Skip to main content
    Kent State University logo
    • Apply
    • Visit
    • Give Now
    • FlashLine Login
    • Calendars
    • Phone Directory
    • Maps & Directions
    • Search
    Department of Earth Sciences
    Menu Search
    • About Earth Sciences
      Close
      • About Earth Sciences Overview
      • Alumni
      • Mission Statement
      • Forms and Downloads
      • Earth Sciences at Regional Campuses
      • Earth Sciences Palmer Lecture Series
      • Student Organizations
      • Geology Rock Garden at Kent State Stark
    • Careers
      Close
      • Careers Overview
      • Career Descriptions
      • I'm not an Earth Sciences major. Why should I take Earth Sciences courses?
      • Job Search Resources
      • Salary Expectations
      • What can I do with a degree in Earth Sciences?
      • Who hires earth scientists?
    • Undergraduate Programs
      Close
      • Undergraduate Programs Overview
      • Bachelor of Arts
      • Bachelor of Arts in Earth Science
      • Bachelor of Science - Environmental Geology Concentration
      • Bachelor of Science
      • Minor in Earth Sciences
      • CORE Courses in Earth Sciences
      • Courses
      • Undergraduate Course Descriptions
      • Endowed Undergraduate Internship Program
      • Field Trips
      • Undergraduate Awards and Scholarships
      • 3+3 BA to JD Law School Program
    • Graduate Programs
      Close
      • Graduate Programs Overview
      • M.S. in Geology
      • Ph.D. in Applied Geology
      • Career Outcomes for Graduate Students
      • Applying to the Graduate Program
      • Courses
      • Graduate Course Descriptions
      • Graduate Awards and Scholarships
      • Graduate Students
    • Faculty & Staff Directory
      Close
      • Faculty & Staff Directory Overview
      • Earth Sciences Faculty Photo Archive
      • Rodney M. Feldmann In Memorium
    • Research
      Close
      • Research Overview
      • Environmental Research
      • Recent Faculty and Student Research Publications
      • Evolution of Earth Systems Research
      • Facilities
      • Interdisciplinary Research Groups
      • Undergraduate Research Opportunities
      • Research Funding Updates
    • Summer Field Camp
      Close
      • Summer Field Camp Overview
      • Manual of Field Safety
      • Photo Gallery
      • Program of Study
    • FlashLine Login
    • Calendars
    • Phone Directory
    • Maps & Directions
    • Search
    • Apply
    • Visit
    • Give Now
    Live Chat
    Joseph D. Ortiz

    Joseph D. Ortiz

    Earth Sciences
    Professor & Chair
    Campus:
    Kent
    Office Location:
    McGilvrey Hall
    Office Hours:
    Monday and Wednesday 10:00 - 11:30 am; 4:00 - 5:00 pm; Tuesday and Thursday 10:30 - 11:30 am, 3:30 - 5:00 pm, or by appointment.
    Contact Information
    Email:
    jortiz@kent.edu
    Phone:
    330-672-2225
    Fax:
    330-672-7949
    Personal Website:
    http://earthsci.info

    Biography

    With training in Aquatic Biology and Oceanography, I am a broadly trained Environmental Scientist who views environmental and societal problems from an earth system science perspective. I work at the interface between sciences unraveling climate mysteries, exploring the relationship between sedimentary strata, helping to improve water quality using electromagnetic sensing techniques, and exploring renewable energy and sustainability solutions to address anthropogenic climate change.
     
    I make use of research methods that span disciplines. I study sedimentary records to extract climate-related information on seasonal to glacial-interglacial time scales. I employ diverse methods ranging from marine micropaleontology to light isotope geochemistry and core and well logging to decipher Earth's climate record. I make use of environmental remote sensing to study harmful algal blooms and agricultural remote sensing methods to monitor soil carbon content and evaluate the impacts of various farming practices. 

    Expertise

    Sedimentology
    Climate Change
    Well Logging Energy/Sector
    water quality
    Environmental Geology
    Climate
    Environment
    diversity in STEM education
    geoscience STEM education
    diversity and intercultural dialogue
    interconnections of human organizations and social groups

    Publications

    • Lard, M., Eichler, S., Gao, P., Singh, K., Ortiz, J., Cook, R., Cormier, S. Richmond-Bryant, J., Soil Contamination by Environmentally Persistent Free Radicals and Dioxins Following Train Derailment in East Palestine, OH, Journal of Hazardous Materials, i
    • Mihindukulasooriya, L.N, Mabry, B.S., Campbell, A.G., Slocum M., and Ortiz, J.D, (2023), Visible Derivative Spectroscopic Monitoring of the Old Woman Creek National Estuary during a Historically Dry Year and a Wet Year, American Journal of Environmental S
    • Mukusha, L., Miller, ...Ortiz, J.D., et. al., (2024), Hit or miss: Do microscopic linear impact traces (MLITs) form on Clovis stone tips launched via atlatl into foliage and sediment?, Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 55 (2024) 104517
    • Alfaro-Mejia, E., Manian, V., Ortiz, J.D., and Tokars, R. (2023), A blind convolutional deep autoencoder for spectral unmixing of hyperspectral images over waterbodies, Front. Earth Sci.
    • Ratnayake, K.M, Clotts, R., Barrera, E.C., Saylor, B.Z., Ortiz, J.D. (2023), A pre-bomb radiocarbon freshwater reservoir correction for the Laurentian Great Lakes, Journal of Paleolimnology
    • Chaabane, S. de Garidel, T. et. al., Ortiz J.D.; (2023), The FORCIS database: A global census of planktonic Foraminifera from ocean waters, Scientific Data 10:354
    • Ali KA, Flanagan DC, Brandt ME, Ortiz J.D., and Smith TB (2023), Semi-analytical inversion modelling of Chlorophyll a variability in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Front. Remote Sens. 4:1172819. doi: 10.3389/frsen.2023.1172819.
    • Pan, H.J., and Ortiz, J.D., Assessing the accuracy of biogenic content estimation from visable derivate spectroscopy of sedent cores from the western Pacific, Lithosphere, 2022, article ID 8587468
    • Recker, A., Mulvey, B., and Ortiz, J.D. What is happening to our water? Science & Children, March/April, 44-49, 2022.
    • Lewis, A.R., Simone, D., Williams, J., Erin, M.I., and Ortiz, J.D., Using visible derivative spectroscopy to assess flaked projectile point provenance: application and preliminary analysis of the Welling Site, Ohio, U.S.A., Archeometry, in press.

      Affiliations

    • American Geophysical Union (AGU)
    • Oceanography Society (TOS)
    • Geological Society of America (GSA)
    • Sigma Xi (Scientific research honor society)
    • American Quaternary Association (AMQUA)
    • National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT)
    • Northern Ohio Geological Society (NOGS)
    • Documents

      PDF icon cv_jdo_current (1).pdf

      News Stories

      • GEOLOGY PROFESSOR AND SCIENCE HISTORIAN CO-AUTHOR ARTICLE EXPLORING EUNICE FOOTE’S CLIMATE EXPERIMENTS FROM 1856
      • Climate Change Threatens Drinking Water Quality Across the Great Lakes
      • https://www.kent.edu/cas/news/new-methodologies-developed-ortiz%E2%80%99-lab-improve-monitoring-lakes-and-oceans
      • Sinclair drones soar over Erie to spot dangerous algae
      • Kent State Professor Collaborates With NASA Glenn and University Researchers to Study, Improve Lake Erie’s Water Quality
      • We're Killing Our Lakes and Oceans. The Consequences Are Real.

      Research Institutes and Initiatives

      Global Understanding Research Initiative Healthy Communities Research Initiative
      Department of Earth Sciences

      Street Address

      221 McGilvrey Hall
      325 S. Lincoln St.
      Kent, OH 44242


      Mailing Address

      800 E. Summit St.
      Kent, OH 44242

      Contact Us

      330-672-2680 earthsci@kent.edu
      Contact Us
      • 330-672-3000
      • info@kent.edu

      Facebook
      Geology Instagram
      QUICK LINKS
      • Geology at Regional Campuses
      • Student Organizations
      • Student Resources
      • Forms Library
      • facebook
      • instagram
      • youtube
      • linkedin
      • TikTok
      • X
      • snapchat
      • ...
      Information
      • Accessibility
      • Annual Security Reports
      • For Our Alumni
      • For the Media
      • Health Services
      • Jobs & Employment
      • Privacy Statement
      • HEERF CARES/CRRSAA/ARP Act Reporting and Disclosure
      • Website Feedback
      Kent State University logo
      © 2025 Kent State University All rights reserved.