Tao Sun, Postdoctoral Fellow
Isotope Geo/Cosmo-Chemistry
NASA Postdoctoral Fellow (NPP)
tsun1@lsu.edu
Thermal gradient induced non-mass dependent isotope fractionation phenomenon on rarefied gases, e.g. O2, CO, H2O, CO2, SF6; and the impact of such effect when deciphering isotope compositions (mainly oxygen and sulfur) of extraterrestrial materials;
Deciphering the past/ current physiochemical processes in extraterrestrial environments, e.g. Mars, using multiple isotope analysis of model objectives, e.g. sulfate, carbonate, from both meteorite samples and lab simulation perspectives;
Chemical and isotopic evolution of atmosphere through earth history; Major geological and biological events, which were induced by or resulted in climate threshold, e.g. Paleocene-Eocene boundary; Modeling of major light element (C,O,N,S) cycles of early Earth
Chemical and isotopic properties of soluble oxy-anions in arid environments, e.g. Atacama Desert, Gobi Desert, especially their chemical and isotopic temporal and spatial patterns during major climate transition;
Organic Geochemistry/ Petrology: investigating mechanisms of organic matter accumulation and preservation in source rocks (black shale) using a combination of molecular (biomarkers) and isotopic (C,N,S) analysis.
Ph.D in geology, Louisiana State University,2011
M.S. in geology, University of Kentucky,2006
B.S. in geology,University of Science and Technology of China, 2003
Sun T, Carmo A.M, Rowe H.D, Rimmer S.M, C and N stable isotopic excursions and molecular structure of organic matter in Late Devonian black shales of central Appalachian basin, The Society of Organic Petrology, meeting at Louisville, 2005
Sun T, Bao H.M, Reich M, Palacios C, Multiple Sulfate Isotopic Evidence on the Formation of Oxide Copper Ore at Spence, Atacama Desert, Northern Chile, AGU, 2007
Elswick, E.R., Hower, J.C., Carmo, A.M., Sun, T., Mardon, S.M., Sulfur and Carbon isotope geochemistry of coals and derived combustion by-products: An example from an eastern Kentucky power plant: Applied Geochemistry, v. 22, p. 2065-2077, 2007
Bao H.M, Sun T, Kohl I, Peng Y.B, Comment on "Early Archaean Microorganisms Preferred Elemental Sulfur, Not Sulfate", Science 7 March 2008: 1336
Socki R, Sun T, Bish D, Harvey R, Tonui E, and Bao HM, Origin of evaporite mounds at Lewis Cliff Ice Tongue, Transantarctic Mountains, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, under revision
Sun T and Bao H.M., Non-mass-dependent 17O anomalies generated by a superimposed thermal gradient on a rarefied O2 gas in a closed system, Rapid Communication in Mass Spectrometry, v.25 p.20-24, 2011
Sun T and Bao H.M., Thermal-Gradient Induced Non-Mass-Dependent Isotope Fractionation, Rapid Communication in Mass Spectrometry, v.25 p.765-773
Sun T, Bao H.M, Reich M, Palacios C, Multiple Sulfate Isotopic Evidence on the Formation of Oxide Copper Ore and climate transition from semi-arid to hyper-arid, Spence, Atacama Desert, Northern Chile, in prep