Wed 19 Feb 17:30: Reconstructing levels of volcanism in the late Pleistocene
Volcanism is known to act as a driver of change to the Earth system on a range of scales. Degassing of greenhouse gases may act to drive global warming, whilst the weathering of fresh volcanic material may enhance the silicate weathering feedback and aid cooling of Earth’s climate. At the same time, the intensity of volcanism responds to other aspects of the Earth system. For example, low sea levels and low ice volumes may both act to increase levels of volcanic activity through the release of pressure on magma chambers. These interactions in turn may control the level of impact volcanism has as a driver of change. To fully understand the interaction between volcanic activity and climate, however, reliable records of changing volcanic intensity through time are required. Such records have been, to date, either regional or of low resolution. Here, I will discuss two approaches to this problem, firstly through the compilation of volcanic material occurrence in deep sea sediment cores. Secondly, I will present the application of inversion of atmospheric carbon dioxide records as an approach to reconstructing periods of imbalance and likely volcanic activity in the carbon cycle. Both approaches highlight a shift in the late Pleistocene at around 400 ka, whereby more volcanic activity is reconstructed, and the activity becomes cyclical in nature. This may be linked to Mid Brunhes Transition, a period of strengthening in amplitude of glacial-interglacial cycles, and indicates how Earth system changes may impact volcanic intensity.
- Speaker: Jack Longman (Northumbria University)
- Wednesday 19 February 2025, 17:30-19:00
- Venue: Latimer Room, Clare College.
- Series: Quaternary Discussion Group (QDG); organiser: wb350.
Wed 19 Feb 17:30: Reconstructing levels of volcanism in the late Pleistocene
Volcanism is known to act as a driver of change to the Earth system on a range of scales. Degassing of greenhouse gases may act to drive global warming, whilst the weathering of fresh volcanic material may enhance the silicate weathering feedback and aid cooling of Earth’s climate. At the same time, the intensity of volcanism responds to other aspects of the Earth system. For example, low sea levels and low ice volumes may both act to increase levels of volcanic activity through the release of pressure on magma chambers. These interactions in turn may control the level of impact volcanism has as a driver of change. To fully understand the interaction between volcanic activity and climate, however, reliable records of changing volcanic intensity through time are required. Such records have been, to date, either regional or of low resolution. Here, I will discuss two approaches to this problem, firstly through the compilation of volcanic material occurrence in deep sea sediment cores. Secondly, I will present the application of inversion of atmospheric carbon dioxide records as an approach to reconstructing periods of imbalance and likely volcanic activity in the carbon cycle. Both approaches highlight a shift in the late Pleistocene at around 400 ka, whereby more volcanic activity is reconstructed, and the activity becomes cyclical in nature. This may be linked to Mid Brunhes Transition, a period of strengthening in amplitude of glacial-interglacial cycles, and indicates how Earth system changes may impact volcanic intensity.
- Speaker: Jack Longman (Northumbria University)
- Wednesday 19 February 2025, 17:30-19:00
- Venue: Latimer Room, Clare College.
- Series: Quaternary Discussion Group (QDG); organiser: wb350.
Tue 11 Feb 12:00: Environmental controls on mineral-associated permafrost organic carbon fate
The Arctic is warming nearly four times faster than the rest of Earth’s surface (Rantanen et al., 2022). Consequently, permafrost areal extent is projected to decrease (24 ± 16% by 2100, RCP2 .6, Chadburn et al., 2017) and Arctic precipitation is projected to increase (50 – 60 % by 2100, RCP2 .6, Bitanja and Andry, 2017). Permafrost contains ~ two times as much carbon as Earth’s atmosphere (Hugelius et al., 2014). Upon thaw, permafrost organic carbon is a) stored in soils and sediments, b) transferred from soils to aquatic bodies, c) broken down to inorganic carbon in soils and aquatic bodies. A fraction of this inorganic carbon is released as greenhouse gases to the atmosphere which could amplify Arctic warming (the permafrost carbon feedback, Schuur et al., 2015). A portion of permafrost organic carbon is associated with minerals (e.g., Garcia-Palacios et al., 2023) which contribute to modulating if carbon is stored in the land or released into the atmosphere (e.g., Patzner et al., 2020). Our work seeks to understand the environmental controls on how, where and when minerals contribute to carbon release from these vulnerable landscapes. To do this we couple in-field measurements (e.g., precipitation and water table depth) with geochemical measurements (e.g., isotopes, microscopy, spectroscopy. I will present findings from large and small Arctic catchments and ongoing ideas for future research.
- Speaker: Catherine Hirst, University of Durham
- Tuesday 11 February 2025, 12:00-13:00
- Venue: Department of Earth Sciences, Tilley Lecture Theatre.
- Series: Department of Earth Sciences Seminars (downtown); organiser: Dr Rachael Rhodes.
Thu 20 Feb 11:30: TBC
Abstract not available
- Speaker: James Morris, IEEF
- Thursday 20 February 2025, 11:30-12:30
- Venue: Open Plan Area, Institute for Energy and Environmental Flows, Madingley Rise CB3 0EZ.
- Series: Institute for Energy and Environmental Flows (IEEF); organiser: Catherine Pearson.
Thu 27 Feb 11:30: TBC
Abstract not available
- Speaker: Professor Matthew Davidson, Bath Institute of Sustainability and Climate Change
- Thursday 27 February 2025, 11:30-12:30
- Venue: Open Plan Area, Institute for Energy and Environmental Flows, Madingley Rise CB3 0EZ.
- Series: Institute for Energy and Environmental Flows (IEEF); organiser: Catherine Pearson.
Thu 23 Jan 11:30: No Seminar
Abstract not available
- Speaker: Speaker to be confirmed
- Thursday 23 January 2025, 11:30-12:30
- Venue: Open Plan Area, Institute for Energy and Environmental Flows, Madingley Rise CB3 0EZ.
- Series: Institute for Energy and Environmental Flows (IEEF); organiser: Catherine Pearson.
Wed 12 Feb 17:30: The impact of climate-ice sheet interactions on abrupt climate changes in the long-term past and their importance for the future climate
The simulation of the last deglaciation (about 20.000 years before present to present) represents a hitherto unsolved challenge for comprehensive state-of-the-art climate models. During my presentation, I will introduce our novel coupled atmosphere-ocean-vegetation-ice sheet-solid earth model that is used to simulate the transient climate. An ensemble of transient model simulations successfully captures the main features of the last deglaciation, as depicted by proxy estimates. In addition, our model simulates a series of abrupt climate changes, which can be attributed to different drivers that will be discussed throughout the presentation. I will furthermore show, how the model can be applied for simulations of the long-term future. The future simulations show, that parts of the Antarctic ice sheet become unstable even under low-emission scenarios, with significant implications for the modelled climate response. Sensitivity experiments additionally show that, the Greenland ice sheet may exhibit multiple steady-states under pre-industrial climate conditions. This has significant implications for a potential regrowth, once disintegrated entirely.
- Speaker: Marie-Luise Kapsch (Max Planck Institute for Meteorology)
- Wednesday 12 February 2025, 17:30-19:00
- Venue: Latimer Room, Clare College.
- Series: Quaternary Discussion Group (QDG); organiser: wb350.
Wed 12 Feb 17:30: The impact of climate-ice sheet interactions on abrupt climate changes in the long-term past and their importance for the future climate
The simulation of the last deglaciation (about 20.000 years before present to present) represents a hitherto unsolved challenge for comprehensive state-of-the-art climate models. During my presentation, I will introduce our novel coupled atmosphere-ocean-vegetation-ice sheet-solid earth model that is used to simulate the transient climate. An ensemble of transient model simulations successfully captures the main features of the last deglaciation, as depicted by proxy estimates. In addition, our model simulates a series of abrupt climate changes, which can be attributed to different drivers that will be discussed throughout the presentation. I will furthermore show, how the model can be applied for simulations of the long-term future. The future simulations show, that parts of the Antarctic ice sheet become unstable even under low-emission scenarios, with significant implications for the modelled climate response. Sensitivity experiments additionally show that, the Greenland ice sheet may exhibit multiple steady-states under pre-industrial climate conditions. This has significant implications for a potential regrowth, once disintegrated entirely.
- Speaker: Marie-Luise Kapsch (Max Planck Institute for Meteorology)
- Wednesday 12 February 2025, 17:30-19:00
- Venue: Latimer Room, Clare College.
- Series: Quaternary Discussion Group (QDG); organiser: wb350.
Wed 22 Jan 14:00: Energy partitioning and shear resistance evolution during earthquake sequences in experiments with simulated quartz gouge
During their lifetime, seismogenic faults will experience numerous earthquakes, with each event imparting damage onto the rocks that comprise the fault core and the surrounding country rock. The partition of energy between creating new fracture surface area, heat production, and other co-seismic processes is not well constrained and will evolve with multiple events on a fault. This evolution will have important implications for the rupture breakdown energetics in subsequent events, and also the fluid flow properties of the fault (i.e., by altering fault permeability). We investigate experimentally the evolution of fault gouge properties during multiple seismic slip events by performing a series of high-velocity slip-pulse experiments on simulated quartz gouge. The quartz gouge layers are repeatedly sheared (up to 25 slip pulses) in a high-velocity rotary shear apparatus at a maximum sliding velocity of 1 m/s for a total displacement of 0.8 m during each slip pulse. A normal stress of 10 MPa is applied to the gouge layer, while the pore fluid pressure is controlled at a constant value of 5 MPa during each experiment (i.e., effective normal stress = 5 MPa). During the sequences of high-velocity slip pulses we find that the area under the shear stress – displacement curve (sometimes called the breakdown energy) of each pulse systematically increases until a steady-state is reached after around 10 slip pulses, after which it remains constant for each subsequent slip pulse. The development of mechanical behaviour is associated with the evolution of gouge microstructure. During the first 10 slip pulses, the gouge grain size systematically reduces during each pulse as a result of the formation of submicron-sized particles, leading to an increase in the gouge surface area. However, after the first 10 slip pulses, the gouge microstructure reaches a steady-state and the gouge grain size and surface area remain approximately constant during subsequent slip pulses. Our results provide new insights on the evolution of fault gouge properties during multiple earthquake sequences and the implications this has for the partitioning of the rupture energy budget during future earthquake events.
- Speaker: Daniel Faulkner, University of Liverpool
- Wednesday 22 January 2025, 14:00-15:00
- Venue: Wolfson Lecture Theatre.
- Series: Bullard Laboratories Wednesday Seminars; organiser: Adriano Gualandi.
Wed 22 Jan 14:00: Title to be confirmed
Abstract coming soon
- Speaker: Daniel Faulkner, University of Liverpool
- Wednesday 22 January 2025, 14:00-15:00
- Venue: Wolfson Lecture Theatre.
- Series: Bullard Laboratories Wednesday Seminars; organiser: Adriano Gualandi.
Wed 05 Feb 14:00: Title to be confirmed
Abstract coming soon
- Speaker: Chiara Civiero, University of Trieste
- Wednesday 05 February 2025, 14:00-15:00
- Venue: Wolfson Lecture Theatre.
- Series: Bullard Laboratories Wednesday Seminars; organiser: Tom Merry.
Tue 28 Jan 12:00: Fluid Physics of Ice-Covered Oceans
Fluid processes in Earth’s polar regions can influence polar and global climate and may also allow for a better understanding of the physics governing climate systems of certain ice-covered planetary bodies. In this talk, I will describe how a particular Arctic Ocean mixing and heat transport process, diffusive convection, helps contextualize the warming Arctic through a synthesis of observational and theoretical approaches. In particular, we will discuss how different ocean mixing mechanisms impact distinct regions of the Arctic and how intermittent turbulence in a changing Arctic can disrupt the diffusive-convective process. I will also describe the development of a novel methodology for inferring ocean mixing metrics from oceanographic acoustic measurements, which helps elucidate how intermittent turbulence may interact with diffusive-convective structures. Finally, we will consider how models of Earth’s polar processes, adapted to understand ice-covered moons in the Solar System, can provide insight into planetary bodies where in-situ measurements are not available. Emphasis will be placed on how fluid dynamics can address current and future climate and environmental challenges both on Earth and elsewhere in the Solar System.
- Speaker: Nicole Shibley, University of Cambridge
- Tuesday 28 January 2025, 12:00-13:00
- Venue: Department of Earth Sciences, Tilley Lecture Theatre.
- Series: Department of Earth Sciences Seminars (downtown); organiser: Dr Rachael Rhodes.
Thu 23 Jan 11:30: TBC
Abstract not available
- Speaker: Speaker to be confirmed
- Thursday 23 January 2025, 11:30-12:30
- Venue: Open Plan Area, Institute for Energy and Environmental Flows, Madingley Rise CB3 0EZ.
- Series: Institute for Energy and Environmental Flows (IEEF); organiser: Catherine Pearson.
Thu 30 Jan 11:30: Multiphase Transport Phenomena and Energy Process Intensification
This talk will cover the following three aspects –
Micron-particle laden flow and heat transfer in confined geometry with separation-enhanced hydrogen production and carbon capture as an example.
Rheological behaviour and heat transfer of dilute suspensions of nanoparticles with cooling of high-power microelectronics as an example.
Microstructures and behaviour of thermal energy storage materials with composite phase change materials and composite thermochemical materials as examples.
- Speaker: Yulong Ding, University of Birmingham
- Thursday 30 January 2025, 11:30-12:30
- Venue: Open Plan Area, Institute for Energy and Environmental Flows, Madingley Rise CB3 0EZ.
- Series: Institute for Energy and Environmental Flows (IEEF); organiser: Catherine Pearson.
Wed 29 Jan 14:00: What’s shaking Mars? An overview of NASA’s InSight Mission
NASA ’s InSight lander deployed the first seismic station to the surface of Mars in 2018. The dataset collected over the next four years took us on a journey of discovery – from tiny quakes close to the lander to quakes on the opposite side of the planet; meteorite impacts and dust devils; solar panel shaking and hammering. We saw it all! In this talk I’ll walk you through the highs and lows of the mission and the seismic dataset: from launch to final transmission through deployment of the seismometer, first quake detection, determination of the core size, meteorite detection, core composition, surface waves, the biggest quake observed, and the last quake recorded. We’ll discover how one seismometer expanded our understanding of the composition and evolution of the red planet, look at some amazing images, and explore what more we can do with the dataset.
- Speaker: Anna Horleston, University of Bristol
- Wednesday 29 January 2025, 14:00-15:00
- Venue: Wolfson Lecture Theatre.
- Series: Bullard Laboratories Wednesday Seminars; organiser: Tom Merry.
Wed 12 Feb 14:00: Title to be confirmed
Abstract coming soon
- Speaker: Alice Turner, University of Cambridge
- Wednesday 12 February 2025, 14:00-15:00
- Venue: Wolfson Lecture Theatre.
- Series: Bullard Laboratories Wednesday Seminars; organiser: Tom Merry.
Wed 12 Mar 14:00: Title to be confirmed
Abstract coming soon
- Speaker: Michele Paulatto, Imperial College London
- Wednesday 12 March 2025, 14:00-15:00
- Venue: Wolfson Lecture Theatre.
- Series: Bullard Laboratories Wednesday Seminars; organiser: Tom Merry.
Wed 29 Jan 14:00: What’s shaking Mars? An overview of NASA’s InSight Mission
Abstract coming soon
- Speaker: Anna Horleston, University of Bristol
- Wednesday 29 January 2025, 14:00-15:00
- Venue: Wolfson Lecture Theatre.
- Series: Bullard Laboratories Wednesday Seminars; organiser: Tom Merry.
Wed 05 Mar 17:30: Breaking the Ice: Abrupt climate change and deglaciation
The past glacial period and ensuing deglaciation were punctuated by multiple episodes of abrupt climate change. Despite decades of research, the causes of the rapid changes remain largely unknown, and, crucially, they are very difficult to reproduce with Earth System Models. In this seminar, I will present a series of recent and brand new climate model experiments for the last deglaciation, exploring the climate-ice-ocean interactions that trigger major abrupt changes in, for example, ocean circulation, surface temperature, ice volume and sea level. I will conclude the presentation with some of our work-in-progress using uncertainty quantification to produce the best and most rigorous models of climate change.
- Speaker: Ruza Ivanovic (University of Leeds)
- Wednesday 05 March 2025, 17:30-19:00
- Venue: Latimer Room, Clare College.
- Series: Quaternary Discussion Group (QDG); organiser: sr632.
Wed 05 Mar 17:30: Breaking the Ice: Abrupt climate change and deglaciation
The past glacial period and ensuing deglaciation were punctuated by multiple episodes of abrupt climate change. Despite decades of research, the causes of the rapid changes remain largely unknown, and, crucially, they are very difficult to reproduce with Earth System Models. In this seminar, I will present a series of recent and brand new climate model experiments for the last deglaciation, exploring the climate-ice-ocean interactions that trigger major abrupt changes in, for example, ocean circulation, surface temperature, ice volume and sea level. I will conclude the presentation with some of our work-in-progress using uncertainty quantification to produce the best and most rigorous models of climate change.
- Speaker: Ruza Ivanovic (University of Leeds)
- Wednesday 05 March 2025, 17:30-19:00
- Venue: Latimer Room, Clare College.
- Series: Quaternary Discussion Group (QDG); organiser: sr632.