Darrell Kaufman

About

Dr. Darrell Kaufman is a Regents’ Professor in the School of Earth and Sustainability at Northern Arizona University, where he has been a faculty member since 1998. His research focuses on geologic records of past environmental change on decadal to millennial time scales. He studies physical and biological properties of lake sediment from Alaska and elsewhere to reconstruct past climate changes. As part of his multi-proxy approach, he combines the lake core data with geomorphic evidence for glacier fluctuations. He also develops and applies geochronological techniques, including amino acid and radiocarbon geochronology, to establish precise timelines for these changes. Beyond regional studies, Dr. Kaufman leads international collaborations to integrate paleoclimate data with climate model simulations, producing global-scale syntheses that help reveal how Earth’s climate system responds to natural and human-driven influences. His work highlights how past climate changes can inform strategies for understanding future risks and supporting more sustainable solutions.

Research Interests

Paleoclimatology

• Reconstruction of Holocene climate variability using lake sediment cores
• Investigating glacier fluctuations to understand past climate variability
• Studying past sea-level changes and their connection to ice sheets

Geochronology

• Amino acid racemization dating of organic materials
• Radiocarbon dating of lake sediments and organic matter
• Integration of multiple dating techniques for robust chronologies

Arctic and Alpine Research

• Climate history of the Arctic and high-elevation environments
• Impact of climate change on sensitive ecosystems
• Comparative studies across different latitude and elevation gradients

Education

• Ph.D. Geological Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder
• M.S. Geological Sciences, University of Washington Seattle
• B.S. Earth Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz
• B.A. Environmental Studies, University of California Santa Cruz

Selected Publications

Dr. Kaufman has published over 240 peer-reviewed works that have been cited over 40,000 times. Recent highlights include:

• Kaufman, D., Bright, J., Ebert, C., Lindberg, K., Marshall, L., McKay, N., Schuur, E., Thomas, E., 2025. Radiocarbon dating of lake sediment using low-temperature combustion. Radiocarbon, in press.
• Kaufman, D., Masson-Delmotte, V., 2024. Opinion: Distribute paleoscience information across the next IPCC reports. Climate of the Past 20, 2587-2594.
• Kaufman, D.S., Broadman, E., 2023. Revisiting the Holocene global temperature conundrum. Nature 614, 425-435.
• Kaufman, D.S., McKay, N.P., 2022. Technical Note: Past and future warming – Direct comparison on multi-century timescales. Climate of the Past 18, 911-917.
• Kaufman, D., McKay, N., Routson, C., Erb, M., Dätwyler, C., Sommer, P., Heiri, O., Davis, B., 2020. Holocene global surface temperature: A multi-method reconstruction approach. Scientific Data 7, 201.
• Kaufman, D.S., Axford, Y.L., Henerson, A., McKay, N.P., Oswald, W.W., Saenger, C., Anderson, R.S., Bailey, H.L., Clegg, B., Gajewski, K., Hu, F.S., Jones, M.C., Massa, C., Routson, C.C., Werner, A., Wooller, M.J., Yu, Z., 2016. Holocene climate changes in eastern Beringia (NW North America) — A systemic review of multi-proxy evidence. Quaternary Science Reviews 147, 312-339.

Awards and Recognition

• Union Fellow, American Geophysical Union, 2024
• Fellow, Geological Society of America, 2019
• Regents’ Professor, Northern Arizona University, 2012
• Distinguished Professor, College of Engineering, Forestry and Natural Sciences, 2011

Current Research Projects

• NSF-funded: “Testing amino acid paleothermometry in radiocarbon-dated lake sediment”
• NSF-Funded: “Paleo records of glacier and climate changes inferred from Alaskan lakes (PROGLACIAL)”
• NSF-Funded: “Comparative taphonomy and time-averaging of mollusk-echinoid assemblages using high-performance radiocarbon dating system”
• NSF-Funded: “Toward placing contemporary Arctic summer warming in a millennial perspective with a pan-Arctic record of Neoglacial cryosphere expansion”

Graduate Student Supervision

Dr. Kaufman has successfully supervised more than 35 graduate students, many of whom have gone on to successful careers in academia, government agencies, and environmental consulting. His mentorship approach emphasizes:

• Independent research design and execution
• Integration of field and laboratory techniques
• Collaboration with national and international research teams
• Professional development and career preparation

Service and Outreach

• Lead Author, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Working Group 1; paleoclimate representative for the Technical Summary and Summary for Policy Makers (2018-2021)
• Science Steering Committee, Future Earth’s Past Global Changes (PAGES), 2015-2020
• Guest Editor, “Holocene Paleoenvironmental Records from Arctic Lake Sediment”, Journal of Paleolimnology v48(1), 2012
• Guest Editor, “Late Holocene Climate and Environmental Change Inferred from Arctic Lake Sediment”, Journal of Paleolimnology v41(1), 2009
• Council Member, American Quaternary Association, 2010-14
• Reviewer for NSF, Nature, Science, and other major funding agencies and journals
• Public outreach through lectures, media interviews, and educational programs

Dr. Kaufman’s research contributes directly to our understanding of natural climate variability and provides crucial context for assessing current and future climate change impacts.