Professor Neil Rose

About

Environmental Change Research Centre

Department of Geography,
University College London,
Pearson Building,
Gower Street,
London,
WC1E 6BT.

Tel: +44 (0)20 7679 0543
Fax: +44 (0)20 7679 0565
e-mail: n.rose@ucl.ac.uk

Biography

Academic Qualifications

1984: University of Leicester. BSc (Hons.) Chemistry with Geochemistry
1991: Univeristy College London. PhD. "Fly-ash particles in lake sediments: Extraction, characterisation and distribution"]

Career History

1984 - 1987: British Antarctic Survey - Limnological Field Assistant, Signy Island, South Orkneys.
1987 - 1991: Associate Research Assistant. Palaeoecology Research Unit, Dept. Geography, University College London.
1991 - 1995: Research Fellow - Environmental Change Research Centre, University College London.
1995 - 2001: Senior Research Fellow - Environmental Change Research Centre, University College London.
2001 - 2008: Principal Research Fellow III - Environmental Change Research Centre, University College London.
2008 - 2011: Professorial Research Associate - Environmental Change Research Centre, University College London.
2011 - present: Professor of Environmental Pollution and Palaeolimnology, Department of Geography, University College London.

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Publications

For a list of publications click here.

Research Interests

Research interests:

Neil Rose's research has focussed on the use of lake sediments as natural archives of atmospherically deposited pollutants, particularly in remote areas and the use of fly-ash particles (especially spheroidal carbonaceous particles: SCPs) as a direct measure of pollutant deposition, as a dating tool for lake sediments and as a surrogate for other deposited pollutants. More recently, his research has also included the scale and causes of temporal changes in sediment accumulation rates and public participation in aquatic science through the Lottery funded OPAL project where he leads the OPAL Water Centre. His research has been undertaken in many areas of the world including Greenland, Svalbard, China, Tibet, Alaska, Uganda and many areas of Europe.

Impacts of atmospheric pollutants such as heavy metals, persistent organics and especially particulates from the combustion of fossil-fuels on the environment (freshwater, terrestrial and marine systems) on a UK, European and global scale.
Particle source apportionment by means of their chemistry and morphology.
Spatial and temporal distributions of fly-ash particles using the lake sedimentary record, atmospheric collectors etc and the use of the lake sediment fly-ash particle record as a chronological tool.
Relationships of fly-ash particle records with those of other deposited pollutants (e.g. trace metals, persistent organic pollutants) and their use as surrogates.
Transboundary movement of pollutants to remote areas.
Role of climate change on the remobilisation of deposited pollutants and their transfer to surface waters
Lake sediments as an indicator of toxicity to aquatic biota

Major grants:

Fly-ash particles and heavy metals in lake sediments in Europe: Implications for human and environmental health. (FLAME). 1994 - 1996. Funded under the EU COPERNICUS programme for Cooperation in Science and Technology with Central and Eastern European countries. FLAME developed a characterisation for the particulate emissions from the major fossil-fuels used industrially throughout Europe and applied this to particulates extracted from 200 contemporary lake sediments across the four countries to determine the distribution and sources of these and associated pollutants. The project also determined heavy metal concentrations in the lakes and their catchment mosses. Papers from this project comprised a special section of the journal ‘Water, Air and Soil Pollution’ edited by Neil Rose and Simon Patrick.
Environmental change and atmospheric contamination across China as indicated by lake sediments. 1998 - 2001. A joint project with the Institute of Geodesy and Geophysics, Wuhan, East China Normal University, Shanghai and University of Liverpool funded by the Royal Society of London and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Trace element measurements in London and beyond with particular emphasis on mercury. 2000. Funded by Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions. Investigation into the long-term history of metal deposition via the sediment record at five sites across the UK.
Using spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCPs) to establish a reliable recent lake sediment chronology for the future. 2000 - 2002. Funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).
Lake sediment toxicity in the UK: The role of trace metals and persistent organic pollutants. 2002 - 2003. Funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Investigation into the role of pollutants in the toxicity of sediments to two freshwater invertebrates Chironomus riparius and Daphnia magna across a pollutant gradient at 10 lake sites across the UK.
Western Airborne Contaminants Assessment Project (WACAP). 2003 - 2006. Project designed and implemented by the United States National Park Service (Air Resource Division) in cooperation with US Geological Survey and USDA Forest Service. Project involves sampling (lake sediments; vegetation; snow; fish; water) along latitudinal and coastal/interior gradients in seven National Parks for the impacts of atmospherically deposited pollutants.
Temporal trends of toxic trace metals across the UK using ²¹⁰Pb-dated sediment cores. 2004 - 2005. Funded by the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. To assess the post-Industrial trends in Hg, Cd, Pb, Cu, Ni and Zn in 10 lakes across southern and eastern England.
Metals monitoring at Lochnagar. 2004 – 2007. Funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Continuation of the trace metal monitoring programme transferred from the Freshwater Umbrella Contract (2001 – 2004) to the UK Acid Waters Monitoring Network, including the measurements of Hg, Cd, Pb, Ni, Cu and Zn in deposition, lake waters, sediment traps and a range of aquatic and terrestrial biota.
Lake sediment evidence for long-range air pollution on the Tibetan Plateau. 2006 – 2009. Funding by The Leverhulme Trust. Project to assess the historical records of atmospherically deposited pollutants using the sediments of lakes taken along a transect across the Tibetan Plateau. The project collaborates closely with the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research (ITP) and additionally provides background data for ITP monitoring activities and a base-line for monitoring the role of future impacts.
OPAL (Open Air Laboratories) 2007 - 2012. Funding from the National Lottery via the Big Lottery Fund. OPAL aims to (i) Change lifestyles to get people to spend more time outdoors; (ii) develop innovative educational programmes that can be accessed by all ages and abilities; (iii) enthuse a new generation of 'environmentalists'; (iv) develop a greater understanding of the state of the natural environment especially in more impoverished areas; (v) develop partnerships between the community, voluntary and statutory sectors. 31 projects comprise the OPAL 'portfolio' to attain these aims. Our role is to run the OPAL Water Centre. This involves not only coordinating the projects related to the national OPAL Water Survey (development and distribution of 40,000 survey packs and associated educational materials) but also undertaking original research including establishing a biomonitoring programme and assessing the impact of toxic pollutants on freshwaters.

Consultancy and Outreach

Consultancy

Neil Rose has been a Director of the consultancy company ENSIS Ltd since 1994. (http://www.ensis.ucl.ac.uk/) ENSIS is a company dedicated to supporting the research of the Environmental Change Research Centre and is thus integral to its research activities. Consultancy undertaken via ENSIS includes trace metal and toxicology studies undertaken for DEFRA. In addition, the use of spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCPs) as a means to date sediment cores is widely used in many projects undertaken via ENSIS.

Outreach

Neil leads the Lottery funded OPAL Water Centre which aims to get as many people as possible, of all ages, abilities and backgrounds, interested in aquatic science. This includes the development of a national water survey and survey pack, 40 000 of which are to be distributed in Spring 2010.

UCL Environmental Radiometric Facility

Neil also manages the UCL Environmental Radiometric Facility which is housed within the Department of Geography. This facility uses low-background hyper-pure germanium gamma spectrometers capable of measuring low-level environmental radioactivity. Its main work involves producing chronologies for lake sediment cores.

Current Teaching

Current teaching includes:

3rd Year courses:

1st Year courses:

GEOG1003: 'Physical geography field class at Slapton Ley

Masters:

GEOGG072: MSc Aquatic Sciences: Aquatic Monitoring module (convenor)

Research Students

Current:

Charlotte Hall
Charlotte is working on trace metals in London lakes and ponds, including the historical record of contamination and contemporary biomonitoring at a lake on Hampstead Heath.

Selected past students:

Xuezhu Long.
Particulate air pollution in central London: characterisation, temporal patterns and source apportionment. Xuezhu is currently working for ERM in Shanghai and Beijing.

Handong Yang.
Trace metal storage in lake systems and its relationship with atmospheric deposition with particular reference to Lochnagar, Scotland. Handong is now working as a post-doctoral researcher with the ECRC.

Alison Berry.
Spatial and temporal trends of power station derived pollutants in London. Alison is currently living and working in New Zealand.

Patrik Bexell
The sediment record and accumulation rate changes of floodplain and oxbow lakes.