(Revised regulations, September 2000)
The degree course described in this Definitive Course Programme Document is a modified and expanded version of the Master's degree programme first recognised by the NERC and offered by the Centre for Quaternary Research, Royal Holloway, University of London (RHUL) from 1992-95. The degree programme was subsequently revised and is now offered jointly by RHUL and UCL (University College London) in consortium with staff from other institutions with whom research collaboration and other forms of co-operation are firmly established. RHUL is the lead-college for degree programme administration purposes.
The degree programme offers comprehensive and flexible postgraduate training in the rapidly developing field of Quaternary Science, with the academic emphasis being on the time-dependent processes affecting environmental change. Flexibility is integral to the programme through its modular structure, offering a range of short courses, some of which are Core Courses that provide strong curricular coherence and essential training in transferable skills.
The structure of the degree programme is also designed to allow flexible 'dove-tailing' with existing and planned Faculty-based graduate training courses in both colleges. These provide more general training in, for example, Word Processing (to advanced standards), Computer and Statistical Methods, Project Design and Project Management.
The short courses upon which much of the degree programme is constructed are also offered as stand-alone training units to students and staff from other institutions who have an appropriate background and who seek training or refresher/up-dating courses in specific techniques or approaches.
The combined facilities of the Centre for Quaternary Research (RHUL) and the Environmental Change Research Centre (UCL) provide a wide range of opportunities for post-graduate training and research. Additional support is provided through the involvement of staff from the University of Bergen as well as the Natural History Museum and the National Museum of Wales. Staff from these institutions are either attached in a formal capacity to one of the lead institutions, or have been in close collaboration with the MSc Quaternary Science teaching staff for a number of years. This consortium of staff constitutes the strongest teaching team in the U.K. for the provision of Master's teaching in the field of non-marine Quaternary Earth Science and environmental change (see Section 6 : Staff CVs). All of the teaching is undertaken on the premises at one of the lead institutions, though occasional visits are made to other institutions (within the consortium contributing to the degree programme) for access to unique facilities.
Members of the CQR (RHUL) and ECRC (UCL), in particular, have the benefit of research collaboration over many years as well as cooperation in common administrative procedures within the University of London. Important research programmes in Quaternary Science have been co-ordinated through both centres, recent examples including:
(i) at the CQR (RHUL):
(ii) at the ECRC (UCL):
Joint-research between RHUL, UCL, the NHM and Kingston has been especially strong on the TIGGER and EU Italian crater lakes programme.
The ENTRANCE QUALIFICATION for the degree programme is a minimum second class Honours degree in a relevant subject (e.g. Geology, Geography, Environmental Science/Studies, Botany, Ecology, Archaeology), though preference will be given to candidates with an Upper Second Class or First Class degree in an appropriate subject.
Candidates who have graduated in other subjects (e.g. Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics) will also be considered, but must demonstrate some familiarity with the methods and aims of Quaternary Science, Palaeoclimatology, or other aspects of recent environmental change.
Candidates with extensive field and/or laboratory experience in a relevant vocation may also be considered for entry, but will be required to demonstrate proficiency in theoretical aspects of the subject.
All candidates are normally interviewed as part of the selection procedures. Some candidates may be required to undertake assessed preparatory reading programmes or other assignments as a condition of entry.
To qualify for the MSc degree, candidates must complete all of the following course components:
Total MSc degree programme load: 12.0 course units.
Students registered for the MSc degree must complete, and pass, the course assessment components in all of the following four core courses:
MQ-C1: Quaternary Palaeoclimatology (based at RHUL - 1 assessment credit)
An examination of the methods used to reconstruct climatic changes, the main causes of climatic change, the timescales over which recurrent climatic changes operate and the importance of palaeoclimate models to the Earth and Environmental Sciences.
MQ-C2: Quantitative Environmental Palaeoecology (based at UCL - 1.5 assessment credits)
The methods used to reconstruct recent environmental change from the microfossil record, including the generation of calibration data-sets and transfer functions. Emphasis is placed on numerical techniques with training provided in multivariate methods for the analysis of stratigraphical and environmental datasets.
The marks gained for unit MQ-C2 contribute towards the formal assessment of the course (see below).
MQ-C3: Principles of Quaternary Research (based at RHUL - 1.5 assessment credits)
Training in research design, critical issues in Quaternary research, prioritising of research plans, and presentation of research results with considerable emphasis on the development of transferable skills. The course includes field training elements and introductions to the techniques used in Quaternary research.
MQ-C4: Holocene Climate Variability (based at UCL - 1 assessment credit)
An examination of current issues and state-of-the-art techniques relevant to reconstructing changes in climate during interglacials, with particular emphasis on the Holocene.
MQ-C1 and MQ-C4 are both taught as two-week modules, each comprising 30 hours teaching contact. In addition, a number of assignments must be completed for each course, the aim being to develop a strong theoretical background for the more technically-orientated option courses which follow.
MQ-C3 comprises two weeks of instruction in class, a minimum of 7 days instruction in the field, and a series of oral and poster presentations.
MQ-C2 comprises two full weeks of training of 50 hours minimum contact time, including a minimum of 3 days devoted to fieldwork.
The assessment components for the four core courses are deliberately varied so that, in combination, an overall training in transferable skills of presentation, analysis and numeracy is provided. The emphasis is therefore different in the assessment of each core course.
MQ-C1: Students will be required to write up a series of practical exercises requiring derivation, manipulation, interpretation and analysis of numerical data.
MQ-C2: The focus here is on data collection, data-base design and the manipulation of species-environment data in palaeoecological research. Emphasis is placed on developing numerical and computational skills, and the assessment will be based upon performance on the in-course data analysis or data presentation exercises.
MQ-C3: The assessment of this course is based on submitted course-work exercises, and the students' ability to present, to a live audience, their own research objectives, design and results in a cogent manner and within a given time. Four presentations are required. The first is in the initial taught-component of the course, the second is associated with the field training exercises, and the third will require each student to present an outline of their selected dissertation research topic, initial aims and research design. The fourth, scheduled in September, will require the students to present the results of their dissertation research by speaking to a prepared poster.
MQ-C4: Students will be required in this course to write a critique of different techniques used in Holocene palaeoclimatic research and to present and write a scientific paper on a specific research topic.
The field training programme is compulsory and consists of a minimum of 10 full working days in the field. The location and duration of the courses vary from year-to-year, but all students are required to participate in two main residential programmes and to submit project reports or give presentations which summarise the results of their own field assessments, undertaken under guidance from course tutors. These project reports and presentations are assessed, and the results contribute to the assessment load for the core courses. In addition, field training exercises form compulsory elements of some of the option courses. The objectives of these exercises vary, and include (i) collection and analysis of data in the field, (ii) collection of materials for laboratory analysis, (iii) application of advanced analytical skills, applying the principles of the methods taught in the relevant option course, and (iv) in-depth study of Quaternary palaeoenvironmental and/or stratigraphical evidence. The role of each field exercise is defined in more detail in the Option course outlines.
Presented below is a list of option courses from which students are required to select six. The number of units offered each year may vary slightly but will be a minimum of 10. Some degree of flexibility in the curriculum is envisaged in order to make provision for staff sabbaticals and other logistical matters.
List of MSc option courses, from which a minimum of 10 will be offered each academic year:
MQ-Op1: Quaternary Sedimentology (RHUL)
MQ-Op3: Palynology (UCL)
MQ-Op4: Diatom Analysis I: Introduction (UCL)
MQ-Op5: Quaternary Soils (RHUL)
MQ-Op6: Ostracod and Foraminiferal Analysis (UCL)
MQ-Op7: Coleoptera and Chironomids (RHUL & NHM)
MQ-Op8: Plant Macrofossil Analysis (UCL)
MQ-Op9: Micromorphology of glacial deposits (RHUL)
MQ-Op10: Quaternary Fluvial Systems (RHUL)
MQ-Op11: Quaternary Stable Isotopes and Tephrochronology (RHUL)
MQ-Op12: Theory and Applications of Luminescence Dating (RHUL)
MQ-Op13: British Quaternary Stratigraphy and Correlation with other Sequences (RHUL)
MQ-Op15: Palaeoceanography (UCL)
MQ-Op16: Diatom Analysis II: Applications (UCL)
MQ-Op17: High precision Geochronology of the Late Quaternary (RHUL)
MQ-Op18: Quaternary Mollusca (RHUL)
MQ-Op21: Reconstructing Quaternary Ice Masses (RHUL)
Each option course is taught in a block of one week (5 working days) and consists of 25 hours minimum teaching contact time.
The course assessment for each option course may take a variety of forms, including laboratory reports, practical exercises, essays and short-answer examination papers, depending upon the course. The assessments are designed in such a way as to be capable of completion within a maximum of two days additional to the 5 days allocated to the course for instruction.
The diet of courses available may increase in the future, subject to demand or perceived need. It is anticipated that other courses will be brought in by expanding the role of minor partners in the consortium or by the involvement of staff from additional institutions.
Candidates must also prepare a dissertation not exceeding 10,000 words on an original and independent research project which has the prior approval of the MSc Course Committee. Guidance will be given in project formulation and design, and students will be encouraged to choose topics that integrate well with the established research strengths and interests of the staff contributing to the MSc degree programme.
To qualify for an MSc degree in Quaternary Science, candidates must complete the full diet of 12 courses according to the structure specified in section 3.1 (above) and meet the assessment requirements specified below.
The completed 12 courses must comprise:
The FORMAL ASSESSMENT for the degree is based upon:
The Dissertation, counting 40% of the overall course assessment
AND
Formal course assignments submitted for each of the 6 selected OPTION COURSES and for the Quantitative Environmental Palaeoecology (MQ-C2) course, these elements together counting 30% of the overall course assessment
AND
Two written, unseen examination papers based on (a)
THEORY and (b) QUATERNARY ISSUES, to be held in
April/May, and together counting 30% of the overall course
assessment.
The Theory examination relates to material covered in MQ-C1,
MQ-C3 and MQ-C4, whilst the Quaternary Issues
examination is based upon an in-depth critical review of one of
several nominated cutting-edge research topics.
For the award of the MSc degree, candidates must gain an average of 50% or greater for the formal assessment programme. In addition, they are normally expected to have passed each of the three components of the formal assessment programme, though a fail mark in one element may be waived at the discretion of the External Examiner, providing the candidate has completed the full formal assessment programme and gained an overall average of 50 % or greater.
Candidates will also be normally expected to achieve pass grades in the informal assessments of the core courses MQ-C1, MQ-C3 and MQ-C4. The marks for these core courses will be taken into consideration at the Final Board of Examiners meeting, especially for the adjudication of border-line cases.
The pass mark for each assessment component is 50%.
Candidates achieving an average grade of 70% or over for
the formally assessed work will be awarded a DISTINCTION.
All assessed written work and examinations are double marked anonymously. Written assignments should be submitted to the Course Director before 16.00 on the specified deadline day. Provided this is achieved, staff will return assignments and completed proformas to the Course Director for circulation to students within 4 term weeks of submission. Any assignment not received by the deadline will receive a mark of 0% unless an extension has been granted by the Course Director. Extensions will only be granted if there are extenuating circumstances and written agreement has been reached in advance with the Course Director.
Students must retain copies of (assessed and non-assessed) assignments as the originals will not be returned; staff will not write comments on the scripts. Feedback is provided by a proforma completed by the first marker (with additional comments by the second marker if appropriate). Percentage marks are not supplied; only provisional literal grades (specified below) are included on the proforma. Where appropriate, proformas are completed and processed in the same manner for oral or poster presentations.
Staff send all written assignments, proformas and separate sheets of agreed marks to the Course Director. Students collect copies of their proformas from the Course Director.
Numerical equivalents of literal grades
PASS FAIL
A++ 80-100% D 40-49%
A+ 75-79% E 30-39%
A 70-74% F <30%
B+ 65-69%
B 60-64%
C+ 55-59%
C 50-54%
Definitions of grade bands
Distinction (A): 70+
Evidence of originality and imaginative insights. Clear understanding of the main issues, concepts and underlying principles. Breadth, internal consistency, organisation, and presentation are very good. Selection, interpretation and evaluation of source material display substantial evidence of ability to analyse and synthesise data.
Pass (B): 60-69
Clear understanding of the main issues, concepts and underlying principles. Breadth, internal consistency, organisation, and presentation are good. Selection, interpretation and evaluation of source material display some evidence of ability to analyse and synthesise data.
Pass (C): 50-59
Incomplete understanding and/or awareness of the main issues, concepts and underlying principles. Breadth, internal consistency, organisation, and presentation are satisfactory on the whole. Selection, interpretation and evaluation of source material is attempted, but analysis and/or synthesis are not well developed.
Fail (D, E, F): <50
Serious defective understanding and/or awareness of the main issues, concepts and underlying principles. Breadth, internal consistency, organisation, and presentation display serious weaknesses. Selection, interpretation and evaluation of source material are inadequate and/or uncritical.
For full-time students, the 12 course credits must be accumulated, and all of the formal assessments completed, within one calendar year to qualify for a MSc degree. The normal academic year will run from September to September, in line with the other University MSc degree programmes.
For part-time students, the 12 course credits must be accumulated, and all of the formal assessments completed, within two calendar years to qualify for a MSc degree.
All courses, with the exception of a few courses taught by staff from outside the University of London, will be taught either at RHUL or UCL, as indicated in section 3.4, this being determined by the main staff input. Travel between the 2 colleges is relatively straightforward; there is an established tradition of commuting between the two colleges by both postgraduates and undergraduates. Occasionally it may prove advantageous for some courses, or parts of the courses, to be taught at one or more of the other institutions included in the consortium contributing to the MSc degree programme. The prior agreement of the students participating in each course will be sought before such arrangements are confirmed.
Dr. R. A. Kemp (RHUL)
Responsible for overseeing day-to-day running of degree programme, policy matters, forward planning, recruitment, selection of candidates and liaison with external organisations.
Professor R.W. Battarbee (UCL) & Professor J. Rose (RHUL)
Deputise in absence of Programme Director; assists with Director's responsibilities.
Together with Programme Director, responsible for policy development, inter- institution co-operation, financial management, selection of candidates and curriculum development.
Prof. Battarbee is also Vice-Chairman of the Board of Examiners.
Dr J.A. Holmes (UCL)
Responsible for coordinating UCL contributions to the course and liaising with the Programme Director.
All members of staff contributing to the teaching of the course syllabus (listed in Section 5, below).
All members of staff contributing to the teaching of the course syllabus.
One EXTERNAL EXAMINER of senior status within the field of Quaternary Science. The current External Examiner is Professor M.J.C. Walker, University of Wales, Lampeter.
5.1.1. Quaternary Palaeoclimatology (MQ-C1: 1.0 course unit)
Milankovitch theory, ocean records and SPECMAP
Ice core records, sub-Milankovitch variations, Heinrich Events
Stable isotopes in terrestrial sequences
Sediment-palaeosol sequences
Ice masses and climatic change
Staff: Organiser: Professor J. Rose (RHUL)
Contributors: Dr S. Elias (RHUL), Dr R. Hodgkins (RHUL), Professor J.J. Lowe (RHUL), Dr C.S.M. Turney (RHUL)
5.1.2. Quantitative Environmental Palaeoecology (MQ-C2: 1.5 course units)
Principles of environmental palaeoecology
Lake types and sediments
Chronology and accumulation rates
Physical and chemical sediment records
Microfossil records (diatoms, plant macrofossils, ostracods and foraminifera)
Principles of numerical analysis of data
Regression, ordination and cluster analysis
Calibration training sets and transfer functions
Environmental reconstruction: acidification, eutrophication and climate change
Staff: Organiser: Dr A. Mackay (UCL)
Contributors: Dr V. Jones (UCL), Dr H. Bennion (UCL),
5.1.3. Principles of Quaternary Research (MQ-C3: 1.5 course units)
Critical issues in Quaternary research
Techniques of Quaternary research
Quaternary fieldwork - residential field training programme
Data sources and search
Presentation of results of field descriptions and analyses
Design of Quaternary research projects
Presentation of data (modern visual aids)
Presentation of research results (structuring a public presentation).
Staff: Organiser: Professor R.A. Kemp (RHUL)
Contributors: most RHUL staff associated with the programme
5.1.4. Holocene Climate Variability (MQ-C4: 1 course unit)
Climate model simulations
High resolution multi-archive and multi-proxy approaches to climate reconstructions
Statistical analysis of sensitive climate proxies
Calibration of proxy and instrumental data
PAGES research
Palaeoceanographic techniques
Human society and climate
Staff: Organiser: Dr J.A. Holmes (UCL)
Contributors: most UCL staff associated with the programme
5.2.1. Quaternary Sedimentology (MQ-Op1: 0.5 course unit)
Sedimentary environments and principles of physical sedimentology
Glacial sedimentology
Proglacial and extra-glacial sedimentology; fluvial, glaciofluvial, lacustrine, marine, glaciomarine, mass movement, paraglacial and aeolian sediments and environments
Facies analysis
Particle shape and size analysis
Sedimentary fabric
Staff: Professor E. Derbyshire (RHUL), Professor J. Rose (RHUL), Dr C.P. Green (RHUL
5.2.3. Palynology (MQ-Op3: 0.5 course unit)
Principles of palynology
Site selection, coring, sediment description
Laboratory methods
Pollen morphology
Pollen production, dispersal, sedimentation, and preservation
Pollen diagrams, zonation and numerical analysis
Reconstruction of past flora and populations
Reconstruction of past communities
Reconstruction of past landscapes
Reconstruction of past environments
Staff: Dr A. Mackay (UCL), Dr H. Seppa (Uppsala), Dr S.M. Peglar (Bergen/UCL)
5.2.4 Diatom Analysis I (MQ-Op4: 0.5 course unit) (Prerequisite for MQ-Op16)
Morphology and systematics
Evolution
Habitats and ecology
Taphonomy and preservation
Training sets and transfer functions
Staff: Professor R.W. Battarbee (UCL), Dr V.J. Jones (UCL)
5.2.5. Quaternary Soils (MQ-Op5: 0.5 course unit)
Principles of Quaternary soils
Soil stratigraphic units
Soils as palaeoenvironmental indicators
Field description and interpretation of soils
Interpretation of chemical and physical data
Micromorphology of contemporary soils
Soil micromorphology and the reconstruction of Quaternary environmental change
Soil micromorphology and the reconstruction of pedosedimentary histories of aggrading landscapes
Staff: Professor R.A. Kemp (RHUL)
5.2.6 Ostracod Analysis (MQ-Op6: 0.5 course unit)
The biology and taxonomy of ostracods
Ostracod ecology
Techniques for the study of recent species and sub-fossil taxa
Palaeolimnological reconstruction
Stable-isotope and trace-element chemistry:
Taphonomy and environmental reconstruction
Staff: Dr J.A. Holmes (UCL), Dr D. Horne (Greenwich)
5.2.7. Coleoptera and Chironomids (MQ-Op7: 0.5 course unit)
Insects as environmental indicator fossils
Recovery of insects in Quaternary deposits
Presentation of fossil faunal lists
Numerical analysis of data
Interpretation: communities; local environmental conditions; palaeoclimatic inferences Mutual Climatic Range method
Insect assemblages in correlation
Quaternary insect stratigraphy: lessons for ecological theory
Staff: Dr S. Elias (RHUL), Professor G.R. Coope (RHUL), Mr. S. Brooks (NHM)
5.2.8. Plant Macrofossil Analysis (MQ-Op8: 0.5 course unit)
Plant macrofossil taxonomy and identification
Extraction and identification of macrofossils from Quaternary sediments
Taphonomy and interpretation using surface samples
Plant macrofossils and environmental reconstructions
Special applications of plant macrofossils in Quaternary studies: biogeography, eutrophication, Late-glacial multi-disciplinary studies, AMS radiocarbon dating, past atmospheric carbon dioxide reconstructions, archaeology
Staff: Dr H.H. Birks (UCL/Bergen)
5.2.9. Micromorphology of Glacial Deposits (MQ-Op9: 0.5 course unit)
Micromorphology of glacial sedimentation and deformational processes
Sampling and preparation of thin sections
Micromorphological properties of diamictons
Diagenetic properties of diamicts
Processing artefacts
Qualitative and quantitative descriptive methods
Micromorphology of glaciogenic sediments
Staff: Professor J. Rose (RHUL), Professor J. van der Meer (Queen Mary and Westfield)
5.2.10. Quaternary Fluvial Systems (MQ-Op10: 0.5 course unit)
Fluvial processes and landforms
Quaternary river terraces
Site description and sediment logging
Morphostratigraphy, lithostratigraphy, biostratigraphy
Clast lithological analysis
Environmental change and fluvial response
Staff: Dr C.P. Green (RHUL)
5.2.11. Quaternary Stable Isotopes and Tephrochronology (MQ-Op11: 0.5 course unit)
Principles and mechanisms governing stable isotopic values
Sampling strategy, preparation and measurement of samples for stable isotopes
Tephra separation and identification
Correlation of sequences using stable isotopes and tephrochronology
Case studies of Quaternary datasets from both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres
Staff: Dr C.S.M. Turney (RHUL)
5.2.12. Theory and Applications of Luminescence Dating (MQ-Op12: 0.5 course unit)
Dosimetric dating and applications
Sample selection and integrity
Laboratory preparation procedures
Determination of ED
Field and laboratory estimation of dose rate
Applications of ESR and luminescence to various sample types
Staff: Mr P. Toms (RHUL), Professor R.A. Kemp (RHUL)
5.2.13. British Quaternary Stratigraphy and Correlation with other Sequences
(MQ-Op13: 0.5 course unit)
Stratigraphic framework to the British Quaternary
Marine environments of the Early and Middle Pleistocene
The 'great rivers' and mountain glaciation
Pre-glacial soils
The 'great glaciations'
Low magnitude climatic oscillations and high sea-levels
Periglaciation and the Late Glacial Stage
Glaciation in Britain during OI Stages 4-2
Rapid climatic change and unstable ecosystems at the last glacial/interglacial transition
Staff: Professor J. Rose (RHUL)
5.2.15. Palaeoceanography and Numerical Ocean Circulation Modelling
(MQ-Op15: 0.5 course unit)
Atmosphere and ocean circulation
Deep-sea cores
Palaeoceanic tools: stable isotopes, radiogenic isotopes, microfossils, sedimentology, biomarkers
Tectonics and climate
Onset of Northern Hemisphere glaciation
Heinrich events
LGM iceberg sediment discharge and the deep-water global conveyor belt myth
El Nino - Southern Oscillation in the palaeoceanographic record
Staff: Dr M. Maslin (UCL))
5.2.16. Diatom Analysis II (MQ-Op16: 0.5 course unit)
This course follows on directly from the prerequisite course Diatom Analysis I and is concerned with the applications of diatom analysis in studies of environmental change.
Acidification
Eutrophication
Climate change and salinity reconstructions
Shoreline displacement
Archaeology
Marine biostratigraphy
Staff: Professor R.W. Battarbee (UCL), Dr V.J. Jones (UCL)
5.2.17. High Precision Geochronology of the Late Quaternary (MQ-Op17: 0.5 course unit)
SPECMAP oxygen isotope geochronology scheme
Incremental dating methods (varves, dendrochronology, annual ice layers)
Palaeomagnetic dating and tephrochronology
U-series method
Cosmogenic radionuclides
Radiocarbon dating
Review of principles
Mineral carbon error, apparent age, sample resolution, laboratory errors
AMS measurements
Calibration (theory)
High precision radiocarbon dating
Case Studies
Calibration and 'validation' of the radiocarbon timescale
Lateglacial chronology, terminology and 'event' stratigraphy
Potential for the improved calibration of the pre-Holocene radiocarbon timescale
Staff: Professor J. J. Lowe (RHUL)
5.2.18. Quaternary Mollusca (MQ-Op18: 0.5 course unit)
Taxonomy and biostratigraphy of molluscs
Site selection and sampling
Identification of fossil shells
Data interpretation and statistical techniques
Morphometric analysis of shells
Dating of shells (e.g. U/Th, amino-acid racemisation ratios)
Staff: Dr M. Seddon (National Museum of Wales & RHUL)
5.2.21. Reconstructing Quaternary Ice Masses (MQ-Op21: 0.5 course unit)
Glaciological background: characteristics and processes
Glacier-ocean-climate interactions during the Quaternary
Glacial landforms and sediments
Glacial landscape and glacier dynamics interpretation
Quantitative tools: equilibrium-line, surface profile, basal shear stress, equipotential surface
Principles of numerical glaciological modelling
Models of ice sheets
Staff: Dr R. Hodgkins (RHUL)
Professor of Environmental Change; Director of Environmental Change Research Centre; Foreign Member, Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters; Royal Geographical Society Back Award for Acid Rain Research; Past Chairman of Department of the Environment Critical Loads Advisory Sub-group on Freshwaters; Past Member of NERC Terrestrial and Freshwater Science & Technology Board; Member of BICER Steering Group, Royal Society; IGBP-PAGES Leader (PAGES III); Council Member of the British Ecological Society; Associate Editor of Journal of Paleolimnology; Member of Editorial Board of Fennia.
Recent publications include:
Battarbee, R.W. (ed.) 1995. Acid Rain and its Impact: the Critical Loads Debate. Ensis Publishing, London.
Battarbee, R.W. 1997. Freshwater quality, naturalness and palaeolimnology. In Freshwater Quality: Defining the Indefinable? (eds P.J. Boon & D.L. Howell), pp. 155-171. The Stationary Office, Edinburgh.
Battarbee, R.W. et al. 1996. Critical loads of acidity to surface waters - an empirical diatom-based palaeolimnological model. Ambio 25, 366-369.
Battarbee, R.W. et al. 1997. The relationship between diatoms and surface water quality in the Høylandet area of Nord-Trøndelag, Norway. Hydrobiologia 348, 69-80.
ENSIS Professor of Quantitative Palaeoecology, University College London and Professor of Quantitative Ecology and Palaeoecology, University of Bergen; Member of Norwegian Research Council Committee on Paleoclimate Research; Editor of Cambridge Studies in Ecology Series; Member of Editorial Board of Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, The Holocene, Journal of Palaeolimnology, Journal of Biogeography, Grana, Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology, Ecography, Oecologia Montana, Environmental and Ecological Statistics; Foreign Member Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters; Nansen Prize; Honorary Doctor of Philosophy, Lund.
Recent publications include:
Birks, H.J.B. 1997. Reconstructing environmental impacts of fire from the Holocene sedimentary record. In Sediment Records of Biomass Burning and Global Change (eds J.S. Clark et al.), pp. 295-311. Springer.
Birks, H.J.B. 1997. Scottish biodiversity in a historical context. In Biodiversity in Scotland: Status, Trends and Initiatives (eds L.V. Fleming et al.), pp. 21-35. HMSO.
Lotter, A.F. & Birks, H.J.B. 1997. The separation of the influence of nutrients and climate on the varve time-series of Baldeggersee, Switzerland. Aquatic Sciences 59, 362-375..
Lotter, A.F., Birks, H.J.B., Hofmann, W. & Marchetto, A. 1997. Modern cladocera, chironomid, diatom and chrysophyte cyst assemblages as quantitative indicators for the reconstruction of past environmental conditions in the Alps. 1. Climate. Journal of Paleolimnology 18, 395-420.
Norwegian Research Council Research Fellow, Senior Visiting Fellow (RHUL) and Honorary Visiting Research Fellow (UCL).
Recent publications include:
Beerling, D.J., Birks, H.H. & Woodward, F.I. 1995. Rapid late-glacial atmospheric CO2 changes reconstructed from the stomatal density record of fossil leaves. Journal of Quaternary Science 10, 379-84.
Birks, H.H., Gulliksen, S., Haflidason, H., Magerud, J. & Possnert, G. 1996. New radiocarbon dates for the Vedde Ash and the Saksunarvatn Ash from western Norway. Quaternary Research 45, 119-127.
Birks, H.H., Battarbee, R.W. & Birks, H.J.B. 1998. A multidisciplinary reconstruction of the Late-glacial aquatic ecosystem at Kråkenes, western Norway. Journal of Paleolimnology, in press.
van Dinter, M & Birks, H.H. 1996. Distinguishing fossil Betula nana and B. pubescens using their wingless fruits: implications for the Late-glacial vegetational history of western Norway. Vegetation History and Archaeobotany 5, 229-240.
Senior Scientific Officer, Natural History Museum; Convenor of Joint Committee for the Conservation of British Invertebrates; Committee Member of Wildlife & Countryside Link; Member of Conservation Committee of British Dragonfly Society and Editor of Journal (1984-1992); Member of Peatlands Conservation Consortium; Member of Pond Conservation Group;
Recent publications include:
Brooks, S.J. 1997. The response of Chironomidae (Insecta: Diptera) assemblages to Late-glacial climatic change in Kråkenes Lake, western Norway. Quaternary Proceedings 5, 49-58.
Brooks, S.J. & Birks, H.J.B. 1998. Chironomid-inferred Late-glacial - early Holocene mean July air temperatures from Kråkenes Lake, western Norway. Journal of Palaeolimnology, in press.
Brooks, S.J., Lowe, J.J. & Mayle, F.E. 1997. The Late Devensian Late-glacial palaeoenvironmental record from Whitrig Bog, SE Scotland. 2. Chironomidae (Insecta: Diptera). Boreas 26, 297-308.
Brooks, S.J., Mayle, F.E. & Lowe, J.J. 1997. Chironomid-based Late-glacial climatic reconstruction for southeast Scotland. Journal of Quaternary Science 12, 161-167.
Visiting Professor of Geography, RHUL; Member of Implement Petrology Committee, Council for British Archaeology; Past President of the Quaternary Research Association (1983-85); Past member, NERC Geological Sciences Research Grants Committee; Recipient, Daniel Pidgeon Fund, Manchester University; Recipient, Lyell Fund, Geol. Soc. Lond.; Member of Editorial Board of Journal of Quaternary Science
Recent publications include:
Coope, G.R. 1998. Insects. In Late Quaternary Environmental Changes in Northwest Europe: Excavations at Hollywell Coombe, Southeast England (eds R.C. Preece & D.R. Bridgland), pp. 213-232. Chapman and Hall, London.
Coope, G.R. & Lemdahl, G. 1996. Validation for the use of beetle remains as reliable indicators of Quaternary climate: a reply to the criticisms by Johan Andersen. Journal of Biogeography 23, 115-121.
Coope, G.R., Gibbard, P.L., Hall, A.R., Preece, R.C., Robinson, J.E. & Sutcliffe, A.J. 1998. Climatic and environmental reconstructions based on fossil assemblages from the Middle Devensian (Weichselian) deposits of the River Thames at South Kensington, Central London. Quaternary Science Reviews 16, 1163-1195.
Walkling, A.P. & Coope, G.R. 1996. Climatic reconstructions from the Eemian / Early Weichselian transition in central Europe based on the coleopteran record from Gröbern, Germany. Boreas 25, 145-159.
Visiting Professor of Geography, RHUL; Honorary Professor of Gansu Academy of Sciences, China; Professor-Emeritus, University of Leicester; Chairman of the Scientific Board of the International Geological Correlation Programme (IGCP); Editor of Quaternary Perspectives (official publication of INQUA); Member of the Royal Society's Earth Science Resources Committee.
Recent publications include:
Derbyshire, E. & Owen, L.A. 1997. Quaternary glacial history of the Karakoram Mountains and Northwest Himalayas: a review. Quaternary International 38/39, 85-102.
Derbyshire, E., Kemp, R.A. & Meng, X.M. 1997. Climate change, loess and palaeosols: proxy measures and resolution in North China. Journal of the Geological Society, London 154, 793-805.
Meng, X.M. & Derbyshire, E. 1988. Landslides and their control in the Chinese Loess Plateau: models and case studies from Gansu Province, China. Geological Society, London, Engineering Special Publication 15, 141-153.
Derbyshire, E., Meng, X.M. & Kemp, R.A. 1998. Provenance, transport and characteristics of modern aeolian dust in western Gansu Province, China, and interpretation of the Quaternary loess record. Journal of Arid Environments 39, 497-516.
Dr Scott A. Elias (RHUL)
Lecturer in Geography, RHUL; Fellow, Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, Boulder Colorado; Member of Editorial Board of Arctic, Antarctic and Alpine Research.
Recent publications include:
Elias, S.A. 1998. The Mutual Climatic Range method of paleoclimate reconstruction based on insect fossils: new applications and interhemispheric comparisons. Quaternary Science Reviews 16, 1217-1225.
Elias, S.A. 1999. Mid-Wisconsin seasonal temperatures reconstructed from fossil beetle assemblages in eastern North America: comparisons with other proxy records from the Northern Hemisphere. Journal of Quaternary Science 14, 255-162.
Elias, S.A., Andrews, J.T. & Anderson, K.H. 1999. New insights on the climatic constraints on the beetle fauna of coastal Alaska derived from the mutual climatic range method of paleoclimatic reconstruction. Arctic, Antarctic and Alpine Research 31, 94-98.
Elias, S.A., Hamilton, T.D., Edwards, M.E., Begét, J.E., Krumhardt, A.P. & Lavoie, C. 1999. Late Pleistocene environments of the western Noatak Basin, northwestern Alaska. Geological Society of America Bulletin 111, 769-789.
Senior Lecturer in Geography, RHUL; Secretary Conservation Commission of Geological Society; Past President of the Geologists' Association; Past Treasurer of the Geologists' Association; Past General Secretary of the Geologists' Association; Member of the NERC Geological Sciences Training Awards Committee (1983-87); Past Treasurer of the British Geomorphological Research Group.
Recent publications include:
Green, C.P. 1997. Stonehenge: geology and prehistory. Proceedings of the Geologists' Association 108, 1-10.
Green, C.P. et al. 1995. Last Interglacial deposits at Folkestone, Kent. Proceedings of the Geologists' Association 106, 183-193.
Green, C.P. et al. 1996. Pleistocene deposits at Stoke Goldington, in the valley of the Great Ouse, U.K. Journal of Quaternary Science 11, 59-87.
Maddy, D., Green, C.P., Lewis, S.G. & Bowen, D.Q. 1995. Pleistocene geology of the Lower Severn Valley, U.K. Quaternary Science Reviews 14, 209-222.
Lecturer in Geography, RHUL
Recent publications include:
Hodgkins, R. 1988. Glacier hydrology in Svalbard, Norwegian High Arctic. Quaternary Science Reviews 16, 957-973.
Hodgkins, R., Tranter, M. & Dowdeswell, J.A. 1997. Solute provenance, transport and denudation in a High-Arctic glacierised catchment. Hydrological Processes 11, 1813-1832.
Hodgkins, R., Tranter, M. & Dowdeswell, J.A. 1998. The hydrochemistry of runoff from a 'cold-based' glacier in the High Arctic (Scott Turnerbreen, Svalbard). Hydrological Processes 12, 87-103.
Siegert, M.J., Hodgkins, R. & Dowdeswell, J.A. 1998. A chronology for the Dome C deep ice-core site through radio-echo layer correlation with the Vostok ice core, Antarctica. Geophysical Research Letters 25, 1019-1022.
Reader in Geography, Kingston University
Recent publications include:
Holmes, J.A. 1992 Non-marine ostracods as Quaternary palaeoenvironmental indicators. Progress in Physical Geography 16, 405-431.
Holmes, J.A. 1996. Trace-element and stable-isotope geochemistry of non-marine ostracod shells in Quaternary palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. Journal of Paleolimnology 15, 223-235.
Holmes, J.A. Hales, P.E. & Street-Perrott, F.A. 1992 Trace-element chemistry of non-marine ostracods as a means of palaeolimnological reconstruction. An example from the Quaternary of Kashmir, northern India. Chemical Geology 95, 177-186.
Holmes, J.A. et al. 1997. Holocene palaeolimnology of Kajemarum Oasis, northern Nigeria: an isotopic study of ostracods, authigenic carbonate and organic carbon. Journal of the Geological Society 154, 311-319.
Senior Research Fellow, Environmental Change Research Centre, University College London.
Recent publications include:
Hodgson, D.A., Johnston, N.M., Caulkett, A.P. & Jones, V.J. 1997. A long-term perspective for management of Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella) based on palaeolimnological reconstructions of populations. Biological Conservation 83, 145-154.
Jones, V.J. 1996. The biodiversity, distribution and ecology of diatoms from Antarctic Inland Waters. Biodiversity and Conservation 5, 37-49.
Jones, V.J. & Juggins, S. 1995. The construction of a diatom-based nutrient transfer function and its application at three lakes on Signy Island (maritime Antarctic) subject to differing degrees of nutrient enrichment. Freshwater Biology 34, 433-445.
Jones, V.J. et al. 1997. Evidence for the pollution of Loch Ness from the analysis of its recent sediments. Science Total Environment 203, 37-49.
Professor of Physical Geography, RHUL; Distinguished Visiting Professor, Quaternary Research Center, University of Washington; Member of Editorial Board of Quaternary Science Reviews; Past Member of QRA Executive Committee; Past Member of Council of the British Society of Soil Science.
Recent publications include:
Kemp, R.A. 1998. Role of micromorphology in paleopedological research. Quaternary International, in press.
Kemp, R.A. & Faulkner, J.S. 1998. Short-range variations in the micromorphology of a palaeosol from Wivenhoe in southeast England. Journal of Quaternary Science 13, 233-243.
Kemp, R.A., Derbyshire, E. & Meng, X.M. 1997. Micromorphological variation of the S1 paleosol across northwest China. Catena 31, 77-90.
Kemp, R.A., McDaniel, P.A. & Busacca, A.J. 1998. Genesis and relationship of macromorphology and micromorphology to contemporary hydrological conditions of a welded Argixeroll from the Palouse in Idaho. Geoderma 83, 309-329.
Professor of Geography and Quaternary Science, RHUL; Dean of Faculty of Science, RHUL; Chairman of NERC's 'NEAPACC' Special Topic Steering Committee; Editor of Quaternary Proceedings; Founding Editor of Journal of Quaternary Science; Co-ordinator of INTIMATE, an international collaborative research programme within the INQUA Palaeoclimate Commission; Member of NERC's Working Group on Palaeoclimatology; Member of NERC's Review Group on Equipment and Facilities.
Recent publications include:
Lowe, J.J. & Turney, C.S.M. 1997. Vedde Ash layer discovered in small lake basin on Scottish mainland. Journal of Geological Society of London 154, 605-612.
Lowe, J.J. & Walker, M.J.C. 1997. Temperature variations in NW Europe during the last glacial-interglacial transition (15-9' 14'C ka BP) based upon the analysis of coleopteran assemblages. Quaternary Proceedings 5, 265-176.
Mayle, F.E., Lowe, J.J. & Sheldrick, C. 1997. The Late Devensian Late-glacial palaeoenvironmental record of Whitrig Bog, SE Scotland. 1. Lithostratigraphy and palaeobotany. Boreas 16, 279-195.
Turney, C.S.M., Harkness, D.D. & Lowe, J.J. 1997. The use of microtephra horizons to correlate Lateglacial lake sediment successions in Scotland. Journal of Quaternary Science 12, 525-531.
Dr Anson W. Mackay (UCL)
ENSIS Lecturer in Environmental Change; International Secretary of Baikal International Centre for Ecological research (BICER) and Research Co-ordinator for Royal Society UK BICER.
Recent publications include:
Mackay, A.W. & Murlis, J. (Eds) 1997. Britain's Natural Environment: a State of the Nation Review. Ensis Publishing, London, 88 pp.
Mackay, A.W., Flower, R.J., Rose, N.L., Kuzmina, A.E., Granina, L.Z., Appleby, P.G., Boyle, J.F. & Battarbee, R.W. 1998. Recent trends in diatom succession in surface sediments from Lake Baikal and their relation to atmospheric pollution and to climate change. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series B 353, 1011-1055.
Boyle, J.F., Mackay, A.W., Rose, N.L., Flower, R.J. & Appleby, P.G. 1998. Sediment heavy metal record in Lake Baikal: natural and anthropogenic sources. Journal of Paleolimnology 20, 135-150.
Mackay, A.W., Long, X., Rose, N.L. & Battarbee, R.W. in press. New approaches to characterising urban air particles in central London. Journal of Environmental Science.
Lecturer in Palaeoceanography and Palaeoclimatology, UCL; Associate Lecturer in Oceanography, Open University; Research Scientist at the Geologisch Paläontologisches Institut, Kiel, Germany, 1993-95. Experience with ODP ( Ocean Drilling Project) research in North Pacific & the Amazon Fan and with BOFS (Biogeochemical Ocean Flux Study) research.
Recent publications include:
Maslin, M.A. 1998. Equatorial Western Atlantic Ocean circulation changes linked to the Heinrich events: deep-sea sediment evidence from the Amazon Fan. Journal of the Geological Society 131, 111-127.
Maslin, M.A. & Berger, A. 1997. A European view of the future of palaeoclimate research. Quaternary Science Reviews 16, 501-504.
Maslin, M.A., Shackleton, N.J. & Pflaumann, U. 1995. Temperature, salinity and density changes in the Northeast Atlantic during the last 45,000 years: Heinrich events, deep water formation and climatic rebounds. Palaeoceanography 10, 527-544.
Maslin, M.A., Thomas, E., Shackleton, N.J., Hall, M.A. & Seidov, D. 1997. Glacial North East Atlantic surface water pCO'2': productivity and deep-water formation. Marine Geology 144, 177-190.
Norwegian Research Council Research Fellow (pollen analysis, vegetation history) at the Botanical Institute, University of Bergen, Norway; Honorary Research Fellow of the Environmental Change Research Centre, University College London; Member of the pollen taxonomy and morphology working group of the European Pollen Database.
Recent publications include:
Peglar, S.M. 1993. The development of the cultural landscape around Diss Mere, Norfolk, U.K. during the past 7000 years. Rev. Pal. Pal. 76, 1-47.
Peglar, S.M. 1993. The mid-Holocene Ulmus decline at Diss Mere, Norfolk, UK:a year-by-year pollen stratigraphy from annual laminations. Holocene 3, 1-13.
Peglar, S.M. 1993. Mid- and late-Holocene vegetational history of Quidenham Mere, Norfolk, U.K. interpreted using recurrent groups of taxa. Veg. Hist. & Arch. 2, 15-28.
Peglar, S.M. & Birks, H.J.B. 1993. The mid-Holocene Ulmus fall at Diss Mere, South-East England - disease and human impact? Veg. Hist. & Arch. 2, 61-68.
Professor of Geography, RHUL; Past President, Quaternary Research Association; Past Chairman, Joint Association for Quaternary Research; Past Chairman, NERC's Radiocarbon Laboratory Steering Committee; Past member, NERC Geological Sciences Research Grants Committee; Past Member, NERC Palaeoclimate Steering Committee and NERC TIGGER Steering Committee; Recipient of Murchison Award, Royal Geographical Society; Past Member of RGS Council; British Representative and Leader of the British Delegation, XIII INQUA Congress, Beijing, China (1991); Full Member of INQUA Stratigraphic Commission; Full Member and British Representative of INQUA Sub-Commission on Quaternary Stratigraphy: Editor in Chief of Quaternary Science Reviews; past editor of Quaternary Newsletter; Editorial Board Member, Quaternary International and Journal of Geological Society.
Recent publications include:
Rose, J., Whiteman, C.A., Lee, J.A., Branch, N., Harkness, D.D. & Walden, J. 1997. Mid and Late Holocene vegetation, surface weathering and glaciation, Fjallsjökull, Southeast Iceland. The Holocene 7, 457-471.
Rose, J., Derbyshire, E., Guo, H. & Ma, H. 1998. Glaciation of the Eastern Qilian Shan, Northwest China. Quaternary Proceedings 6, 143-152.
Rose, J., Meng, X. & Watson, C. 1998. Palaeoclimate and palaeoenvironmental responses in the western Mediterranean over the last 140 ka: evidence from Mallorca, Spain. Journal of the Geological Society, London 156, 435-448.
Rose, J., Whiteman, C.A., Allen, P. & Kemp, R.A. 1999. The Kesgrave Sands and Gravels: 'pre-glacial' Quaternary deposits of the River Thames in East Anglia and the Thames valley. Proceedings of the Geologists' Association 110, 93-116.
Dr Danielle Schreve (RHUL)
Dorothy Hodgkins Research Fellow, RHUL.
Recent publications include:
Schreve, D.R. 2000. Differentiation of the British late Middle Pleistocene interglacials: the evidence from mammalian biostratigraphy. Quaternary Science Reviews.
Schreve, D.R. 2000. Mammalian evidence from fluvial sequences for complex environmental change at the oxygen isotope substage level. Quaternary International.
Schreve, D.R. 2000. Mammalian Biostratigraphy of the later Middle Pleistocene in Britain. Western Archaeological and Specialist Press, University of Bristol.
White, D.R. & Schreve, D.C. 2000. Island Britain ' Peninsula Britain: palaeogeography, colonisation and the Earlier Palaeolithic settlement of the British Isles. Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society 66.
Dr Chris S.M. Turney ( RHUL)
Lecturer in Geography, RHUL. Secretary of INQUA Commission of Tephrochronology and Volcanology.
Recent publications include:
Turney, C.S.M. 1998. Extraction of rhyolitic component of Vedde microtephra from minerogenic lake sediments. Journal of Palaeolimnology 19, 199-206.
Turney, C.S.M. 1999. Lacustrine bulk organic 13C in the British Isles during the last glacial - Holocene transition (14-9 ka 14C BP). Arctic, Antarctic and Alpine Research 31, 71-81.
Turney, C.S.M., Beerling, D.J., Harkness, D.D., Lowe, J.J. & Scott, E.M. 1997. Stable carbon isotope variations in NW Europe during the last glacial-interglacial transition. Journal of Quaternary Science 12, 339-344.
Turney, C.S.M., Barringer, J., Hunt, J. & McGlone, M.S. 1999. Estimating past leaf-to-air vapour pressure deficit from terrestrial plant 13C. Journal of Quaternary Science 14, 437-442.
The Centre for Quaternary Research (CQR) comprises (at 2000) 7 full-time members of staff, 4 Visiting Professors, 2 Honorary Research Fellow, 2 Honorary Research Associates and 10 PhD students.
Current funding for research programmes includes the following sources: the European Union, the Natural Environment Research Council, Scottish Natural Heritage, English Heritage, The Royal Society, The Leverhulme Trust, The British Council (in Argentina, China, Germany and the Netherlands), the Soprintendenza Archeologica della Liguria and The British Academy.
The research work of the CQR spans a broad range of Quaternary Science, including aspects of stratigraphy, geomorphology, sedimentology, palaeoclimate, palaeopedology, geochronology, glaciology, palaeoecology and palaeohydrology. Although work is in progress in many parts of the world, there is a strong geographical focus in China, Argentina, the Himalayas, Iceland, the Mediterranean region and Northwest and Central Europe. The distinctive aspects of the research at the CQR have been the emphases on high-precision dating, quantitative palaeoclimate estimates and high resolution stratigraphy.
The specific research expertise of the Centre includes:
Research Facilities:
The Centre has several suites of laboratories including:
In addition, there are a range of other facilities including:
The Centre's work is supported by an extensive range of networked computing facilities. MSc students will also have access to the College Scanning Electron Microscopy Unit and to certain facilities within the adjacent Geology Department.
The Environmental Change Research Centre (ECRC) is a research groupp of about 40 scientists focussing on aquatic ecosystem change and climatic change. Overall the interest is in environmental change on all time-scales, past, present and future.
The ECRC has large portfolio of research contracts. To date, we have received funds in excess of £5,500,000 and we are currently responsible for managing funds of approximately £4,000,000. Funding bodies include EU Framework 4/5, DETR, NERC, Royal Society, Environmental Agency, British Council and RSPB.
Research Facilities
The Centre has an extensive range of field equipment for lake sediment coring, sediment sampling and mapping, and for limnological and bathymetric survey of lakes and reservoirs.
The Centre's laboratories include:
The group's work is supported by an extensive range of networked computing facilities, including PCs, Unix workstations, laser printers and pen plotters. Central to these is AMPHORA, the group's environmental database for lakes, streams, water chemistry and diatoms. Using ORACLE software on a Sun workstation, AMPHORA contains an archive of site, catchment, chemical and diatom data for all projects within the group, and, using networked PCs, provides ready access to these data from anywhere in the department. Output from the database is easily directed to PCs, Unix workstations, or to the College central computer. Statistical analysis uses both commercial packages and custom software developed within the group, and graphical display and hardcopy output is available on pen plotter, postscript laserprinter, or typesetter. Additionally, AMPHORA may also be linked to the department's ARC-INFO GIS for mapping and spatial analysis.