Department of Chemistry
Lyndsay Ives
Biography
I'm a PhD student within the Wolfson Atmospheric Chemistry Laboratories at the University of York. My PhD project is focussed on the recovery of stratospheric ozone, or more famously known as the ozone layer, which protects us all from harmful UV radiation from the Sun. In particular, my project is focussed on quantifying the natural ocean sources of halogenated very-short lived substances to understand the trends of human emissions more clearly.
I did my undergraduate degree also at the University of York within the School of Natural Sciences. My final year project was on ozone deposition to coastal waters, completed at the Wolfson Atmospheric Chemistry Laboratories.
I'm currently the postgraduate student representative on the Department of Chemistry's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
Qualifications
Masters in Natural Sciences, specialising in Chemistry.
Research interests
Atmospheric Chemistry, Oceanography, Earth Observation, Air Quality, Climate Change
Project title
Measurements of ozone-depleting substances at the Cabo Verde Atmospheric Observatory
Supervisors
Funding
NERC Panorama Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP).
Project outline
Stratospheric ozone plays an essential role in protecting all life on Earth from harmful UV radiation from the Sun. In the 1980s, stratospheric ozone depletion was discovered but due to the introduction of the Montreal Protocol, an international treaty that regulated the use of many ozone-depleting substances, stratospheric ozone is now predicted to recover mid-century. However, the Montreal Protocol did not regulate dichloromethane or chloroform, with studies showing increasing emissions of these substances having the potential to delay stratospheric ozone recovery by up to 30 and 8 years, respectively. Predicting the future emission trends of dichloromethane and chloroform is required to understand the impact on stratospheric ozone recovery and determine if policy intervention is required. However, predicting emissions trends is complicated by both substances having human and natural ocean sources, with high uncertainty surrounding the quantity of this natural ocean source.
My PhD project has set up the first seasonal ocean measurements of dichloromethane and chloroform within the footprint of the Cabo Verde Atmospheric Observatory. Combining ocean measurements with atmospheric measurements also made at the observatory, enables sea-to-air fluxes to be calculated. Global climatologies representing ocean emissions of dichloromethane and chloroform will be developed, bringing clarity to the magnitude of this ocean source as well as to human emission trends. Results from this work will feed into the WMO/UNEP Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion (2030), supporting policy intervention if required.
