Dr Tracy Shimmield
 

Telephone: 01631 559255
E-mail:tracy.shimmield@sams.ac.uk

Head of Biogeochemistry and Earth Sciences Department


Scientific interests:

Dr Shimmield is a principal investigator with extensive experience in marine geochemical and biogeochemical research. She also has a strong background in radiochemistry and has conducted a great deal of environmental research using radionuclides as tracers of marine processes. Her present research interests include the investigation of pollutant sources and transport pathways to the Arctic, the development and use of palaeoceanographic proxies within fjordic sediments to investigate high resolution environmental change over the last 10,000 years, and the sequestration and remineralisation of carbon within marine sediments.

• Investigating and assessing man's impact on the marine environment: through monitoring pollutants and the biogeochemical processes involved in their redistribution (including the assessment of inventories and fluxes of heavy metals and radionuclides)
• Natural and man-made radionuclides as tracers of marine processes: using radionuclides to assess sediment accumulation and mixing rates. (Also using radionuclides to determine areas of sediment erosion and focussing.
• Global climate change: the development and use of palaeoceanographic proxies within fjordic sediments to investigate high resolution environmental change over the last 10,000 years.
• Pollutant transport to the Arctic: the investigation of pollutant sources and transport pathways to the Arctic using stable lead isotopes.

Current projects:

• Arctic: (1) Anthropogenic inputs of heavy metals to the Kongsfjord area, Svalbard. (2) Sediment accumulation and mixing rates along the Svalbard margin. (3) Carbon recycling along a northern transect from Vøring Plateau to Yermak Plateau. (NERC, EU)
• Antarctica: Recent deep-water sedimentation: trace metal and radioisotope geochemistry across the Southern Ocean and Northern Weddell Sea.
• Oceans 2025 Theme 1 WP1.6: The effect of climate change on the Arctic marine system. (NERC)
• Oceans 2025 Theme 3 WP3.8: Pelagic and benthic biochemical processes response to spatial variability in topographically controlled mixing. (NERC)
• Arabian Sea: Benthic biogeochemistry of the Arabian Sea Oxygen Minimum Zone (OMZ) (NERC)
• Papua New Guinea: Deep Sea Mine tailings Investigation in PNG. (EU, EDF)

PhD Supervision:

Rebecca Dean:  Physical and Biogeochemical Pathways of Fish Farm Wastes in Scottish Sea Lochs: (2000-2005)

Susan Gass: Environmental Sensitivity of Cold-water Corals: (2002-2006)

Gareth Law: Cycling of trace metals in Organic rich sediments off Pakistan and Loch Etive in Scotland: (2003-2007)

Lindsay Vare: An investigation of temporal trends of pollutant Inputs within the Arctic Environment: (2003-2007)

Suzanne MacLachlan: Holocene Climatic Variability: Glacial history from an Arctic fjord, western Spitsbergen, Svalbard: (2003-2007)

Elizabeth Adey: Distinguishing Wild from Farmed Salmon Using Laser Ablation Mass Spectrometry: (2003-2007)

Clare Johnson: Tracing Water Masses in the northern Rockall Trough: (2003-2010, part time)

Kate McIntyre: Onshore off shore limits of Younger Dryas Ice Sheet: (2007-2010)

Teaching / supervising activities:

• Module Leader for Palaeoceanography (H4) and lecturer on Sediment Processes (H3) and Polar Seas (H4)
• Supervision of Ph.D students and undergraduate summer placements
• Director of studies for Gareth Law in collaboration with G. Shimmield, G. Cowie and R. Ganreshan, Edinburgh University, NERC studentship
• Director of Studies for Lindsay Vare, in collaboration with K. Black and G. Shimmield, NERC studentship.
• Supervised 6 summer placement students

Publications:

Dean, R.J., Shimmield, T.M. and Black, K.D. (2007) Copper , zinc and cadmium on marine cage fish farm sediments: An extensive survey. Environmental Pollution. 145 (1): 84-95

Howe, J.A., Wilson, C.R., Shimmield, T.M., Diaz, R. and Carpenter, L.  (Submitted) Recent deep-water sedimentation, trace metal and radioisotope geochemistry across the Southern Ocean and northern Weddell Sea, Antarctica. Deep-Sea Research II

John A. Howe, Tracy M. Shimmield and Robert Diaz,  Deep-Sea Research Part II Topical studies in Oceanography (In Press), Deep-water sedimentary environments of the northwestern Weddell Sea and South Sandwich Islands, Antarctica. 

Howe, J.A., Shimmield, T. M. and Harland, R. Glaciomarine sedimentation and contourites in the Fram Strait. Sedimentology (In Press). 

Howe, J.A., Shimmield, T., Austin, W.E.N and Longva, O. Post-glacial depositional processes in a glacially-overdeepened sea loch, upper Loch Etive, Western Scotland. Marine Geology (2002) 185, 417-433

Gehrels  RW, Marshall  WA, Gehrels  MJ, Larsen  G, Kirby  JR, Eiriksson  J, Heinemeier  J and Shimmield  TM . 2006. Rapid sea-level rise in the North Atlantic Ocean since the first half of the nineteenth century. Holocene. 16(7):949-965
Norgaard-Pedersen  N, Austin  WE N, Howe  JA  and Shimmield  TM . 2006. The Holocene record of Loch Etive, western Scotland: Influence of relative sea level and catchment area changes.. Marine Geology. 228:55-71

Shimmield, G., Kroon, D., Austin, W., Chapman, M., Jones, J., Derrick, S., P Knutz & Shimmield T. (2000). Century to millenial-scale sedimentological-geochemical records of glacial-Holocene sediment variations from the Barra Fan (NE Atlantic). Journal of the Geological Society, London, Vol. 157, 2000, pp 643-653.

Christiansen, C., Edelvang, K., Emeis, K.), Graf, G., Jähmlich, S.,  Kozuch, J., Laima, M., Leipe, T., Löffler, A., Lund-Hansen, L.C., Miltner, A., Pazdro, K., Pempkowiak, J., Shimmield, G., Shimmield, T., Smith, J. , Voss, M. and Witt, G.Material transport from the nearshore to the basinal environment in the Southern Baltic Sea, I: Process and mass estimates. sub group 3a, Journal of marine System, 35, 2002, 131-150.

Emeis, K. , Christiansen, C., Edelvang, K., Jähmlich, S., Kozuch, J., Laima, M., Leipe, T., Löffler, A., Lund-Hansen, L.C., Miltner, A., Pazdro, K., Pempkowiak, J., Shimmield, G., Shimmield, T., Smith, J. , Voss, M. and Witt, G.
Material transport from the nearshore to the basinal environment in the Southern Baltic Sea,II: Origin and properties of material. sub group 3a, Journal of marine System, 35, 2002, 151-168.
 
Swan, S.C., Gordon, J.D.M., and Shimmield, T.M.  Preliminary investigations on the uses of otolith microchemistry for stock discrimination of the deep-water Black Scabbardfish (A. carbo) in the north east AtlanticJ. Northw.Atl.Fish.Sci., Vol.31: 221-231, 2003.

Swan, S.C., Gordon, J.D.M., Morales-Nin, B.,  Shimmield, T.M., Sawyer, T and Geffen, AOtolith microchemistry of Nezumia aequalis (Pisces Macrouridae) from widely different habitats in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. J.Mar.Biol. Ass.U.K> (2003), 83, 833-886.
 
E. Viollier C. Rabouille,  S. E. Apitz, E. Breuer,  G. Chaillou,  K. Dedieu,  Y. Furukawa,  C. Grenz,  P. Hall, F. Janssen,  J. L. Morford, J. -C. Poggiale, S. Roberts, T. Shimmield,  M. Taillefert,  A. Tengberg,  F. Wenzhöfer and U. Witte. Benthic biogeochemistry: state of the art technologies and guidelines for the future of in situ survey (2003)  Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology V285-286.  Pp 5-31

Swan, S.C., Geffen, A.J., Morales-Nin, B., Gordon, J.D.M., Shimmield, T., Sawyer, T. and.Massuti, E., (in press) Otolith microchemistry : an aid to stock separation of Helicolenus dactyloperus (bluemouth) and Merluccius merluccius (European hake) in the NE Atlantic Meiterranean

Swan, S.C., Wright, P.J., Woodroffe, D.A., Gordon, J.D.M., Shimmield, T., (2004). Evidence for geographical isolation of the early life stages of the white anglerfish, Lophius piscatorius, based on otolith microchemistry. J. Mar. Biol. Ass U.K., 84, 827-830.
 
Swan, S.C., Gordon, J.D.M., Morales-Nin, B., Shimmield, T., Sawyer, T. and Geffen, A.J., (2003) Otolith microchemistry of Nezumia aequalis (Pisces:Macrouridae) from widely different habitats in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, Journal of the Marine Biological Association, 83, 883-886.

Shimmield, G., Kroon, D., Austin, W., Chapman, M., Jones, J., Derrick, S., P Knutz & Shimmield T. (2000). Century to millenial-scale sedimentological-geochemical records of glacial-Holocene sediment variations from the Barra Fan (NE Atlantic). Journal of the Geological Society, London, Vol. 157, 2000, pp 643-653.
 
Swan  SC , Geffen  AJ, Gordon  JDM , Morales-Nin  B and Shimmield  TM . 2006. Effects of handling and storage methods on the concentrations of elements in deep-water fish otoliths. Journal Of Fish Biology. 68:891-904

Mackenzie, A.B., Scott, R.D. and Williams T.M., (1987). Mechanisims of northwards dispersal of Sellafield waste. Nature, vol329, N0 6134, pp. 42-45.

Mackenzie, A.B., Shimmield, T.M., Scott, R.D, Davidson, C.M. and Hooker, P.J., (1989).Chloride, Bromide and Iodide distributions in Loch Lomond Sediment Interstitial Water. Technical Report WE/90/2 British Geological Survey.

Mackenzie, A.B., Shimmield, T.M., Scott, R.D and Houston, C.M. (1989). Development of an analytical method for the analysis of I- and Br-ion concentrations in lacustrine sediment interstitial water. Technical Report WE/89/65 British Geological Survey.

Alexander, W.R. and Shimmield T.M., (1990). Microwave oven dissolution of geological samples: Novel application in the determination of natural decay series radionuclides. J. Radioanal.NUCL.CHEM., Letters 145 /4/ 301-310.

Mackenzie, A.B., Whitton, A.N.,  Shimmield, T.M., Jemielita, R.A., Scott, R.D. and Hooker, P.J. (1991). Natural decay s Eye natural analogue site,=series radionuclide studies at the Needle 11, 1989-1991.  Technical Report WE/91/37 British Geological Survey.

Shimmield, T.M., Mackenzie, A.B. and Price, N.B., (1991). ICP-MS Analysis of Trace element concentrations in interstitial waters of Scottish sea loch sediments.  In Heavy Metals in the Environment, vol. 1, 457-460, CEP Consultants, Hamburg.

Shimmield, T.M., MacKenzie, A.B., Price, N.B., (1995). Sediment Core reconstruction of pollutant metal inputs to Scottish Sea Lochs. In Heavy Metals in the Environment, vol. 1, 117-120, CEP Consultants, Hamburg.

Non-refereed:

Breuer, E., Peppe, O., Cowie, G and Shimmield T., (2003). Advanced lander allows in-situ studies in the depths of the Arabian Sea. Ocean Challenge, Vol 13 No.1.
Breuer, E, Peppe, O, Cowie, G and Shimmield, T, 2004. Advanced lander technology used for novel inter-disciplinary studies of the Arabian Sea. In: Challenger Wave, Winter-Spring edition 2004. Challenger Society, Southampton.

Educational and career history:

• 1993    Ph.D.    Marine Geochemistry    Edinburgh University
• 1985    M.Sc.    Analytical Chemistry    Strathclyde University
• 1982    Advanced Analytical Chemistry    Analytical Chemistry    Glasgow Technical College
• 1981    HNC: Chemistry    Analytical Chemistry    Glasgow Technical College
• 1979    ONC: Chemistry    Analytical Chemistry    Stow College of Engineering

• 2004 - present  Promoted to Senior Lecture,  Head of Biogeochemistry and Earth Science Department,Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS)
• 2002 - 2004     Offered permanent position as Operational Group Leader of Geochemistry, Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS)
• 2000 - 2002    Operational Group Leader: Promoted to University Scale Lecturer B, Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS)
• 1997 - 2000    Marine Geochemist: Principal Investigator and head of geochemistry group, Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS)
• 1983 - 1997    Radiochemist: Natural analogue studies with respect to radioactive waste disposal, geochemistry of radionuclides, study of pollutants and reconstruction of historical pollution. (Grade 7)    Scottish universities Research and Reactor Centre (SURRC)
• Glasgow University
• 1982-1983      Analytical Chemist: Quality Control and R&D in the pharmaceutical and pesticide industry, Robert Young and Co.
• 1977-1982      Analytical Chemist Quality Control in the pharmaceutical industry, Wallace Cameron and Co.

Other :

• Member of SAMS Executive Group
• Member of the Peer-Review College at NERC (2002-2005)
• Peer-reviewer of papers
• EU expert evaluator for Framework 5 and 6.