Currently browsing author

Vicki

RSS

A brief history of ocean drilling (1/3)

Did you know the oceans are great story tellers?! Curators of Earth’s history. And by taking a peak below the seafloor we can reconstruct the history of submarine landslides, and volcanic eruptions, the pattern and rate of seafloor spreading, the climate enjoyed by the dinosaurs and the vegetation present when the humans took their very first steps on planet Earth. This week in the MOOC is all about looking forward; how we can work together to protect our oceans. Continue reading →

Exploring the southwest Atlantic – RRS Discovery cruise DY087

Ocean research brings together scientists from all around the world from a variety of backgrounds. Earlier this year, scientists from the University of Southampton, British Antarctic Survey, University of Exeter, University of Birmingham, University of Nebraska Lincoln and University of Padova came together to participate in RRS Discovery cruise DY087 to the South Georgia Basin and Maurice Ewing Bank. Continue reading →

Guest Post: Libby Robinson – Climates of the past…what can they tell us about our future?

Have you ever thought about the implications of ocean anoxia in the past? Here to tell you more about the role anoxia has played in shaping the history of Earth is Libby Robinson..... Hi, I’m Libby, a first year PhD student at NOC studying climates of the past, otherwise known as paleoclimates (paleo just meaning “very, very old” – and in this case, having nothing to do with the unprocessed, whole-food diet). Continue reading →

Guest Post – Tabitha Pearman: How the online MOOC ‘Exploring Our Oceans’ led me to do a PhD at NOCS

Understanding our oceans is the key to ensuring we learn to protect them. Through education and increased awareness the hope is we can inspire more people to want to study our oceans. Tabitha is a second year PhD student based in the School of Ocean and Earth Science at the National Oceanography Centre Southampton,  modelling deep-sea canyon habitats, and she is here to tell you how she ended up doing a PhD….. Continue reading →

Preparing for life at sea

How many sample bags do you need for a six-week research cruise? How much ‘blue roll’ (like lab kitchen roll I guess) should we pack? How many permanent markers is too many? Answers: far too many to count and in every size imaginable; 48 rolls to be precise but we might pick up a few more on the way just to be safe; and apologises, we may be responsible for a temporary permanent marker shortage in Southampton. Continue reading →

I am a Palaeoceanographer

As a palaeoceanographer most of the samples I work on have been collected during ocean drilling expeditions by the International Ocean Discovery Program (or DSDP/ODP, IODP’s predecessors). This vital program brings together scientists from all around the world to work together to tackle the big remaining unanswered science questions about our oceans and Earth’s history. Continue reading →