Dr. Todd Grote
Coordinator of the Sustainability and Regeneration Program
About
Dr. Grote is an associate professor of geosciences and Quaternary scientist with graduate-level training in geology, physical geography, climatology/meteorology, archaeology and ecology. His diverse academic background translates into a similarly diverse array of research topics and toolkits primarily focused on the Quaternary Period (the past ~ 2.6 million years of Earth history, a time when the planet experinced multiple Ice Ages). He completed his Ph.D. in Geology from West Virginia University in 2006.
Teaching
Biogeography
Climatology
Environmental Archaeology/Geoarchaeology
Geomorphology
Glacial and Quaternary Geology
Hydrology
Prehistory of North America
Sedimentology and Stratigraphy
Research
My primary research interests include - (1) river and glacier responses to climate variability and change; (2) Quaternary paleoclimatology, paleoenvironments and paleogeography; (3) geoarchaeology of river, lakeshore and wetland environments; AND (4) hydroclimatology of the eastern and southwestern US. From an applied research perspective, I have interests in stream, wetland and ecological restoration, cultural resource management (CRM), and the impact of climate change on archaeological site discovery and preservation.
In recent years, and in collaboration with arhcaeological colleagues, I have turned much of my attention to reconstructing climate, ecological and landscape change at the Pleistocene-Holocene transition to better understand the environments the earliest Paleoindigenous peoples encountered as they spread across the North American continent. A particular focus of this work is understanding human-environment interactions and how these early inhabitants utilized the landscape and adapted to changing environmental condition.
That being said, some of my current research projects include:
- Late Quaternary paleoclimatology, paleoenvironments, post-glacial river and wetland evolution, and geoarchaeology of the Great Lakes Region.
- Glacial chronology, Late Quaternary paleoenvironments, post-glacial river evolution and geoarchaeology of the Ohio River Basin.
- Hydroclimatology and paleohydrology of eastern and southwestern North America
Education
Doctor of Philosophy
West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, United States