Carlota Escutia Dotti facts for kids

Carlota Escutia Dotti (born in 1959) is a Spanish geologist. She is famous for her work on Antarctica and how its ice cap has changed over time. Her research helps us understand the history of Earth and the important role Antarctica plays.

She works at the Andalusian Institute of Earth Sciences in Granada, Spain. She also works with the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC).

Early Life and Learning

Carlota Escutia Dotti was born in Monzón (Huesca), Spain in 1959. She studied geology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. She earned her first degree in 1982 and a master's degree in 1985.

Later, in 1992, she received her PhD from the University of Barcelona. Her advanced studies focused on understanding rock layers and how sediments form in different environments.

Her Career and Discoveries

Carlota Escutia's research looks at how layers of rock and sediment form. She studies these layers in places with very cold or very warm climates. Her main goals are to understand:

• How the environment and climate have changed globally.
• Natural dangers like landslides or earthquakes.
• Where to find important natural resources.

She has made big discoveries about the Antarctic ice sheet. She helped us learn how this huge ice sheet grew and melted over the last 35 million years. Her work also shows how climate change has affected Antarctica's rocks and sediments.

Besides writing scientific papers, Carlota Escutia has also written many reports. She often gives important talks at science conferences.

Throughout her career, she has worked in many different places. She was a marine geologist at the High Council for Scientific Research in Barcelona. She also spent time as a visiting scholar at Stanford University in the United States. She worked as a researcher at the United States Geological Survey.

From 2008 to 2013, she was a lead scientist for a big project called Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 318. During this expedition, scientists collected deep-sea core samples off Wilkes Land in Antarctica. These samples helped them study how the ice sheet evolved. Her work on this project greatly improved our understanding of Antarctica's history and the role of its ice cap.

Other Important Projects

Carlota Escutia has also worked on many other projects. These include:

• Studying how changes in the ocean and land are connected during past climate changes.
• Researching the history of Antarctica's climate and ice sheets. This project uses computer models and geological records.
• Looking at how the North and South Poles affect global climate. This was part of the International Polar Year.
• Investigating how plate tectonics and polar gateways have shaped Earth's history.

She has also been a member of many important scientific groups. These include the Joint Oceanographic Institutions for Deep Earth Sampling and the American Geophysical Union. She also served on the Editorial Review Board for the Ocean Drilling Program.

In 2014, she gave a special lecture at the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) conference. Her talk was about how to understand past climate and ice sheet changes from rock records. She continues to be a key Spanish representative for SCAR's geosciences group. Since 2005, she has been a research scientist at the High Council for Scientific Research. She also teaches in the doctoral program at the University of Granada.

Awards

Carlota Escutia Dotti has received several important awards for her work:

• Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) Medal for International Scientific Coordination (2020): This award recognized her efforts in bringing scientists from different countries together.
• Geological Society of America (GSA) Honorary Fellow (2020): This honor is given to people who have made major contributions to geology.
• Blaustein Fellowship from Stanford University (2009): This fellowship supported her research at a top university.

See also

In Spanish: Carlota Escutia Dotti para niños