Chris Van Baak Email & Phone Number

Utrecht, Netherlands

Utrecht, Netherlands

Cambridge, United Kingdom

CASP conducts focused geological research, synthesising field-based observations, analyses and regional reviews to de-risk both hydrocarbon exploration and CO2 sequestration in sedimentary basins. I joined CASP to research issues related to Paratethyan stratigraphy and contribute a field-based perspective to basin evolution models in the Black Sea and Caspian Sea region.

Utrecht Area, Netherlands

Working as a Postdoc at Utrecht University, next to the continuation of the work I was doing as a PhD, I was involved in the EU-funded Marie-Curie Innovative Training Network (ITN) called PRIDE (Drivers of Pontocaspian biodiversity Rise and Demise). This integrated research project brought together 15 PhD students across Europe at universities, natural history museums and two companies, in research directions such as geology, biology, paleontology, ecology, and climate-lake modelling… Show more Working as a Postdoc at Utrecht University, next to the continuation of the work I was doing as a PhD, I was involved in the EU-funded Marie-Curie Innovative Training Network (ITN) called PRIDE (Drivers of Pontocaspian biodiversity Rise and Demise). This integrated research project brought together 15 PhD students across Europe at universities, natural history museums and two companies, in research directions such as geology, biology, paleontology, ecology, and climate-lake modelling. The aim of the project was to study the extraordinary endemic aquatic biota of the Caspian-Black Sea region, which is severely affected by anthropogenic pressures such as habitat destruction, invasive species and pollution. By studying both the actual biota and the long-term natural biotic response to perturbations in the past two million years, the project provided data on this biodiversity challenge due to global change. My role in the project was very diverse. As a young researcher I participated in training events within the project, but also contributed to organizing them. Having worked in the region already for four years, I managed fieldworks to collect data together with the PhD’s. This has resulted in publications on geology, conservation paleobiology and biology all related to past and current biodiversity crises. Show less

Utrecht Area, Netherlands

(Palaeo-) climatic and hydrological research in the continental interior of Eurasia to understand the impact of aridification and sea/lake-level change. The Black Sea and Caspian Sea are the present-day remnants of the former Paratethys, a large epicontinental sea that spanned from Germany to western China. Hydrological connections between these seas in the Eurasian continental interior and with adjacent seas (e.g. Mediterranean Sea) are determined by the hydrological budget and… Show more (Palaeo-) climatic and hydrological research in the continental interior of Eurasia to understand the impact of aridification and sea/lake-level change. The Black Sea and Caspian Sea are the present-day remnants of the former Paratethys, a large epicontinental sea that spanned from Germany to western China. Hydrological connections between these seas in the Eurasian continental interior and with adjacent seas (e.g. Mediterranean Sea) are determined by the hydrological budget and connectivity through shallow marine gateways (e.g. Bosporus). The high sensitivity of these seas to changes in the hydrological budget has resulted in a very dynamic sea-level history. This has resulted in frequent changes in salinity and especially in the Caspian Sea, large variations in sea surface area. However, a process-based understanding of forcing mechanisms and environmental impacts of these major sea-level variations was severely hampered by a lack of high-resolution age constrains. During my Phd at Paleomagnetic Laboratory “Fort Hoofddijk” at Utrecht University, my objective was to provide these age constrains. By refining the chronostratigraphic framework of the Eastern Paratethys region for the last 6 Myrs, I could propose the link between the onset of Northern Hemisphere continental glaciations and a major hydrological reorganization in the continental interior of Eurasia. To achieve this, I organized and conducted twelve geological fieldworks, predominantly in Azerbaijan and Romania. Also, I worked on over 2 km of sediment core from the basin floor of the Black Sea drilled in 1976 by the Deep Sea Drilling Project. All these projects could only successfully be finished through extensive collaboration, both with other PhD’s and Postdocs at Utrecht University, but particularly with numerous colleagues in the region who shared their knowledge of the local geology. Link to PhD thesis: https://dspace.library.uu.nl/handle/1874/313339 Show less

Master Of Science - Ms, Geology

Bachelor Of Science - Bs, Earth Sciences