World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!

D-Index & Metrics

Earth Science

D-Index
49
Citations
10283
World Ranking
3554
National Ranking
1406

Overview

Victor J. Polyak is affiliated with the University of New Mexico in the United States. Their research primarily focuses on Earth and Planetary Sciences, with a strong emphasis on several subfields including Atmospheric Science, Earth-Surface Processes, Geophysics, Paleontology, and Oceanography.

The scientist's work spans multiple topics, notably:

  • Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
  • Karst Systems and Hydrogeology
  • Maritime and Coastal Archaeology
  • Marine and Environmental Studies
  • Tree-ring Climate Responses
  • Geological and Geochemical Analysis
  • Earthquake and Tectonic Studies

Victor J. Polyak has contributed extensively to scientific literature, with a total of 94 publications recorded within their main field. They have been frequently published in venues such as Abstracts with programs - Geological Society of America, Scientific Reports, International Journal of Speleology, Science Advances, and Geomorphology.

Among the recent papers authored or co-authored by Victor J. Polyak are:

  • "Intertropical convergence zone variability in the Neotropics during the Common Era" (2020, Science Advances)
  • "Twentieth-century Azores High expansion unprecedented in the past 1,200 years" (2022, Nature Geoscience)
  • "Drought-Induced Civil Conflict Among the Ancient Maya" (2022, Nature Communications)
  • "Great Basin Paleoclimate and Aridity Linked to Arctic Warming and Tropical Pacific Sea Surface Temperatures" (2020, Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology)
  • "Hydroclimate variability from western Iberia (Portugal) during the Holocene: Insights from a composite stalagmite isotope record" (2020, The Holocene)

The scientist has collaborated with several frequent co-authors, including Yemane Asmerom, Bogdan P. Onac, Alan D. Wanamaker, Caroline C. Ummenhofer, and Rhawn F. Denniston. These collaborations have contributed to a substantial body of work, particularly in studies related to paleoclimate and geophysical processes.

Best Publications

  • Improvements in 230Th dating, 230Th and 234U half-life values, and U–Th isotopic measurements by multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

    Hai Cheng;Hai Cheng;R. Lawrence Edwards;Chuan Chou Shen;Victor J. Polyak

  • Development and Disintegration of Maya Political Systems in Response to Climate Change

    Douglas J. Kennett;Sebastian F. M. Breitenbach;Valorie V. Aquino;Yemane Asmerom

  • Variable winter moisture in the southwestern United States linked to rapid glacial climate shifts

    Yemane Asmerom;Victor J. Polyak;Stephen J. Burns

  • Unique Meteorite from Early Amazonian Mars: Water-Rich Basaltic Breccia Northwest Africa 7034

    Carl B. Agee;Nicole V. Wilson;Francis M. McCubbin;Karen Ziegler

  • Late Holocene Climate and Cultural Changes in the Southwestern United States

    Victor J. Polyak;Yemane Asmerom

  • High resolution stalagmite climate record from the Yucatán Peninsula spanning the Maya terminal classic period

    Martín Medina-Elizalde;Stephen J. Burns;David W. Lea;Yemane Asmerom

  • COnstructing Proxy Records from Age models (COPRA)

    Sebastian F.M. Breitenbach;Kira Rehfeld;Kira Rehfeld;Bedartha Goswami;Bedartha Goswami;James U.L. Baldini

  • Solar forcing of Holocene climate: New insights from a speleothem record, southwestern United States

    Yemane Asmerom;Victor Polyak;Stephen Burns;Jessica Rassmussen

  • Late Pleistocene Human Skeleton and mtDNA Link Paleoamericans and Modern Native Americans

    James C. Chatters;Douglas J. Kennett;Yemane Asmerom;Brian M. Kemp

  • A 1500‐year El Niño/Southern Oscillation and rainfall history for the Isthmus of Panama from speleothem calcite

    Matthew S. Lachniet;Stephen J. Burns;Dolores R. Piperno;Yemane Asmerom

  • A Stalagmite record of Holocene Indonesian–Australian summer monsoon variability from the Australian tropics

    Rhawn F. Denniston;Karl-Heinz Wyrwoll;Victor J. Polyak;Josephine R. Brown

  • Age and origin of carlsbad cavern and related caves from 40Ar/39Ar of alunite

    Victor J. Polyak;William C. McIntosh;William C. McIntosh;William C. McIntosh;Necip Güven;Necip Güven;Necip Güven;Paula Provencio;Paula Provencio;Paula Provencio

  • Aerosol forcing of the position of the intertropical convergence zone since ad 1550

    Harriet E. Ridley;Yemane Asmerom;James U. L. Baldini;Sebastian F. M. Breitenbach

  • Constraints on a Late Cretaceous uplift, denudation, and incision of the Grand Canyon region, southwestern Colorado Plateau, USA, from U-Pb dating of lacustrine limestone

    Carol A. Hill;Victor J. Polyak;Yemane Asmerom;Paula P. Provencio

  • Age and Evolution of the Grand Canyon Revealed by U-Pb Dating of Water Table-Type Speleothems

    Victor Polyak;Carol Hill;Yemane Asmerom

  • Abrupt global-ocean anoxia during the Late Ordovician-early Silurian detected using uranium isotopes of marine carbonates

    Rick Bartlett;Rick Bartlett;Maya Elrick;James R. Wheeley;Victor Polyak

  • North Atlantic forcing of millennial-scale Indo-Australian monsoon dynamics during the Last Glacial period

    Rhawn F. Denniston;Karl-Heinz Wyrwoll;Yemane Asmerom;Victor J. Polyak

  • A 2400 yr Mesoamerican rainfall reconstruction links climate and cultural change

    Matthew S. Lachniet;Juan Pablo Bernal;Yemane Asmerom;Victor Polyak

  • Holocene warming in western continental Eurasia driven by glacial retreat and greenhouse forcing

    Jonathan L. Baker;Matthew S. Lachniet;Olga Chervyatsova;Yemane Asmerom

  • Constraints on global mean sea level during Pliocene warmth.

    Oana-Alexandra Dumitru;Jacqueline Austermann;Victor J Polyak;Joan J Fornós

  • Tropical response to the 8200 yr B.P. cold event? Speleothem isotopes indicate a weakened early Holocene monsoon in Costa Rica

    Matthew S. Lachniet;Yemane Asmerom;Stephen J. Burns;William P. Patterson

  • Global-ocean redox variation during the middle-late Permian through Early Triassic based on uranium isotope and Th/U trends of marine carbonates

    Maya Elrick;Victor Polyak;Thomas J. Algeo;Thomas J. Algeo;Stephen Romaniello

  • Prolonged wet period in the southwestern United States through the Younger Dryas

    Victor J. Polyak;Jessica B.T. Rasmussen;Yemane Asmerom

Frequent Co-Authors

Yemane Asmerom
Yemane Asmerom University of New Mexico
Matthew S. Lachniet
Matthew S. Lachniet University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Bogdan P. Onac
Bogdan P. Onac University of South Florida
Karl E. Karlstrom
Karl E. Karlstrom University of New Mexico
Laura J. Crossey
Laura J. Crossey University of New Mexico
William F. Humphreys
William F. Humphreys Australian Museum
Alan D. Wanamaker
Alan D. Wanamaker Iowa State University
James U. L. Baldini
James U. L. Baldini Durham University
Stephen J. Burns
Stephen J. Burns University of Massachusetts Amherst
Caroline C. Ummenhofer
Caroline C. Ummenhofer Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

If you think any of the details on this page are incorrect, let us know.

Report an issue

We appreciate your kind effort to assist us to improve this page, it would be helpful providing us with as much detail as possible in the text box below:

Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

Studying Earth Science in the USA opens doors to diverse career paths, many of which can be enhanced by pursuing related online degrees. For professionals or seniors interested in continuing education, there are excellent options highlighted in the degrees for seniors guide, offering flexible and accessible programs tailored for lifelong learners.

Additionally, for those interested in information management within scientific fields, exploring a mlis ala accredited programs can lead to careers in library and information science. These programs provide essential skills for organizing scientific data and resources effectively.

Further expanding career opportunities, a library degree is a valuable pathway for individuals interested in supporting research and knowledge dissemination in Earth Science institutions, such as universities and government agencies.

For those with a creative interest in documenting natural environments, pursuing one of the online photography degrees can be an excellent complement to an Earth Science background, combining technical photography skills with scientific fieldwork.

Best Scientists Citing Victor J. Polyak

Trending Scientists

Recently Published Articles