Blaine Hancock
PhD Researcher
Profile
Biography
Blaine is a PhD researcher working in partnership with the British Geological Survey and Environment Agency. His main research aim is to investigate how lakes across northern England are responding to recent climate change. This research utilises sedimentary photosynthetic pigments to reconstructs algal communities with stable isotopes (13C, 15N. 18O) and trace metals used to understand the drivers of change. Dated algal changes are then compared to historical instrumental weather records to provide a robust understanding of how climate change experienced in the UK over much of the 20th and 21st centuries have affected lake biogeochemistry and productivity. This information will be used to help understand the direction and magnitude of change in English lakes and help identify the types of lakes which may be most at risk.
