I completed my Ph.D. at University College London in 2003 and joined the Plant Biology Department, at the University of Illinois in 2004, as a postgraduate research associate. My main interest is in the use of lake/ and or river sediment biological proxies for tracking both environmental and climatic change. My research to date has included;
- The use of lake sediment records to evaluate changes in limnological conditions (pH fluctuations, nutrient concentrations and water temperature changes) and to assess reference conditions.
- The development and application of diatom transfer functions for reconstructing changes in climate in central Norway.
- How diatoms can be used to evaluate river nutrient status (Trophic Diatom Index).
- The identification of phytoplankton to monitor lake water quality (various UK waters and Lake Baikal)
I am currently working on a project based in SW Alaska analysing biogenic silica concentrations, diatom assemblages and chironomid head capsules, extracted from lake sediments, to infer changes in climate during the Holocene. In particular I am investigating the expression and extent of the 'Holocene Thermal Maximum' which, at present, is not well constrained for the SW Alaskan region.
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