Cody Routson

About

Dr. Cody Routson is an Assistant Research Professor in the School of Earth and Sustainability at Northern Arizona University, where he has been a faculty member since 2017. He works closely with the Past and Present Climate Change research group and is part of NAU’s renowned paleoclimatology team.

Research Interests

Paleoclimatology

• Investigation of natural temperature changes over space and time
• Understanding processes that cause climate to change over long timescales
• Analysis of paleoclimate data to inform future climate projections
• Holocene climate dynamics and millennial-scale climate changes

Drought and Climate Variability

• Drought patterns and their relationship to natural climate cycles
• Understanding natural climate variability within the climate system
• Regional and global patterns of precipitation and aridity changes

Climate Change Science

• Integration of natural and anthropogenic factors in climate change
• Quantifying human vs. natural influences on climate
• Contributing to climate change assessments and projections

Education

• Ph.D. Climate Science/Paleoclimatology
• M.S. Earth Sciences
• B.S. Environmental Science

Research Impact

Dr. Routson’s research has been highly cited, with over 2,075 citations, reflecting the significant impact of his work on understanding past climate changes and their implications for future climate projections.

Major Research Contributions

Global Holocene Climate Study

Dr. Routson was a co-author on a landmark paleoclimatology study that involved an international collaboration of 93 paleoclimate scientists from 23 countries. This research:

• Compiled the most comprehensive paleoclimate dataset ever assembled for the past 12,000 years
• Analyzed 1,319 data records from 679 sites globally
• Demonstrated that global warming has more than undone 6,500 years of natural cooling
• Published in Nature Research’s Scientific Data

Climate Change Assessment

His work contributes directly to major climate reports, including contributions to:

• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports
• Scientific foundations for international climate policy
• Evidence base for carbon emission limitation negotiations

Research Philosophy

As Dr. Routson explains: “Investigating the patterns of natural temperature changes over space and time helps us understand and quantify the processes that cause climate to change, which is important as we prepare for the full range of future climate changes due to both human and natural causes.”

Future Climate Understanding

Dr. Routson emphasizes the complexity of future climate projections: “Our future climate will largely depend on the influence of human factors, especially the build-up of greenhouse gases. However, future climate will also be influenced by natural factors, and it will be complicated by the natural variability within the climate system. Future projections of climate change will be improved by better accounting for both anthropogenic and natural factors.”

Collaborative Research

Dr. Routson works closely with:

• Darrell Kaufman - Regents’ Professor and paleoclimatology expert
• Nicholas McKay - Associate Professor in climate informatics
• Michael Erb - Assistant Research Professor
• International paleoclimate research networks

Professional Impact

• Contributor to IPCC climate assessments
• Co-author of major international climate studies
• Member of global paleoclimate research communities
• Advocate for science-based climate policy

Graduate Student Supervision

Dr. Routson mentors graduate students in:

• Paleoclimate data analysis techniques
• Climate modeling and data interpretation
• International collaborative research methods
• Professional development in climate science