Earth and Environmental Sciences (SEES)

Profile

General Information 

I am a geochemist with over 20 years teaching experience. I have taught most flavours of geochemistry over the years, from Earth evolution through petrological applications, simple organic geochemistry, environmental and forensic geochemistry, ore genesis and exploration geochemistry, biogeochemical cycles, to both stable and radiogenic isotope geochemistry. I have particular expertise in elemental and stable isotope analysis of silicate rocks and minerals, but also waters, soils, dusts, and other environmental matrices. I am Programme Manager for Environmental Sciences.

I studied geology and mineral chemistry at the Universities of Bristol and Birmingham, and completed my PhD and an 1851 Research Fellowship at Imperial College. I then worked for the British Geological Survey in its regional geochemistry group and at the NERC Isotope Geology Centre, before teaching geochemistry to geologists at Oxford Brookes for 13 years. From Oxford I moved briefly to the University of Gloucestershire, but have been very happy at Portsmouth since 2006. My main research interests have been in granite petrogenesis and the environmental geochemistry of metals, and more recently in chemical methods for source attribution of industrial fugitive dusts.

Teaching

SEES 403.Science for Earth Systems.

SEES 414. Planet Earth.

SEES 514. Environmental Forensics.

SEES 511. Energy Resources.

SEES 628. Igneous Petrogenesis, Metamorphic and Deformation Processes.

SEES 713. Principles and Analysis of Pollution with Metals.

Contributions to: SEES509 Environmental Geochemistry and Analytical Techniques,  SEES501 Soil Mechanics, SEES533 Mineral Resources and Exploration, SEES610/11 Environmental Science Project/Dissertation, plus environmental science and geology field trips, for example to Belize, Cyprus and SW England.

Career History

• 2008 - Present: Principal Lecturer in Geochemistry, University of Portsmouth.
• 2006-2008: Senior Lecturer in Environmental Science, University of Portsmouth.
• 2003-2006: Senior Lecturer in Natural Sciences, University of Gloucestershire.
• 1989-2003: Senior Lecturer in Geochemistry, Oxford Brookes University.
• 1987-1989: Higher Scientific Officer, Oxygen Isotopes, NERC Isotope Geology Centre.
• 1986-1987: Lecturer, School of Geological Sciences, Kingston Polytechnic.
• 1985-1986: Scientific Officer, Regional Geochemistry, British Geological Survey.
• 1982-1985: Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, Research Fellow (2 years), Research Assistant (1 year), Imperial College.
• 1979-1981: PhD research, Imperial College.
• 1978-1979: MSc in Mineral Chemistry, Birmingham University.
• 1975-1978: BSc (Hons) in Geology, Bristol University.

Professional Record

• Fellow of the Geological Society of London, Chartered Geologist.
• Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. Treasurer of INEF (International Network for Environmental Forensics).
• Fellow of the Mineralogical Society.
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
• Member of the Geochemical Society.
• Author of ca. 40 peer reviewed papers and some 45 consultancy reports.
• Subject Editor for geochemistry, Journal of the Geological Society, 2000 – 2006.
• Reviewer for international geochemistry journals – Geology, Chemical Geology, Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, Lithos, Journal of the Geological Society.
• 8 PhD completions, 4 current PhD students. 
• External Examinerfor Kingston University, MSc in Environmental and Earth Resources Management, and Sustainable Environmental Development with Management Studies.
• Analytical Consultant to DustScan Ltd, Charlbury, Oxfordshire.

Research

The evolution of continents and the mantle input to granites (often severely underestimated, in my opinion). Sources and fractionation mechanisms of high Ba-Sr late orogenic granites, notably those of the British Caledonian province (with staff of BGS and NERC Isotope Geosciences Laboratory). Comparisons with sanukitoids and implications for Archaean tectonics and crustal evolution (with Jaana Halla and Esa Heilimo, University of Helsinki and Hugh Rollinson, University of Derby).

Dusty forensics- source apportionment of industrial fugitive dusts. Metals chemistry of directional dust samples and development of environmental forensic methods that allow problem dusts to be traced to source. Consultancy and knowledge transfer applications (with Hugh Datson and Ben Williams – DustScan Ltd).

More details of these are available on the Crustal Dynamics and Environmental Modelling & Monitoring research pages, respectively.

Grants

• NERC/TSB Knowledge Transfer Partnership (2013, KTP009081) with DustScan Ltd. £125,000 over 2 years to embed modelling capability for industrial dust dispersion. With Prof. Jim Smith.
• NERC Standard Grant (2012, NE/I025573/1) Co-I with PI Craig Storey. £402,000 over 3 years for the project “When on Earth did modern plate tectonics begin?”.
• NERC Edinburgh Ion Microprobe Facility award (2011, IMF421/1010). £20,000 for the project “Accessory minerals and the evolution of plate tectonics: opening the archive”.
• Finance South East PoCKeT (2008) proof-of-concept award with DustScan Ltd. £30,000 to develop a high-sensitivity directional dust sampling head for the DustScan^® DS100 monitor.
• NERC/TSB Knowledge Transfer Partnership (2007, KTP006347) with Grundon Waste Management and DustScan Ltd. £102,000 over 2 years to develop a commercial dust mapping method based on direction and chemistry.

Recent Publications

More recent publications

Publications Before 2006   

• Hooda, P.S., Henry, C.J.K., Seyoum, T.A., Armstrong, L.D.M. and Fowler, M.B. 2004. The potential impact of soil ingestion on human mineral nutrition. Science of the Total Environment, 333, 75-87.
• Burns, I., Fowler, M.B. , Strachan, R.A. and Greenwood, P.B. 2004. Geochemistry, petrogenesis and structural setting of the meta-igneous Strathy Complex:  a unique basement block within the Caledonides? Geological Magazine, 141, 209-223.
• Hooda, P.S., Henry, C.J.K., Seyoum, T.A., Armstrong, L.D.M. and Fowler, M.B. 2002. The potential impact of geophagia on the bioavailability of iron, zinc and calcium in human nutrition. Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 24, 305-319.