Details of Award
NERC Reference : NE/M006336/1
Quaternary Palaeoecology
Training Grant Award
- Lead Supervisor:
- Dr T C B Hill, The Natural History Museum, Earth Sciences
- Grant held at:
- The Natural History Museum, Earth Sciences
- Science Area:
- Freshwater
- Terrestrial
- Overall Classification:
- Freshwater
- ENRIs:
- Biodiversity
- Environmental Risks and Hazards
- Global Change
- Science Topics:
- Earth & environmental
- Palaeontology
- Landscape & Environ. Archaeol.
- Palaeoenvironments
- Quaternary Science
- Abstract:
- Quaternary Palaeoecology is a valuable short course which fills a clear gap in current NERC-led training initiatives. Reconstructing past environments is a key initiative within current research to i) contextualise contemporary environmental change, ii) model the Earth's climate and iii) predict future climate and associated environmental change. These themes are a concise reflection of the typical research themes/priorities highlighted by the newly formed DTPs, where themes associated with understanding environmental change and reconstructing past environments were encountered in the majority of the DTP descriptors. Over 10% of the PhD project proposals currently on offer within the London DTP alone involve palaeoenvironmental reconstructions and/or the application of biological proxies to understanding systems change. Postgraduates and ECRs specialising in palaeoecology often focus on a single 'group' of proxy records, such as the application of palynology or chironomids to elucidate past vegetation or temperature change respectively. However students are now expected to work with complex multi-source palaeoecological datasets, where the subsequent analysis and interpretation of such empirical data will vary considerably depending on its provenance. There is therefore a need for palaeoecologists to be suitably trained in the application of a wide range of proxy indicators. This course will therefore provide an overview of key taxonomic groups often utilised in palaeoecological studies, with a focus on terrestrial and freshwater environments. A suite of biological proxies will be reviewed during the five day short course to include a selection of the following: chironomids, diatoms, pollen, testate amoebae and vertebrates. Each day will be dedicated to a different proxy, with morning lectures focussing on the review of taxonomy and the environmental gradients associated with palaeoecological reconstructions. The afternoon sessions will be dedicated to the provision of bespoke laboratory microscopy and desk-based activities, with the students being introduced to relevant NHM reference collections and learning the basic taxonomic skills required to differentiate between taxa. This course will therefore provide students with the opportunity to develop a grounding in the key biological indicators used to elucidate past environmental change. The course will equip students with a bespoke skill set with learning outcomes to ensure that by the end of the course students will: i) Appreciate the range of key flora and fauna often preserved in sedimentary archives that are available as a tool for palaeoenvironmental research ii) Understand basic taxonomy and identification techniques associated with a selection of Quaternary fossil groups iii) Understand the value and potential application of reference collections as a tool for Quaternary fossil identification iv) Be aware of the environmental gradients that control the distribution of the proxy groups under investigation v) Be familiar with the spatial and temporal variation evident within the palaeo-record and appreciate its association with environmental change vi) Be aware of the key strengths and weaknesses relating to the different environmental proxies when undertaking Quaternary investigations vii) Be competent in the methods used to collect, present and interpret data from a range of environmental proxies viii) Understand and apply the principles of ecological analyses to Quaternary environmental reconstructions
- NERC Reference:
- NE/M006336/1
- Grant Stage:
- Completed
- Scheme:
- Doctoral Training
- Grant Status:
- Closed
- Programme:
- Advanced Training
This training grant award has a total value of £16,578
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| Total - Other Costs |
|---|
| £16,578 |
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