Barbara Balestra
Sr Professorial Lecturer
Department of Environmental Science
Degrees
P.h.D in Earth Science, Universita’ degli Studi di Firenze, Italy. Laurea in Geology, (equivalent to MS), University of Florence, Italy.
Languages Spoken
English, Italian.
Bio
My research covers different aspects of paleoceanography and paleoclimate. I utilize the paleoecology and the geochemical and stable isotopic composition of phyto and zooplaknton (coccolithophores and benthic foraminifera) as indicators for climate-induced changes in marine productivity and oceanic ecosystem structure.
In 2018, I joined the Environmental Science Department at American University as director of the teaching laboratories. This new activity led me to develop interest on pressing threats to fresh and marine water systems such as microplastic pollution. At AU, I am in fact working on research projects, to shed light on the presence of synthetic fibers and microplastic in local watersheds.
Other projects running in my lab at AU, linked to climate change, paleoproductivity and paleoclimate reconstructions, are in collaborations with UCSC (CA), Universita' di Bari (Italy), Universita' del Sannio (Italy), Universita' degli Studi di Firenze (Italy), University of Salamanca (Spain), Oregon State University (Corvallis, OR), and the Paleobiology Department at NMNH (Smithsonian, DC). For more information and possible research contact me!
