Contact

Universität Potsdam
Institut für Geowissenschaften
Haus 27, Zi. 2.26
Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24
14476 Golm

Email: garcin 'at' geo.uni-potsdam.de
Tel.: +49 331 977 5837
Fax: +49 331 977 5700

Education and Professional Experience

2010/2012, ‘DFG own position’ at the University of Potsdam. Project GA 1629/1-1: “Reconstructing tropical African hydrology using hydrogen isotope ratios of lacustrine sedimentary biomarkers: a calibration transect across Cameroon” (http://tinyurl.com/DFG-garcin).

2008/2009, ‘DFG Leibniz Center for Surface Process and Climate Studies’ postdoc at the University of Potsdam.

2007/2008, ‘Alexander von Humboldt’ research fellow in Geosciences at the University of Potsdam.

2003/2006, PhD Thesis: ‘Interactions between erosion, lake hydrology and vegetation in tropical regions: an example from the Lake Masoko basin (Tanzania) during the last 45,000 years’, Centre Européen de Recherche et d’Enseignement des Géosciences de l’Environnement (CEREGE), Université Paul Cézanne (Marseille, France).

2005, 1 month onboard the Marion Dufresne Research Vessel to recover long sediment cores offshore Indonesia, Papua New-Guinea and Australia (Oceanographic campaign PECTEN-IMAGES: Past Equatorial Climate: Tracking El Niño).

2002, 4 months at TOTALFINAELF (Carbonate Exploration Team, Pau) for a modeling training with the aim to reconstruct the 3D structure of oil fields offshore Libya.

2001/2002, MSc Thesis: ‘Evolution of the Provence platform (Southeast France) from the Pliensbachian up to the Aalelian: tectonic, climatic and carbonate production crisis’, Reefs and Carbonate Platforms Team, Université de Provence (Marseille, France).

Research Interests

My research focuses on present-day and past behaviors of the tropical climates (i.e., Monsoon, Intertropical Convergence Zone, ENSO and Indian Ocean dynamics). I am particularly interested in the African climatic variability and its impact on the ecosystems. I work on different timescales: 10-1 to 105 years and I am involved in lake-sediment studies (e.g., the analysis of the complex interactions between vegetation, catchment processes and lake sedimentation). Using organic geochemistry methods, I am currently developping a palaeoproxy calibration of biomarkers from tropical Africa (including the analysis of D/H ratios from plants, lake sediments, soils and source waters).

Research Areas: Fieldwork Pictures

Africa Transect (Cameroon, November 2009): http://www.flickr.com/photos/garcin/sets/72157623057049808/

Central Anatolia (Turkey, June 2009): http://www.flickr.com/photos/garcin/sets/72157621568426707/

Suguta Valley (Kenya, June 2008): http://www.flickr.com/photos/garcin/sets/72157605952462685/

Publications

8. Garcin, Y., Junginger, A., Melnick, D., Olago, D.O., Strecker, M.R., and Trauth, M.H., 2009, Late Pleistocene-Holocene rise and collapse of Lake Suguta, northern Kenya Rift: Quaternary Science Reviews, v. 28, p. 911-925, doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2008.12.006.

7. Garcin, Y., 2008, Comment on “Abrupt change in tropical African climate linked to the bipolar seesaw over the past 55,000 years” by Brown, E. T., Johnson, T. C., Scholz, C. A., Cohen, A. S., and King, J. W. (2007): Geophysical Research Letters, v. 35, L04701, doi:10.1029/2007GL032399.

6. Vincens, A., Garcin, Y., and Buchet, G., 2007, Influence of rainfall seasonality on African lowland vegetation during the Late Quaternary: pollen evidence from Lake Masoko, Tanzania: Journal of Biogeography, v. 34, p. 1274-1288, doi:10.1111/j.1365-2699.2007.01706.x.

5. Garcin, Y., Vincens, A., Williamson, D., Buchet, G., and Guiot, J., 2007, Abrupt resumption of the African Monsoon at the Younger Dryas-Holocene climatic transition: Quaternary Science Reviews, v. 26, p. 690-704, doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2006.10.014.

4. Garcin, Y., Williamson, D., Bergonzini, L., Radakovitch, O., Vincens, A., Buchet, G., Guiot, J., Brewer, S., Mathé, P. E., and Majule, A., 2007, Solar and anthropogenic imprints on Lake Masoko (southern Tanzania) during the last 500 years: Journal of Paleolimnology, v. 37, p. 475-490, doi:10.1007/s10933-006-9033-6.

3. Garcin, Y., Vincens, A., Williamson, D., Guiot, J., and Buchet, G., 2006, Wet phases in tropical Southern Africa during the last glacial period: Geophysical Research Letters, v. 33, L07703, doi:10.1029/2005GL025531.

2. Garcin, Y., Williamson, D., Taieb, M., Vincens, A., Mathé, P. E., and Majule, A., 2006, Centennial to millennial changes in maar-lake deposition during the last 45,000 years in tropical Southern Africa (Lake Masoko, Tanzania): Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, v. 239, p. 334-354, doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2006.02.002.

1. Delalande, M., Bergonzini, L., Beal, F., Garcin, Y., Majule, A., and Williamson, D., 2005, Contribution to the detection of Lake Masoko (Tanzania) groundwater outflow: isotopic evidence (O-18, D): Hydrological Sciences Journal-Journal Des Sciences Hydrologiques, v. 50, p. 867-880, doi:10.1623/hysj.2005.50.5.867.