Dr Paul Albert

• Untitled (current)

  PhD

  Other supervisor: Prof Siwan Davies

• Constraining the timing and scale of past explosive volcanism and climate change using cryptotephra preserved in Mediterranean sedimentary archives (current)

  PhD

  Other supervisor: Prof Siwan Davies

• GEG133 Natural Hazards and Society

  This module investigates hazardous aspects of Earth¿s natural environment and how society relates to them. Introductory principles include the definition of natural hazard, disaster, risk and loss, and approaches to reducing risk and managing disasters. Major types of natural hazard are studied in order to understand how they operate, where, and how frequently they are likely to occur. Hazardous consequences are explored, as well as how society can respond to hazardous events. Key aspects include discussion of primary and secondary hazards, prediction, forecasting and monitoring of hazards, and understanding how their harmful effects can be minimised. Natural hazards considered during this module include volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, wildfires, landslides, extreme weather events, flooding, avalanches and Mega Hazards. Lecture material considers general principles as well as case studies. The module is compulsory for students taking BSc Environmental Geoscience.

• GEG363 Volcanology

  In this module, students will study magmatic and volcanic processes, from source to surface. We will follow the journey of magma, from its production inside the Earth, to eruption at the surface through volcanoes, and injection of volcanic ash and gases into the atmosphere. The module will cover magma generation, storage and evolution, ascent and eruption. Students will gain an understanding of processes underpinning eruptive styles and interpretation of these processes from the volcanic products. The module also explores how volcanism affects our planet¿s climate. Delivery of the module will include a combination of on-campus sessions and a field course to the Eifel Volcanic Field (Germany). The field course will enable in-situ study of diverse volcanic landforms and products, formed via a wide range of eruptive styles, including effusive and explosive eruptions. During the field course, students will study various aspects of volcanic geology, including learning how to observe, measure and interpret volcanic rocks and deposits. The module has a strong geological focus, and therefore a keen interest in geology and some previous knowledge of geology is highly recommended.

• GEGM21 Climate Change - Past, Present and Future

  This module will examine the Earth's climate system, and the principal natural and anthropogenic forcing mechanisms controlling it. The detection and nature of recent environmental changes will be discussed within the context of the Earth's climate history . The tools and methods used to measure, predict and study climate changes will be introduced. This will include the fundamental structure of General Circulation Models and how these techniques may be employed in conjunction with instrumental and proxy data to study the climate of the past and to reduce uncertainty in future climate change projections.

His research combines fieldwork, which examines near-source pyroclastic successions at numerous volcanoes, with detailed laboratory based tephra investigations of sedimentary sequences, with the latter including the extraction of microscopic ash layers known as cryptotephra.

To accurately identify the volcanic source of far-travelled ash layers preserved in sedimentary successions, and to successfully integrate these into the known eruption record of a volcano, his research is all underpinned by detailed geochemical fingerprinting of the erupted volcanic glass. Fortunately, the volcanic glass component is dominant in both the pyroclastic deposits at the volcano and the distal ash layer, and critically the major and trace element signature of this erupted glass is often unique to an individual volcano. The major and trace element signature of the volcanic glass central to his research is determined by electron microprobe (EMP) and Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) analysis, respectively.

Following on from his doctoral research, Paul continues to be actively involved in Tephrochronological research in the Central Mediterranean, and in particular reconstructing the eruption histories of the active volcanoes of the region (e.g., Campi Flegrei, Vesuvius, Mount Etna and the Aeolian Islands).

With his research being focused on the volcanic ash fall records preserved in long palaeoclimate archives, and his keen interest in understanding Quaternary climate variability, he collaborates extensively with palaeoclimatologists to develop independent Tephrochronological frameworks capable of assessing the timing and spatial variability of past climatic change across Europe, East Asia and more recently Antarctica.

• Constraints on the tempo and magnitude of explosive arc volcanism: facilitating long-term ash fall hazard assessments. 2019 - 2023

  UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship (Ref: MR/S035478/1). Four + three year scheme., with Dr Danielle McLean (Research Officer) Dr Gwydion Jones (Laboratory Research Technician), £1,329113.02

• Lake Suigetsu and volcanic ash, the key to synchronising palaeoclimate archives (ECF-2014-438). 2015 - 2018

  Held at the University of Oxford

• Research Fellow, University of Oxford

  May 2015 - July 2019

• Post-doctoral Research Assistant, Swansea University

  June 2014 - April 2015

• Post-doctoral Research Assistant, University of Oxford

  March 2013 - May 2014

Lake Suigetsu Varve Museum (Japan)

His research findings focused on identifying the volcanic sources of ash layers preserved in the iconic annually laminated sediments of Lake Suigetsu are incorporated into the permanent scientific displays at the Varve Museum opened in 2018 (http://varve-museum.pref.fukui.lg.jp/en/). The main exhibit at the museum is > 45 meter long, thin section of the lakes sediments. The Museum recorded > 45,000 visitors in its first 12 months of opening; he was also an invited scientific delegate to the Museums opening.