John Milliman

Education

• B.S., University of Rochester
• M.S., University of Washington - Seattle
• Ph.D., University of Miami

Research Interests

My research interests center on the flux and fate of sediment in the ocean. In practice this involves the study of both river-derived sediment (the single greatest source of sediment in the oceans) and calcium carbonate. Research has included the study of such diverse areas as rivers and their estuaries (ranging from the Amazon River down to rivers orders of magnitude smaller) to carbonate environments on tropical banks and shelves. This research has involved a variety of techniques and approaches, such as timeseries measurements within estuaries, high-resolution seismic profiling of the late Quaternary geological record, and the petrographic study of carbonate sediments and their cements. Recently my studies have included armchair reviews and synopses of fluvial and carbonate systems and their budgets.

In recent years these studies have led me to investigate the societal and economic implications of natural and anthropogenic changes on sedimentary systems, both on local and global scales. For example, what is the impact on a low-lying area from a relative rise of sea level, when a river is diverted or fringing coral reefs effectively stunted? Ultimately answering these questions can involve an interesting series of studies that can lead to unexpected scientific results as well as societal implications.