![Shasta Marrero](https://profiles-cardiff.imgix.net/attachments/6534?w=200&h=200&auto=format&crop=faces&fit=crop&q=90")
Dr Shasta Marrero
(she/her)
Lecturer in Environmental and Physical Geography
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences
- Available for postgraduate supervision
Overview
I want to understand how different processes change Earth's surface. I use tracers (called cosmogenic nuclides) to look at processes that shape the surface (like erosion) and to date when events happened (like volcanic eruptions or glacial movements).
I apply this technique to many different topics and field areas while continuing to improve the laboratory techniques and computer programs we use to interpret the data.
My interests include:
- Glacial history
- Geochronology
- Geomorphology
Publication
2024
- Tuestad, T. et al. 2024. Late Glacial-Holocene cirque glacier chronology on sub-Antarctic Kerguelen Archipelago (49°S) based on cosmogenic 36Cl exposure dating. Quaternary Science Reviews 336, article number: 108754. (10.1016/j.quascirev.2024.108754)
- Whitby, M., Mao, F., Stawarz, K., Marrero, S. and Walton, J. L. 2024. Serious Games Cookbook: A beginner's guide to using and designing serious games. Coventry: University of Warwick Press. (10.31273/978-1-911675-13-6)
2022
- Leontaritis, A. D., Pavlopoulos, K., Marrero, S. M., Ribolini, A., Hughes, P. D. and Spagnolo, M. 2022. Glaciations on ophiolite terrain in the North Pindus Mountains, Greece: New geomorphological insights and preliminary 36Cl exposure dating. Geomorphology 413, article number: 108335. (10.1016/j.geomorph.2022.108335)
- Woodward, J. et al. 2022. Blue-ice moraines formation in the Heritage Range, West Antarctica: Implications for ice sheet history and climate reconstruction. Quaternary Science Advances 6, article number: 100051. (10.1016/j.qsa.2022.100051)
2021
- Anjar, J., Akҫar, N., Larsen, E. A., Lyså, A., Marrero, S., Mozafari, N. and Vockenhuber, C. 2021. Cosmogenic exposure dating (36Cl) of landforms on Jan Mayen, North Atlantic, and the effects of bedrock formation age assumptions on 36Cl ages. Geosciences 11(9), article number: 390. (10.3390/geosciences11090390)
2019
- Glendell, M., Palarea-Albaladejo, J., Pohle, I., Marrero, S., McCreadie, B., Cameron, G. and Stutter, M. 2019. Modeling the ecological impact of phosphorus in catchments with multiple environmental stressors. Journal of Environmental Quality 48(5), pp. 1336-1346. (10.2134/jeq2019.05.0195)
- Mechernich, S. et al. 2019. Carbonate and silicate intercomparison materials for cosmogenic 36Cl measurements. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms 455, pp. 250-259. (10.1016/j.nimb.2019.01.024)
- Winter, K. et al. 2019. Radar‐Detected Englacial Debris in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Geophysical Research Letters 46(17-18), pp. 10454--10462. (10.1029/2019GL084012)
2018
- Sugden, D. E. et al. 2018. Corrigendum to “The million-year evolution of the glacial trimline in the southernmost Ellsworth Mountains, Antarctica” [Earth and Planetary Science Letters 469 (2017) 42–52]. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 502, pp. 291-292. (10.1016/j.epsl.2018.08.053)
- Marrero, S. M. et al. 2018. Controls on subaerial erosion rates in Antarctica. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 501, pp. 56--66. (10.1016/j.epsl.2018.08.018)
2017
- Shi, X. et al. 2017. Evaluating the size and extent of paleolakes in central Tibet during the late Pleistocene. Geophysical Research Letters 44(11), pp. 5476--5485. (10.1002/2017GL072686)
- Sugden, D. E., Hein, A. S., Woodward, J., Marrero, S. M. and {A, . 2017. The million-year evolution of the glacial trimline in the southernmost Ellsworth Mountains, Antarctica. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 469, pp. 42--52. (10.1016/j.epsl.2017.04.006)
2016
- Hein, A. S. et al. 2016. Mid-Holocene pulse of thinning in the Weddell Sea sector of the West Antarctic ice sheet. Nature Communications 7(1), article number: 12511. (10.1038/ncomms12511)
- Borchers, B. et al. 2016. Geological calibration of spallation production rates in the CRONUS-Earth project. Quaternary Geochronology 31, pp. 188--198. (10.1016/j.quageo.2015.01.009)
- Marrero, S. M., Phillips, F. M., Borchers, B., Lifton, N., Aumer, R. and Balco, G. 2016. Cosmogenic nuclide systematics and the CRONUScalc program. Quaternary Geochronology 31, pp. 160-187. (10.1016/j.quageo.2015.09.005)
- Marrero, S. M., Phillips, F. M., Caffee, M. W. and Gosse, J. C. 2016. CRONUS-Earth cosmogenic 36Cl calibration. Quaternary Geochronology 31, pp. 199-219. (10.1016/j.quageo.2015.10.002)
- Hein, A. S. et al. 2016. Evidence for the stability of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet divide for 1.4 million years. Nature Communications 7, article number: 10325. (10.1038/ncomms10325)
- Phillips, F. et al. 2016. Where now? Reflections on future directions for cosmogenic nuclide research from the CRONUS Projects. Quaternary Geochronology 31, pp. 155-159. (10.1016/j.quageo.2015.04.010)
- Marius Mudd, S., Harel, M., Hurst, M., Grieve, S. and Marrero, S. 2016. The CAIRN method: Automated, reproducible calculation of catchment-averaged denudation rates from cosmogenic nuclide concentrations. Earth Surface Dynamics 4(3), pp. 655-674. (10.5194/esurf-4-655-2016)
- Phillips, F., Hinz, M., Marrero, S. and Nishiizumi, K. 2016. Cosmogenic nuclide data sets from the Sierra Nevada, California, for assessment of nuclide production models: II. Sample sites and evaluation. Quaternary Geochronology 35, pp. 101-118. (10.1016/j.quageo.2016.01.003)
- Winter, K. et al. 2016. Assessing the continuity of the blue ice climate record at Patriot Hills, Horseshoe Valley, West Antarctica. Geophysical Research Letters 43(5), pp. 2019-2026. (10.1002/2015GL066476)
- Westoby, M., Dunning, S., Woodward, J., Hein, A., Marrero, S., Winter, K. and Sugden, D. 2016. Interannual surface evolution of an Antarctic blue-ice moraine using multi-temporal DEMs. Earth Surface Dynamics 4(2), pp. 515-529. (10.5194/esurf-4-515-2016)
- Phillips, F. et al. 2016. The CRONUS-Earth Project: A synthesis. Quaternary Geochronology 31, pp. 119-154. (10.1016/j.quageo.2015.09.006)
- Phillips, F. et al. 2016. CRONUS-Earth calibration samples from the Huancané II moraines, Quelccaya Ice Cap, Peru. Quaternary Geochronology 31, pp. 220-236. (10.1016/j.quageo.2015.10.005)
2015
- Parmelee, D. E., Kyle, P. R., Kurz, M. D., Marrero, S. M. and Phillips, F. M. 2015. A new Holocene eruptive history of Erebus volcano, Antarctica using cosmogenic 3He and 36Cl exposure ages. Quaternary Geochronology 30, pp. 114--131. (10.1016/j.quageo.2015.09.001)
- Westoby, M., Dunning, S., Woodward, J., Hein, A., Marrero, S., Winter, K. and Sugden, D. 2015. Instruments and methods: Sedimentological characterization of Antarctic moraines using uavs and Structure-from-Motion photogrammetry. Journal of Glaciology 61(230), pp. 1088-1102. (10.3189/2015JoG15J086)
- Lifton, N. et al. 2015. In situ cosmogenic nuclide production rate calibration for the CRONUS-Earth project from lake Bonneville, Utah, shoreline features. Quaternary Geochronology 26(1), pp. 56-69. (10.1016/j.quageo.2014.11.002)
2014
- Oskin, M., Burbank, D., Phillips, F., Marrero, S., Bookhagen, B. and Selander, J. 2014. Relationship of channel steepness to channel incision rate from a tilted and progressively exposed unconformity surface. JGR Earth Surface 119(2), pp. 366-384. (10.1002/2013JF002826)
2008
- Kirby, E., Anandakrishnan, S., Phillips, F. and Marrero, S. 2008. Late Pleistocene slip rate along the Owens Valley fault, eastern California. Geophysical Research Letters 35(1), pp. -. (https://doi.org/10.1029/2007GL031970)
Articles
- Tuestad, T. et al. 2024. Late Glacial-Holocene cirque glacier chronology on sub-Antarctic Kerguelen Archipelago (49°S) based on cosmogenic 36Cl exposure dating. Quaternary Science Reviews 336, article number: 108754. (10.1016/j.quascirev.2024.108754)
- Leontaritis, A. D., Pavlopoulos, K., Marrero, S. M., Ribolini, A., Hughes, P. D. and Spagnolo, M. 2022. Glaciations on ophiolite terrain in the North Pindus Mountains, Greece: New geomorphological insights and preliminary 36Cl exposure dating. Geomorphology 413, article number: 108335. (10.1016/j.geomorph.2022.108335)
- Woodward, J. et al. 2022. Blue-ice moraines formation in the Heritage Range, West Antarctica: Implications for ice sheet history and climate reconstruction. Quaternary Science Advances 6, article number: 100051. (10.1016/j.qsa.2022.100051)
- Anjar, J., Akҫar, N., Larsen, E. A., Lyså, A., Marrero, S., Mozafari, N. and Vockenhuber, C. 2021. Cosmogenic exposure dating (36Cl) of landforms on Jan Mayen, North Atlantic, and the effects of bedrock formation age assumptions on 36Cl ages. Geosciences 11(9), article number: 390. (10.3390/geosciences11090390)
- Glendell, M., Palarea-Albaladejo, J., Pohle, I., Marrero, S., McCreadie, B., Cameron, G. and Stutter, M. 2019. Modeling the ecological impact of phosphorus in catchments with multiple environmental stressors. Journal of Environmental Quality 48(5), pp. 1336-1346. (10.2134/jeq2019.05.0195)
- Mechernich, S. et al. 2019. Carbonate and silicate intercomparison materials for cosmogenic 36Cl measurements. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms 455, pp. 250-259. (10.1016/j.nimb.2019.01.024)
- Winter, K. et al. 2019. Radar‐Detected Englacial Debris in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Geophysical Research Letters 46(17-18), pp. 10454--10462. (10.1029/2019GL084012)
- Sugden, D. E. et al. 2018. Corrigendum to “The million-year evolution of the glacial trimline in the southernmost Ellsworth Mountains, Antarctica” [Earth and Planetary Science Letters 469 (2017) 42–52]. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 502, pp. 291-292. (10.1016/j.epsl.2018.08.053)
- Marrero, S. M. et al. 2018. Controls on subaerial erosion rates in Antarctica. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 501, pp. 56--66. (10.1016/j.epsl.2018.08.018)
- Shi, X. et al. 2017. Evaluating the size and extent of paleolakes in central Tibet during the late Pleistocene. Geophysical Research Letters 44(11), pp. 5476--5485. (10.1002/2017GL072686)
- Sugden, D. E., Hein, A. S., Woodward, J., Marrero, S. M. and {A, . 2017. The million-year evolution of the glacial trimline in the southernmost Ellsworth Mountains, Antarctica. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 469, pp. 42--52. (10.1016/j.epsl.2017.04.006)
- Hein, A. S. et al. 2016. Mid-Holocene pulse of thinning in the Weddell Sea sector of the West Antarctic ice sheet. Nature Communications 7(1), article number: 12511. (10.1038/ncomms12511)
- Borchers, B. et al. 2016. Geological calibration of spallation production rates in the CRONUS-Earth project. Quaternary Geochronology 31, pp. 188--198. (10.1016/j.quageo.2015.01.009)
- Marrero, S. M., Phillips, F. M., Borchers, B., Lifton, N., Aumer, R. and Balco, G. 2016. Cosmogenic nuclide systematics and the CRONUScalc program. Quaternary Geochronology 31, pp. 160-187. (10.1016/j.quageo.2015.09.005)
- Marrero, S. M., Phillips, F. M., Caffee, M. W. and Gosse, J. C. 2016. CRONUS-Earth cosmogenic 36Cl calibration. Quaternary Geochronology 31, pp. 199-219. (10.1016/j.quageo.2015.10.002)
- Hein, A. S. et al. 2016. Evidence for the stability of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet divide for 1.4 million years. Nature Communications 7, article number: 10325. (10.1038/ncomms10325)
- Phillips, F. et al. 2016. Where now? Reflections on future directions for cosmogenic nuclide research from the CRONUS Projects. Quaternary Geochronology 31, pp. 155-159. (10.1016/j.quageo.2015.04.010)
- Marius Mudd, S., Harel, M., Hurst, M., Grieve, S. and Marrero, S. 2016. The CAIRN method: Automated, reproducible calculation of catchment-averaged denudation rates from cosmogenic nuclide concentrations. Earth Surface Dynamics 4(3), pp. 655-674. (10.5194/esurf-4-655-2016)
- Phillips, F., Hinz, M., Marrero, S. and Nishiizumi, K. 2016. Cosmogenic nuclide data sets from the Sierra Nevada, California, for assessment of nuclide production models: II. Sample sites and evaluation. Quaternary Geochronology 35, pp. 101-118. (10.1016/j.quageo.2016.01.003)
- Winter, K. et al. 2016. Assessing the continuity of the blue ice climate record at Patriot Hills, Horseshoe Valley, West Antarctica. Geophysical Research Letters 43(5), pp. 2019-2026. (10.1002/2015GL066476)
- Westoby, M., Dunning, S., Woodward, J., Hein, A., Marrero, S., Winter, K. and Sugden, D. 2016. Interannual surface evolution of an Antarctic blue-ice moraine using multi-temporal DEMs. Earth Surface Dynamics 4(2), pp. 515-529. (10.5194/esurf-4-515-2016)
- Phillips, F. et al. 2016. The CRONUS-Earth Project: A synthesis. Quaternary Geochronology 31, pp. 119-154. (10.1016/j.quageo.2015.09.006)
- Phillips, F. et al. 2016. CRONUS-Earth calibration samples from the Huancané II moraines, Quelccaya Ice Cap, Peru. Quaternary Geochronology 31, pp. 220-236. (10.1016/j.quageo.2015.10.005)
- Parmelee, D. E., Kyle, P. R., Kurz, M. D., Marrero, S. M. and Phillips, F. M. 2015. A new Holocene eruptive history of Erebus volcano, Antarctica using cosmogenic 3He and 36Cl exposure ages. Quaternary Geochronology 30, pp. 114--131. (10.1016/j.quageo.2015.09.001)
- Westoby, M., Dunning, S., Woodward, J., Hein, A., Marrero, S., Winter, K. and Sugden, D. 2015. Instruments and methods: Sedimentological characterization of Antarctic moraines using uavs and Structure-from-Motion photogrammetry. Journal of Glaciology 61(230), pp. 1088-1102. (10.3189/2015JoG15J086)
- Lifton, N. et al. 2015. In situ cosmogenic nuclide production rate calibration for the CRONUS-Earth project from lake Bonneville, Utah, shoreline features. Quaternary Geochronology 26(1), pp. 56-69. (10.1016/j.quageo.2014.11.002)
- Oskin, M., Burbank, D., Phillips, F., Marrero, S., Bookhagen, B. and Selander, J. 2014. Relationship of channel steepness to channel incision rate from a tilted and progressively exposed unconformity surface. JGR Earth Surface 119(2), pp. 366-384. (10.1002/2013JF002826)
- Kirby, E., Anandakrishnan, S., Phillips, F. and Marrero, S. 2008. Late Pleistocene slip rate along the Owens Valley fault, eastern California. Geophysical Research Letters 35(1), pp. -. (https://doi.org/10.1029/2007GL031970)
Books
- Whitby, M., Mao, F., Stawarz, K., Marrero, S. and Walton, J. L. 2024. Serious Games Cookbook: A beginner's guide to using and designing serious games. Coventry: University of Warwick Press. (10.31273/978-1-911675-13-6)
Research
My research investigates features and surface processes using a geochronological tool called cosmogenic nuclides. Because cosmogenic nuclides are primarily produced in the top two meters of the earth’s surface, they can provide important information on the exposure ages of features at the surface, such as glacial moraines or paleoshorelines, as well as quantitative information on the rates of surface processes, such as erosion rates or fault slip rates. I have worked on projects involving volcanoes, glaciers, faults, and erosion on four continents.
In addition to applying cosmogenic nuclides in the landscape, I’m also working to improve the technique itself. I have written an online calculator, the first to calculate exposure ages for all five commonly used nuclides: http://cronus.cosmogenicnuclides.rocks/. I am also an expert in cosmogenic chlorine-36, which is particularly useful for landscapes with carbonate rocks or basalts.
I’m now working towards creating new tools (models and lab methods) that we can use to investigate surface processes using cosmogenic nuclides as tracers in the landscape. This relies on novel combinations of nuclides to provide new insights in order to answer more complex questions.
Teaching
I'm currently teaching environmental geography, focusing on large-scale environmental issues (e.g. flooding, deforestation, climate change) and human interactions with these.
I am also supervising undergraduate dissertations in glaciology and geomorphology.
Previous Teaching:
- Hydrology (undergraduate and postgraduate levels)
- Lake District residential field work, mapping
- Introductory Physical Geography
- Introductory geology/geoscience
- Laboratory and field methods
- Physical geography/geomorphology field trips
Biography
| Dates | Position | Description |
2020-Present | Disglair Lecturer School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Cardiff University | Research into surface processes using cosmogenic nuclides as tracers, specifically focusing on new computer programs for interpretation. Teaching Environmental Geography. |
2016-2019 | Instructor/Tutor Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, University of Edinburgh | Design of material and teaching physical geography to Landscape Architecture students (undergrad and postgrad). [part-time] |
2017-2018 | Project Manager Scotland's Centre of Expertise for Waters (CREW), The James Hutton Institute | The Scottish Centre of Expertise for Waters (CREW) works at the interface between research, policy, and practice, providing the practical translation between the needs of Scottish government and researchers/practitioners. My role involved project management and facilitating co-production of policy-driven projects. |
2016-2017 | Hydrology Network Coordinator School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh | Coordination associated with the initiation of a new water research network. |
2013-2016 | Postdoctoral Researcher School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh | Using blue-ice moraines to determine the history of the West Antarctic ice sheet in the Ellsworth Mountains over the last 1.4 Ma. Antarctic field work, cosmogenic nuclide laboratory preparation, and modelling of the results. |
2012-2013 | Hydrology Lecturer SUNY-Oneonta (NY, USA) | Undergraduate course design, teaching of lectures/labs/field trips, and research advising at an institution focused on high-quality teaching. |
June 2012 | PhD New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology | PhD in Earth and Environmental Science, specialization in Hydrology Title: Calibration of cosmogenic chlorine-36 Part of the CRONUS-Earth Project, a large, multi-institution project to improve the use of cosmogenic nuclides. |
January 2009 | MS New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology | MS in Earth and Environmental Science, specialization in Hydrology |
Committees and reviewing
Current Positions:
- Associate Editor, GSA Bulletin
- Journal Reviewer:
- Science Advances
- Earth and Planetary Science Letters
- Journal of Geophysical Research - Earth Surface
- Quaternary Geochronology
Previous Positions:
- Board of Directors (International Alternate Delegate), Association of Women Geoscientists
- Scotland and Northern Ireland Representative, United Kingdom Research Staff Association
Contact Details
Research themes
Specialisms
- Geomorphology and earth surface processes
- Cosmogenic nuclide dating
