Nick McKay on Nick McKay - Paleoclimate Scientist

Publications

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Publication Metrics

Publications: 100

Total Citations: 9538

h-index: 39

i10-index: 67

Citation History

Publications from the last 2 years

Spanish colonization triggered 17th-century landscape dust regime shift in the Southwestern United States

Bridging Ancient Lakes and Climate Models: A New Approach to Understanding 21,000 Years of Water History

Sun, 15 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

One of the most rewarding aspects of being a professor is watching your students push the boundaries of what’s possible in science. Today, I want to tell you about a study that makes me incredibly proud—not just because of the groundbreaking science, but because it represents everything I love about mentoring the next generation of climate scientists.

My former PhD student Chris Hancock has just published something that’s never been done before: the world’s first global data assimilation of hydroclimate patterns spanning the last 21,000 years, using a clever approach centered on lake level records.

When Mountain Glaciers Lose Their Snow: Arctic Glaciers Reveal 150 Meters of Climate Change

Fri, 20 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

On mountain glaciers, in the summer, the snow accumulated all summer begins to melt, starting at lower elevations and working its way up. By the end of summer the line is as high as it will get that year. This line, called the snowline, represents the elevation where winter snowfall balances summer melting. It’s a simple concept, but it turns out to be good indicator of climate change.

In our latest study published in The Cryosphere, my colleague Laura Larocca led a projecy where we documented something remarkable and concerning: across the Arctic, glacier snowlines have risen an average of 150 meters over the past four decades. To put that in perspective, that’s like moving the snow boundary from the feet of the Statue of Liberty to the top of her torch—every single decade.

Contact

Sun, 04 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Get in Touch

Whether you’re interested in joining our research team, exploring collaboration opportunities, or have questions about paleoclimate science, I’d love to hear from you.

Research Inquiries

Graduate student opportunities
Postdoctoral positions
Collaborative research projects
Questions about our methods or findings

General Information

Office: School of Earth and Sustainability, Northern Arizona University
Location: Flagstaff, Arizona
Email: nick@nau.edu
Phone: Contact via email for phone consultation

Response Time

I typically respond to emails within 1-2 business days. For urgent matters, please indicate this in your subject line.

Rethinking Ancient Climate: The 4.2 ka Event Wasn't So Global After All

Fri, 02 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In 2018, the geological community made a significant decision: they designated a period of severe drought around 4,200 years ago, known as the “4.2 ka event” as the marker for a new subdivision of our current geological epoch, the Holocene. This drought (or sometimes other climate phenomena in some studies) was thought to be so globally catastrophic that it marked a significant interval in our climate story.

But what did something that remarkable actually happen?

Tracing Water's Global Journey: How Temperature Has Always Driven Earth's Water Cycle

Thu, 12 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Water is life. It’s also one of the most complex and important systems on our planet. So when we ask what happens to water availability as global temperatures continue to rise, we’re really asking one of the most critical questions of our time—one with multi-billion dollar implications for societies around the world.

To find answers about the future, my colleagues and I did what paleoclimatologists do best: we looked to the past.

actR

Sun, 01 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000

actR (Abrupt Change Toolkit in R) is an R package I’m developing to streamline abrupt change detection in paleoclimate datasets. This tool addresses the critical need for standardized, statistically robust methods to identify and analyze rapid climate transitions in the geological record.

Key Features

Comprehensive Change Detection

geoChronR

Mon, 01 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000

geoChronR is a comprehensive R package designed to help paleoscientists analyze and visualize time-uncertain data. As the lead developer, I created this tool to address the fundamental challenge of working with paleoclimate records where age models carry significant uncertainty.

Key Features

Advanced Age Modeling

Generate ensemble age models that capture chronological uncertainty
Support for multiple dating methods and constraints
Bayesian age modeling capabilities

Time-Uncertain Analysis

PReSto

Wed, 01 Jan 2020 00:00:00 +0000

PReSto (Paleoclimate Reconstruction Storehouse) is an interactive web platform I developed to make paleoclimate reconstructions accessible to researchers, educators, and students. The platform provides an intuitive interface for exploring how Earth’s climate has changed from the Last Glacial Maximum to the present day.

Key Features

Interactive Exploration

LiPDverse

Tue, 01 Jan 2019 00:00:00 +0000

LiPDverse is a comprehensive web platform I helped develop to serve as a centralized hub for paleoscience data compilation and management. Built on the Linked PaleoData (LiPD) framework, it provides researchers with powerful tools to access, visualize, and analyze paleoclimate datasets through an intuitive web interface.

Core Capabilities

Centralized Data Access

LiPD

Mon, 01 Jan 2018 00:00:00 +0000

LiPD (Linked Paleo Data) is a community data framework I co-developed to revolutionize how paleoclimate data is shared, accessed, and analyzed. By combining flexible data containers with linked data principles, LiPD addresses fundamental challenges in paleoclimate data management and enables more efficient scientific research.

Project Vision

“Simplify the sharing, reuse and analysis of paleoclimate data”

Graduate Students

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

I welcome applications from motivated students interested in paleoclimate science. Through the Paleoclimate Dynamics Laboratory at Northern Arizona University, I offer opportunities for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers to engage in cutting-edge paleoclimate research.

Current Opportunities

PhD Position: Paleoclimate Data Assimilation for North American Ecosystem Research

Funding: NSF-funded project
Duration: 4 years
Start Date: Spring or Fall 2026

Research

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

My research focuses on paleoclimate dynamics, using statistical and numerical techniques alongside field and lab work to explore the causes and patterns of climate change over past centuries and millennia. This work is inherently collaborative, involving partnerships with researchers worldwide to tackle complex questions about Earth’s climate system.

Research Areas

Paleoclimate Synthesis

Understanding large-scale changes in past climate dynamics requires synthesizing evidence from across the globe. Our research group contributes to developing global and regional reconstructions of climate over the past 12,000 years, comparing these reconstructions with climate model outputs to uncover the underlying dynamics of natural climate variability. Through international collaborations, particularly with the Past Global Changes (PAGES) organization, we work to advance our understanding of how climate systems have evolved and what this means for future changes.