Description of research activities

Current and recent funded research

General Research Interests

Palaeo- and contemporary coastal environments and sea level change.
Palaeoenvironmental reconstruction using diatom and pollen microfossils.
Environmental reconstruction of lacustrine systems.
 

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1. The Churchill Barriers: A Large-Scale, Open-Air Marine Laboratory

This project examines the effects of the Churchill Barriers (Orkney, Scotland) on all aspects of the physical environment; pollution i.e. eutrophication, ecology and sediment transport pathways. The Churchill Barriers effectively provide an open air laboratory in which to measure recent environmental change, both direct and indirect and, because the date of emplacement of the barriers is known, will overcome the all too common problem of chronology in geologically very young contexts. This area of research will have applications for managed realignment, the creation of artificial lagoons and fish farms, for example, and as such will receive much attention in the coming years.
 

2. Establishing recent North American relative sea level changes and saltmarsh accretion rates (joint with Prof. O. van der Plassche, University of Amsterdam and Dr H. Roe, Queens University, Belfast).

This research seeks to reconstruct sea level change over the past 1000 years using high resolution radiocarbon dating and pollen and foraminiferal analyses. Historical records exist for this area and therefore changes recorded in the pollen records, for example, the decline in horse chestnut, can be compared with this information and independent timelines established. These can then be compared with radiocarbon dates. With this information and by creating age depth models it is possible to state information on the rates of sea level change.
 

3. Environmental change and climate history from lakes in central Italy using high resolution diatom analysis (joint with Prof. A. Brown, University of Southampton)

The aim of this project is to reconstruct climate change over the past 15000 years. To date detailed pollen and diatom analyses have been undertaken on the sediments and combined with radiocarbon dates. The research has employed isotope analysis on the carbonate content of the sediments to provide an independent source of palaeoclimatic data. It is also intended to undertake isotope analysis on the diatom silica. Diatoms are particularly valuable indicators as they are highly sensitive to salinity which can be related to lake level and climate change.

Grants awarded
 

Massey, A.C., Gehrels, W.R., Charman, D.C., Peltier, W.R., Milne, G.A. Lambeck, K. and Selby, K.A. (2007) Relative sea-level change and postglacial isostatic adjustment along the coast of south Devon, United Kingdom. Journal of Quaternary Science. (in press) 

Selby, K.A. and Smith, D.E. (2007) Late Devensian and Holocene relative sea level changes on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. Journal of Quaternary Science, 22(2), 119-139.  

Selby, K.A. and Brown, A.G. (2007) Holocene development and anthropogenic disturbance of a shallow lake system in Central Ireland as recorded by diatoms. Journal of Palaeolimnology. Published online 1573-0417. 

Selby, K.A., O’Brien, C., Brown, A.G. and Stuijts, I.(2005) A Multi-Proxy Study of Holocene Lake Development and Vegetation History in the Lough Kinale-Derragh Lough area, Central Ireland. Journal of Quaternary Science, 20(5), 147-168.  

O'Brien, C., Selby, K., Ruiz, Z., Brown, A.G., Dinnin, M.H., Caseldine, C.J., Langdon, P.G. and Stuijts, I. (2005) A Sediment-based Multi-proxy Palaeoecological Approach to the Archaeology of Crannogs: A Case Study from Central Ireland. The Holocene. 15(5), 708-720. 

Brown, A.G., Hatton, J., O'Brien, C.E., Selby, K.A., Langdon, P.G., Stuijts, I., and Caseldine, C.J. (2005) Vegetation landscape and human activity in Midland Ireland: mire and lake records from the Lough Kinale-Derragh Lough area, Central Ireland. Vegetation History and Archaeobotany 14, 81-98. 

Selby, K.A. (2004) Lateglacial and Holocene vegetation change on the Isle of Skye: a comparison of coastal and inland sites. Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, 13, 233-247.  

Selby, K.A., Smith, D.E., Dawson, A.G. and Mighall, T. (2000) Late Devensian and Holocene relative sea level and environmental changes from an isolation basin in southern Skye. Scottish Journal of Geology, 36, (1), 73-86. 

Editorially refereed papers 

Selby, K.A. (1998) Younger Dryas and Holocene relative sea level changes on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. Quaternary Newsletter, 84, 43-4. 

Selby, K.A. (1996) Lateglacial and Holocene relative sea level changes on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. In, Healy, M.G. (ed) Late Quaternary coastal change in west Cornwall, UK. Field Guide. pp114. 

Unrefereed Papers, Reports, Fieldguides and Abstracts 

Selby, K.A., Jeffries, R. and Bennett, M.R. (2005) Sampling of Christchurch Harbour for possible contaminants.pp20. 

Selby, K.A., O’Brien, C., Hatton, J., Brown, A.G., Ruiz, Z., Stuijts, I., Langdon, P.G. and Caseldine, C.J. (2004) An Environmental Investigation in the Lough Kinale-Derragh Lough Area. Irish Discovery Programme. pp77.

Smith, D.E., Dawson, A., Dawson, S., Firth, C.R., Collins, P., Cullingford, R., de la Vega, A., Brooks, C.L., Charlesworth, S., Duggan, S., Horn, B., Hickey, K., Mighall, T., Pearson, S., Stewart, I.S., Selby, K.A. and Wells, J. (1995) Relative sea level changes and extreme flooding events around European coasts, EU 3rd framework, contract number EV5V CT93 0266, final report, Coventry University, 1-15.

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Ocean and Coastal Processes

Earth

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