Murat Aydin
Full Researcher, Department of Earth System Science
Biography
Murat Aydin is a Full Researcher in the Department of Earth System Science at the University of California, Irvine. He earned his Ph.D. in Marine and Atmospheric Chemistry from the University of Miami in 1999 and his B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from Bogazici University in Istanbul, Turkey in 1993. Aydin joined UCI in 2002 as an Assistant Researcher and was promoted to Associate Researcher in 2010 before advancing to his current position in 2022.
Aydin's research focuses on atmospheric composition and chemistry, biogeochemical cycles, and global climate, with emphasis on past atmospheric variability of biogenic trace gases and non-methane hydrocarbons using firn air and ice cores from polar ice sheets. He has authored 38 peer-reviewed journal articles and three book chapters, including publications in Nature, PNAS, and Journal of Geophysical Research. His work has been funded by the National Science Foundation through multiple grants totaling over $4 million, including projects examining methyl halides, carbonyl sulfide, and non-methane hydrocarbons in Antarctic and Greenland ice cores. Aydin served as lead principal investigator for the SPICEcore project from 2012-2017, which successfully drilled a 1,751-meter ice core at the South Pole, exceeding the original target depth by 251 meters.
Aydin has extensive field experience, having participated in seven major polar expeditions to Antarctica and Greenland since 2005. He has mentored four Ph.D. students who have completed their dissertations and currently supervises one doctoral student. Over his career, he has provided research training to approximately 25-30 undergraduate students and regularly accepts high school students for summer laboratory experiences. Aydin serves as a reviewer for multiple peer-reviewed journals and funding agencies, including the National Science Foundation, and has served on various committees within the ice core research community, including the US Ice Core Work Group and as a co-principal investigator for the Center for Oldest Ice Exploration.
Return to topEducation
- B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering, Bogazici University, 1993
- Ph.D. in Marine and Atmospheric Chemistry, University of Miami, 1999
Areas of Expertise
- Atmospheric Chemistry Research
- Ice Core Gas Extraction
- Polar Firn Air Analysis
- Trace Gas Measurements
- Biogeochemical Cycle Studies
- Carbonyl Sulfide Atmospheric History
- Methyl Halide Ice Records
- Non-Methane Hydrocarbon Analysis
- Antarctic Field Work Leadership
- Semiconductor Manufacturing Gas Emissions
Recent Publications
- Aydin, M., Nicewonger, M. R., Britten, G. L., Winski, D., Whelan, M., Patterson, J. D., Osterberg, E., Lee, C. F., Harder, T., Callahan, K. J., Ferris, D., Saltzman, E. S., “Carbonyl sulfide measurements from a South Pole ice core and implications for atmospheric variability since the last glacial period” (opens in new tab), Climate of the Past, vol. 20, pp. 1885-1917, 2024.
- John D. Patterson, Murat Aydin, Andrew M. Crotwell, Gabrielle Pétron, Jeffery P. Severinghaus, Paul B. Krummel, Ray L. Langenfelds, Vasilii V. Petrenko, Eric S. Saltzman, “Reconstructing atmospheric H2 over the past century from bi-polar firn air records” (opens in new tab), Climate of the Past, vol. 19, pp. 2535-2550, 2023.
- Patterson, J. D., Aydin, M., Crotwell, A. M., Petron, G., Severinghaus, J. P., Krummel, P. B., Langenfelds, R. L., Saltzman, E. S., “H2 in Antarctic firn air: Atmospheric reconstructions and implications for anthropogenic emissions” (opens in new tab), Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol. 118, no. 36, pp. e2103335118, 2021.
Most Cited Publications
- Murat Aydin, Kristal R. Verhulst, Eric S. Saltzman, Mark O. Battle, Stephen A. Montzka, Donald R. Blake, Qi Tang, Michael J. Prather, “Recent decreases in fossil-fuel emissions of ethane and methane derived from firn air” (opens in new tab), Nature, vol. 476, pp. 198-201, 2011.
- S. A. Montzka, M. Aydin, J. H. Butler, M. Battle, E. S. Saltzman, B. D. Hall, A. D. Clark, D. Mondeel, J. W. Elkins, “A 350 year history for carbonyl sulfide inferred from Antarctic firn air and air trapped in ice” (opens in new tab), Journal of Geophysical Research D Atmospheres, vol. 109, pp. D22302, 2004.
- M. Aydin, W. J. De Bruyn, E. S. Saltzman, “Preindustrial atmospheric carbonyl sulfide (OCS) from an Antarctic ice core” (opens in new tab), Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 2, pp. Art. no. 1359, 2002.
- R. C. Rhew, M. Aydin, E. S. Saltzman, “Measuring terrestrial fluxes of methyl chloride and methyl bromide using a stable isotope technique” (opens in new tab), Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 30, pp. 2013-2016, 2003.
- E. S. Saltzman, M. Aydin, W. J. De Bruyn, D. B. King, S. A. Yvon-Lewis, “Methyl bromide in preindustrial air: measurements from an Antarctic ice core” (opens in new tab), Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres, vol. 109, no. D5, pp. D0530, 2004.
- Nicewonger, M. R., Verhulst, K. R., Aydin, M., Saltzman, E. S., “Preindustrial atmospheric ethane levels inferred from polar ice cores: A constraint on the geologic sources of atmospheric ethane and methane” (opens in new tab), Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 43, pp. 214-221, 2016.
- Grieman, M. M., Aydin, M., Fritzsche, D., McConnell, J. R., Opel, T., Sigl, M., Saltzman, E. S., “Aromatic acids in a Eurasian Arctic ice core: a 2,600-year proxy record of biomass burning” (opens in new tab), Climate of the Past, vol. 13, pp. 395-410, 2017.
- M. Aydin, E. S. Saltzman, W. J. De Bruyn, S. A. Montzka, J. H. Butler, M. Battle, “Atmospheric variability of methyl chloride over the last 300 years from an Antarctic ice core and firn air” (opens in new tab), Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 31, pp. L02109, 2004.
- Grieman, M. M., Aydin, M., Isaksson, E., Schwikowski, M., Saltzman, E. S., “Aromatic acids in an Arctic ice core from Svalbard: a proxy record of biomass burning” (opens in new tab), Climate of the Past, vol. 14, pp. 637-651, 2018.
- Nicewonger, M. R., Aydin, M., Prather, M. J., Saltzman, E. S., “Large changes in biomass burning over the last millennium inferred from paleoatmospheric ethane in polar ice cores” (opens in new tab), Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol. 115, pp. 12413-12418, 2018.
Contact Information
Email: maydin@uci.edu
Phone: 562-761-3295
Address: 308 N Colorado Pl., Long Beach, CA 90814
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Last updated on 7/24/2025.