Amber is a Lecturer in the School of Ocean and Earth Sciences, having studied and worked in Canada, the UK, the US, and Antarctica. Her research uses naturally-occurring radioactivity to better understand the biogeochemical cycles of trace metals, nutrients and carbon in the ocean system.
- Marine biogeochemistry
- Trace elements
Amber's main research focus in the biogeochemical cycling of the essential nutrient iron in the ocean. Key iron sources that may be changing as our planet warms are supplies from marine sediment and glacial meltwater. Her research group uses naturally-occurring isotopes of radium and thorium to better quantify the supply of iron from these processes, and how these sources will be affected by climate change.
Marine sediments are also an important reservoir for other nutrients, including carbon, nitrogen, silicon and phosphorus, as well as pollutants such as lead and mercury. Amber's research group is also looking at how marine organisms affect the storage of these elements in coastal and open-ocean sediments.