Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of South Carolina

Home

Department Directory

News & Events

Local Links

Resources

Howie Scher

Assistant Professor

Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences
University of South Carolina
Columbia, SC 29208

Tel: 803.777.2410
Fax: 803.777.6610
Email: hscher@geol.sc.edu

RESEARCH INTERESTS
Cenozoic ocean history
Role of the ocean during abrupt climate events
Changes in seawater chemistry
Evolution of the Southern Ocean and Antarctic cryosphere
Spatial and temporal variations in the distribution of seawater trace elements and isotopes (TEI’s)
Developing and calibrating proxies for paleoceanography

POSITIONS HELD

2007-present

Assistant Professor, University of South Carolina (on leave to UCSC through 12/31/08)

2006-2008
Institute of Marine Sciences Postdoctoral Scholar, University of California, Santa Cruz

2005-2006
Visiting Assistant Professor, University of Rochester

1999-2005
Research Assistant for Professor Ellen E. Martin, University of Florida

1996-1999
Laboratory and field assistant for Professor John A. Tarduno

EDUCATION

2005
Ph.D., Geology, University of Florida; Thesis title: Paleogene circulation in the Southern Ocean inferred from neodymium isotopes (Ellen E. Martin, thesis advisor).

1999
B.S., Environmental Science, University of Rochester; Senior Thesis title: Late Cretaceous climate in the high Arctic from Axel Hieberg Island (John A. Tarduno, thesis advisor).

FUNDED GRANTS

2008
NSF-OCE 0820723 MRI: Acquisition of a multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. PI: Robert C. Thunell, Co-PI’s:, Michael Bizimis, Howie D. Scher, Timothy Shaw. 09/1/2008-08/31/2011. $695,247.

2007
NSF-ANT 0732940 COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: IPY: Testing the Polar Gateway Hypothesis: An Integrated Record of Drake Passage Opening & Antarctic Glaciation. PI: Howie D. Scher (PI) 09/15/2007-09/14/2010. $105,662 (Collaborating with USC PI’s: David L. Barbeau and Robert C. Thunell).

2007
NSF-OCE 0647876 Tectonic Gateways and Southern Ocean circulation during the Paleogene: the Proto Antarctic Circumpolar Current. PI: Margaret L. Delaney, Primary author: Howie D. Scher (primary author). 04/01/07-03/31/09. $250,219.

HONORS AND AWARDS

2006 Postdoctoral Scholar Award. Institute of Marine Science. UC Santa Cruz.

2005 Horn Award for outstanding graduate student. Department of Geological Sciences. University of Florida.

2004 McLaughlin Dissertation Fellowship. Office of Research. University of Florida. (Declined)

2002 ExxonMobil 2002 student leadership conference delegate. ExxonMobil Exploration Corporation

1999 Alumni Fellowship. Office of Research. University of Florida.

1999 Percy Dutton Award. College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. University of Rochester.

1998 REU internship. National Science Foundation and University of Alaska, Fairbanks.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
American Geophysical Union
Geochemical Society American Chemical Society

RECENT PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

1. Workshops and symposiums

2008 GEOTRACES Pacific basin planning committee. University of Southern California

2007 Session convener for special session on silicon isotopes in the ocean, American Geophysical Union 2007 Fall Meeting

2004 Session convener for special session on new applications for radiogenic isotopic tracers in the oceans, American Geophysical Union 2004 Fall Meeting

2. Invited talks

2009 Savannah State University. Marine Science Program

2008 San Francisco State University. Department of Geosciences

2008 University of Hawaii. Geology and Geophysics

2007 Eocene Hyperthermals and Carbon Workshop, UCSC.

2007 University of California Berkeley. Center for Isotope Geochemistry.

2007 University of South Carolina. Department of Geological Sciences.

2007 Stanford University. Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences.

2007 UC Santa Cruz. Ocean Sciences Department.

2006 Alfred University. Department of Geology.

2006 Ohio State University. Department of Geology.

2006 Boston University. Department of Earth Sciences.

2005 Special session on the Southern Ocean. AGU Fall Meeting.

2004 University of Florida. Department of Geological Sciences.

3. Field Experience

March 5 – May 5, 2009 Pacific equatorial age transect (PEAT 1); IODP Expedition 320, Physcial Properties Specialist

4. Publications

2009

Martin E.E., Blair S.W., Kamenov G.D., Scher H.D., Bourbon E., Basak, C., Newkirk, D. (in press) Extraction of Nd isotopes from bulk deep sea sediments for paleoceanographic studies on Cenozoic time scales. Chemical Geology.

Scher H.D. and Delaney M.L. (in press) Breaking the glass ceiling for high resolution Nd isotope records in paleoceanography. Chemical Geology.

2008

Scher H.D. and Martin E.E. (2008) Oligocene deep water export from the North Atlantic and the development of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current examined with neodymium isotopes. Paleoceanography, 23, PA1205, doi:1210.1029/2006PA001400.

2007

Barker P., Filippelli G., Florindo F., Martin E.E., and Scher H.D., (2007) Onset and Role of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. Deep Sea Research II, 54, 2388-2398.

2006

Martin, E.E., and Scher H.D. (2006) A Nd isotopic study of southern sourced waters and Indonesian Throughflow at intermediate depths in the Cenozoic Indian Ocean, G-cubed, 7, Q09N02, doi:10.1029/2006GC001302

Scher H.D. and Martin E.E. (2006) The timing and climatic influence of the opening of Drake Passage. Science 312, 428-430.

2004

Scher H.D. and Martin E.E. (2004) Circulation in the Southern Ocean during the Paleogene inferred from neodymium isotopes. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 228, 391-405.

Martin E.E. and Scher H.D. (2004) Preservation of seawater Sr and Nd isotopes in fossil fish teeth: Bad news and good news. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 220, 25-39.

2003

Channell J.E.T., Galeotti S., Martin E.E., Billups K., Scher H.D. and Stoner J.S. (2003) Eocene to Miocene magnetostratigraphy, biostratigraphy, and chemostratigraphy at ODP Site 1090 (sub-Antarctic South Atlantic). Geological Society of America Bulletin 115, 607-623.

2001

Stone, D.A., Scher H.D. and Schopp C. (2001) Chulitna district paleomagnetic study. State of Alaska Open file publication 2

1998

Tarduno J.A., Brinkman D.B., Renne P.R., Cottrell R.D., Scher H.D. and Castillo P. (1998) Evidence for extreme climatic warmth from late Cretaceous Arctic vertebrates. Science 282, 2241-2244.

5. Abstracts in conference proceedings

Scher, H.D., Bohaty, S.M. (2009) Seeking Hidden Glaciations in the Greenhouse World: A New Approach Using Nd Isotopes. Eos Trans. AGU, 100, Fall Meet. Suppl, PP41A-1496.

Martin, E.E, Blair, S.W., Kamenov, G.D., Scher, H.D., Bourbon E., Basak, C., Newkirk, D. (2009) Chemical extraction of Nd isotopes from deep-sea sediments for Cenozoic and Cretaceous paleoceanographic studies Eos Trans. AGU, 100, Fall Meet. Suppl, PP31B-1313.

Scher H.D., Pusz A.E., Bohaty S.M., Thunell R.C., and Delaney M.L. (2009) Transient changes in Southern Ocean Nd isotope composition in response to Antarctic glaciation. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta. 73, A1172.

Pusz, A.E., Thunell, R.C., Scher, H.D, Barbeau, D.L., Miller, K.G., Wright, J.D. (2009) Climatic and Oceanographic Changes across the Eocene-Oligocene Boundary:Results from South Atlantic ODP Site 1090. Eos Trans. AGU, 99, Fall Meet. Suppl.

Zahid, K., Ducea, M., Scher, H., Barbeau, D (2008) Nd Isotope Provenance Signatures from Atlantic Coast of Tierra Del Fuego. 2008 Joint Meeting of The Geological Society of America, paper #151976.

Scher, H.D. and Delaney, M.L., (2008) Invited: Ice Sheet Regulation of Weathering Fluxes during the Eocene Oligocene Transition. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 72, A829.

Chun, C.O.J., Scher, H.D., Delaney, M.L. (2007) Cerium Anomalies in Fossil Fish Teeth Reveal Changes in Bottom Water Oxygenation. Eos Trans. AGU, 88, Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract PP23C-04.

Scher, H.D., Thunell, R.C., Delaney, M.L. (2007) An Updated Method for the Measurement of Silicon Isotopes From Opal, Examples From Cariaco Basin Sediment Traps. Eos Trans. AGU, 88, Fall Meet. Suppl. Abstract OS24B-04.

Scher H.D., Bohaty S.M., Zachos J.C., Delaney M.L. (2007) A weathering pulse during the Eocene Oligocene climate transition, 9th International Conference on Paleoceanography, P-4-58, Shanghai, China, September 3-7, 2007.

Martin E.E. and Scher H.D. (2007) Invited, Evolution of Atlantic circulation following the opening of Drake Passage based on neodymium isotopes in fossil fish teeth, 9th International Conference on Paleoceanography, P-4-58, Shanghai, China, September 3-7, 2007.

Scher, H.D., Delaney, M.L., Bohaty, S., and Zachos, J. (2006) Widespread Changes in Ocean Circulation Following the Opening of Drake Passage. Eos Trans. AGU, 87, Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract PP21B-1681.

Martin, E.E. and Scher, H.D. (2006) Vertical Water Mass Structure of the Southern Ocean Inferred From Neodymium Isotopes: Implications for Organic Carbon Burial. Eos Trans. AGU, 87, Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract PP21D-02.

Scher, H.D., and Martin, E.E. (2005) Invited, New insights into Atlantic sector paleoceanography from Nd isotopes, Eos Trans. AGU, 86, Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract PP51F-01.

Martin, E.E., Scher, H.D., Livera, K. (2004), Tracking Warm Saline Deep Water on Maud Rise Using Nd Isotopes, Eos Trans. AGU, 85, Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract PP31B-02.

Scher, H.D., Martin, E.E. (2004) Evidence for an Open Drake Passage in the Late Middle Eocene, Eos Trans. AGU, 85, Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract PP54A-01.

Blair, S.W., Scher, H.D., E.E. Martin, and Lyons, J.L. An improved method for extracting Nd isotopes from marine sediments. Program and Abstracts, 8th International Conference on Paleoceanography, 27-28. 2004.

Scher H.D., Martin E.E. and Blair S.W. (2003) A Comparison of Nd Isotopes From Ferromanganese Oxide Coatings and Fossil Fish Teeth: Toward Higher Resolution Nd Records on Cenozoic Time Scales. Eos Trans. AGU, 84, Ocean Sci. Meet. Suppl., Abstract OS42F-11.

Scher H.D. and Martin E.E. (2003) A History of Water Mass Circulation in the Paleogene Southern Ocean from Nd Isotopes. Eos Trans. AGU, 84(46), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract PP32C-01.

Scher H.D. and Martin E.E. (2003) Eocene to Miocene Southern Ocean Circulation: Neodymium Records from Fossil Fish Teeth. Geophysical Research Abstracts, Vol. 5, 06643.

Martin E.E. and Scher H.D. (2003) Preservation of Seawater Strontium and Neodymium in Fossil Fish Teeth. EOS Trans. Geophysical Research Abstracts, Vol. 5, 06368. Scher H.D., Martin E.E. and Haase A.A. (2002) Eocene to Miocene Intermediate Indian Ocean Water Circulation. Geochim Cosmochim Acta, 66, A677.

Scher H.D., and Martin E.E. (2001) Eocene to Miocene Southern Ocean Deep Water Circulation Revealed From Fossil Fish Teeth Nd Isotopes. EOS Trans. AGU, 82 (47) Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract OS31C-0468.

Channell J.E.T., Galeotti S., Martin E.E., Billups K., Scher H. D., Stoner J. (2001) Eocene to Miocene magnetic, bio- and chemostratigraphy at ODP Site 1090 (sub-Antarctic South Atlantic). EOS Trans. AGU, 82 (47) Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract. GP12A-0201.

Scher, H.D. and Martin E.E. (2001) Eocene to Miocene Nd Isotopes From Southern Ocean Fossil Fish Teeth. Program and Abstracts 7, 7th International Conference on Paleoceanography, 181.

Martin E. E. and Scher, H.D. (2000) Timing of the Opening of the Drake Passage to Deep Water Flow Based on Nd Isotopes. EOS Trans. AGU, 81 (48), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract OS72F-01.

Scher H.D. (1999) New Evidence for a Warm Arctic Climate During the Late Cretaceous. National Conference for Undergraduate Research.

RETURN TO TOP

USC LINKS: