Personal profile
Research overview
My research focuses on reconstructing past climate change and its causes. I'm particularly interested in the cause of recent glacial-interglacial cycles, and climate changes over the Cenozoic. To study these questions I use geochemical measurements on fossils, sediments, water and ice, with a special focus on the boron isotope proxy for pH. I interpret these data with the help of a variety of numerical models. I'm also fascinated by biomineralisation processes in corals and foraminifera, and the insights that geochemistry offers into calcification and ocean acidification. You can find out more about my work at my website: www.jameswbrae.com
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 13 Climate Action -
SDG 14 Life Below Water -
SDG 15 Life on Land
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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A century of change in the California Current: upwelling system amplifies acidification
Stoll, M. M. V., Deutsch, C. A., Jurikova, H., Rae, J. W. B., Frenzel, H., Gothmann, A. M., Alin, S. R. & Gagnon, A. C., 13 Nov 2025, In: Nature Communications. 16, 11 p., 9661.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Brachiopods as archives of intrannual, annual, and interannual environmental variations
Crippa, G., Jurikova, H., Leng, M. J., Zanchi, M., Harper, E. M., Rae, J. W. B., Savickaite, K., Viaretti, M. & Angiolini, L., 1 Jun 2025, In: Limnology and Oceanography Letters. 10, 3, p. 390-402 13 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Letter › peer-review
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Evaluating glacial CO2 system reconstructions from benthic proxies in Earth system simulations
Adloff, M., Jeltsch-Thömmes, A., Rae, J. W. B., Pöppelmeier, F., Trudgill, M., Stocker, T. F. & Joos, F., 2 Oct 2025, In: Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology. 40, 10, 24 p., e2025PA005125.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Ice core evidence for the Los Chocoyos supereruption disputes millennial-scale climate impact
Innes, H., Hutchison, W., Sigl, M., Crick, L., Abbott, P. M., Bigler, M., Chellman, N. J., Davies, S. M., Kutterolf, S., McConnell, J. R., Severi, M., Sparks, R. S. J., Svensson, A., Wolff, E. W., Rae, J. W. B. & Burke, A., 22 Feb 2025, In: Communications Earth & Environment. 6, 11 p., 137.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Limited decrease of Southern Ocean sulfur productivity across the penultimate termination
Fischer, H., Burke, A., Rae, J. W. B., Sugden, P. J., Erhardt, T., Twarloh, B., Hörhold, M., Freitag, J., Markle, B., Severi, M., Hansson, M., Savarino, J., Pryer, H., Doyle, E. & Wolff, E., 3 Jan 2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Nature Geoscience. Online, 10 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile
Datasets
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Rapid climate change in the glacial North Atlantic: New insights from geochemical records of temperature, CO2, redox and circulation (thesis data)
Littley, E. (Creator), Rae, J. W. B. (Supervisor) & Burke, A. (Supervisor), University of St Andrews, 12 Aug 2026
DOI: 10.17630/4b7dae1d-57ec-44b6-900d-87a8316349cf
Dataset: Thesis dataset
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Southern Ocean Mechanisms of Glacial CO2 Drawdown and Their Links with Global Climate (thesis data)
Shankle, M. (Creator) & Rae, J. W. B. (Supervisor), University of St Andrews, 20 Nov 2029
DOI: 10.17630/5d5c310d-02ea-4e34-86bf-d7737558db6b
Dataset: Thesis dataset
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Whodunit? Determining the source and eruptive characteristics of unidentified volcanic eruptions from ice and sediment core archives (thesis data)
Innes, H. (Creator), Burke, A. (Supervisor), Hutchison, W. (Supervisor), Engwell, S. (Supervisor) & Rae, J. W. B. (Supervisor), University of St Andrews, 14 Feb 2029
DOI: 10.17630/4236f630-5f85-45c3-a0ed-b07f49b414c3, https://doi.org/10.17630/sta/778
Dataset: Thesis dataset
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Data Underpinning Chen Xu's thesis
Xu, C. (Creator) & Rae, J. (Supervisor), University of St Andrews, 16 Jan 2031
DOI: 10.17630/84cb852c-89ae-426e-9316-3d4df07d38ac
Dataset: Thesis dataset
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A database of the elemental and isotopic composition of water and carbonates from a hypersaline Andean lake (Laguna del Peinado, Argentina)
Vignoni, P. A. (Creator), Jurikova, H. (Contributor), Schröder, B. (Creator), Tjallingii, R. (Creator), Córdoba, F. E. (Creator), Liebetrau, V. (Creator), Lecomte, K. L. (Creator), Pinkerneil, S. (Creator), Grudzinska, I. (Creator), Schleicher, A. M. (Creator), Viotto , S. A. (Creator), Santamans, C. (Creator), Rae, J. W. B. (Creator) & Brauer, A. (Creator), GFZ Data Services, 2023
Dataset
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New Foraminiferal Proxies for Cenozoic: New Foraminiferal Proxies for Cenozoic Seawater Chemistry (ForSea)
Rae, J. (PI)
Natural Environment Research Council
16/02/24 → 15/08/28
Project: Standard
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Solving the Oligocene icehouse conundrum: Solving the Oligocene icehouse conundrum
Rae, J. (PI)
Natural Environment Research Council
5/01/22 → 4/01/27
Project: Standard
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LA:TRACE: A New Laser Ablation–LIBS Chemical Imaging and Isotopic facility
Gardiner, N. (PI), Mikhail, S. (CoI), Rae, J. (CoI), Steele, R. (CoI), Savage, P. (CoI), Burke, A. (CoI), Bridgestock, L. (CoI), Stueeken, E. (CoI) & White, R. (CoI)
Natural Environment Research Council
11/02/25 → 20/02/26
Project: Standard
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Carbon negative prawns: Carbon negative prawns: sustainable protein and CO2 sink
Rae, J. (PI)
Natural Environment Research Council
1/03/23 → 31/03/23
Project: Standard
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Visit by Dr Jessica Tierney of the Unive: Visit by Dr Jessica Tierney of the University of Arizona
Rae, J. (PI)
The Royal Society of Edinburgh
18/05/22 → 1/06/22
Project: Standard
Activities
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Music Planet presents 'Vivaldi's Four Seasons'
Hyland, M. (Participant), Prave, A. R. (Participant), Bates, C. R. (Participant), Wilson, R. (Participant), Burke, A. (Participant), Rae, J. W. B. (Participant), Singer, M. D. (Participant) & Robinson, R. A. J. (Participant)
10 Sept 2017Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in or organising a public festival/exhibition/event
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The Cunning Little Vixen
Bates, C. R. (Participant), Williams, B. (Participant) & Rae, J. W. B. (Participant)
16 Jun 2017 → 20 Jun 2017Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in or organising a public festival/exhibition/event
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Cunning Little Vixen Education Project 2017
Thomson, E. (Organiser), Bates, C. R. (Participant), Rae, J. W. B. (Participant), Murphy, P. (Participant), Coyle, G. (Participant), Hyland, M. (Participant), Burns, J. (Participant) & Downes, M. (Participant)
25 May 2017 → 15 Jun 2017Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in or organising a workshop, seminar, course
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Cunning Little Vixen Education Project 2017
Thomson, E. (Organiser), Bates, C. R. (Participant), Rae, J. W. B. (Participant), Murphy, P. (Participant), Coyle, G. (Participant), Hyland, M. (Participant), Burns, J. (Participant) & Downes, M. (Participant)
9 May 2017 → 15 Jun 2017Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in or organising a workshop, seminar, course
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The Heisenberg Ensemble Concert - Music Planet
Bates, C. R. (Participant), Hyland, M. (Participant), Prave, A. R. (Participant), Wilson, R. (Participant), Burke, A. (Participant), Rae, J. W. B. (Participant), Singer, M. D. (Participant) & Robinson, R. A. J. (Participant)
29 Jan 2017Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in or organising a public festival/exhibition/event
Prizes
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EGU Outstanding Young Scientist Award, Biogeosciences Division
Rae, J. W. B. (Recipient), 2015
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)