Press office news tagged geoscience

An image of the Perseid meteor shower captured by Dr Stephen Grimes.

Hunting stardust in Plymouth: new project invites people to discover cosmic dust from outer space

University of Plymouth news: This University is leading a new project that will encourage Plymouth residents to help uncover micrometeorites that may have landed on their roofs and in their gardens

Explosive activity at La Soufriere, an active volcano on St Vincent, in 2021

£3.7m study aims to improve understanding and detection of dangerous volcanic eruptions

University of Plymouth news: Researchers from our School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences are part of a major new project that aims to shed light on dangerous shifts in volcanic activity

Dr Paul Cole, Associate Professor of Volcanology and a lecturer on the University of Plymouth’s Earth Sciences programmes, who has won the 2026 VMSG Award from the Geological Society of London

Lecturer receives award acknowledging outstanding contribution to volcanology

University of Plymouth news: Dr Paul Cole, Associate Professor of Volcanology and a lecturer on our Earth Sciences programmes, has received a prestigious award from the Volcanic and Magmatic Studies Group (VMSG) of the Geological Society of London

In an effort to study the impacts of coastal flooding and sea level rise, University of Plymouth researchers made field observations in January and July 2022 on the island of Fiyoaree, at the south west tip of the Huvadhoo Atoll in the Maldives

Study provides new forecasts of remote islands’ vulnerability to sea level rise

University of Plymouth news: Our scientists have warned that predicted rises in sea levels, coupled with an increase in extreme weather and wave conditions, could result in presently rare flooding events happening every two to three years by around 2050

Scientists - including Dr Jenny Gales - observed shimmering hot water emerging from a chimney at 710 meters during dive 804 on the north-east side of Quest Caldera; they located the hydrothermal vent by focusing on previously recorded heat anomalies and pockmarks in the mapping data

New hydrothermal vents and coral gardens found in the icy depths of the remote South Sandwich Islands

University of Plymouth news: Dr Jenny Gales was part of an international team of scientists who discovered new hydrothermal vents, coral gardens and many suspected new species on an expedition to one of the most remote island chains in the world

Greg Price, Rhodri Jerrett and Lauren O’Connor conducting fieldwork at West Bijou

Giant volcanic eruptions affected Earth’s climate but were not responsible for dinosaur extinction, study suggests

University of Plymouth news: New research involving scientists at the University aims to enhance our understanding of a turbulent period of Earth’s history

Antarctica

Scientists embark on first study of Antarctica’s underwater avalanches

University of Plymouth news: The Antarctic Canyon Experiment (ACE) is a five-year £2.4m project being led by the University and an international consortium of partners.

Emily Vernon. PhD title: Assessing the impact of ionising radiation on aquatic organisms

University benefits from major investment in next generation of scientists

University of Plymouth news: The University has secured funding from UK Research and Innovation to either lead, or be part of, three Doctoral Landscape Awards that will train and support more research students across science, engineering and health

Large ocean wave crashing

University takes the helm of global scientific drilling research programme

University of Plymouth news:The University of Plymouth will lead the central scientific body at the heart of a global research initiative that aims to unlock some of the secrets hidden beneath the world’s seafloor.

The confluence of the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi Rivers, which represents the source of the Ganges. Differences in the colour of the water are the result of variations in sediment load, which can be caused by landscape disturbances originating higher in the catchment.

£1m project aims to forecast long-term effects of debris transported by natural disasters

University of Plymouth news: Led by the University, the SUPERSLUG initiative will assess how sediment moved by landslides, avalanches and other extreme events can impact river systems and the landscapes and communities near them

Mantle rocks collected from deep beneath the Atlantic Ocean during the IODP expedition 399 in the Spring of 2023

Rocks that originated in Earth’s mantle could reveal secrets of planet’s history

University of Plymouth news: Dr Andy Parsons is part of an international team that is using rocks from the deep ocean to unravel mantle’s role in life on Earth, volcanism and global chemical cycles.

Plymouth Breakwater during Storm Eunice

Study explores what attracts people to watch live-streams of disasters and extreme weather

University of Plymouth news: New research analysed comments posted by those watching live-streams of extreme weather and found they are important spaces of hazard learning and community gathering.