Natalie M. Kehrwald
(she/her)Dr. Natalie Kehrwald is a Research Geologist at the Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center in Denver, Colorado. She came to the USGS after working as a Research Scientist at the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice. Dr. Kehrwald was awarded the Marie Sklowdowska Curie post-doctoral fellowship to work with the Italian National Research Council.
Dr. Kehrwald studies interactions between climate, fire and humans using biomarkers in ice cores and sedimentary records. Droughts and vegetation changes can affect fuel availability, and changing atmospheric conditions can alter the number of natural fire ignitions through lightning strikes. Humans are particularly adept at setting fires both for survival (cooking, warmth, and land clearance) but also often accidentally ignite wildfires. Paleoclimate records such as lake cores and ice cores provide detailed records of fire activity, variations in precipitation, changing vegetation and human activity through time, and help place recent droughts and wildfires into the context of a longer timescale.
Professional Experience
2015 - present: Research Geologist, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, USGS, Denver, Colorado
2011 - 2015: Research Scientist, Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, University of Venice, Italy
2009 - 2011: Marie Curie Post-Doctoral Fellow, Italian National Research Council (CNR-IPDA), Italy
2009: Visiting Assistant Professor, Geology Department, Colorado College
1999 - 2001: U.S. Peace Corps, Environmental Engineer, Bolivia
Education and Certifications
PhD, Earth Sciences, The Ohio State University, 2009
MS, Geosciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2004
BA, Environmental Science/Geology, Colorado College, 1999
Science and Products
Anthropogenic impact in the Mayan Lowlands of Petén, Guatemala, during the last 5500 years
Prospects for reconstructing paleoenvironmental conditions from organic compounds in polar snow and ice
One thousand years of fires: Integrating proxy and model data
Fire in the Earth System: Bridging data and modeling research
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
Anthropogenic impact in the Mayan Lowlands of Petén, Guatemala, during the last 5500 years
Prospects for reconstructing paleoenvironmental conditions from organic compounds in polar snow and ice
One thousand years of fires: Integrating proxy and model data
Fire in the Earth System: Bridging data and modeling research
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.