the reaction progress variable. Oecologia 151:175–189.

Bowen GJ,JR Ehleringer, LA Chesson, E Stange, TE Cerling, 2007, Stable isotope ratios of tap water in the contiguous USA.  Water Resources Research 43, W03419, doi:10.1029/2006WR005186.

Ségalen, L, JA Lee-Thorp, and TE Cerling, 2007, Timing of C4 grass expansion across Sub-Saharan Africa.  Journal Human Evol. 53: 549-559.

Bowen, GJ, TE Cerling, JR Ehleringer, 2007, Stable isotopes and human water resources: signals of change. In T Dawson and R Siegwolf (eds), Isotopes as Tracers of Ecological Change, Elsevier Press. p.  285-300.

Passey, BH, TE Cerling, & NE Levin, 2007, Temperature dependence of acid fractionation for modern and fossil tooth enamels. Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom. 21: 2853–2859.

Cerling TE, P Omondi, & AN Macharia, 2007, Diets of Kenyan elephants from stable isotopes and the origin of confiscated ivory in Kenya. Journal of African Ecology 45: 614-623.

Behrensmeyer AK, J Quade, TE Cerling, IA Kahn, P Copeland, L Roe, J Hicks, P Stubblefield, BJ Willis, C Latorre, 2007, The structure and rate of late Miocene expansion of C4 plants: evidence from lateral variation in stable isotopes in paleosols of the Siwalik Group, northern Pakistan.  Geol. Soc. Amer. Bull. 119: 1486–1505.

Cerling, TE, GJ Bowen, JR Ehleringer, & M Sponheimer, 2007, The reaction progress variable and isotope turnover in biological systems.  In T Dawson and R Siegwolf (eds), Isotopes as Tracers of Ecological Change, Elsevier Press.  163-171.

Ehleringer JR, TE Cerling, JB West, 2007, Forensic applications of stable isotope ratio analysis, in Blackledge RD (ed.) Forensic Analysis on the Cutting Edge:  New Mehtods for Trace Evidence Analysis.  Wiley-Interscience.  p. 399-422.

West JB, JR Elheringer, TE Cerling, 2007, Geography and Vintage Predicted by a Novel GIS Model of wine d18O.  Journal Agric. Food Chem. 55: 7075-7083.

Cerling, TE, G Wittemyer, HB Rasmussen, F Vollrath, CE Cerling, TJ Robinson, I Douglas-Hamilton, 2006, Stable isotopes in elephant hair documents migration patterns and diet changes.  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 103: 371-373.

Sponheimer , M, TF Robinson, TE Cerling, L Tegland, BL Roeder, L Ayliffe, MD Dearing and JR Ehleringer.  2006, Turnover of stable carbon isotopes in the muscle, liver, and breath CO2 of alpacas (Lama pacos).  Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry 20:  1395-1399.

West, JB, GJ Bowen, TE Cerling, JR Ehleringer, 2006, Stable isotopes as one of nature’s ecological recorders. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 21: 408-414

Levin, NE, TE Cerling, BH Passey, JM Harris, JR Ehleringer, 2006, Stable isotopes as a proxy for paleoaridity, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 103:  11201-11205.

Fenton CR, RH Webb, & TE Cerling, 2006, Peak Discharge of a Pleistocene lava-dam outburst flood in Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA, Quaternary Research 65:  324-335.

Robinson, TF, M Sponheimer, BL Roeder, BH Passey, TE Cerling, MD Dearing, and JR Ehleringer, 2006, Digestibility and nitrogen retention in llamas and goats fed alfalfa, C3 grass, and C4 grass hays. Small Ruminant Research 64:162-168.

Sponheimer, M, BH Passey, DJ de Ruiter, D. Guatelli-Steinberg, TE Cerling, JA Lee-Thorp, 2006, Isotopic evidence for dietary variability in the early hominin Paranthropus robustus.  Science 314:  980-982.

Passey, BH and TE Cerling, 2006, In situ stable isotope analysis (d13C and d18O) of very small teeth using laser ablation GC/IRMS.  Chemical Geology 235:  238-249.  

Passey BH, TE Cerling, & MA Chan, 2006, Dam fun: A scale-model classroom experiment for teaching basic concepts in hydrology and sedimentary geology.  Journal of Geological Education 54: 487-490.

Ward, J. K., J. M. Harris, T. E. Cerling, A. Wiedenhoeft, M. J. Lott, M. D. Dearing, J. B. Coltrain, and J. R. Ehleringer, 2005, Carbon starvation in glacial trees recovered from La Brea tar pits.  Proc. National Academy Science102:  690-694.

Marchetti, D. W. and T. E. Cerling, 2005, Cosmogenic 3He exposure ages of Pleistocene debris flows and desert pavements in Capitol Reef National Park, Utah.  Geomorphology 67: 423-435.

Cerling, T. E., Harris, J. M., and Leakey, M. G., 2005, Environmentally driven dietary adaptations in African mammals.  in J. R. Ehleringer, M. D. Dearing, T. E. Cerling (editors).  History of Atmospheric CO2 and the Impacts on Plants, Animals, and Ecosystems.  p. 258-272.

Ehleringer, JR, M. D. Dearing, T. E. Cerling (editors), 2005.  History of Atmospheric CO2 and the Impacts on Plants, Animals, and Ecosystems.  530 pp.

Passey BH, TF Robinson, LK Ayliffe, TE Cerling, M Sponheimer, MD Dearing, BL Roeder & JR Ehleringer, 2005, Carbon isotopic fractionation between diet, breath, and bioapatite in different mammals.  Journal of Archaeological Science 32:  1459-1470.

Bowen GJ, L Chesson, K Nielson, TE Cerling, JR Ehleringer, 2005, Treatment methods for the determination of d2H and d 18O of hair keratin by continuous-flow isotope ratio mass spectrometry.  Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry 19:  2371-2378.

Marchetti, DW, TE Cerling, EW Lips, 2005, A glacial chronology for the Fish Creek drainage of Boulder Mountain, Utah, USA. Quaternary Research 64:  264-271.

Passey, B.H., T. E. Cerling, G. T. Schuster, T. F. Robinson, B. L. Roeder, S. K. Krueger,  2005, Inverse methods for estimating primary input signals from time-averaged intra-tooth profiles.  Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 69:4101-4116.

Marchetti, DW, JC Dohrenwend, TE Cerling, 2005, Geomorphology and rates of landscape change in the Fremont River drainage, northwestern Colorado Plateau.  In (J. L. Pederson and C. M. Dehler, eds) Interior Western United States Field Guide 6.  Geological Society of America, Denver, CO, USA.  p. 79-100.  doi: 10.1130/2005.fld006(04).

Bowen, GJ, DA Winter, HJ Spero, RA Zierenberg, MD Reeder, TE Cerling, JR Ehleringer, 2005, Stable hydrogen and oxygen isotope ratios of bottled waters of the world.  Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry 19:  3442-3450.

Badgely, C, S Nelson, J Barry, AK Behrensmeyer, T Cerling, 2005, Testing models of faunal turnover with Neogene mammals from Pakistan.  In (D.E. Lieberrman, R. J. Smith, J. Kelly, eds) Interpreting the Past:  Essays on Human, Primate, and Mammal Evolution.  Brill Academeic Publishers, Boston.  p. 29-46.

Cerling, T. E., J. A. Hart, T. B. Hart, 2004, Stable isotope ecology in the Ituri Forest.  Oecologia 138:  5-12.

Passey, B. H., and Cerling, T. E., 2004, Response to the comment by M. J. Kohn on ''Tooth Enamel Mineralization in Ungulates: Implications for Recovering a Primary Isotopic Time-Series,'' by B. H. Passey and T. E. Cerling (2002).  Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta  68: 407-410.

Fenton, C. R., R. J. Poreda, B. P. Nash, R. H. Webb, T. E. Cerling, 2004, Geochemical discrimination of five Pleistocene lava dam outburst-flood deposits, Western Grand Canyon, Arizona.  Jour Geology 112:  91-112.

Cerling, T. E., B. H. Passey, L. K. Ayliffe, C. S. Cook, J. R. Ehleringer, J. M. Harris, M. B. Dhidha, S. M. Kasiki, 2004, Orphans’ tales:  seasonally dietary changes in elephants from Tsavo National Park, Kenya. Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclim. Palaeoecol. 206:  367-376.

Cerling, T. E. and K. Viehl, 2004, Seasonal diet changes of the giant forest hog (Hylochoerus meinertzhagani Thomas) based on the carbon isotopic composition of hair.  African Journal of Ecology 42:  88-92.   

Baugh, A. T., A. G. West, E. A. Richart, T. E. Cerling, J. R. Ehleringer, M. D. Dearing, 2004, Stable isotope ratios (d15N and d13C) of synoptic shrews (Sorex).  The Southwestern Naturalist 49:  493-500.

Doran, P. T., S.M. Clifford, S.L. Forman, L. Nyquist, D.A. Papanastassiou, B.W. Stewart, N.C. Sturchio, T.D. Swindle, T. Cerling, J. Kargel, G. McDonald, K. Nishiizumi, R. Poreda, J.W. Rice, K. Tanaka , 2004, Mars chronology: assessing techniques for quantifying surficial processes.  Earth Science Reviews  67:  313-337.

Coltrain, J. B., J.M. Harris, T. E. Cerling, J. R. Ehleringer,M. D. Dearing, J. Ward, J. Allen, 2004, Rancho La Brea stable isotope biogeochemistry and its implications for the paleaoecology of late Pleistocene, coastal southern California.  Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclim. Palaeoecol. 205:  199-219.

Ayliffe, L. K., T. E. Cerling, T. Robinson, A. G. West, M. Sponheimer, B. H. Passey, J. Hammer, B. Roeder, M. D. Dearing, J. R. Ehleringer, 2004, Turnover of carbon isotopes in tail hair and breath CO2 of horses fed an isotopically varied diet.  Oecologia 139:11-22.

West, A. G., Ayliffe, L. K., Cerling, T. E., Robinson, T. F., Karren, B., Dearing, M. D., and Ehleringer, J. R., 2004, Short-term diet changes revealed using stable carbon isotopes in horse tail-hair.  Functional Ecology 18: 616-624.