Education

  • University of Pennsylvania.  B.A. - Natural Science, 1981
  • Florida State University, M.S. - Chemical Oceanography, 1985
  • Rutgers University, PhD - Geological Sciences, 2017

Research Interests

  • U-series dating of corals for Late Pleistocene Sea Level and Atmospheric Radiocarbon reconstructions
  • High resolution climate records obtained with stable isotopes in corals and speleothems

Appointments

  • 2008 to present, Research Faculty, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Rutgers Univ.
  • 2018- Affiliate Scientist, College of Science, Florida Atlantic University
  • 1988 - 2008: Senior Staff Associate, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
  • 1985 - 1988: Research Staff Associate, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

Courses/Instruction

  • Introduction to Geochemistry (GEO304)
  • Stable Isotopes in the Environment

Professional Memberships

  • American Geophysical Union

Recent Publications

  • Mondal, D.R., McHugh, C.M., Steckler, M.S., Seeber, L., Goodbred, S.L., Akhter,S.H.,
    Mortlock, R.A. (2018) Coseismic Deformation of the Great 1762 Arakan Subduction
    Earthquake Along South-Eastern Coast of Bangladesh. Tectonophysics (745), 196-213.
  • Abdul, N.A., Mortlock, R.A., Wright, J.D., and Fairbanks, R.G. (2016). Younger Dryas
    Sea-Level and Meltwater Pulse 1B Recorded in Barbados Reef-Crest Coral Acropora
    palmata. Paleoceanography, v. 31 no 2, p.337-344.
  • Mortlock, R.A., Abdul, N.A., Wright, J.D., and Fairbanks, R.G. (2016). Reply to comment
    by E. Bard et al. on “Younger Dryas sea level and meltwater pulse 1B recorded in
    Barbados reef crest coral Acropora palmata” by N. A. Abdul et al. Paleoceanography
    31, 1609-1616.
  • E. Randall-Goodwin, E., Meredith, M.P., Jenkins, A., Yager , P.L., Sherrell, R.M.,
    Abrahamsen, E.P., Guerrero, R., Yuan, X., Mortlock, R.A., Gavahan, K., Alderkamp,
    A-C., Ducklow, H., Robertson, R., Stammerjohn, S.E. (2015). Freshwater distributions
    and water mass structure in the Amundsen Sea Polynya region, Antarctica. Elementa:
    Science of the Anthropocene (3), 1-19.
  • Newton, R., Schlosser, P., Mortlock, R., Swift, J., MacDonald, R., 2013. Canadian Basin
    freshwater sources and changes: Results from the 2005 Arctic Ocean Section. Journal of
    Geophysical Research: Oceans 118, 2133-2154.
  • Quinn, R.L. Lepre, C.J. Feibel, C.S.,Wright, J.D., Mortlock, R.A. ,Harmand, S. e Brugal, JP.,
    Roche, H. (2013) Pedogenic carbonate stable isotopic evidence for wooded habitat
    preference of early Pleistocene tool makers in the Turkana Basin. Journal of Human
    Evolution (65), 65-78.

Meetings / Abstracts

  • Mortlock, R.A., Abdul, N.A., Cao, L., Wright, J.D, Fairbanks, R.G (2017). High Precision
    and High Accuracy Uranium/Thorium Dates Establish the Abrupt Shut-down of
    North Atlantic Overturning coincident with the start of the Younger Dryas. Abstract
    280149 presented at 2017 Fall Meeting, AGU, New Orleans, La.
  • Modys, A., Toth, L.T., Mortlock, R.A., Oleinik, A.E. (2017) Restricted fringing reef
    development on the southweast Forida continental reef tract during the late Holocene.
    Paper No. presented at GSA Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA.
  • Modys, A., Oleinik, A.E., Mortlock, R.A., Toth, L.T. Precht, W.F. (2016). Timing of late
    Holocene coral reef development on the southeast Florida continental reef tract. Paper
    No. 76-28 presented at GSA Annual Meeting, Denver CO.
  • Mondal, D.R., McHugh, C.M., Steckler, M.S., Seeber, L., Goodbred, S.L., Akhter,S.H.,
    Mortlock, R.A. (2015) Submergence and Uplift Associated to Paleoearthquakes in the
    Northern Sunda Subduction System: Implications for Future Earthquakes. Abstract
    61394 presented at 2015 Fall Meeting, AGU, San Francisco, CA., 14-18 Dec.
  • Fairbanks, R. G., Mortlock, R. A.; Abdul, N. A.; Wright, J. D.; Cao., L.; Mey. J. L. (2015),
    The Barbados Sea-Level Record. Presented at the PALSEA2 2015 Workshop: Data-
    Model Integration and Comparison. 22-24 July. Tokyo, Japan.
  • Sinclair, D.J., Sherrell, R.M., Rowe, H., Wrigh, J.D., Mortlock, R., Hellstrom, J., Cheng, H.,
    Min, A., Edwards, R.L. (2014). A Speleothem Record of South Pacific Convergence
    Zone Dynamics During MIS 3 - Evidence for Non-Stationary Coupling Between the
    South Tropical Pacific and Greenland?. Abstract presented at 2014 Fall Meeting, AGU,
    San Francisco, CA., 15-19 Dec
  • Fairbanks, R. G., Mortlock, R. A.; Abdul, N. A.; Wright, J. D.; Cao., L.; Mey. J. L. (2013),
    The Barbados Sea-Level Record. PP51D-05 presented at 2013 Fall Meeting AGU. San
    Francisco, California, 9-13 Dec.
  • Beck, C. C., Feibel., C. S., Wright, J.D., Mortlock, R.A. (2014). A multi-proxy approach to
    tracing a regressive event at Ferguson's Gulf, Lake Turkana, Kenya: Implications for
    modern analogues to assist in interpretations of the Plio-Pleistocene record. Abstract
    EGU2014-4629, presented at 2014 Spring Meeting, EGU, Vienna.
  •  Mondal, D.R., McHugh, C.M., Steckler, M.S., Seeber, L., Goodbred, S.L., Akhter,S.H.,
    Mortlock, R.A. (2013) Coseismic Deformation of the Great 1762 Arakan Subduction
    Earthquake Along South-Eastern Coast of Bangladesh, Abstract T23C-2609 presented
    at 2013 Fall Meeting, AGU, San Francisco, CA., 9-13 Dec.
  • Turrin, B., Duane E. Champion; Richard A. Mortlock; Richard G. Fairbanks; Carl C.
    Swisher (2013). GP31A-06. 40Ar/39Ar and U-series ages of a Late Pleistocene
    geomagnetic excursion in Western North America: The Halina Pali event in Western
    North America?
  • Fairbanks, R. G, Mortlock, R., Abdul, N. A., Wright, J. D., Cao, L., Mey, J. L. (2013), The
    Barbados Sea Level Record, Abstract PP51D-05 presented at 2013 Fall Meeting, AGU,
    San Francisco, Calif., 9-13 Dec.
  • Abdul, N. A., Mortlock, R. A., Wright, J. D., Fairbanks, R. G., (2013), Detailed Sea Level
    Record from Barbados Spanning 13,000 to 11,000 Years Before Present, Abstract
    PP53B-2001 presented at 2013 Fall Meeting, AGU, San Francisco, Calif., 9-13 Dec
  • Mortlock. R.A., Abdul, N., Wright, J.D., Fairbanks, R.G., Cao, L. (2012). Is the
    atmospheric radiocarbon anomaly during the Mystery Interval (17.5 to 14.5 kyr BP) an
    artifact of calibration? Evidence from Barbados Corals. Abstract presented at 21st
    Radiocarbon conference. July 9-13, Paris, France.
  • Fairbanks, R. G., Abdul, N., Wright, J.D., Cao, L., Mortlock, R.A. (2012). Radiocarbon
    calibration using paired 230Th/234U dates on pristine corals. Abstract presented at 21st
    Radiocarbon conference. July 9-13, Paris, France.
  • Abdul, N. A., Mortlock, R. A., Wright, J. D., Fairbanks, R. G., Teneva, L. T., (2011), Atlantic Warm Pool Trigger for the Younger Dryas Climate Event, Abstract PP43A-1797 presented at 2011 Fall Meeting, AGU, San Francisco, Calif., 5-9 Dec.
  • Mortlock, R. A., Abdul, N. A., Wright, J. D., Fairbanks, R. G., Cao, L., (2011), A Coral Based Reconstruction of Atmospheric Δ14C through the Mystery Interval (17.5 to 14.5 kyr BP), Abstract PP43A-1799 presented at 2011 Fall Meeting, AGU, San Francisco, Calif., 5-9 Dec.
  • Abdul, N. A., Mortlock, R. A., Wright, J. D., Fairbanks, R. G., (2010), Detailed Tropical Sea Level Record Spanning the Younger Dryas Chronozone, Abstract PP21A-1671 presented at 2010 Fall Meeting, AGU, San Francisco, Calif., 13-17 Dec.
  • Mortlock, R.A., Fairbanks, R.F., Bloom, A., Cao, L., Wright, J.D., Abdul, N., Mey, J., Ellins, K., Teneva, L., Brainard, C. (2010). Sea Level from 1,000 to 60,000 years BP: the fossil coral record from Barbados and Araki Island.  Abstract, Invited Talk 2010 ICP Meeting, La Jolla, CA., Aug 30- Sept. 4.