Expertise

As an oceanographer, I am dedicated to understanding the global lifecycle of plastic debris and its defining role in our modern epoch. My research focuses on the transport, accumulation and long-term fate of microplastics in the marine environment.

A central theme of my research is the study of plastics in the context of the Anthropocene. I investigate how synthetic polymers have become integrated into Earth systems, acting as 'novel' geological markers that signify human impact on the planet's stratigraphic record.

The Anthropocene Working Group (AWG)

I have been a member of the Anthropocene Working Group (AWG) since 2015. The AWG was a component body of the Subcommission on Quaternary Stratigraphy (SQS), which is a constituent body of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). One of the AWG's primary responsibilities was to determine the start of the Anthropocene, thereby establishing its position within the International Chronostratigraphic Chart.

This is no longer the case, as SQS/ICS-affiliated geologists rejected the AWG's proposal in March 2024. Consequently, the AWG was immediately dissolved.

The AWG has now established itself as an independent entity. For more information, please access: https://anthropocene-working-group.org/