The Late Devonian is a unique interval in Earth's history during which the proliferation of rooted land plants triggered a cascade of Earth system perturbations, including atmospheric CO2 drawdown and O2 rise, sea-level fluctuations, eutrophication and widespread development of anoxia in epicontinental seas, and ultimately, a series of mass extinctions that fundamentally altered the trajectory of Earth’s biosphere. Of particular interest are the two largest pulses of the Late Devonian mass extinction—the Kellwasser and Hangenberg events—as well as a series of smaller biotic crises (e.g., Rinhestreet, Annulata, Dasberg) that occurred between these seminal extinctions. These bioevents are variably recorded in numerous organic-rich black shales that fill a series of epicratonic basins across North America and in other locations around the globe. 

The Mesozoic era (252-66 Ma) is known for the occurrence of several climatic and oceanic disturbances that caused significant disruptions to the Earth's climate and oceanographic conditions. The consequences of these climatic perturbations had a significant impact on marine life and biodiversity, resulting in several minor mass extinctions (e.g., end Triassic, end Pliensbachian). These events serve as case studies for understanding how the Earth's climate and ecosystems respond to global-scale changes in environmental conditions, especially those related to perturbations of the carbon cycle. Particularly, Oceanic anoxic events (OAEs) are significant disruptions to the global carbon cycle related to the sudden influx of isotopically light carbon from CO2 released from volcanogenic and/or methanogenic sources. This led to a rapid increase in temperature triggering a cascade effect that accelerated the hydrological cycle, increase continental weathering, enhanced nutrient discharge to oceans and lakes, intensified upwelling, and increased organic productivity. 

The global ocean is currently absorbing much of the heat and CO2 emissions due to human-induced global warming, but the long-term impacts of this absorption on climate and ocean circulation remain poorly understood. Projections for 21st-century climate, produced for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, suggest that global warming will result in weaker global overturning circulation, increasing upper ocean stratification, and anoxia. However, recent findings suggested that a North Pacific deep-water (NPDW) formation and a Pacific Meridional Overturning Circulation (PMOC) were present at times during the warm Pliocene (a pseudo-analogue for the current global warming). In this project, along with climate modelers, geochemists, and astrochonologists, we will test this hypothesis and will trace the regional distribution of ocean ventilation. Additionally, we aim to refine the use of redox, temperature, and productivity proxies both in bulk sediments and foraminifera for reconstructing Pliocene Ocean ventilation, nutrient availability, and water mixing. If convincing evidence for a PMOC is found, it will require a substantial revision of our understanding of the Pliocene climate, as well as of the long-term response of the global ocean-atmosphere system to future climate change.

Salinity is a vital parameter for understanding watermass properties. In modern aquatic environments, salinity is influenced by complex interactions involving evaporation, precipitation, freshwater runoff, location, and connection with the open ocean. Epeiric seas hold significant geological records, but modern analogues are scarce and exhibit varying salinity levels, depending on their connection to the open ocean. Assessing past salinity conditions is challenging due to limited paleogeographical data, relying mainly on geochemical analysis in sedimentary rocks, particularly mudstones.

Salinity proxies have been crucial in oceanography and climate change research, with new elemental proxies showing promise but requiring further testing and calibration. Presently, our collaborative efforts focus on applying these proxies in the Late Devonian North American Seaway and calibrating them in modern and near-modern environments.

Uranium isotopes serve as key tool in reconstructing ancient paleoxygenation conditions, especially when dealing with global anoxic events. By analyzing the relative abundance of uranium isotopes in carbonates, it is possible to infer oxygen levels in ancient oceans. This shed light on the evolution of marine ecosystems and global biogeochemical cycles over geological timescales, offering a window into Earth's past, and enhancing our understanding of key environmental processes and their implications for life throughout history.

Mudstones are the most common sedimentary rock in the geological record. They are an important indicator of past environmental conditions, as the fine-grained sediment that makes up mudstone can contain a wealth of information about the depositional environment, including water parameters such as salinity, temperature, oxygen availability, and other chemical properties. This is why these rocks are the key to studying past climatic crises. This information is crucial to better understanding past climate change and the evolution of life on Earth. On the other hand, they also contain valuable mineral deposits, such as oil and gas. Understanding the properties and distribution of mudstone is, therefore, crucial for the petroleum industry, as well as for the exploration and production of other mineral resources.

Mixed siliciclastic-carbonate systems are a particular type of marine depositional setting in which carbonate and siliciclastic sedimentation are coeval. Fine-grained deposits of mixed systems originated in distal settings (i.e., offshore to basin), are the result of the interaction between in-situ carbonate production and, siliciclastic and/or carbonate export from shallower areas (i.e., shoreface settings). Thus, determining the origin and the nature of mud, as well as the processes involved in mixing components with diverse origins in distal settings are crucial for a broad understanding of mixed systems. These systems are important for studying the geological history of the Earth, as they provide clues about past environmental and paleoclimatic conditions and the evolution of marine life. They are also economically significant, as they often contain oil and gas.

Fossils provide a record of past life on Earth and are also key constituents of rocks. They provide a means of dating and correlating rocks and helped to determine the relative age of the rocks and create a timeline of Earth's history. Fossils can also provide insights into the environment in which the rocks were deposited. Additionally, fossils can help to identify the different types of sedimentary environments that existed in the past, such as lakes, rivers, and oceans. During my career, I always recognize the importance of scientific collaborations and participation in multidisciplinary research groups. Therefore, I started to collaborate with paleontology groups since I was a PhD student and they continue until today.