About

Daniel E. Ibarra is the Manning Assistant Professor of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences and Environment and Society at Brown University, and an affiliate Assistant Professor of Engineering. He is a biogeochemist and climate scientist whose research advances understanding of the coupled water and carbon cycles and how the Earth system responds to climate change. His work spans the geologic record, modern river systems, field observations, and modeling, aiming to deepen fundamental scientific knowledge while supporting applied solutions such as enhanced weathering strategies for permanent carbon dioxide removal and improved characterization of lithium resources critical to a sustainable energy transition. Ibarra received dual B.S. degrees in Civil & Environmental Engineering (Atmosphere/Energy) and Geological & Environmental Sciences from Stanford University in 2012, followed by an M.S. in Geological Sciences in 2014 and a Ph.D. in Earth System Science in 2018, also from Stanford. He held a Miller Institute Fellowship and a President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of California, Berkeley, working in stable isotope geochemistry before joining Brown University. As a Filipino-American geoscientist raised in Hong Kong and Montana, he is deeply committed to broadening participation in the geosciences. In 2020, he co-founded Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Geosciences, and previously served as a founding Advisory Council member for EarthArXiv, a preprint server for Earth and planetary sciences. In 2019, he was appointed a Balik Scientist by the Republic of the Philippines at the University of the Philippines Diliman. At Brown, Ibarra holds appointments in the Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences and the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, and is an affiliate of the School of Engineering, Data Science Institute, and the Swearer Center. He was a founding Executive Committee member for the Initiative for Sustainable Energy. His research and contributions focus on understanding Earth's climate history and processes, with a commitment to advancing scientific knowledge and fostering diversity in the geosciences.

Research topics

• Geology
• Environmental science
• Oceanography
• Climatology
• Geochemistry
• Paleontology
• Earth science
• Physics
• Mathematics
• Ecology
• Atmospheric sciences
• Geography
• Biology
• Astrobiology
• Geomorphology
• Chemistry
• Computer Science
• World Wide Web
• Internal medicine
• Materials science
• Chemical engineering
• Medicine
• Library science
• Meteorology

Selected publications

• Fault and fracture networks as long-lived conduits for lithium transport

  2026-04-01

  articleOpen access

  Abstract. Lithium brine systems are critical resources for the energy transition, yet the mechanisms governing lithium mobilization, transport, and concentration remain poorly constrained. In particular, the role of fault and fracture networks in controlling fluid flow and lithium distribution is not well resolved. Here we investigate the structural controls on lithium transport in Clayton Valley, Nevada, a key lithium-producing basin in the USA. We present new analyses of calcite-mineralized faults, opening-mode fractures, and spring deposits that record lithium-bearing fluid flow over >10 Myr of Basin and Range extension. Hereafter, opening-mode fractures are referred to as “fractures,” and mineral-cemented faults or fractures as “veins.” Calcite U–Pb ages (15–4 Ma), clumped-isotope formation temperatures (25–140 °C), and lithium concentrations (up to 460 ppm) demonstrate that fault and fracture networks repeatedly transported lithium-bearing fluids through basement, along basin margins, and within basin fill throughout basin evolution. Lithium concentrations vary systematically with host setting, with the highest values recorded in basin-fill-hosted veins and spring deposits and generally lower values in basement-hosted and basin-bounding fault veins. Several lithium-bearing calcite veins yield U–Pb ages that predate emplacement of late Miocene silicic volcanic units by up to ~9 Myr, demonstrating that structurally focused lithium transport occurred prior to emplacement of widely cited volcanic source reservoirs. Temperature and stable isotope constraints indicate dominantly meteoric fluids advected to depth and focused along faults, suggesting that lithium transport and enrichment in Clayton Valley does not necessarily require ascent of lithium-enriched magmatic fluids along deeply rooted crustal-scale faults. These results show that long-lived fault and fracture networks act as persistent pathways for lithium transport and redistribution within closed extensional basins. Although fault-controlled lithium enrichment has been recognized previously, this study provides direct evidence for structurally focused lithium transport over multi-Myr timescales.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Ostracod Faunal Assemblage Tracks Lake Volume During the Last Deglaciation in Pluvial Lake Mojave

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2026-01-01

  preprintOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Seagrasses and macroalgae incorporate land-derived metal pollution while limiting its transfer through estuarine food webs

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2026-01-01

  preprintOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• New insights into Mangaia and the HIMU reservoir using triple oxygen isotopes

  2025-01-01

  article
  PublisherDOI

• ‘Earth system engineers’ and the cumulative impact of organisms in deep time

  Trends in Ecology & Evolution · 2025-09-24 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Understanding the role of humans as 'ecosystem engineers' requires a deep-time perspective rooted in evolutionary history and the fossil record. However, no conceptual framework exists for studying the rise of ecosystem engineering in deep time, requiring us to consider effects that fall outside the scope of traditional definitions. Here, we present a new framework applicable to both modern and ancient engineering-type effects. We propose a new term - 'Earth system engineering' - to describe biological processes that alter the structure and function of planetary spheres, and which combines core tenets of ecosystem engineering, niche construction, and legacy effects. We illustrate this framework using the fossil record, and show how it can be applied across the tree of life, and throughout Earth history.

  PublisherDOI

• Plant wax isotopic reconstructions reveal thermodynamic drivers of hydroclimate over the last two glacial cycles at Great Salt Lake and Bear Lake, Utah

  2025-11-02

  articleOpen access

  The growth and decay of the Laurentide ice sheet is known to have produced large changes in the hydrological cycle in southwestern North America. While a wetter, isotopically lighter last glacial is well-documented, much less information is available for prior glacials. Increased proxy coverage is needed to test climate models’ ability to reconstruct these changes and to assess their predictive power for water availability in response to future climate change. Here, we present a dual-lake precipitation isotope record spanning the last two glacial cycles from two large lakes in Utah: Great Salt Lake and Bear Lake. We use plant wax n-alkane δD as a proxy for precipitation δD (δDprecip) and find coherent glacial-interglacial fluctuations in δDprecip, with a ~30‰ D-depletion during glacial maxima relative to interglacials. We find similar δDprecip values between the Holocene and Eemian, but at the lower-pCO2 MIS 7 interglacial, D-enrichment is only weakly recorded at Great Salt Lake and absent at higher elevation Bear Lake. Comparison to regional proxy archives finds large-scale coherence in regional hydroclimate change over the last two glacial cycles is best explained by thermodynamic processes, with increased rainout efficiency, isotopic fractionation, and snow in a colder atmosphere. Comparison of proxies to climate model experiments showed models considerably underestimate glacial-interglacial precipitation isotopic shifts. New precipitation isotopic reconstructions from lakes in Utah, along with assembled regional proxies, provide greater temporal and spatial coverage as targets for model skill in capturing hydroclimate variations across the past two glacial cycles.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Interrogating leaching procedures of meteorites for triple oxygen isotope analyses

  Meteoritics and Planetary Science · 2025-09-01

  article

  Abstract Triple oxygen isotope analyses of meteorites are a fundamental tool for classifying meteorites and investigating early solar system processes. However, its utility can be significantly compromised by terrestrial oxygen contamination during weathering processes on Earth's surface. Aiming to restore the original bulk oxygen isotope composition of meteorites through the removal of terrestrial weathering products, leaching procedures with hydrochloric acid (HCl) or ethanolamine thioglycollate (EATG) are often employed, but their effects remain poorly understood. Therefore, here we obtained high‐precision triple oxygen isotope data for a comprehensive set of meteorites to systematically evaluate the efficacy and consequences of these leaching methods as a function of meteorite group, weathering grade, petrologic type, and find/fall location and status. Our data for untreated and leached bulk meteorite powders show that leaching can cause shifts of several permil in 18 O/ 16 O and 17 O/ 16 O in aqueously altered and pristine chondrites, and lower magnitude shifts in thermally metamorphosed chondrites and achondrites. Though some shifts can be explained by removal of terrestrial weathering products, many suggest the inadvertent removal of indigenous phases. As such, this study highlights the benefits and disadvantages of leaching methods for meteorites, which can be best assessed by analyses of both untreated and HCl/EATG‐leached aliquots.

  PublisherDOI

• Volcano-Sedimentary Deposits: Overview of an Emerging Type of Lithium Resource

  Economic Geology · 2025-03-17 · 24 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Volcano-sedimentary (VS) deposits represent a relatively poorly studied and still underdeveloped type of Li resource. These deposits consist of mixed volcanic-sedimentary successions deposited in closed basins developed in felsic magmatic provinces. The Li ore in VS systems includes complex mineralogical assemblages dominated by phyllosilicates, borosilicates, and phosphates. In this paper we review the geologic features of VS Li deposits with the goal of providing a generalized deposit model, as well as an updated classification scheme, which can be used to aid a better understanding of this unconventional ore type and inform mineral exploration of VS-fertile geologic terranes. We focus on several key characteristics of VS deposits, including the following: (1) tectonic and climatic settings of VS-endowed districts, (2) geochemical footprint of Li-fertile magmatic rocks found in VS deposits, (3) mechanisms of transport and enrichment of Li from the primary igneous rocks to the critical zone, (4) physical and structural features of the geologic trap, (5) triggers for the Li deposition in the secondary ore assemblages, and (6) preservation and aging behavior of VS deposits, with implications for mineral exploration. These aspects are discussed based on published available data and also by presenting new observations on representative VS deposits from the western United States, eastern Europe, and elsewhere.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Uranium and Lithium Isotope Ratios of River Solutes Clarify the Role of Bedrock Properties in Landscape Denudation

  Geophysical Research Letters · 2025-06-19

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Rock weathering impacts global nutrient cycles but factoring intrinsic properties of bedrock into weathering models remains a challenge. Here we show that two common tracers of silicate weathering—uranium (U) activity ratios and lithium (Li) isotope ratios of river solutes—inform lithology‐specific modes of landscape denudation. A compilation of paired, published ( 234 U/ 238 U) river and δ 7 Li river values demonstrates that watersheds dominated by metamorphic, volcanic, and sedimentary rocks have respectively broader ( 234 U/ 238 U) river ranges but overlapping δ 7 Li river values, indicating varying associations of sediment comminution and mineral dissolution with clay formation. Reactive transport models illustrate that intrinsic rock properties like grain size and kinetic rates constants mutually modify ( 234 U/ 238 U) river and δ 7 Li river values whereas extrinsic forces like fluid infiltration and rock uplift rates mostly impact δ 7 Li river values. These results delineate how given rock types denude and highlight the utility of these proxies in building process‐based models of landscape denudation over the Quaternary Period.

  PublisherDOI

• Triple Oxygen Isotope Record From Ferricrete Deposits Shows Holocene Moisture Source Shift in the Rocky Mountains

  Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology · 2025-09-18

  preprint

  Abstract Holocene hydroclimate changes in the western US are poorly constrained, in part because the region's complex topography and seasonally distinct circulation patterns can generate heterogenous responses over small spatial scales. To better understand regional precipitation patterns over the Holocene, we measured the triple oxygen isotopes of goethite from high‐elevation ferricrete deposits across a latitudinal gradient in the Rocky Mountains. Ferricretes form in stream water that reflects the isotopic composition of local precipitation, providing a record of past hydroclimate changes. We also used a 1‐dimensional vapor transport model to simulate precipitation δ 18 O and Δ′ 17 O along a hypothetical storm track, given varying moisture recycling amounts and evaporation versus transpiration contributions. We find that both northern (central Montana) and southern (southwest Colorado) sites exhibit similar increases in goethite δ 18 O over time, accompanied by declines in goethite Δ′ 17 O. To interpret these trends, we considered three potential drivers: temperature, moisture recycling and evapotranspiration partitioning, and moisture source. Δ′ 17 O is largely insensitive to temperature, and our model shows that changes in moisture recycling and evapotranspiration partitioning along the storm track cannot account for the observed Δ′ 17 O decreases. Instead, we conclude that the isotopic trends primarily reflect an increased contribution of southerly‐sourced precipitation, since moisture from the Gulf of Mexico—the dominant source of interior western US summer precipitation—is characterized by high δ 18 O and low Δ′ 17 O relative to Pacific moisture. More generally, this work demonstrates how triple oxygen isotopes can be used to disentangle changes in temperature, atmospheric moisture dynamics, and moisture source in semi‐arid to arid regions.

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• Collaborative Research: P2C2--Western United States Hydroclimate during the Last Interglacial: Developing Proxy Records and Using Model Intercomparison to Glimpse the Future

  NSF · $299k · 2021–2025

Frequent coauthors

• Dasapta Erwin Irawan

  Bandung Institute of Technology

  84 shared

• David William Hedding

  University of South Africa

  75 shared

• Jeremy K. Caves Rugenstein

  75 shared

• Haiyan Liu

  East China University of Technology

  74 shared

• Jonathan Tennant

  UNSW Sydney

  72 shared

• C. Page Chamberlain

  Stanford University

  72 shared

• Olivier Pourret

  UniLaSalle

  67 shared

• Tyler Kukla

  New Mexico Consortium

  61 shared

Labs

• Terrestrial Biogeochemistry and PaleoclimatologyPI

  The Ibarra Lab at Brown University

Education

• PhD, Earth System Science

  Stanford University School of Earth Sciences

  2018

• M.S., Geological and Environmental Sciences

  Stanford University School of Earth Sciences

  2014

• B.S., Atmosphere/Energy

  Stanford University School of Engineering

  2012

• B.S., Geological and Environmental Sciences

  Stanford University School of Earth Sciences

  2012

Awards & honors

• Miller Institute Fellowship
• President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship
• Balik Scientist by the Republic of the Philippines at the Un…