DR. THOMAS RONGE
MARINE GEOLOGIST ∣ CLIMATE SCIENTIST
DR. THOMAS RONGE
MARINE GEOLOGIST ∣ CLIMATE SCIENTIST
BIOGRAPHY
I am a Marine Geologist and Climate Scientist, working as a Staff Scientist and Expedition Project Manager for the NSF Scientific Ocean Drilling Coordination Office (SODCO) at Texas A&M University.
At SODCO I provide scientific expertise, leadership, and advocacy for realization of expedition projects and am responsible for overall implementation of scientific ocean drilling expeditions and achievement of the cruise science plan.
My own research focuses on the understanding of past changes in ocean currents, their influence on the oceanic
uptake and release of CO₂ , and how "warm" deep-waters affect ice sheets.
In a nutshell, I work on a better understanding of how oceans affect the climate and glaciers.
I currently contribute to several international and interdisciplinary research projects that focus on the reconstruction of past climate change in and around Antarctica and the Arctic, as well as arc volcanism.
I participated in numerous international expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctica, the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, North and South Atlantic, North and South Pacific, and the Southern Ocean. I have extensive experience working on (polar) research vessels, as well as working on land, glaciers, ice, and mountain environments. In addition, I have used helicopters, research diving, and submersibles to facilitate my research.
My love for science has resulted in a passion to share the knowledge and fascinating stories from the field and our research with a broader public.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
Susman, I., Manga, M., Escogido, C., Cadena, T., Ward, S., Kelly, L., Fauria, K., Druitt, T., Kutterolf, S., Ronge, T. A., and the Expedition 398 Scientists. 2026. Porosity and sinking times of pumice clasts from IODP Expedition 398, south Aegean volcanic arc. Proceedings of the IODP. paper here
González-Lanchas, A., Libman-Roshal, O., Duxbury, L., Gebhardt, C., Kapuge, A., Monito, L., Goss, G., [...] St. John, K., Lucchi, R., Ronge, T. A., and the Expedition 403 Scientists. 2026. X-ray fluorescence core scanning of IODP Site U1623. Proceedings of the IODP. paper here
Della Sala, S., Papadimitriou, V., Polymenaku, P., Kutterolf, S., Frieling, J., Pyle, D., Mather, T., Kilias, S., Jones, C., Druitt, T., [...], Ronge, T., A., and the Expedition 398 Scientists. 2026. A prolonged hydrothermal past at Santorini Caldera revealed by trace metal and microbial signatures. Nature Communications. paper here
Libman-Roshal., O., Duxbury, L., Gebhardt, C., Gonzalez-Lanchas, A., Kapuge, A., Monito, L., Haygood, L., Goss, G., Yeon, J., [...], Ronge, T. A., and the Expedition 403 Scientists. 2026. X-ray fluorescence scanning of sediment cores from Site U1618. Proceedings of the IODP. paper here
Preine, J., Hübscher, C., Druitt, T., Hartge, M., Metcalfe, A., Kutterolf, S., Pank, K., Karstens, J., Nomikou, P., Tominaga, M., [...], Benrdt, C., Ronge, T. A., and the Expedition 398 Scientists. 2026. Rift Development, Tectonic Forcings, and Magmatic Feedbacks at Santorini and Kolumbo Volcanoes Constrained by Scientific Drilling and Core-Seismic Integration. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems. paper here
Reviewer for
IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere; IPCC 6th and 7th Assessment Reports; Deep Sea Research; Earth and Planetary Science Letters; G-Cubed; Journal of Climate; National Science Foundation; Nature; Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology; Proceedings of the IODP; Quaternary Science Reports; Science
Editor for
Proceedings of the IODP
SCIENCE COMMUNICATION
As no audience is like another, I strive to offer tailored formats of Science Communication.
PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS
45-60 min. or longer
SCIENCE IN A PUB
Coming to a pub/bar near you
VIRTUAL PRESENTATIONS
Video calls with school classes, libraries, clubs...
MEDIA
TV, radio, podcast, print, and online...
MEDIA INQUIRIES
I frequently respond to inquiries from journalists and media outlets looking for quotes on peer-reviewed research papers, expert opinions, new scientific findings, expeditions, or scientific press releases. I have experience working with traditional media (print, radio, TV, movie) and online outlets (science websites, podcasts, YouTube, social media).
A non-exhaustive list of topics related to my expertise includes
Marine Geology
Scientific Ocean Drilling
Climate Research (past and present climate)
Marine Carbon Cycle (CO₂)
Deep Sea Geology
Marine fieldwork (ship-based expeditions, research diving, submersibles)
Polar Research (Antarctic/Arctic)
SHOWCASE
Several international media outlets have used my photos in various articles, documentaries, and books. Past outlets include: The BBC, Bikepacking, CNN, The Conversation, Corriere della Sera, Cosmos Magazine, dpa, Eos, FAZ, The Guardian, Kathimerini, National Geographic, n-tv, Oceanographic Magazine, P. M. Magazin, Popular Mechanics, Sapere, The Saturday Paper, Science & Vie, Der Spiegel, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Vox, The Wall Street Journal, Die Zeit, and more.
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Copyright Notice
The pictures used here are ©Thomas Ronge. In addition, thank you to the following people for granting me the right to use their pictures here.
Biography picture top: Sasha Plewe/IOW
Biography picture bottom left: Esther Horvath/AWI
Outreach video call picture: Chris Montgomery on unsplash
Media Inquiry photo: Erick Bravo/IODP
Outreach pub picture: Jens Kube
Scraping this website's images and text for machine learning, AI model training, image generation etc. is not permitted and constitutes a copyright violation.