It is great to get this work published. This was arguably my favourite research project from my PhD, using lipid biomarkers in a unique bog setting to interpret Irish palaeoclimate conditions during the Holocene.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0146638016302339
DOI: 10.1016/j.orggeochem.2017.02.004
I am delighted to have been a part of this new publication from Eloi Camprubi et al. with my new research group in here in UCL.
DOI: 10.1002/iub.1632
This time last year I embarked on a research expedition to the Arctic. I was working with Dr. Margaret McCaul in the National Centre for Sensor Research (NCSR) at Dublin City University (DCU) assisting her with the development of a cost-effective nutrient sensor for the marine environment. Thanks to all of Margaret’s hard work and the support of our supervisor Prof. Dermot Diamond, we were able to take the sensor to Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard for testing in extreme conditions.
Ny-Ålesund is the northernmost community in the world at 79°N and it was a very special opportunity to be allowed to work in this pristine environment. The area is a consortium of research stations from 9 different countries engaged in Arctic research. There are of course many visitors from countries without research stations, such as ourselves from Ireland. We were lucky to be invited to work at the Italian station through a collaboration with Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR). Here, we worked hard alongside some excellent researchers, and we had our fair share of fun too!
The sensor deployment was a big success and showed the system to be rigorous in the face of harsh conditions. This of course was all down to Margaret and her team back in the NCSR. I must also mention the excellent staff at King’s Bay AS, the support crew for Ny-Ålesund, who ensured everything went as smoothly as possible. The trip was one of the best experiences of my life so far, and hopefully it was the first of many trips to the Arctic for me.
I can certainly think of several important biogeochemical questions that I would like to answer in the future…
Sean F Jordan 