Craig Smeaton
  • KY16 9AL

    United Kingdom

Accepting Postgraduate Research Students

Personal profile

Research overview

My principal research focus is to improve our understanding of the role marine and intertidal sedimentary environments play in the global carbon cycle over different spatial and temporal scales. 

Marine sediments and intertidal soils (saltmarsh, seagrass and mangroves) are capable of burying and storing globally significant quantities of carbon (sometimes referred to as Blue Carbon) away for thousands of years potentially providing a highly important climate mitigation service.

These sedimentary environments are recognised, as crucial components of the global carbon cycle, yet many unknowns remain hindering there inclusion in global climate models, national carbon accounting and greenhouse gas inventories.

To tackle this issue I bring together techniques from across the different geoscience disciplines (Geo- physics, chemistry, morphology, spatial analysis) to better understand:

  • The quantity of carbon held with marine and intertidal sediments.
  • The rate at which carbon is buried and locked away in these sedimentary environments.
  • The source of the carbon (terrestrial vs marine).
  • The natural and anthropogenic mechanisms that govern the preservation of carbon in these sedimentary systems.    

Geographically, my research is currently focused on the saltmarshes of the United Kingdom and continental shelf sediments in the North East Atlantic with particular focus on fjord sediments

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  • SDG 2 - Zero Hunger
  • SDG 6 - Clean Water and Sanitation
  • SDG 13 - Climate Action
  • SDG 14 - Life Below Water
  • SDG 15 - Life on Land

Education/Academic qualification

Doctor of Science, Environmental Geography , University of St Andrews

5 Oct 201314 Nov 2018

Award Date: 14 Nov 2018

Master in Science, Sustainable Catchment Management , University of Dundee

15 Sept 200914 Sept 2010

Award Date: 10 Nov 2010

Keywords

  • GB Physical geography
  • Sediment
  • Carbon
  • Holocene
  • Fjords
  • saltmarsh
  • coastal
  • GE Environmental Sciences
  • Blue Carbon
  • Radiocarbon
  • Coastal
  • GC Oceanography
  • Coastal
  • shelf seas
  • Climate

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics where Craig Smeaton is active. These topic labels come from the works of this person. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
  • 1 Similar Profiles

Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or