Stephen Burns

Stephen Burns is a Professor in the Geosciences Department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he joined in 2001 after 11 years at the University of Bern. His research focuses on continental paleoclimatology, utilizing speleothems (stalagmites and stalactites) as proxies for reconstructing climate change over millions of years.

• Education: B.S. in Geology at Rice University; M.S. in Carbonate Sedimentology at the University of North Carolina; Ph.D. in Dolomite Geochemistry at Duke University.

Prof. Burns investigates high-resolution climate variability in tropical regions, particularly Madagascar, Yucatán, and Southeast Asia. His work deciphers oxygen and carbon isotope ratios in speleothems to understand precipitation patterns, monsoon dynamics, and climate forcing mechanisms across orbital to millennial timescales. Recent projects link climate changes to human cultural evolution (Maya civilization) and megafaunal extinctions in Madagascar.

His publications highlight speleothem-based studies in the tropics, addressing questions about hydroclimate asymmetry, Indian Ocean SST gradients, and human-environment interactions. Collaborations span anthropology, oceanography, and climate modeling, reflecting interdisciplinary approaches to climate science.