Joseph M. Licciardi
Associate Professor of Earth Sciences
Ph.D. Oregon State University, 2000
e-mail address: joe.licciardi@unh.edu
603-862-3135
Primary Courses taught:
Earth History (ESCI 402; every other year)
Surficial Processes (ESCI 561)
Glacial Geology (ESCI 762/862)
Paleoclimatology (ESCI 765/865)
Volcanology (ESCI 766/866; with Dr. Julie Bryce)
Graduate students:
Kate Denoncourt (M.S.; 2006)
Anna Krusic (M.S.; 2006; co-advised with Dr. Mike Prentice)
Kerri Schorzman (M.S.; 2007; co-advised with Dr. Julie Bryce)
Mike Howley (M.S.; 2008)
Krista Reichert (M.S.; current)
Jean Taggart (M.S.; current)
My past and current research integrates field investigations, laboratory techniques, and modeling studies in order to resolve key issues in Quaternary geology, with a unifying theme of understanding patterns and mechanisms of climate change.
One ongoing research focus has been the development of alpine glacier and pluvial lake records of late Pleistocene climate variability across the western U.S. A centerpiece of this research, funded by the National Science Foundation, is a reconstruction of the glacial history of greater Yellowstone and the Teton Range. Cosmogenic 10Be and 3He surface exposure dating of glacial features has established a high-resolution chronology of events in this region of the Rocky Mountains.
Another major research aim, also funded by the National Science Foundation, is to improve the chronology of the last deglaciation in Iceland. One approach involves exposure dating of moraines and striated bedrock at key sites around the margins of the former ice sheet. An independent constraint on ice sheet retreat history has been developed from 3He dating of subglacially erupted tuyas, which indicate the ice surface elevation at the time of their eruption.
An integral component of the western U.S. and Iceland projects is the establishment of cosmogenic nuclide production rates, which are critical to obtaining accurate exposure-age chronologies. 3He and 36Cl calibrations have been developed from radiocarbon-dated lava flows in Oregon and Iceland.
One new research initiative involves dating of Holocene glacial advances in southern Peru. I am also working with graduate students on mapping and dating of late-glacial moraines in the central Alaska Range, and developing a Pleistocene temperature history of a pluvial lake basin in south-central Oregon.
Another broad research interest concerns the role of the Laurentide Ice Sheet in the glacial-age climate system. Earlier research involved numerical reconstructions of ice sheet geometry and its sensitivity to subglacial sediment deformation. In subsequent collaborative work, changes in the routing and flux of North American freshwater runoff were reconstructed. These changes in freshwater routing resulted from the opening and closing of drainage routes during oscillations of the southern lobes of the Laurentide Ice Sheet, and may have acted as an important mechanism of abrupt climate change through their impact on ocean thermohaline circulation.
Publications
Krusic, A.G., Prentice, M.L., and Licciardi, J.M., 2009, Climatic implications of reconstructed early-mid Pliocene equilibrium-line altitudes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica: Annals of Glaciology, v. 50, p. 31-36.
Carlson, A.E., LeGrande, A.N., Oppo, D.W., Came, R.E., Schmidt, G.A., Anslow, F.S., Licciardi, J.M., and Obbink, E.A., 2008, Rapid early Holocene deglaciation of the Laurentide ice sheet: Nature Geoscience, v. 1, p. 620-624. (see also News & Views by M. Siddall and M.R. Kaplan)
Licciardi, J.M., and Pierce, K.L., 2008, Cosmogenic exposure age chronologies of Pinedale and Bull Lake glaciations in greater Yellowstone and the Teton Range, USA: Quaternary Science Reviews, v. 27, p. 814-831.
Licciardi, J.M., Denoncourt, C.L., and Finkel, R.C., 2008, Cosmogenic 36Cl production rates from Ca spallation in Iceland: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 267, p. 365-377.
Licciardi, J.M., Kurz, M.D., and Curtice, J.M., 2007, Glacial and volcanic history of Icelandic table mountains from cosmogenic 3He exposure ages: Quaternary Science Reviews, v. 26, p. 1529-1546.
Licciardi, J.M., Kurz, M.D., and Curtice, J.M., 2006, Cosmogenic 3He production rates from Holocene lava flows in Iceland: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 246, p. 251-264.
Licciardi, J.M., Clark, P.U., Brook, E.J., Elmore, D., and Sharma, P., 2004, Variable responses of western U.S. glaciers during the last deglaciation: Geology, v. 32, p. 81-84.
Pierce, K.L., Despain, D., Whitlock, C., Cannon, K.P., Meyer, G., Morgan, L., and Licciardi, J.M., 2003, Quaternary geology and ecology of the greater Yellowstone area, in Easterbrook, D.J., ed., Quaternary geology of the United States, INQUA 2003 Field Guide Volume, p. 313-344.
Licciardi, J.M., Clark, P.U., Brook, E.J., Pierce, K.L., Kurz, M.D., Elmore, D., and Sharma, P., 2001, Cosmogenic 3He and 10Be chronologies of the late Pinedale northern Yellowstone ice cap, Montana, USA: Geology, v. 29, p. 1095-1098.
Licciardi, J.M., 2001, Chronology of latest Pleistocene lake-level fluctuations in the pluvial Lake Chewaucan basin, Oregon, USA: Journal of Quaternary Science, v.16, p. 545-553.
Clark, P.U., Marshall, S.J., Clarke, G.K.C., Hostetler, S.W., Licciardi, J.M., and Teller, J.T., 2001, Freshwater forcing of abrupt climate change during the last glaciation, Science, v. 293, p. 283-287.
Licciardi, J.M., Teller, J.T., and Clark, P.U., 1999, Freshwater routing by the Laurentide Ice Sheet during the last deglaciation, in Clark, P.U., Webb, R.S., and Keigwin, L.D., eds., Mechanisms of global climate change at millennial time scales, AGU Geophysical Monograph 112, p. 177-201.
Licciardi, J.M., Kurz, M.D., Clark, P.U., and Brook, E.J., 1999, Calibration of cosmogenic 3He production rates from Holocene lava flows in Oregon, USA, and effects of the Earth’s magnetic field: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 172, p. 261-271.
Licciardi, J.M., Clark, P.U., Jenson, J.W., and MacAyeal, D.R., 1998, Deglaciation of a soft-bedded Laurentide Ice Sheet: Quaternary Science Reviews, v. 17, p. 427-448.
Clark, P.U., Licciardi, J.M., MacAyeal, D.R., and Jenson, J.W., 1997, Numerical reconstruction of a soft-bedded Laurentide Ice Sheet during the last glacial maximum: Reply: Geology, v. 25, p. 380-381.
Clark, P.U., Licciardi, J.M., MacAyeal, D.R., and Jenson, J.W., 1996, Numerical reconstruction of a soft-bedded Laurentide Ice Sheet during the last glacial maximum: Geology, v. 24, p. 679-682.
Clark, P.U., Alley, R.B., Keigwin, L.D., Licciardi, J.M., Johnsen, S.J., and Wang, H., 1996, Origin of the first global meltwater pulse following the last glacial maximum: Paleoceanography, v. 11, p. 563-577.
Selected Abstracts
Licciardi, J.M., Schaefer, J.M., Lund, D.C., and Taggart, J.R., 2008, Precise surface exposure dating of early Holocene and Little Ice Age moraines in the Cordillera Vilcabamba of southern Peru: abstract, AGU 2008 Fall Meeting.
Taggart, J.R., and Licciardi, J.M., 2008, Lichenometric dating of Little Ice Age moraines in the Cordillera Vilcabamba, southern Peruvian Andes: abstract, AGU 2008 Fall Meeting.
Carlson, A.E., Obbink, E.A., LeGrande, A.N., Anslow, F.S., Licciardi, J.M., Oppo, D.W., Came, R.E., and Schmidt, G.A., 2008, Laurentide Ice Sheet retreat and meltwater discharge during the early Holocene: abstract, AGU 2008 Fall Meeting.
Krusic, A.G., Licciardi, J.M., and Prentice, M.L., 2008, Modern and early-mid Pliocene ELAs in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica: abstract, Workshop on Mass Balance Measurements and Modelling, 26-28 March 2008, Skeikampen, Norway.
Howley, M.W., and Licciardi, J.M., 2008, A Neoglacial and Little Ice Age chronology from the Castner Glacier in the Central Alaska Range, Alaska: 38th Annual Arctic Workshop, 5-7 March 2008, Boulder, Colorado.
Licciardi, J.M., Schaefer, J.M., and Lund, D.C., 2007, Cosmogenic 10Be dating of early and latest Holocene moraines on Nevado Salcantay in the southern Peruvian Andes: abstract, AGU 2007 Fall Meeting.
Malik, M.A., Licciardi, J.M., Ward, L.G., and Mayer, L.A., 2007, Glacial features in the western Gulf of Maine inferred from high resolution bathymetric data: abstract, AGU 2007 Fall Meeting.
Schorzman, K.C., Licciardi, J.M., and Bryce, J.G., 2007, Testing the links between deglaciation and magma evolution in Iceland using geochemical signatures from basaltic table mountains: 2nd Volcano-Ice Interaction on Earth and Mars Conference, 19-22 June 2007, Univ. British Columbia, Canada.
Licciardi, J.M., Kurz, M.D., and Curtice, J.M., 2007, Insight on the timing of the last deglaciation in Iceland from surface exposure ages of subglacial and postglacial volcanic features: 37th Annual Arctic Workshop, 2-5 May 2007, Skaftafell, Iceland.
Howley, M.W., and Licciardi, J.M., 2007, Laurentide Ice Sheet recession recorded in a late-Wisconsin proglacial lake in the Contoocook River basin, southern New Hampshire: GSA Abstracts with Programs, v. 39, no. 1, p. 55.
Licciardi, J.M., Pierce, K.L., and Finkel, R.C., 2006, High-resolution chronologies of Yellowstone Ice Cap and Teton Range outlet glacier fluctuations during the late Pleistocene: INQUA workshop, Timing and Nature of Mountain Glaciation, from High Asia to the World, 13-22 September 2006, Xining, China.
Licciardi, J.M., 2006, Review of the late Pleistocene and Holocene glacial history of Iceland: INQUA workshop, Timing and Nature of Mountain Glaciation, from High Asia to the World, 13-22 September 2006, Xining, China.
Licciardi, J.M., Kurz, M.D., and Curtice, J.M., 2006, Cosmogenic 3He exposure ages of table mountains in Iceland as a tool for reconstructing ice surface profile changes through time: International Symposium on Earth and Planetary Ice-Volcano Interactions, International Glaciological Society, 19-23 June 2006, Reykjavík, Iceland.
Licciardi, J.M., Kurz, M.D., and Curtice, J.M., 2005, History of ice sheet thinning in Iceland derived from cosmogenic 3He exposure ages of subglacially erupted table mountains: abstract, AGU 2005 Fall Meeting.
Denoncourt, C.L., Licciardi, J.M., Stone, J.O.H., and Finkel, R.C., and Kurz, M.D., 2005, Calibration of cosmogenic 36Cl production rates from Holocene lava flows in Iceland: abstract, AGU 2005 Fall Meeting.
Licciardi, J.M., Pierce, K.L., Kurz, M.D., and Finkel, R.C., 2005, Refined chronologies of Yellowstone ice cap and Teton Range outlet glacier fluctuations during the late Pleistocene: GSA Abstracts with Programs, v. 37, no. 7, October 2005.
Denoncourt, C.L., Licciardi, J.M., Stone, J.O.H., and Finkel, R.C., 2005, Calibrating the production rate of cosmogenic 36Cl from postglacial lava flows in Iceland: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (Goldschmidt Conference abstracts), v. 69, issue 10, supplement 1, p. A159.
Licciardi, J.M., Kurz, M.D., and Curtice, J.M., 2004, New constraints on the glacial and volcanic history of Iceland derived from cosmogenic 3He exposure ages of subglacially erupted table mountains: abstract, IAVCEI General Assembly, Pucón, Chile, November 2004.
Licciardi, J.M., Kurz, M.D., and Curtice, J.M., 2004, Cosmogenic 3He exposure ages of subglacially erupted table mountains in Iceland and their bearing on ice sheet thickness and volcanic history: abstract, 32nd International Geological Congress, Florence, Italy, 20-28 August 2004.
Licciardi, J.M., Clark, P.U., and Brook, E.J., 2003, Cosmogenic 10Be chronology of the Wallowa icecap, Oregon, and variable responses of western USA glaciers during the last deglaciation: GSA Abstracts with Programs, v. 35, no. 6, November 2003.
Licciardi, J.M., Pierce, K.L., and Kurz, M.D., 2003, Ongoing investigation of the late Pleistocene Yellowstone and Grand Teton ice cap histories, Montana and Wyoming, USA: GSA Abstracts with Programs, v. 35, no. 6, November 2003.
Licciardi, J.M., 2003, Reconstructions of deglacial freshwater runoff in North America: Problems and progress: abstract, Annual Meeting of the Canadian Quaternary Association, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, 8-12 June 2003.
Theses
Licciardi, J.M., 2000, Alpine glacier and pluvial lake records of late Pleistocene climate variability in the western United States: Ph.D. dissertation, Oregon State University, 155 p.
Licciardi, J.M., 1995, Modeling the Laurentide Ice Sheet through the last deglaciation: M.S. thesis, Oregon State University, 41 p.
Graduate Student Projects
Taggart, J.R., in progress, Cosmogenic 10Be dating of Little Ice Age moraines in southern Peru: M.S. thesis
Reichert, K.L., in progress, Late Pleistocene temperature variability in the Lake Chewaucan basin, Oregon, using amino acid racemization of ostracode fossils: M.S. thesis.
Howley, M.W., 2008, A Late Glacial and Holocene Chronology of the Castner Glacier, Delta River Valley, Alaska: M.S. thesis., 78 p.
Schorzman, K.C., 2007, Geochemical evolution of basaltic tuyas in Iceland during the last deglaciation: M.S. thesis, 85 p.
Krusic, A.G., 2006, Pleistocene glacial geology and climate in McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica: M.S. thesis, 170 p.
Denoncourt, C.L., 2006, Calibration of cosmogenic Cl-36 production rates from postglacial lava flows in Iceland: M.S. thesis, 60 p.