Overview

Physical Geography is covered by the Environmental and Landscape Change Research Group at Keele, which sits within the School’s Earth Systems Research Cluster. The Environmental and Landscape Change Research Group focusses on understanding past processes to help understand future environmental change. The Group has research strengths in the following four key areas:

• Quaternary Environmental Change
• Glacial and periglacial environments
• Glacial geomorphology and ice sheet reconstruction
• Climate and ice sheet modelling and sea level projection
• Biogeochemistry

Research in Physical Geography is supported by funding from sources including the UK Research Councils, the Environment Agency, the Royal Society, Natural England, The Nuffield Foundation, the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Australian Research Council and the European Commission.

Research interests

• High-resolution shelf-sea palaeoceanography, marine palaeoecology and geochronology during the Holocene and late-Holocene (Dr Alix Cage)
• Past & present glacial & periglacial processes (Dr Zoe Robinson, Dr Richard Waller, Dr Peter Knight)
• Reconstruction of Quaternary environmental change (Dr Alix Cage, Dr Katie Szkornik)
• Hydrology, hydrochemistry & hydroecology (Dr Zoe Robinson, Dr Katie Szkornik)
• Geomorphology (Dr Richard Waller, Dr Alex Nobajas, Dr Katie Szkornik)
• Ice core analysis for palaeocliamte and glaciology (Dr Peter Knight, Dr Alix Cage)
• Biomarker and biogeochemical analysis 

Current Research Students

Millman, H. (commenced 2014 funded). PhD Title: Modelling Antarctic Ice Sheet dynamics during the Last Interglacial using the Parallel Ice Sheet Model (PISM). Supervisor: Prof. C. Fogwill.

Davenward, B. (commenced 2017, self-funded). PhD Title: Determining the extent and land systems context of buried ice within glacial environments. Supervisor: Dr Richard Waller.

Turner, A. (commenced 2016, self- funded). PhD Title: The evolution and glacial significance of meltwater systems within the North Staffordshire region. Supervisor: Dr Richard Waller.

Witherick, A. (commenced 2015, self-funded). PhD Title: The influence of basal thermal regime on the characteristics of subglacial debris. Supervisor: Dr Richard Waller.

Harris, M. (commenced 2018 funded). PhD Title: A high-resolution reconstruction of Holocene climate and ice sheet change in the Weddell Sea, Antarctica Supervisors Prof Chris Fogwill and Dr Alix Cage (Keele), Prof Chris Turney (UNS, Australia)