Pamela Grothe

Assistant Professor University of Mary Washington

  • Fredericksburg VA

Dr. Grothe's research focuses on climate change, specializing in past climates.

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Spotlight

2 min

Records are going up in flames - is there any break to America's current heat wave?

To call it a heat wave may be an understatement. But as June ends and July rolls in, a blanket of hot and humid weather is covering most parts of America with temperatures not seen since the end of the Great Depression. The trend has scientists and meteorologists looking for answers. AccuWeather's team of expert forecasters were describing the then upcoming heat wave as "unprecedented," "life-threatening" and "historic" as early as the middle of last week, and these descriptions have been accurate in the first days of the Northwest scorcher. The weekend marked the beginning of the extended stretch of extreme temperatures. Portland, Oregon, a city that typically experiences temperatures in the middle to upper 70s in late June, soared to a staggering 112 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday, breaking the all-time record high of 108 set just a day before. Prior to the current heat wave, the highest temperature ever recorded in the city was 107 set once in July of 1965 and twice in August of 1981. Portland is also expected to obliterate its daily record high of 100 on Monday and possibly set an all-time high temperature record for the third straight day. AccuWeather is predicting a high of 113 on Monday, which would make it the hottest day ever recorded in the city. The highest temperature ever recorded in the state of Oregon is 117, which was set in Umatilla on July 27, 1939.  June 28 AccuWeather And as Americans keep an eye on the mercury that continues to rise, there’s a lot of questions to be asked: Is this a weather phenomenon? Has climate change showed its hand? Are these new temperatures the new normal for the summer months? How can cities and communities adapt to these drastic conditions? And is there any turning back these rising numbers? If you’re a journalist looking to learn more about this topic, then our experts are here to help. Dr. Pamela Grothe is an assistant professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences as the University of Mary Washington, who earned a Ph.D. in the Paleoclimatology Lab at the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences department at Georgia Institute of Technology. She’s also an #expert in climate change and specializes in how cities can cope and adapt to hotter temperatures and stay livable places. Dr. Pamela Grothe is available to speak with media – simply click on her icon to arrange an interview.

Pamela Grothe

2 min

Planting over past mistakes – UMW expert explains that it is time to undo poor urban planning to make our cities cooler

America in the 1950’s was all about building highways to pump up the post-war economy and make sure everyone could criss-cross a connected America by car. Urban planners didn’t hesitate to bulldoze neighborhoods that were in the way of this progress. However, history shows that most of those communities that were destroyed housed Black and lower income residents. The result left areas with hot pavement, few green spaces and little tree canopy to provide shade. Recently, UMW’s Pamela Grothe joined the host of With Good Reason to talk about how America needs to undo these past mistakes and make better choices. Grothe recently worked with Jeremy Hoffman, chief scientist at the Science Museum of Virginia, who also appears on the episode, and UMW 2021 graduate Allison Grant on research that explores how redlined communities in Richmond, Virginia, designed to keep Black residents in less desirable neighborhoods, show records of being significantly hotter over the last 30 years than white neighborhoods, which has resulted in more heat-related health issues for Black and lower income residents. Aside from jumping in a pool, trees are our best bet to cool summer heat. Pamela Grothe says we have to be intentional about putting trees in the right places. If you’re a journalist looking to learn more about this topic, then our experts are here to help. Dr. Pamela Grothe is an assistant professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences as the University of Mary Washington, who earned a Ph.D. in the Paleoclimatology Lab at the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences department at Georgia Institute of Technology. She’s an #expert in climate change and is available to speak with media – simply click on her icon to arrange an interview.

Pamela Grothe

1 min

Covering Climate Change? Let Our Experts Help with Your Coverage

It took a long time, but climate change is part of everyday life.  It is now part of the constant news cycle, it is used in shaping public policy, incorporated into marketing plans and owns a part of (most) political party platforms. Climate activism is growing as well.  One year ago, 16-year-old Greta Thunberg skipped school to sit in front of Swedish Parliament to protest our climate.  Today, those same one-day strikes inspired by her take place in over 800 cities across the planet. Climate change is real and with any growing topic or cause, there’s also a lot of misinformation shared, and some facts just aren’t being interpreted correctly. If you’re a journalist covering climate change – that’s where our experts can help with your questions, stories and ongoing coverage. Dr. Pamela Grothe is an assistant professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences as the University of Mary Washington. She recently completed a Ph.D. in the Paleoclimatology Lab at the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences department at Georgia Institute of Technology. She’s an #expert in climate change and is available to speak with media – simply click on her icon to arrange an interview.

Pamela Grothe
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Biography

Dr. Pamela Grothe (Medley) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Mary Washington. She completed a Ph.D. in Paleoclimatology at Georgia Institute of Technology. Her current research uses fossil oysters and corals to reconstruct climate change over the past hundreds to thousands of years in order to put present-day climate change into context. Her work led to the discovery that El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) variability is stronger today than over the past 6000 years.

Areas of Expertise

Oceanography
Global Warming
Climate Change Science
Atmospheric Science
Geology
Student-centred learning
Earth and Atmospheric Science
Paleoclimatology

Accomplishments

Hartley Corporation Fellowship

Awarded by Sigma Delta Epsilon/Graduate Women in Science, 2014.

National Science Foundation Scholarship

Awarded to facilitate attendance at the Urbino Summer School in Paleoclimatology, 2014.

Presidential Fellowship

Awarded by Georgia Institute of Technology, 2012.

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Education

Georgia Institute of Technology

Ph.D.

Earth and Atmospheric Science

2017

University of Colorado at Boulder

M.S.

Geological Sciences

2012

University of Mary Washington

B.S.

Geology

2006

Graduated with Honors.

Affiliations

  • American Geophysical Union: Member
  • The Geological Society of America: Member
  • Graduate Women in Science: Member

Media Appearances

One scientist drills into the past to figure out ocean warming

Richmond Times-Dispatch  online

2023-06-05

Pamela Grothe, a climate scientist at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, is working to understand how much of these El Niño temperature surges are related to the warming climate.

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Commentary: Urban heat islands make climate change worse (The Free Lance-Star)

The Free Lance-Star  online

2022-08-22

Little was known about Fredericksburg’s urban heat islands until this summer, when our two organizations, the University of Mary Washington and Friends of the Rappahannock, partnered on a comprehensive heat-mapping campaign, tracking heat in the city and surrounding counties.

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Nature's Guardian: Are we facing a sixth mass extinction?

bilibili.com  online

2022-07-18

“The past holds the key to the future,” said Pamela Grothe, a paleo climate scientist at the University of Mary Washington. “If we continue in the trajectory we are on with current emission rates, this study highlights the potential that we may see similar rates of extinction in marine species as in the end of the Permian.”

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Courses

EESC 111 - Our Dynamic Earth (4 Credits)

The modern view of the Earth as a dynamic, constantly-changing planet and the impact of geological processes on our lives. Discussions will include the origin of the solar system and Earth, how earthquakes and volcanoes result from heat-driven plate tectonic processes and our ongoing attempts to predict such hazardous events, and how Earth's rocks and minerals are ingrained in our everyday lives. Streams and groundwater processes, and cycles of mountain uplift and erosion that continuously alter the Earth’s surface, will also be examined. Laboratory.

EESC 355 - Icehouse-Greenhouse Earth (3 Credits)

Prerequisite: EESC 111 or EESC 112 or EESC 120 or EESC 121. This course examines the history of the Earth’s climate system in the context of the two primary modes: Icehouse and Greenhouse. Through critical evaluation of primary literature, written assignments and oral presentations, students will gain an appreciation of the magnitude of temporal and spatial climate reorganizations through time and develop an in-depth understanding of both long and short term cyclic changes that have contributed to the development of our modern climate system.

EESC 121 - Oceanography (4 Credits)

An introduction to the oceans. Physical and chemical processes affecting seawater; the geology of the seafloor; biological productivity in the oceans; and environmental challenges involving the oceans. Laboratory.

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Articles

Borneo Stalagmite Evidence of Significantly Reduced El Niño-Southern Oscillation Variability at 4.1 kyBP

Geophysical Research Letters

C. M. Theaker, S. A. Carolin, C. C. Day, K. M. Cobb, S. Chen, P. R. Grothe, H. O. Couper

2024

Research suggests that a significant climate shift may have occurred around 4,000 years ago, though the exact timing and global extent of the event remain uncertain. A change in the frequency or magnitude of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is one hypothesized cause, however there are currently few high-resolution records which resolve ENSO variability 4,000 years ago. We present a new western tropical Pacific stalagmite-based record of ENSO activity, which shows a significant minimum in ENSO variability around 4,100 years ago. This reduced ENSO activity coincides with a centennial-scale climate event in the Middle East characterized by drier conditions and enhanced dust events. The Borneo record also shows a significant increase in El Niño/La Niña activity that took place by 3,800 years ago. Hydroclimate changes around 4,000 years ago found in records from multiple regions around the world may therefore reflect a shift from reduced to enhanced El Niño activity.

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Estimated 2020 CO2 Emission Reductions in Virginia’s Transportation Sector from COVID-19

Virginia Journal of Science

Eden E. Rakes, Pamela R. Grothe, Jeremy S. Hoffman

2021

The initial lockdown phase of the COVID-19 pandemic presented an unfortunate opportunity to observe how abrupt, large-scale changes in traffic volume can reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This study explores how carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from Virginia’s transportation sector may have been affected by the changes in activity stemming from COVID-19 to inform more carbon-neutral policies as the state recovers from the economic downfall. Emission savings were calculated by multiplying the percent change from 2019 to 2020 in traffic volume from the Virginia Department of Transportation with the business-as-usual 2020 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimate of CO2 emissions for Virginia’s transportation sector. We estimate Virginia’s 2020 COVID-19 transportation CO2 emissions reduction is around 15.0% (14.2 to 15.7%), with reduced passenger vehicle traffic making up the bulk of the inferred reduction. This study highlights the utility of reimagining our current transportation sector as a way to implement sustainable, state-level carbon reduction policies, such as the Clean Car Standards.

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Enhanced El Niño–Southern Oscillation Variability in Recent Decades

Geophysical Research Letters

Pamela R. Grothe, Kim M. Cobb, Giovanni Liguori, Emanuele Di Lorenzo, Antonietta Capotondi, Yanbin Lu ,Hai Cheng, R. Lawrence Edwards, John R. Southon, Guaciara M. Santos et al.

2019

The El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) represents the largest source of year-to-year global climate variability. While Earth system models suggest a range of possible shifts in ENSO properties under continued greenhouse gas forcing, many centuries of preindustrial climate data are required to detect a potential shift in the properties of recent ENSO extremes. Here we reconstruct the strength of ENSO variations over the last 7,000 years with a new ensemble of fossil coral oxygen isotope records from the Line Islands, located in the central equatorial Pacific. The corals document a significant decrease in ENSO variance of ~20% from 3,000 to 5,000 years ago, coinciding with changes in spring/fall precessional insolation. We find that ENSO variability over the last five decades is ~25% stronger than during the preindustrial. Our results provide empirical support for recent climate model projections showing an intensification of ENSO extremes under greenhouse forcing.

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