Research Interests

My research broadly concerns the impacts of climate change upon marine life, especially that of ocean acidification (OA).

In recent years research has predicted that the excessive atmospheric CO₂ levels driving the ongoing problem of ocean acidification will continue to rise. This increase CO₂ ergo increases carbon fixation in the oceans causing an increase in carbonic acid and reducing overall pH, current predictions estimate that the global average pH of surface ocean water will drop from 8.1 to 7.7 by the year 2100.

My research in recent years has been focussed on establishing the impacts of ocean acidification on chemoreception in marine invertebrates, predominantly polychaete (rag worms) and crustacean species. In my current research activities, I am examining what mechanism(s) could cause olfactory disruption in marine invertebrates when exposed to acidified ocean conditions. The two main arms of research in this area are to try and establish the impact of the reduced pH on the olfactory cues themselves, as well as the impact upon the olfactory sensory apparatus of the organism. To achieve this, I frequently use traditional chemical ecology bioassay methods in differing pH treatments to provoke behavioural responses using olfactory cues and employ receptor antagonist blocking techniques in order to identify olfactory receptor type. I am also interested in how significant any variation in severity of olfactory disruption is between individuals, and if this variation can be tied to a trait with a genetic component.

Brief CV

2012 – 2016: BSc Zoology, University of Hul