2027-B24 Reconstructing Plio-Pleistocene Ice-Sheet Evolution in the North Sea Basin Using Paleomagnetism and Magnetic Fabric

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

  • Develop a high-resolution chronological framework for the North Sea Basin by combining magnetostratigraphy and relative palaeointensity (RPI) analyses on 2,000-3,000 samples recovered during IODP Expedition 507 (GLACE-NS), enabling reconstruction of glacial and environmental changes over the last ~3 million years. 
  • Reconstruct ice-sheet evolution, sediment provenance, and landscape change using integrated environmental magnetic proxies to quantify sediment supply variations associated with glacial-interglacial climate cycles. 
  • Unravel the history of North Sea Basin ocean circulation through anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) analyses, providing new constraints on bottom-current strength and direction and evaluating links between oceanographic changes, ice-sheet dynamics, and major climate transitions. 

Overview

IODP Expedition 507 (GLACE-NS) running in June-July 2027 will recover a unique Plio-Pleistocene sedimentary archive from the North Sea Basin (NSB), providing an unprecedented opportunity to investigate the onset, evolution, and variability of Northern Hemisphere glaciation and its links to environmental and oceanographic change. This PhD project will exploit a large collection of approximately 2,000 to 3,000 sediment specimens that will be obtained from Expedition 507 cores by co-supervisor Dr Marco Maffione, a member of the science party, to develop high-resolution reconstructions of ice-sheet development, sediment provenance, and ocean circulation across the last ~3 million years. 

The project will directly address key scientific objectives of GLACE-NS by integrating paleomagnetic, environmental magnetic, and rock magnetic proxies. A primary goal will be to establish a robust chronological framework through magnetostratigraphy and relative palaeointensity (RPI) analysis. While magnetostratigraphy will provide age constraints based on geomagnetic polarity reversals, RPI records will enable substantially higher-resolution stratigraphic correlation, particularly during the last 1.5 million years. This age model will permit detailed quantification of sedimentation-rate changes associated with glacial-interglacial cycles and major climatic transitions. 

Building on this framework, the project will investigate variations in sediment source regions and transport pathways using magnetic susceptibility and magnetic grain-size sensitive parameters. These records will provide insight into changing erosion patterns, ice-sheet dynamics, and landscape evolution across northwestern Europe during periods of climatic reorganisation. The resulting provenance reconstructions will be integrated with sedimentological and geochemical datasets generated by the wider expedition science team (~25 members with a broad range of expertise). 

A further objective is to reconstruct changes in bottom-current circulation and depositional processes using anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS). Magnetic fabric data will provide quantitative information on current intensity and flow directions through time, allowing assessment of how oceanographic circulation responded to ice-sheet expansion and retreat. Together, these records will generate a comprehensive reconstruction of cryospheric, environmental, and oceanographic evolution in the North Sea Basin, contributing to a broader understanding of the mechanisms linking ice sheets, ocean circulation, and climate during one of Earth’s most significant long-term cooling trends. 

Case Projects

This project does not offer a CASE studentship

Host

  • University of Birmingham

Theme

  • Climate and Environmental Sustainability

Supervisors

Project investigator

Co-investigators

How to apply

Each host has a slightly different application process.
Find out how to apply for this studentship.

All applications must include the CENTA application form.
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The project will analyse approximately 2,000 to 3,000 sediment specimens collected from IODP Expedition 507 cores. Paleomagnetic measurements will be used to construct a detailed magnetostratigraphic framework based on geomagnetic polarity reversals. High-resolution relative palaeointensity (RPI) records will then be generated through progressive demagnetisation and normalization procedures to refine age control and enable correlation with global geomagnetic reference curves. Environmental magnetic analyses, including magnetic susceptibility, anhysteretic remanent magnetisation (ARM), isothermal remanent magnetisation (IRM), ARM/IRM ratios, and median destructive field (MDF), will be used to characterise magnetic mineralogy, grain size, and sediment provenance. Spectral and time-series analyses will evaluate the influence of orbital forcing on sedimentation patterns and environmental change. Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) measurements will quantify magnetic fabrics related to bottom-current processes, providing estimates of current strength and flow orientation. These datasets will be integrated with sedimentological, chronological, and geochemical information produced by the wider GLACE-NS scientific programme. All analyses will be carried out at the PUMA paleomagnetic laboratory at the University of Birmingham (UK). 

DRs will be awarded CENTA Training Credits (CTCs) for participation in CENTA-provided and ‘free choice’ external training. One CTC can be earned per 3 hours training, and DRs must accrue 100 CTCs across the three and a half years of their PhD.  

The student will receive interdisciplinary training in paleomagnetism, environmental magnetism, marine geology, and quantitative data analysis, including time series analysis. Under the supervision of Dr Marco Maffione, the student will gain expertise in paleomagnetic laboratory techniques, magnetostratigraphy, rock magnetic characterisation, and advanced relative palaeointensity (RPI) methodologies. Training with Dr Carl Stevenson will provide specialist skills in anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) analysis, magnetic fabric interpretation, and sediment dynamics. Additional experience will be gained in time-series analysis, age-model construction, and the interpretation of large IODP datasets. Participation in international IODP post-cruise activities, conferences, and collaborative research networks will further enhance the student’s professional development and interdisciplinary research skills. 

The PhD project will benefit from a unique international collaborative framework established through IODP Expedition 507 (GLACE-NS). The expedition science party, comprising approximately 25-30 researchers from leading institutions worldwide, will effectively serve as an extended network of external collaborators. Following the expedition, each scientist will undertake independent post-cruise research over a period of 3-5 years, generating complementary datasets spanning sedimentology, geochemistry, micropalaeontology, stratigraphy, palaeoceanography, and climate reconstruction. Results obtained within this PhD project will be shared and discussed across the science party, providing continuous opportunities for collaboration, interpretation, and co-publication. The project’s chronostratigraphic and environmental magnetic outcomes are fundamental to achieving the overarching scientific objectives of Expedition 507, so the publications generated by this PhD project will have a potential high impact within the scientific community. 

  • Year 1: Relative palaeointensity (RPI) analysis of the obtained samples 
  • Year 2: Completion of any outstanding RPI analysis and construction of an RPI-based age model; start of the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) analysis.  
  • Year 3: Completion of any outstanding AMS analysis and integration of the AMS results (paleocurrent proxy) into a time frame and definition of the final glaciation model for the North Sea, including evolution of paleocurrents over the glaciation event. 

AMS and palaeocurrent reconstruction in marine environments 

  1. Parés, J.M., Hassold, N.J.C., Rea, D.K., & van der Pluijm, B.A. (2007). Paleocurrent directions from paleomagnetic reorientations of magnetic fabrics in deep-sea sediments at the Antarctic Peninsula Pacific margin (ODP Sites 1095 and 1101). Marine Geology, 242, 261-269. This seminal study demonstrates how AMS combined with palaeomagnetic reorientation can be used to reconstruct bottom-current directions in ocean drilling cores. 
  2. Maffione, M., & Morris, A. (2017). The onset of fabric development in deep marine sediments. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 474, 32-39. This paper provides key insights into AMS fabric development in deep-marine sediments and its application to interpreting depositional and post-depositional processes. 
  3. Parés, J.M. (2015). Sixty years of anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility in deformed sedimentary rocks. Frontiers in Earth Science, 3, 4. A comprehensive review of AMS principles, magnetic fabric interpretation, and applications in sedimentary environments. 
  4. Ellwood, B.B. (1980). Flow and emplacement direction determined for selected Ordovician turbidites using magnetic susceptibility anisotropy measurements. Sedimentary Geology, 25, 239-253. 
  5. Hamilton, N., Rees, A.I., & Jones, M. (1988). The use of magnetic fabric in the interpretation of current-deposited sediments. Sedimentology, 35, 203-216. 
  6. Stow, D.A.V., Hernández-Molina, F.J., Larter, R., et al. (2002). Bedform-velocity matrix: the estimation of bottom current velocity from bedform observations. Marine Geology, 188, 95-101. Useful for integrating AMS-derived current reconstructions with sedimentological evidence. 
  7. Fleming, E.J., Lovell, H., Stevenson, C.T., Petronis, M.S., Benn, D.I., Hambrey, M.J. and Fairchild, I.J., 2013. Magnetic fabrics in the basal ice of a surge‐type glacier. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 118(4), pp.2263-2278. 
  8. Fleming, E.J., Benn, D.I., Stevenson, C.T., Petronis, M.S., Hambrey, M.J. and Fairchild, I.J., 2016. Glacitectonism, subglacial and glacilacustrine processes during a Neoproterozoic panglaciation, north‐east Svalbard. Sedimentology, 63(2), pp.411-442. 
  9. Fleming, E.J., Stevenson, C.T. and Petronis, M.S., 2013. New insights into the deformation of a Middle Pleistocene glaciotectonised sequence in Norfolk, England through magnetic and structural analysis. Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association, 124(5), pp.834-854. 
  10. Glasser, N.F., Holt, T., Fleming, E. and Stevenson, C., 2014. Ice shelf history determined from deformation styles in surface debris. Antarctic Science, 26(6), pp.661-673. 

 Relative Palaeointensity (RPI) methods and applications 

  1. Channell, J.E.T., Xuan, C., & Hodell, D.A. (2009). Stacking paleointensity and oxygen isotope data for the last 1.5 Myr (PISO-1500). Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 283, 14-23. A benchmark global RPI reference curve widely used for Quaternary age-model construction and stratigraphic correlation.  
  2. Channell, J.E.T., Hodell, D.A., Xuan, C., Mazaud, A., & Stoner, J.S. (2008). Age-calibrated relative paleointensity for the last 1.5 Myr at IODP Site U1308 (North Atlantic). Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 274, 59-71. A foundational paper demonstrating the use of high-resolution marine sediment RPI records for chronology.  
  3. Maffione, M., & Herrero-Bervera, E. (2022). A Relative Paleointensity (RPI)-Calibrated Age Model for the Corinth Syn-rift Sequence at IODP Hole M0079A (Gulf of Corinth, Greece). Frontiers in Earth Science, 10, 813958. Demonstrates the application of combined magnetostratigraphy, RPI, and environmental magnetic parameters (including ARM/IRM and grain-size proxies) to generate high-resolution chronologies. 
  4. Laj, C., Kissel, C., Mazaud, A., Channell, J.E.T., & Beer, J. (2000). North Atlantic Paleointensity Stack (NAPIS-75) and the duration of the Laschamp Event. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A, 358, 1009-1025.  
  5. Stoner, J.S., Laj, C., Channell, J.E.T., & Kissel, C. (2002). South Atlantic (SAPIS) and North Atlantic (NAPIS) geomagnetic paleointensity stacks (0-80 ka): implications for inter-hemispheric correlation. Quaternary Science Reviews, 21, 1141-1151. 
  6. Tauxe, L. (1993). Sedimentary records of relative paleointensity of the geomagnetic field: theory and practice. Reviews of Geophysics, 31, 319-354. A classic methodological reference on the assumptions, limitations, and best practices of RPI studies. 

Further details and How to Apply

Prospective applicants are positively encouraged to contact Carl Stevenson ([email protected]) or Marco Maffione ([email protected]) in advance of applying to ask questions about the project, discuss whether working with us on this project at the University of Birmingham is a good fit for you, or to ask questions about putting together a strong application. We are also happy to put you in contact with current and former students to ask questions about their experiences.

 To apply to this project:  

  • You must include a CV with the names of at least two referees (preferably three) who can comment on your academic abilities.  
  • Please submit your application and complete the host institution application process via: https://admissions.bham.ac.uk/course-finder-landing-page/?code=LES068 Please select the PhD in Geography (CENTA) 2027 entry year Apply Now button. The CENTA Studentship Application Form 2027 and CV can both be uploaded to the Personal Statement section of the online form.  In the funding section of the online form please select Research Council Funding and then choose Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).  Please quote CENTA 2027-B24 when completing the application form.  

 Applications must be submitted by 23:59 GMT on Wednesday 6th January 2027.   

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