Research news and awards
Latest news about our research. Project progress and collaboration. Awards and achievements.
Deep ocean carbonate ion increase during mid Miocene CO2 decline by Sev Kender.
This paper is the first to constrain mid Miocene ocean carbonate chemistry.
The mid Miocene is important because it is one the the three largest cooling shifts in the Cenozoic, where there was massive ice sheet growth on Antarctica.
Carbonate chemistry of the oceans is important because it is linked to oceanic and atmospheric CO2 levels.
Our paper shows that the mid Miocene ocean carbonate contents increased, drawing down atmospheric CO2, which then probably led to cooling and ice sheet growth. We suggest this could have been from increased uplift and erosion of the Himalaya.
Some studies in the past had suggested that CO2 did not change over this interval, so along with some other recent studies, our paper confirms a link between climate and CO2.
On Monday 17th February 2014 at 17:30, the British Geological Survey (BGS) and Keyworth and District Gardeners Association hosted Radio 4 s Gardeners Question Time at the BGS headquarters in Keyworth.
Gardeners’ Question Time is broadcast on Fridays at 15.00 and Sundays at 14.00 (bbc.co.uk/radio4)
Recording of the Gardeners Question Time from Friday 28 February 2014.
Dr Holly Miller from the Department of Archaeology, University of Nottingham, has been appointed as a visiting research associate (VRA) with the British Geological Survey (BGS). Holly’s research interests include the use of isotopes in archaeological faunal material and is currently a research fellow on an AHRC Fallow Deer Project which aims to facilitate the integration of archaeology, history, geography and anthropology along with genetics and osteological research - to examine the circumstances and cultural significance of this species diffusion across Europe. Holly’s other interests include lithic (chipped stone) analysis prehistory of the Near East origins of nomadic pastoralism in the Southern Levant material culture of the Near East the development of lithic technologies, beads and personal adornment, and bead technology. Holly works closely with Dr Angela Lamb in the Stable Isotope Group, BGS.
Chris has been awarded this honour in recognition of his collaboration with the university in the use organic compounds to solve problems in climate and environmental change, energy and pollution; for example the characterisation of organic matter in conventional and unconventional hydrocarbon systems in order to improve resource estimates and his work around carbon storage in salt marsh and mangrove systems.
Peter uses natural environmental isotopes as methods for tracing the dynamics of solutes and nutrients within earth systems. With the BGS he has used natural isotopes of 15N/14N, 18O/16O, 34S/32S and 13C/12C in glaciated environments to fingerprint sources and sinks of nutrients within the High Arctic and Icelandic glaciers. Within karst environments, he uses sulphur isotopes to identify causes of variations in the sulphur content of stalagmites over time.
Currently, Peter has a joint PhD student with Prof. Melanie Leng from the BGS Stable Isotope Group who is using speleothems from Northern Iberia to investigate the role of the North Atlantic Oscillation in driving Holocene climate dynamics they plan future work on investigating climate and human migration patterns.
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