Oxidation of fossil organic matter as a source of atmospheric CO2

About the project

All living organisms contain organic carbon. When an organism dies, organic carbon can become trapped within ancient sedimentary rocks (fossil organic carbon). This is a major carbon reservoir and is a sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) over millennial- and million-year timescales (Hilton and West, 2020).

However, uplift, exhumation and erosion of ancient sedimentary rocks has the potential to oxidize fossil organic carbon and release this CO 2 back into the atmosphere (Hemingway et al., 2019). This may act as a positive climate feedback and increase global temperatures. However, the mechanisms responsible for fossil carbon oxidation remain a major gap in our understanding. Fossil carbon oxidation is likely controlled by a variety of:

Disentangling the relative importance of these different processes is challenging but can be assessed in controlled laboratory and natural field experiments. This project will employ a suite of laboratory and field-based approaches to study the fate of fossil organic carbon in modern environments. The findings of this project will help constrain whether fossil organic carbon oxidation might serve as a large source of atmospheric CO 2 in both past and future climates.

For full project details visit the Inspire project page .

• abiotic factors (e.g., temperature, oxygen availability, erosion rates)
• biotic factors

Supervisors

• Dr Gordon Inglis (University of Southampton)
• Professor Robert (Bob) Hilston (University of Oxford)

Potential supervisors

• Potential supervisors: Lead supervisor Professor Gordon Inglis PhD Professor

Lead supervisor

• Lead supervisor: Professor Gordon Inglis PhD Professor

Professor Gordon Inglis PhD

• Professor Gordon Inglis PhD: Professor

Entry requirements

A 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent , in one of these subjects:

• any Earth or environmental science discipline
• geology
• oceanography
• marine science

Fees and funding

INSPIRE studentships are funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC, part of UK Research and Innovation, UKRI). The stipend is in line with UKRI standard levels, including the recent cost of living increase.

All studentships are fully funded for 3.5 years.

How to apply

To make an application, visit the how to apply section of the INSPIRE website .

Contact us

For questions about the project, contact Dr Gordon Inglis.

Email: gordon.inglis@soton.ac.uk

For questions about the application process, contact the graduate school office.

Email: gsnocs@soton.ac.uk

Research areas