Dr Leon J. Clarke BSc, DPhil, FRSC, FGSL
Senior Lecturer in Environmental Analytical Chemistry
Geochemistry of marine biominerals, and marine and lake sediments, to reconstruct past climate change through Earth history over historical and geological timescales
My profile
Biography
Academic and professional qualifications
I hold a Senior Lectureship in Environmental Analytical Chemistry in the Department of Natural Sciences at MMU (originally appointed as a lecturer in August 2012).
I have a DPhil in Earth Sciences (University of Oxford; 2002), and a BSc in Environmental Sciences (University of East Anglia; 1993).
Professional activities:
Ongoing member of the NERC Peer Review College (2004-2008 and 2009-present).
Past member and chair of the Marine Studies Group of the Geological Society of London (2002-2009).
Past member of the NERC UK-IODP steering committee (2003-2006).
Membership of professional associations:
Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Fellow of the Geological Society of London.
Member of the European Association of Geochemistry.
Member of the American Geophysical Union.
Member of the Geological Society of America.
Projects
Current/recent funded research projects
PI on two NERC-funded National Environmental Isotope Facility (NEIF) grants-in-kind: Authigenic 10Be dating of an exemplar lacustrine sediment archive, Nam Co, Tibetan Plateau, ca. £52k for 10Be and ca. £11k for 14C (two 2022 awards)
PI on NERC Standard Grant “Identifying orbital- and sub-orbital-scale controls on the Asian summer monsoon: a 500,000 year hydroclimate record from Nam Co, Tibet [NamCore-UK]” -£650,823 - April 2024-September 2027. Co-I is Prof Andrew Henderson at Newcastle University (UK).
Co-PI on the International Continental Drilling Program (ICDP) project “The Nam Co Drilling Project, Tibet (NamCore): A One Million Year Sedimentary Record from the Third Pole” - US$1.5M awarded in June 2020, with lake drilling fieldwork currently being planned for summer 2023. PI is Dr Torsten Haberzettl at University of Greifswald (Germany).
Co-I on NERC Grant “Sea Salt Aerosol above Arctic Sea Ice - sources, processes and climate impacts (SSAASI-CLIM)” - £404,415 - January 2019-September 2022. PI is Dr Markus Frey at the British Antarctic Survey (UK).
Completed PhD students
Dr Saule Akhmetkaliyeva [Kazakhstan] (2022): Quantifying and characterising organic carbon and microbes in newly-developed soils following glacier retreat in northern latitudes (Co-Supervisor; awarded by MMU)
Dr Thomas Robertson [UK] (2020): Solid supported SABRE catalysts utilising fluorinated carbenes: towards the hyperpolarisation of oxytocin (Co-Supervisor; awarded by MMU)
Dr Daniel Niepsch [Germany] (2019): Application of lichen-biomonitoring to assess spatial variability of urban air quality in Manchester, UK (Principle Supervisor; awarded by MMU)
Dr Ioannis Kougkoulos [Greece] (2019): Glacial lake outburst flood risk in the Bolivian Andes (Principle Supervisor, following Dr Simon Cook moving to the University of Dundee; awarded by MMU)
Dr Joseph Nwachukwu [Nigeria] (2018): A geospatial assessment of human exposure pathways to chemical contaminants in the environment: a cause for action in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria (Principle Supervisor; awarded by MMU)
Dr Tom Broadbent [UK] (2010): Low latitude Pacific palaeoceanographic change across the Eocene/Oligocene boundary (Principle Supervisor; awarded by Bangor university)
Dr Jitka Libertinova [Czech Republic] (2009): Vent mussel shells as indicators of environmental conditions at hydrothermal vents (Co-Supervisor; awarded by Bangor university)
Dr Pedro Freitas [Portugal] (2007): Environmental and biological controls of Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca and Mn/Ca ratios in the shells of the bivalves Pinna nobilis, Mytilus edulis and Pecten maximus: implications for palaeo-environmental reconstructions (Co-Supervisor; awarded by Bangor university)
Teaching
Undergraduate teaching (BSc Environmental Science)
Investigating the Environment 1 (Year 1: 6F4Z3116)
Environmental Pollution (Year 2: 6F5Z3116) - Unit coordinator
Environmental Research Project (Year 3: 6F6Z3120) - Unit coordinator
Coastal and Marine Pollution (Year 3: 6F6Z3121) - Unit coordinator
Undergraduate teaching (BSc Chemistry / MChemistry)
Instrumental Analysis (Year 2: 6F5Z2105)
Spectroscopy and Instrumental Analysis (Year 2: 6F5Z2017)
Advanced Instrumental Analysis (Year 3: 6F6Z2106)
Advanced Instrumental Analysis (Year 3: 6F6Z2026)
Project and Personal Development (Year 3: 6F6Z2101C)
Project and Personal Development for Pharmaceutical Chemists (Year 3: 6F6Z2101P)
Advanced Project and Personal Development (Year 4: 6F7Z2101)
Postgraduate teaching (MSc Environmental Practise)
Soil and Water Quality (MSc: 6F7Z1042) - Unit coordinator
Research outputs
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Journal articles
Niepsch, D., Clarke, L.J., Jones, R.G., Tzoulas, K., Cavan, G. (2024) 'Lichen biomonitoring to assess spatial variability, potential sources and human health risks of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and airborne metal concentrations in Manchester (UK).' Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 196(4)
Niepsch, D., Clarke, L.J., Newton, J., Tzoulas, K., Cavan, G. (2023) 'High spatial resolution assessment of air quality in urban centres using lichen carbon, nitrogen and sulfur contents and stable-isotope-ratio signatures.' Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 30(20) pp. 58731-58754.
Nwachukwu, J.I., Clarke, L.J., Symeonakis, E., Brearley, F.Q. (2022) 'Assessment of human exposure to food crops contaminated with lead and cadmium in Owerri, South-eastern Nigeria.' Journal of Trace Elements and Minerals, 2pp. 100037-100037.
Pereira, N.S., Clarke, L.J., Chiessi, C.M., Kilbourne, K.H., Crivellari, S., Cruz, F.W., Campos, J.L.P.S., Yu, T.L., Shen, C.C., Kikuchi, R.K.P., Pinheiro, B.R., Longo, G.O., Sial, A.N., Felis, T. (2022) 'Mid to late 20th century freshening of the western tropical South Atlantic triggered by southward migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone.' Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 597pp. 111013-111013.
Robertson, T.B.R., Clarke, L.J., Mewis, R.E. (2022) 'Rapid SABRE Catalyst Scavenging Using Functionalized Silicas.' Molecules, 27(2) pp. 332-332.
Niepsch, D., Clarke, L.J., Tzoulas, K., Cavan, G. (2021) 'Distinguishing atmospheric nitrogen compounds (nitrate and ammonium) in lichen biomonitoring studies.' Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts, 23(12) pp. 2021-2036.
Niepsch, D., Clarke, L.J., Tzoulas, K., Cavan, G. (2021) 'Spatiotemporal variability of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution in Manchester (UK) city centre (2017-2018) using a fine spatial scale single-NOx diffusion tube network.' Environmental Geochemistry and Health: official journal of the Society for Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 44(11) pp. 3907-3927.
Haberzettl, T., Daut, G., Schulze, N., Spiess, V., Wang, J., Zhu, L., 2018 Nam Co workshop party, , Clarke, L. (2019) 'ICDP workshop on scientific drilling of Nam Co on the Tibetan Plateau: 1 million years of paleoenvironmental history, geomicrobiology, tectonics and paleomagnetism derived from sediments of a high-altitude lake.' Scientific Drilling, 25pp. 63-70.
Sylvestre, F., Schuster, M., Vogel, H., Abdheramane, M., Ariztegui, D., Salzmann, U., Schwalb, A., Waldmann, N. (2018) 'The Lake CHAd Deep DRILLing project (CHADRILL) – targeting ∼ 10 million years of environmental and climate change in Africa.' Scientific Drilling, 24pp. 71-78.
Kougkoulos, I., Cook, S.J., Edwards, L.A., Clarke, L.J., Symeonakis, E., Dortch, J.M., Nesbitt, K. (2018) 'Modelling glacial lake outburst flood impacts in the Bolivian Andes.' Natural Hazards, pp. 1-24.
García-Escárzaga, A., Clarke, L.J., Gutiérrez-Zugasti, I., González-Morales, M.R., Martinez, M., López-Higuera, J.M., Cobo, A. (2018) 'Mg/Ca profiles within archaeological mollusc (Patella vulgata) shells: Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy compared to Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometry.' Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy, 148pp. 8-15.
Kougkoulos, I., Cook, S., Jomelli, V., Clarke, L., Symeonakis, I., Dortch, J., Edwards, L., Merad, M. (2018) 'Use of multi-criteria decision analysis to identify potentially dangerous glacial lakes.' Science of the Total Environment, 621pp. 1453-1466.
Bownes, J., Clarke, L., Buckberry, J. (2018) 'The importance of animal baselines: Using isotope analysis to compare diet in a British medieval hospital and lay population.' Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 17pp. 103-110.
Gutiérrez-Zugasti, I., Suárez-Revilla, R., Clarke, L.J., Schöne, B.R., Bailey, G.N., González-Morales, M.R. (2017) 'Shell oxygen isotope values and sclerochronology of the limpet Patella vulgata Linnaeus 1758 from northern Iberia: Implications for the reconstruction of past seawater temperatures.' Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 475pp. 162-175.
Vihtakari, M., Ambrose, W.G., Renaud, P.E., Locke, W.L., Carroll, M.L., Berge, J., Clarke, L.J., Cottier, F., Hop, H. (2017) 'A key to the past? Element ratios as environmental proxies in two Arctic bivalves.' Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 465(B) pp. 316-332.
Freitas, P.S., Clarke, L.J., Kennedy, H., Richardson, C.A. (2016) 'Manganese in the shell of the bivalve Mytilus edulis: Seawater Mn or physiological control?.' Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 194pp. 266-278.
Falzoni, F., Petrizzo, M.R., Clarke, L.J., MacLeod, K.G., Jenkyns, H.C. (2016) 'Long-term Late Cretaceous oxygen-and carbonisotope trends and planktonic foraminiferal turnover: A new record from the southern midlatitudes.' Geological Society of America Bulletin, 128(11-12) pp. 1725-1735.
Robson, H.K., Andersen, S.H., Clarke, L., Craig, O.E., Gron, K.J., Jones, A.K.G., Karsten, P., Milner, N., Price, T.D., Ritchie, K., Zabilska-Kunek, M., Heron, C. (2016) 'Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope values in freshwater, brackish and marine fish bone collagen from Mesolithic and Neolithic sites in central and northern Europe.' Environmental Archaeology: the journal of human palaeoecology, 21(2) pp. 105-118.
Vihtakari, M., Renaud, P.E., Clarke, L.J., Whitehouse, M.J., Hop, H., Carroll, M.L., Ambrose, W.G. (2016) 'Decoding the oxygen isotope signal for seasonal growth patterns in Arctic bivalves.' Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 446pp. 263-283.
Wendler, I., Wendler, J.E., Clarke, L.J. (2016) 'Sea-level reconstruction for Turonian sediments from Tanzania based on integration of sedimentology, microfacies, geochemistry and micropaleontology.' Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 441pp. 528-564.
Frei, K.M., Mannering, U., Kristiansen, K., Allentoft, M.E., Wilson, A.S., Skals, I., Tridico, S., Nosch, M.L., Willerslev, E., Clarke, L., Frei, R. (2015) 'Tracing the dynamic life story of a Bronze Age Female.' SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, 5
Haydock, H., Clarke, L., Craig-Atkins, E., Howcroft, R., Buckberry, J. (2013) 'Weaning at Anglo-Saxon raunds: Implications for changing breastfeeding practice in britain over two millennia.' AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, 151(4) pp. 604-612.
Craig, O.E., Saul, H., Lucquin, A., Nishida, Y., Taché, K., Clarke, L., Thompson, A., Altoft, D.T., Uchiyama, J., Ajimoto, M., Gibbs, K., Isaksson, S., Heron, C.P., Jordan, P. (2013) 'Earliest evidence for the use of pottery.' Nature, 496(7445) pp. 351-354.
Freitas, P.S., Clarke, L.J., Kennedy, H., Richardson, C.A. (2012) 'The potential of combined Mg/Ca and δ18O measurements within the shell of the bivalve Pecten maximus to estimate seawater δ18O composition.' Chemical Geology, 291pp. 286-293.
Freitas, P.S., Clarke, L.J., Kennedy, H., Richardson, C.A. (2009) 'Ion microprobe assessment of the heterogeneity of Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca and Mn/Ca ratios in <i>Pecten maximus</i> and <i>Mytilus edulis</i> (bivalvia) shell calcite precipitated at constant temperature.' Biogeosciences, 6(7) pp. 1209-1227.
Robinson, S.A., Clarke, L.J., Nederbragt, A., Wood, I.G. (2008) 'Mid-Cretaceous oceanic anoxic events in the Pacific Ocean revealed by carbon-isotope stratigraphy of the Calera Limestone, California, USA.' Geological Society of America Bulletin, 120(11-12) pp. 1416-1426.
Freitas, P.S., Clarke, L.J., Kennedy, H.A., Richardson, C.A. (2008) 'Inter- and intra-specimen variability masks reliable temperature control on shell Mg/Ca ratios in laboratory- and field-cultured <i>Mytilus edulis</i> and <i>Pecten maximus</i> (bivalvia).' Biogeosciences, 5(5) pp. 1245-1258.
Foster, L.C., Finch, A.A., Allison, N., Andersson, C., Clarke, L.J. (2008) 'Mg in aragonitic bivalve shells: Seasonal variations and mode of incorporation in Arctica islandica.' Chemical Geology, 254(1-2) pp. 113-119.
Greaves, M., Caillon, N., Rebaubier, H., Bartoli, G., Bohaty, S., Cacho, I., Clarke, L., Cooper, M., Daunt, C., Delaney, M., deMenocal, P., Dutton, A., Eggins, S., Elderfield, H., Garbe‐Schoenberg, D., Goddard, E., Green, D., Groeneveld, J., Hastings, D., Hathorne, E., Kimoto, K., Klinkhammer, G., Labeyrie, L., Lea, D.W., Marchitto, T., Martínez‐Botí, M.A., Mortyn, P.G., Ni, Y., Nuernberg, D., Paradis, G., Pena, L., Quinn, T., Rosenthal, Y., Russell, A., Sagawa, T., Sosdian, S., Stott, L., Tachikawa, K., Tappa, E., Thunell, R., Wilson, P.A. (2008) 'Interlaboratory comparison study of calibration standards for foraminiferal Mg/Ca thermometry.' Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 9(8)
Freitas, P.S., Clarke, L.J., Kennedy, H., Richardson, C.A., Abrantes, F. (2006) 'Environmental and biological controls on elemental (Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca and Mn/Ca) ratios in shells of the king scallop Pecten maximus.' Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 70(20) pp. 5119-5133.
Scourse, J.D., Clarke, L., Marret, F. (2005) 'Editorial.' Journal of Quaternary Science, 20(5)
Freitas, P., Clarke, L.J., Kennedy, H., Richardson, C., Abrantes, F. (2005) 'Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca, and stable-isotope (δ18O and δ13C) ratio profiles from the fan mussel Pinna nobilis: Seasonal records and temperature relationships.' Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 6(4)
Brassell, S.C., Dumitrescu, M., Bralower, T.J., Premoli-Silva, I., Malone, M.J., Arthur, M.A., Averyt, K., Bown, P., Channell, J.E.T., Clarke, L.J., Dutton, A.L., Eleson, J.W., Frank, T.D., Gylesjö, S., Hancock, H., Kano, H., Leckie, R.M., Marsaglia, K.M., McGuire, J., Moe, K.T., Petrizzo, M.R., Robinson, S., Röhl, U., Sager, W.W., Takeda, K., Thomas, D., Williams, T., Zachos, J.C. (2004) 'Recognition of alkenones in a lower Aptian porcellanite from the west-central Pacific.' Organic Geochemistry, 35(2) pp. 181-188.
Craig, C.A., Jarvis, K.E., Clarkej, L.J. (2000) 'An assessment of calibration strategies for the quantitative and semiquantitative analysis of calcium carbonate matrices by laser ablationinductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS).' Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry, 15(8) pp. 1001-1008.
Richaud, R., Lachas, H., Lazaro, M.J., Clarke, L.J., Jarvis, K.E., Herod, A.A., Gibb, T.C., Kandiyoti, R. (2000) 'Trace elements in coal derived liquids: Analysis by ICP-MS and Moessbauer spectroscopy.' Fuel, 79(1) pp. 57-67.
Clarke, L.J., Jenkyns, H.C. (1999) 'New oxygen isotope evidence for long-term Cretaceous climatic change in the Southern Hemisphere.' Geology, 27(8) pp. 699-702.
Price, G.D., Sellwood, B.W., Corfield, R.M., Clarke, L., Cartlidge, J.E. (1998) 'Isotopic evidence for palaeotemperatures and depth stratification of Middle Cretaceous planktonic foraminifera from the Pacific Ocean.' Geological Magazine, 135(2) pp. 183-191.
Bellier, J.P., Marca, S., Norris, R.D., Kroon, D., Klaus, A., Alexander, I.T., Bardot, L.P., Barker, C.E., Blome, C.D., Clarke, L.J., Erbacher, J., Faul, K.L., Holmes, M.A., Huber, B.T., Katz, M.E., MacLeod, K.G., MartinezRuiz, F.C., Mita, I., Nakai, M., Ogg, J.G., Pak, D.K., Pletsch, T.K., SelfTrail, J.M., Shackleton, N.J., Smit, J., Ussler, W., Watkins, D.K., Widmark, J., Wilson, P.A. (1997) 'The Blake Nose Cretaceous-Paleogene (Florida Atlantic margin, ODP Leg 171B): an exemplar record of the Maastrichtian-Danian transition.' COMPTES RENDUS DE L ACADEMIE DES SCIENCES SERIE II FASCICULE A-SCIENCES DE LA TERRE ET DES PLANETES, 325(7) pp. 499-504.
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Conference papers
Smith, A.J., Ito, E., Burls, N., Clarke, L., Donders, T., Hatfield, R., Kuehn, S., Koutsodendris, A., Lowenstein, T., McGee, D., Molnar, P., Prokopenko, A., Snell, K., Valero Garcés, B., Werne, J., Zeeden, C. (2023) 'Workshop report: PlioWest-drilling Pliocene lakes in western North America.' 32. Copernicus Publications, pp. 61-72.
Kougkoulos, I., Clarke, L., Cook, S., Dortch, J., Edwards, L., Jomelli, V., Merad, M., Symeonakis, I. (2018) 'Glacial lake outburst flood risk in the Bolivian Andes.' In EGU General Assembly 2018. Vienna, Austria, 8/4/2018 - 13/4/2018. EGU,
Kougkoulos, I., Cook, S., Clarke, L., Symeonakis, I., Edwards, L., Dortch, J. (2018) 'Volumetric changes of glaciers in the Bolivian Andes between 1986 and 2017.' In EGU General Assembly. 20. Vienna, Austria, 8/4/2018 - 13/4/2018. EGU,
Kougkoulos, I., Cook, S., Jomeli, V., Clarke, L., Symeonakis, I., Dortch, J., Edwards, L., Merad, M. (2017) 'Remote assessment of glacial lake outburst flood risk using multi-criteria decision analysis.' In EGU General Assembly 2017. Vienna, Austria, 23/4/2017 - 28/4/2017. EGU,
Kougkoulos, I., Cook, S., Jomelli, V., Clarke, L., Symeonakis, I. (2017) 'Assessing glacial lake outburst flood risk..' In EGU General Assembly. Vienna, Austria, 23/4/2017 - 28/4/2017. EGU,
Career history
2014-present
Senior Lecturer in Environmental Analytical Chemistry (Department of Natural Sciences, MMU)
2012-2014
Lecturer in Environmental Analytical Chemistry (Department of Natural Sciences, MMU)
2010-2012
Lecturer in Environmental Science (Division of Archaeological, Geographical and Environmental Sciences, University of Bradford)
2000-2009
Lecturer in Sediment Geochemistry (School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University)
1997-1999
Research Associate at the NERC ICP-MS Facility (Imperial College at Silwood Park)
1993-1997
DPhil in Earth Sciences (Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford)
1990-1993
BSc in Environmental Sciences (School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia)