Suning Hou

Dr. Suning Hou is a Researcher at Utrecht University's Faculty of Geosciences, based in the Department of Earth Sciences Utrecht (DES / IVAU). Their work focuses on understanding Southern Ocean dynamics, Antarctic ice-sheet interactions, and past climate changes through marine palynology and palaeoceanographic studies. Hou holds a Doctoral degree from Utrecht University (2024) and leads the ERC-funded OceaNice project (2019–2024), investigating oceanographic conditions during past warm climates.

Research interests include reconstructing past oceanographic conditions (sea ice, upwelling, temperature gradients) using dinoflagellate cysts and lipid biomarkers, with applications to ice-sheet stability and sea-level projections. Collaborations include projects on Miocene cooling, Pliocene CO₂ dynamics, and subtropical front evolution in the Southern Hemisphere.

Publications emphasize Southern Ocean paleoenvironmental reconstruction, with contributions to journals like Nature Communications, Climate of the Past, and Journal of Micropalaeontology. Ongoing work integrates proxy data with ocean circulation models to improve future climate projections.