Maria Luisa TEJADA

ABOUT ME

I am a geologist by training at the University of the Philippines and an igneous petrologist and geochemist by specialization at the University of Hawaii, USA.

I have been interested in massive volcanism throughout Earth’s history and their environmental impacts. At JAMSTEC my research focused on oceanic large volcanic provinces, particularly those that wreaked havoc on the oceanic environment during Early Cretaceous, ~125 million years ago, producing several widespread oceanic anoxia that affected a large number of marine organisms. This period also saw unprecedented global warming spell, a “Greenhouse Earth”, that some researchers see as a potential model for modern-day and future global warming impact on our planet.

This is where my research interests blend in well with issues related to Anthropocene. My research brought me to participation in the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) expeditions to South China Sea and Mentelle Basin in the Indian Ocean. This photo shows the drilling vessel, JOIDES Resolution, in the background, which is the commonly used platform for these expeditions.

Maria Luisa Tejada

Maria Luisa Tejada in front of the drilling vessel © Tejada


PROJECT DESCRIPTION

My interest in Anthropocene started during my visit to Michael Wagreich at University of Vienna where I attended a lecture series on the applications of geochemistry to Anthropocene research. Together with my colleagues at the University of the Philippines, we are now working on getting funding to start a project that will utilize our combined expertise in geochemistry, microfossils, marine biogeochemisty and other disciplines, to assess and address some of the issues related to environmental and marine ecosystems degradation in the Philippines because of human activities.