Rebecca Anne Galbraith

My research focuses on evaluating the sulfur isotope, tephra and geochemical signatures of large explosive eruptions preserved in the polar ice core record and investigating the effect of these eruptions on global atmosphere and the environment.

Using high-resolution analytical techniques in the St Andrews Isotope Group (StAIG) laboratory, targeting several of the largest explosive eruptions of the last millennia - the 1875 caldera eruption of Askja (Iceland), the 10th century fissure eruption of Eldgjá (Iceland), and the cataclysmic 1815 eruption of Mt. Tambora (Indonesia) - my research aims to:

1. Create high-temporal records of volcanic plume fallout across multiple sulfur isotopes measured in ice cores using Multi-Collector Inductively Coupled Mass Spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS) and existing glaciochemical records.
2. Characterise the sulfur isotope and geochemical composition of the source magmas at each volcano using Electron Microprobe Analysis (EMPA), laser ablation, and detailed petrography.
3. Using the above methods as calibrations, model the evolution of volcanic ash and aerosols from volcanic source to polar ice and thereby improve our understanding of volcanic ash and aerosol dispersal.