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Limnogeology: Progress, Challenges and Opportunities pp 3–16Cite as

Introduction to Limnogeology: Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities: A Tribute to Elizabeth Gierlowski-Kordesch

Part of the Syntheses in Limnogeology book series (SYNLIMNO)

Abstract

Elizabeth Gierlowski-Kordesch (1956–2016) was a leader and innovator in the specialty field of limnogeology since its beginnings in the late 1980s. Her excitement for field work and examining sediments was contagious, and she was always testing new research ideas. Beth would have been thrilled with the diversity of papers presented in the volume and the wide array of techniques used to determine the history, geochemistry, paleontology, and paleoclimate preserved in the sediments in basins that are located on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. She would also have been delighted that half the chapters were first authored by highly cited women scientists. Beth spent her career teaching, mentoring, conducting research with students and colleagues, and planning limnogeology conferences, books, and field trips. Her contributions span deep-time lakes from North and South America, Africa, Asia, and Europe, starting with her work on the Lower Jurassic East Berlin Formation where she conducted her Ph.D. research. Her work with Kerry Kelts at the University of Minnesota produced two books summarizing global lake research. These volumes are still used by many researchers, particularly as a starting point in their limnogeological studies. Her collaboration with Springer Nature® resulted in the series entitled Syntheses in Limnogeology, a publication that likely would not exist without her enthusiasm and perseverance. The papers in this second volume in the series describe a variety of Jurassic to modern lakes that range from fresh to hypersaline, shallow to deep, vary in size from <1 km2 to 100s of km2, and are found in a number of tectonic settings. Various proxies, including microfossils and trace fossils and analyses of lacustrine sedimentology, stratigraphy, and stable isotopes are used to evaluate the sediment cores and stratigraphic sections to evaluate human and climate influences on the environment, the effects of tectonic, seismic, and volcanic activity, and variations in hydrology. The contributions in this volume reflect the diverse research that Beth conducted herself and we hope is a fitting honor to one of the founding scientists of Limnogeology.

Keywords

  • Beth Gierlowski-Kordesch
  • Limnogeology
  • Paleoclimate
  • Paleohydrology
  • Book summary

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Acknowledgments

The editors would like to thank all the authors and reviewers for their work to make this book a lasting testament to Beth’s memory and leadership in limnogeology. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. U.S. Geological Survey, California Water Science Center, Carson City, NV, USA

    Michael R. Rosen

  2. Department of Geosciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA

    Lisa Park Boush

  3. Geoscience Department, Hobart & William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY, USA

    David B. Finkelstein

  4. Department of Didactics of Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain

    Sila Pla-Pueyo

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  1. Michael R. Rosen
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  2. Lisa Park Boush
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  3. David B. Finkelstein
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  4. Sila Pla-Pueyo
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Correspondence to Michael R. Rosen .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. United States Geological Survey California Water Science Center, Carson City, NV, USA

    Michael R. Rosen

  2. Department of Geosciences, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY, USA

    David B. Finkelstein

  3. Department of Geosciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA

    Lisa Park Boush

  4. Department of Didactics of Experimental Sciences Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain

    Dr. Sila Pla-Pueyo

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Rosen, M.R., Boush, L.P., Finkelstein, D.B., Pla-Pueyo, S. (2021). Introduction to Limnogeology: Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities: A Tribute to Elizabeth Gierlowski-Kordesch. In: Rosen, M.R., Finkelstein, D.B., Park Boush, L., Pla-Pueyo, S. (eds) Limnogeology: Progress, Challenges and Opportunities . Syntheses in Limnogeology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-66576-0_1

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