The Centre for Environmental Geochemistry (CEG) focuses on the use of geochemistry in research, training and teaching. We investigate:
- environmental and climate change
- biogeochemical cycling including pollution typing/provenance
- science-based archaeology
- the use of geochemical tools for research into the subsurface
The centre has established collaborations with both the University of Nottingham and Heriot-Watt University.
Explore the Centre for Environmental Geochemistry

Stable Isotope Facility
We are the largest UK producer of stable isotope data, particularly specialising in climate, environmental and archaeological studies

Dissolved Gases and Tracers Facility
We are the UK’s leading organisation for groundwater dating and tracing, using a wide range of environmental agents, equipment and capabilities.

Inorganic Geochemistry Facility
The Inorganic Geochemistry Facility provides high-quality analytical expertise and specialist services for the production and geochemical interpretation of inorganic data.

Soil Physics Facility
Our facility provides a range of soil physical measurement services as well as complementary analyses to describe the degree to which soil organic matter is decomposed.

Aquifer Properties Facility
We undertake specialised core characterisation on drillcore and rock chippings from borehole samples for a wide range of hydrogeological purposes.

Organic Geochemistry Facility
We specialise in organic geochemical measurements at the bulk and molecular level in complex matrices, like rock, sediment, soil and water.
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Science facilities
We operate and maintain a wide range of state-of-the-art laboratories and other facilities, which underpin virtually all of our research.
Related news

How does public water use influence the amount of phosphorus in the environment?
11/04/2023
New research looks at how phosphorus accumulates in public water systems in the USA.

Exploring animal diets in Shakespeare’s London
31/03/2023
The ‘Box office bears’ project aims to understand more about the bears that were once a common sight in England. Prof Hannah O’Regan and Dr Lizzie Wright from the University of Nottingham explain what the project entails.

When did the cows come home?
23/02/2023
PhD student David Osborne is exploring Bronze Age animal husbandry using isotopes and X-rays.

New lead isoscape map for archaeological provenance studies in Great Britain
28/10/2022
A new study aims to determine lead isotope ratios in soil and rock across Great Britain which could inform future archaeological studies about human and animal origins.

Tracking nitrate and ammonium in the environment
20/10/2022
Newly developed methodologies are improving our understanding of nitrogen cycling.

My role as a stable isotope research assistant
11/10/2022
Dr Harvey Pickard gives us an insight into his new role analysing stable isotopes and getting to grips with some of the laboratory equipment at BGS.

BGS receives funding for new system to analyse oxygen Isotopes
26/09/2022
A major upgrade of BGS’s research equipment following investment from NERC will help scientists understand historic changes in climate.

Missing components of nitrogen cycling budgets across the United States
23/09/2022
As a BGS-hosted Lancaster University PhD student, Elizabeth Flint has been working to understand the effects of water supply processes upon macronutrient cycling.

A PhD in Peru: a country of contrasts
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PhD student Tom Gribbin explains his work on water security in the Peruvian ‘water towers’.

Zambia: the copper mining powerhouse looking towards a safer, low-carbon future
25/07/2022
BGS scientists Clive Mitchell (industrial minerals geologist) and Elliott Hamilton (environmental chemist) report on their recent visit to the Copperbelt Province in Zambia.

Training in stable isotope analysis as a PhD student from Croatia
20/07/2022
Recently, Ivona Ivkić Filipović visited BGS to undertake a placement at the Stable Isotope Facility. Here, she tells us a little about her experience and how it will contribute to her PhD research.

Working at BGS as a postgraduate intern
15/06/2022
Katie Williams, an environmental geochemistry masters student, shares her experience following a work placement in the Stable Isotope Facility.