The European Geosciences Union (EGU) has awarded the 2022 Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky Medal to Adina Paytan, a research scientist at the UC Santa Cruz Institute of Marine Sciences. The medal is awarded annually in recognition of exceptional contributions to the biogeosciences.
Paytan studies chemical and biological processes in the oceans, how they have changed over time, and how they are affected by human activities. Her research includes studies of groundwater discharge into coastal systems, nutrient cycling, carbon storage in coastal wetlands, ocean acidification, and paleoceanography.
“An overarching goal of my research is to link changes observed in the earth and ocean systems to global changes in climate and tectonics, with an emphasis on human impacts,” Paytan said.
A fellow of the American Geophysical Union (AGU), Association of Limnologists and Oceanographers (ASLO), and the Geochemical Society, Paytan is internationally recognized for her leadership and scientific accomplishments. Her awards and honors include the 2019 A.G. Huntsman Award for Excellence in the Marine Sciences presented by the Royal Society of Canada, the AGU’s Dansgaard Award for contributions to paleoceanography and paleoclimatology, the AGU Rachel Carson Lecture, and the Petersen Foundation Excellence in Research Award.
Paytan received her Ph.D. in oceanography at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. She came to UC Santa Cruz in 2007 as a research scientist in the IMS.
