Modeller & Geochemist

With a computer

My modelling work principally focusses on the effect of changing oceanographic conditions on global climates of the past and present. Currently, I'm using the UK Met-Office's fully coupled atmosphere-ocean general circulation model (HadCM3) to investigate the role of model representation of the Bering Strait, Canadian Archipelego and Gibraltar Straits in generating a well-known model-proxy data mismatch for a period known as the PRISM interval (3.264-3.025 Ma) in the Pliocene epoch; which we think was the last time atmopheric CO2 levels were as high as today.

Understanding why our model simulations and data reconstructions disagree in cases such as this is fundamental to improving our knowledge of climate system dyn- amics and being able to make reliable projections of future change.

I've also recently experimented with Mediterranean Outflow and global thermohaline circulation, also using HadCM3.

These included dye tracer experiments set in 2 main contexts:

  • the present day
  • the late Miocene/early Pliocene

The simulations are run in Bristol using BlueCrystal.










HadCM3 run with Med tracer, first 50 yrs
Ruza Ivanovic in the Vance Lab









In the Lab

In the lab, I've been working with planktic/benthic foraminifera and fish teeth to establish whether or not we can use Nd isotopes to trace ancient flows in intermediate water settings on the continental shelf. This work focuses on Mediterranean-Atlantic water exchange during the late Holocene (last ~130 ka, through the Gibraltar Straits) and during the Messinian (5-6 Ma, through the now relict Betic and Rifian Corridors).

My lab.-time is split between:

  • picking, including foram identification
  • chemistry (sample cleaning & element separation)
  • mass-spectral analysis

More info.

If you want to know more, take a look at my Research Interests, Publications page, or feel free to get in touch!