Wolfgang H. Berger, Director

Wolfgang H. Berger

Research interests
My research interests comprise micropaleontology, marine sedimentation, ocean productivity, carbon cycle, ocean history, climate history, and history of oceanography.


Recent publications
  • Ocean
    Reflections on
    a Century of Exploration

    with contributions by
    E. N. Shor
    NEW at UC Press

    Anderson, P.A., C.D. Charles and W.H. Berger, 2001. Productivity fluctuations off southwestern Africa in the early Quaternary, ODP Site 1085. In Wefer, G., Berger, W.H., and Richter, C. (Eds.) Proc. ODP, Sci. Results, 175.

    Jackson, J.B.C., M.X. Kirby, et al. (including W. H. Berger), 2001. Historical overfishing and the recent collapse of coastal ecosystems. Science, 293, 629-643.

    Berger, W.H., 2002. Climate history and the great geophysical experiment. In: G. Wefer, W. H. Berger, K.-H. Behre and E. Jansen (eds.) Climate Development and History of the North Atlantic Realm. Springer Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 1-16.

    Berger, W. H., 2002. Frances Lawrence Parker (1906-2002), micropaleontologist and pioneer of paleoceanography. C.R.Palevol 1, 471-477.

    Berger, W. H., 2002. Cesare Emiliani (1922-1995), pioneer of Ice Age studies and oxygen isotope stratigraphy. C.R.Palevol 1, 479-487.

    Berger, W. H., C. B. Lange and M. E. Perez, 2002. The early Matuyama diatom maximum off SW Africa: a conceptual model. Marine Geology, 180, 105-116.

    Berger, W.H., C.B. Lange and G. Wefer, 2002. Upwelling history of the Benguela-Namibia system: a synthesis of Leg 175 results. In Wefer, G., Berger, W.H., and Richter, C. (Eds.) Proc. ODP, Sci. Results, 175, 1-103 [Online].

    Berger, W.H., J. Pätzold and G. Wefer, 2002. Times of quiet, times of agitation: Sverdrup's conjecture and the Bermuda coral record. In: G. Wefer, W. H. Berger, K.-H. Behre and E. Jansen (eds.) Climate Development and History of the North Atlantic Realm. Springer Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 89-99.

    Berger, W. H., and U. von Rad, 2002. Decadal to millennial cyclicity in varves and turbidites from the Arabian Sea: hypothesis of tidal origin. Global and Planetary Change 34, 313-325.

    Berger, W.H., and G. Wefer, 2002. On the reconstruction of upwelling history: Namibia upwelling in context. Marine Geology, 180, 3-28.

    Berger, W.H., 2003. Frances Lawrence Parker, 1906-2002. In: R.L. Fisher, E.D. Goldberg, C.S. Cox (eds.) Coming of Age, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, A Centennial Volume 1903-2003. Scripps Institution of Oceanography, San Diego, p.99-106.

    Berger, W.H., and G. Wefer, 2003. On the Dynamics of the Ice Ages: Stage-11 Paradox, Mid-Brunhes Climate Shift, and 100-ky Cycle. In: A.W. Droxler, R.Z. Poore and L.H. Burckle (eds.) Earth's Climate and Orbital Eccentricity: The Marine Isotope Stage 11 Question. AGU Geophysical Monograph 137, 41-59.

    Berger, W. H., 2004. Terraces on a rising coast. In: R.L. Wernli and C.F. Kennel (conveners), Oceans 2003, Proceedings. Holland Enterprises, Escondido (CA), 1209-1212.

    Berger, W. H., 2004. Climate future in a warming world: Lessons from the Ice Ages. In: R.L. Wernli and C.F. Kennel (conveners), Oceans 2003, Proceedings. Holland Enterprises, Escondido (CA), 404-408.

    Berger, W. H., A. Schimmelmann, C. B. Lange, 2004, Tidal cycles in the sediments of Santa Barbara Basin. Geology, 32 (4) 329-332.

    Berger, W.H., Discovery of the Ice Age: Science and Myth. In: L. Piccardi et al. (eds.) Myth and Geology. Geol. Soc. London, in press.

    Berger, W.H., and G. Wefer, Marine Biogenic Sediments. Encyclopedia of Paleoclimatology and Ancient Environments, Earth Science Series (R. Fairbridge and M. Rampino, eds.), in press.

  • Education & outreach
    Within the last 5 years, I have developed and taught or posted the following courses (mostly aimed at the teaching profession):

    • Great Ideas in Oceanography
      Freshman course at UCSD, 2 hours of credit. Survey of discoveries in the field.

    • Astrobiology: ABCs of Life in the Universe
      With W. Baity

    • Climate Change and Global Warming
      Context for ongoing climate change

    • The Seafloor Chronicles
      Ocean history from ocean sediments

    • Also, I have initiated, supported and guided the Parker Program for Public Education, which is focused on working with teachers on elementary Earth Science concepts, using materials from the geologic collections and posting reliable background information on the web, along with glimpses on ongoing research. Such postings will be found on Earthguide, a web resource for teachers developed and maintained by Memorie Yasuda.


    Biographic data
    • Education
      M.Sc. Geology 1963 University of Colorado, Boulder
      Ph.D. Oceanography 1968 University of California, San Diego

    • Appointments
      1971-1974 Assistant Professor
      of Oceanography
      SIO/
      UC San Diego
      1974-1980 Associate Professor
      of Oceanography
      SIO/
      UC San Diego
      1980-2006 Professor
      of Oceanography
      SIO/
      UC San Diego
      2006- Distinguished Professor SIO/
      UC San Diego,
      emeritus

    • Honors
      Bigelow Medal, Woods Hole 1979
      Norwegian Research Fellow, 1980
      Huntsman Medal, Bedford 1984
      Lady Davis Fellow, Hebrew University, 1986
      Humboldt Award, Bonn 1986
      Ewing Medal, San Francisco, 1988
      Prince Albert I Medal, Paris, 1991
      Balzan Prize, Bern, 1993
      Steinmann Medal, Bern, 1998
      Foreign Member, Academia Europaea, 2001

    • Professional Societies (past and/or present)
      American Assoc. Adv. Science (Fellow)
      American Geophysical Union (Fellow)
      Geological Society of America (Fellow)
      European Union of Geophysical Sciences; American Society of Limnology and Oceanography
      National Association of Geology Teachers, Geologische Vereinigung.

    • Books co-edited or co-authored
      1982 (with J.C.Crowell, editors) Climate in Earth History. National Academy Press, Washington, D. C. 198 pp.

      1987 (with L.Labeyrie, editors) Abrupt Climatic Change - Evidence and Implications. Reidel, Dordrecht

      1989 (with V.S. Smetacek, G. Wefer, editors) Ocean Productivity - Present and Past. John Wiley, Chichester

      1993 (with L.W. Kroenke, L.A. Mayer, et al.) Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Results, Leg 130 (Ontong Java Plateau), Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas

      1995 (with E. Seibold) The Sea Floor - An Introduction to Marine Geology. 3rd ed. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg

      1997 (with G. Wefer, G. Siedler, D. J. Webb, editors) The South Atlantic: Present and Past Circulation. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg

      1998 (with G. Wefer, C. Richter, et al.) Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, Initial Results, Leg 175 (Benguela Current), Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
      2002 (with G. Wefer, K.E. Behre, E. Jansen, eds.) Climate Development and History of the North Atlantic Realm. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg. 2005 (H. Drange et al., eds.) The Nordic Seas: An Integrated Perspective. AGU Geophysical Monograph.


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    Updated: April 29, 2009

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