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Dr. Melissa Hopkinson

Title: Part-Time Instructor, Geography, Geology, Earth Science
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Office: Oconee
Areas of Expertise: Climatology, Paleoclimatology

Courses Taught

  • GEOG 1112 Introduction to Weather and Climate
  • GEOG 1112L Introduction to Weather and Climate Lab
  • GEOG 1111K Introduction to Physical Geography

Education

  • Ph.D., Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego
  • B.A., Northwestern University

Research/Special Interests

Dr. Hopkinson's research focused on the analysis of inert gas concentrations in air bubbles ice cores. She used these concentrations to determine climatic and oceanographic conditions during the last Ice Age. Specifically, she used the change in Kr/N2 and Xe/N2 ratios between the last ice age and today to approximate mean ocean temperature during the last ice age. 

Publications

*name changed from Headly to Hopkinson

Orsi, AJ, Kawamura, K, Fegyveresi JM, Headly* MA, Alley, RB, Severinghaus, J. Differentiating bubble-free layers from melt layers in ice cores using noble gases, Journal of Glaciology, Volume 61, Issue 227, p. 585-594, 2015.

Severinghaus, JP, Beaudette R, Headly* MA, Taylor K, Brook EJ, Oxygen-18 of O2 Records the Impact of Abrupt Climate Change on the Terrestrial Biosphere, Science, 324:1431-1434, 10.1126/science.1169473 , 2009.

Petrenko, VV, Severinghaus JP, Brook EJ, Muhle J, Headly* M, Harth CM, Schaefer H, Reeh N, Weiss RF, Lowe D, Smith AM, A novel method for obtaining very large ancient air samples from ablating glacial ice for analyses of methane radiocarbon, Journal of Glaciology, 54:233-244, 10.3189/002214308784886135,  2008.

Ahn, J., M.A. Headly*, M. Wahlen, E.J. Brook, P.A. Mayewski, and K.C. Taylor, CO2 diffusion in polar ice: Observations from the Siple Dome ice core, Antarctica, Journal of Glaciology, Vol. 54, No. 187, 2008.

Headly*, M.A., Severinghaus, J.P., A Method to Measure Kr/N2 Ratios in Air Bubbles Trapped in Ice Cores, and its Application in Reconstructing Past Mean Ocean    Temperature, Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 112, D19105, doi: 10.1029/2006JD008317, 2007.

Work Experience

  • Editor, American Journal Experts, Athens, GA, 2012 - 2014
  • Earth Science and Physical Science teacher, The Pennington School, Pennington, NJ, 2008 - 2010
  • Research Assistant, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 2001 - 2008 

Personal Information

Dr. Hopkinson's favorite thing about the University of North Georgia is the feeling of community and openness among the students and faculty. Her favorite thing to do in the north Georgia region is to visit the north Georgia mountains in the fall to hike and see the leaves changing colors.

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