Andrew Atwood
· Professor of Architecture and Urban DesignVerifiedUniversity of California, Berkeley · Architecture
Active 2006–2026
About
Andrew Atwood is an Associate Professor of Architecture at UC Berkeley and serves as the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Affairs. He is a licensed architect in California and is a partner in the architecture firm, First Office. His work centers on tools of architectural representation and practice, specifically focusing on how these tools relate to the production of buildings. In 2018, he published the book Not Interesting: On the Limits of Criticism in Architecture with ARD. His educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Richmond and a Master of Architecture from Harvard University.
Research topics
- Geology
- Oceanography
- Meteorology
- Climatology
- Physics
- Atmospheric sciences
- Environmental science
- Computer Science
- Geography
- Medicine
- Geodesy
- Database
- Astronomy
- Astrophysics
- Paleontology
Selected publications
2026-01-05
peer-reviewOpen access1st authorCorresponding<strong class="journal-contentHeaderColor">Abstract.</strong> The stable isotope values of seawater (δ<sup>18</sup>O and δ<sup>2</sup>H) provide valuable information on the exchange of water between the ocean, atmosphere, and cryosphere and on ocean mixing processes. As such, observational seawater δ<sup>18</sup>O and δ<sup>2</sup>H data place powerful constraints on hydrologic changes in the modern ocean. Seawater δ<sup>18</sup>O data are also essential for calibrating paleoclimate proxies based on the δ<sup>18</sup>O of marine carbonates and are an increasingly critical diagnostic tool for assessing model performance and skill in isotope-enabled global climate models. Despite their broad value, no centralized and actively-curated database for this type of data exists, even though a growing number of new seawater δ<sup>18</sup>O datasets have been generated over the last decade. As such, many seawater δ<sup>18</sup>O datasets remain ‘hidden’. To improve the accessibility of seawater δ<sup>18</sup>O data for the Earth Science research community, the Past Global Changes (PAGES) CoralHydro2k project has created a new, machine-readable, and metadata-rich database of observational seawater δ<sup>18</sup>O data, paired with seawater δ<sup>2</sup>H and salinity data, that is compliant with findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability (FAIR) standards for digital assets. The data has been collected from public databases and repositories, direct researcher data submissions, scientific papers, and student theses. In total, the PAGES CoralHydro2k Seawater δ<sup>18</sup>O<strong> </strong>Database contains over 18,600 data points with extensive metadata that makes the database suitable for a myriad of research applications. For hidden data, we searched for and included all datasets within the global ocean. For public data, our data collation efforts were focused on the upper 50 m from 35° N to 35° S (to aid in CoralHydro2k’s seawater δ<sup>18</sup>O reconstruction studies using δ<sup>18</sup>O and Sr/Ca in tropical-subtropical coral skeletons). We also provide a set of best practices to the community for reporting seawater isotope data in the future.
Climate of the past · 2026-01-14
articleOpen accessAbstract. The 8.2 ka Event was a prominent climate anomaly that occurred approximately 8200 years before present (8.2 ka) with implications for understanding the mechanisms and characteristics of abrupt climate change. We characterize the tropical hydroclimate response to the 8.2 ka Event based on a multiproxy compilation of 61 tropical hydroclimate records and assess the consistency between the proxy synthesis and simulated hydroclimate anomalies in a new meltwater simulation with the isotope-enabled Community Earth System Model (iCESM1.2). We calculate the timing and duration of the hydroclimate anomalies in our proxy reconstruction using two event detection methods, including a new changepoint detection algorithm that explicitly accounts for age uncertainty. Using these methods, we find significant hydroclimate anomalies associated with the 8.2 ka Event in 30 % of our proxy compilation, with a mean onset age of 8.28 ± 0.12 ka (1σ), mean termination age of 8.11 ± 0.09 ka (1σ), and mean duration of 152 ± 70 years (1σ), comparing well with previous estimates. Notably, these anomalies are not hemispherically uniform, but display a rich regional structure with pronounced drying and/or isotopic enrichment across South and East Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, and in parts of Central America, alongside wetter conditions and/or isotopic depletion in eastern Brazil. In contrast, we find no signature of the 8.2 ka Event over the Maritime Continent. The simulated hydroclimate response to the meltwater event generally agrees with the proxy reconstructions. In iCESM, the North Atlantic meltwater forcing causes a southward shift of the tropical rain bands, resulting in a generally drier Northern Hemisphere and wetter Southern Hemisphere, but with large regional variations in precipitation response, including the isotopic composition of precipitation. Over the oceans, the tropical rainbands shift south and precipitation δ18O (δ18Op) anomalies are generally consistent with the “amount effect,” wherein the change in δ18Op is inversely correlated with the change in precipitation amount. However, the δ18Op anomalies are more decoupled from changes in precipitation amount over land. iCESM captures many of the regional hydroclimate responses observed in the reconstructions, including the large-scale isotopic enrichment pattern in δ18Op in South and East Asia and the Arabian Peninsula, mixed hydroclimate patterns in southern Central America, isotopic depletion in parts of eastern Brazil, and a muted hydroclimate response over the Maritime Continent. We decompose the simulated precipitation δ18O response to identify the cause of these isotopic anomalies, finding that changes in amount-weighted δ18Op arise primarily from seasonal changes in δ18Op rather than seasonal changes in precipitation amount. However, the mechanisms of the seasonal changes in δ18Op vary regionally, with the local amount effect dominant in northeastern South America and the northeastern tropical Pacific; while changes in the isotopic composition of the water vapor (via changes in moisture source, circulation, and/or upstream rainout) seem to control the response in East Asia. In the Caribbean, the addition of isotopically depleted meltwater to the North Atlantic contributes to reduced, but isotopically depleted, wet season precipitation. Overall, this study provides new insights into the tropical hydroclimate response to the 8.2 ka Event, emphasizing the importance of accounting for age uncertainty in proxy-based hydroclimate reconstructions and the value of using isotope-enabled model simulations for data-model intercomparison.
2026-01-05
peer-reviewOpen access1st authorCorresponding<strong class="journal-contentHeaderColor">Abstract.</strong> The stable isotope values of seawater (δ<sup>18</sup>O and δ<sup>2</sup>H) provide valuable information on the exchange of water between the ocean, atmosphere, and cryosphere and on ocean mixing processes. As such, observational seawater δ<sup>18</sup>O and δ<sup>2</sup>H data place powerful constraints on hydrologic changes in the modern ocean. Seawater δ<sup>18</sup>O data are also essential for calibrating paleoclimate proxies based on the δ<sup>18</sup>O of marine carbonates and are an increasingly critical diagnostic tool for assessing model performance and skill in isotope-enabled global climate models. Despite their broad value, no centralized and actively-curated database for this type of data exists, even though a growing number of new seawater δ<sup>18</sup>O datasets have been generated over the last decade. As such, many seawater δ<sup>18</sup>O datasets remain ‘hidden’. To improve the accessibility of seawater δ<sup>18</sup>O data for the Earth Science research community, the Past Global Changes (PAGES) CoralHydro2k project has created a new, machine-readable, and metadata-rich database of observational seawater δ<sup>18</sup>O data, paired with seawater δ<sup>2</sup>H and salinity data, that is compliant with findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability (FAIR) standards for digital assets. The data has been collected from public databases and repositories, direct researcher data submissions, scientific papers, and student theses. In total, the PAGES CoralHydro2k Seawater δ<sup>18</sup>O<strong> </strong>Database contains over 18,600 data points with extensive metadata that makes the database suitable for a myriad of research applications. For hidden data, we searched for and included all datasets within the global ocean. For public data, our data collation efforts were focused on the upper 50 m from 35° N to 35° S (to aid in CoralHydro2k’s seawater δ<sup>18</sup>O reconstruction studies using δ<sup>18</sup>O and Sr/Ca in tropical-subtropical coral skeletons). We also provide a set of best practices to the community for reporting seawater isotope data in the future.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026-04-05
datasetOpen access1st authorCorrespondingNetcdf files containing the model data for the iCESM 1.2, isotope-enabled MPI-ESM-LR, and TraCE-21k simulations used in the paper: "Reconciling proxy-model discrepancies in mid-Holocene tropical Pacific climate change".
Earth system science data · 2026-03-12 · 1 citations
articleOpen access1st authorCorrespondingAbstract. The stable isotope values of seawater (δ18O and δ2H) provide valuable information on the exchange of water between the ocean, atmosphere, and cryosphere and on ocean mixing processes. As such, observational seawater δ18O and δ2H data place powerful constraints on hydrologic changes in the modern ocean. Seawater δ18O data are also essential for calibrating paleoclimate proxies based on the δ18O of marine carbonates and are an increasingly critical diagnostic tool for assessing model performance and skill in isotope-enabled climate models. Despite their broad value, no centralized and actively-curated database for this type of data exists, even though a growing number of new seawater δ18O datasets have been generated over the last decade. As such, many seawater δ18O datasets remain “hidden”. To improve the accessibility of seawater δ18O data for the Earth Science research community, the Past Global Changes (PAGES) CoralHydro2k project has created a new, machine-readable, and metadata-rich database of observational seawater δ18O data, paired with seawater δ2H and salinity data, that is compliant with findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability (FAIR) standards for digital assets. The data has been collected from public databases and repositories, direct researcher data submissions, scientific papers, and student theses. In total, the PAGES CoralHydro2k Seawater δ18O Database contains over 18 600 data points with extensive metadata that makes the database suitable for a myriad of research applications. For hidden data, we searched for and included all datasets within the global ocean. For public data, our data collation efforts were focused on the upper 50 m from 35° N to 35° S (to aid in CoralHydro2k's seawater δ18O reconstruction studies using δ18O and Sr/Ca in tropical-subtropical coral skeletons). We also provide a set of best practices to the community for reporting seawater isotope data in the future. The database is available on the NOAA NCEI World Data Service for Paleoclimatology landing page: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/paleo-search/study/34575 (last access: 11 February 2026; https://doi.org/10.25921/ap7d-2k16, Atwood et al., 2026). A Seawater Oxygen Isotopes Community was also developed within the EarthChem Library (https://www.earthchem.org/communities/seawater-oxygen-isotopes/, last access: 20 February 2026) to help researchers submit new datasets and obtain a dataset DOI. This template is aligned with the CoralHydro2k Seawater δ18O Database to facilitate future updates to the database.
Exploring nonstationarity of ENSO teleconnections using state-of-the-art Linear Inverse Models
2026-03-14
articleOpen accessSenior authorCorrespondingThe El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the leading source of predictable, internally generated, large-scale climate variability. Centered in the tropical Pacific, ENSO influences global precipitation, atmospheric circulation, and temperature patterns via atmospheric teleconnections. ENSO events can trigger climate extremes, in turn devastating communities and costing billions of dollars. Over recent decades, substantial progress has been made in early and accurate seasonal forecasting of ENSO events. However, relatively less is known about how ENSO teleconnections vary in space and time, so called nonstationarity, which limits our ability to confidently relate these forecasts to expected impacts.Assessing ENSO teleconnection nonstationarity is challenging because the instrumental record is relatively short. Comprehensive physical climate models help to address these limitations, but intrinsic biases undermine their utility for this purpose. By contrast, statistical climate models are trained on observations and can therefore provide a valuable complementary perspective.Linear Inverse Models (LIMs) are efficient, linear statistical climate models that are computationally inexpensive and straightforward to modify. Here we develop state-of-the-art LIMs that simulate ENSO asymmetry and diversity (Martinez-Villalobos et al., 2025), the seasonal cycle (Shin et al., 2021), and ENSO’s teleconnected impacts in the extratropics (Ault et al. 2018). Utilizing the LIMs we provide the most confident estimates to-date of intrinsic nonstationarity in ENSO teleconnections. Furthermore, by altering the LIM we assess the role for various processes in driving nonstationarity, with a particular focus on the influence of ENSO asymmetry, the seasonal cycle and phase locking, and inter-basin interactions. Our results have implications for seasonal forecasting, characterizing ENSO impacts in a changing climate, and validating the comprehensive physical climate models that are the basis of future projections.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026-04-05
datasetOpen access1st authorCorrespondingNetcdf files containing the model data for the iCESM 1.2, isotope-enabled MPI-ESM-LR, and TraCE-21k simulations used in the paper: "Reconciling proxy-model discrepancies in mid-Holocene tropical Pacific climate change".
Reconciling Proxy-Model Discrepancies in Tropical Pacific Climate Change during the Mid-Holocene
2026-04-20
articleOpen access1st authorCorrespondingIsotope-enabled models simulate cooling in the central tropical Pacific that is consistent with non-oxygen isotope-based proxy records. When paired with a coral forward model, models suggest weaker Central Pacific hydroclimate changes than that implied by coral records. A large and robust weakening of Pacific cold tongue seasonality extends to the early Holocene and is captured by simple orbital model.
Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology · 2025-11-25
articleOpen accessAbstract Reef‐building corals provide seasonally resolved records of past climate variability based on the oxygen isotope composition (δ 18 O) of their skeletons. However, many non‐climatic factors can alter coral δ 18 O values. These include coral biomineralization and post‐depositional alteration of the coral skeleton, which can add uncertainty to coral based paleoclimate reconstructions. These uncertainties are apparent in mean climate reconstructions developed from coral δ 18 O values. We present a framework to minimize this uncertainty in mean coral δ 18 O records using a multi‐variate regression model that incorporates four commonly measured properties in coral δ 18 O records. We test the ability of the model to reduce variability in a Holocene climate reconstruction comprised of 37 coral δ 18 O records from Kiritimati. 38% of the variance in the mean coral δ 18 O values across the Holocene is accounted for by a combination of four predictors: (a) mm‐scale variability in coral δ 18 O, (b) the mean coral δ 13 C value, (c) the mean coral extension rate, and (d) the extent of diagenetic alteration identified in Scanning Electron Microscope images. Once these non‐climatic artifacts are minimized in the reconstruction, the weighted variance of the Holocene data set is reduced by 43% and the uncertainty in the trend of mean coral δ 18 O is reduced by 18%. The model is validated using three well‐characterized modern coral records with pristine and altered sections. These results have important implications for the climate interpretation of this Holocene data set. This framework also has the potential to improve other paleoclimate reconstructions based on ensembles of mean coral δ 18 O records.
2025-08-27
articleOpen access1st authorCorrespondingAbstract. The stable isotope values of seawater (δ18O and δ2H) provide valuable information on the exchange of water between the ocean, atmosphere, and cryosphere and on ocean mixing processes. As such, observational seawater δ18O and δ2H data place powerful constraints on hydrologic changes in the modern ocean. Seawater δ18O data are also essential for calibrating paleoclimate proxies based on the δ18O of marine carbonates and are an increasingly critical diagnostic tool for assessing model performance and skill in isotope-enabled global climate models. Despite their broad value, no centralized and actively-curated database for this type of data exists, even though a growing number of new seawater δ18O datasets have been generated over the last decade. As such, many seawater δ18O datasets remain ‘hidden’. To improve the accessibility of seawater δ18O data for the Earth Science research community, the Past Global Changes (PAGES) CoralHydro2k project has created a new, machine-readable, and metadata-rich database of observational seawater δ18O data, paired with seawater δ2H and salinity data, that is compliant with findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability (FAIR) standards for digital assets. The data has been collected from public databases and repositories, direct researcher data submissions, scientific papers, and student theses. In total, the PAGES CoralHydro2k Seawater δ18O Database contains over 18,600 data points with extensive metadata that makes the database suitable for a myriad of research applications. For hidden data, we searched for and included all datasets within the global ocean. For public data, our data collation efforts were focused on the upper 50 m from 35° N to 35° S (to aid in CoralHydro2k’s seawater δ18O reconstruction studies using δ18O and Sr/Ca in tropical-subtropical coral skeletons). We also provide a set of best practices to the community for reporting seawater isotope data in the future.
Recent grants
Frequent coauthors
- 26 shared
K. M. Cobb
Providence College
- 25 shared
Hussein R. Sayani
Florida State University
- 18 shared
David S. Battisti
University of Washington
- 18 shared
Gemma K. O’Connor
- 17 shared
Anaïs Orsi
University of British Columbia
- 17 shared
Pamela R. Grothe
University of Mary Washington
- 16 shared
Guillaume Leduc
Centre de Recherche et d’Enseignement de Géosciences de l’Environnement
- 15 shared
Émilie Pauline Dassié
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
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