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Staff

Dr Audrey Morley

B.A., M.Sc, Ph.D

Contact Details

LECTURER ABOVE THE BAR
Geography
School of Geography
& Archaeology
NUI Galway
E: AUDREY.MORLEY@nuigalway.ie
 
researcher
 

Biography

Education

2008 – 2011 Doctor Rerum Naturalium in Geosciences, University of Bremen, Germany.
2005 – 2007 Master of Science in Quaternary and Climate Studies, Climate Change Institute, University of   Maine, Orono, USA
2002 - 2005   Bachelor of Arts in Geography and Archaeology, University College Dublin, Ireland

Professional Employment

2013 – Present Lecturer in Physical Geography, School of Geography and Archaeology, National University of Ireland, Galway
2011 – 2013 Post-Doctoral Associate, Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences (IMCS), Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA.
2010 – 2011 Research Assistant, University of Bremen, Germany
2008 – 2010 Research Assistant, Bundesanstalt fuer Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe (BGR), Hannover Germany
2005 – 2007 Graduate Research Assistant, Climate Change Institute, University of Maine, USA

Research Interests

My central research objective is to assess past changes in large scale ocean-atmosphere climate dynamics during past warm climates to improve our understanding of future climate change. Specifically, I focus on the response of the North Atlantic Ocean and its role in controlling, propagating, and amplifying gradual climate forcings into abrupt climate change. I'm particularly interested in determining exactly how changes in atmospheric circulation patterns control the strength (temperature, salinity) of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) and the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) on multidecadal to millennial timescales during the Quaternary.  

To address these objectives my research agenda concentrates on two avenues: (1) Refining state of the arte techniques in palaeoceanography to provide more reliable reconstructions of the extent and magnitude of past changes in climate, and (2) Applying a multiproxy approach to past climate reconstructions, including isotope and trace metal geochemistry, foraminiferal assemblage counts, and sedimentological analysis of marine sediments.




Research Projects

  Project Start Date End Date
PARTICLE SIZE ANALYSER FOR TRANSDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH IN MARINE SCIENCES 01-DEC-17 31-OCT-18
INVESTIGATING ABRUPT INTERGLACIAL CLIMATE CHANGE: A PALAEOCEANOGRAPHIC INVESTIGATION OF WARMER THAN PRESENT ENVIRONMENTS 01-NOV-17 31-OCT-22
HazEire 24-FEB-16 30-SEP-16
Deposition and accumulation of microplastics and pollutants in marine 01-JAN-16 30-SEP-21
GENERAL ACCOUNT AUDREY MORLEY 23-MAY-14 23-MAY-19

Peer Reviewed Journals

  Year Publication
(2017) 'A paleo-perspective on ocean heat content: Lessons from the Holocene and Common Era'
Rosenthal, R., Kalansky, J., Morley, A., Linsley, B. (2017) 'A paleo-perspective on ocean heat content: Lessons from the Holocene and Common Era'. Quaternary Science Reviews, 155 (1):1-12 [DOI] [Details]
(2017) 'Environmental Controls on Mg/Ca in Neogloboquadrina incompta: A Core-Top Study From the Subpolar North Atlantic'
Morley, A,Babila, TL,Wright, J,Ninnemann, U,Kleiven, K,Irvali, N,Rosenthal, Y (2017) 'Environmental Controls on Mg/Ca in Neogloboquadrina incompta: A Core-Top Study From the Subpolar North Atlantic'. Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems, 18 :4276-4298 [DOI] [Details]
(2017) 'The Deposition and Accumulation of Microplastics in Marine Sediments and Bottom Water from the Irish Continental Shelf'
Martin, J,Lusher, A,Thompson, RC,Morley, A (2017) 'The Deposition and Accumulation of Microplastics in Marine Sediments and Bottom Water from the Irish Continental Shelf'. Scientific Reports, 7 [DOI] [Details]
(2016) 'Evidence for regional cooling, frontal advances, and East Greenland Ice Sheet changes during the demise of the last interglacial'
Irvalı, N., Ninnemann, U. S., Kleiven, H. K. F., Galaasen, E. V., Morley, A., Rosenthal, Y. (2016) 'Evidence for regional cooling, frontal advances, and East Greenland Ice Sheet changes during the demise of the last interglacial'. Quaternary Science Reviews, 150 :184-199 [Details]
(2016) 'Latest Quaternary palaeoceanographic change in the eastern North Atlantic based upon a dinoflagellate cyst event ecostratigraphy'
Harland, R., Asteman, I.P., Morley, A., Morris, A., Harris, A. and Howe, J.A. (2016) 'Latest Quaternary palaeoceanographic change in the eastern North Atlantic based upon a dinoflagellate cyst event ecostratigraphy'. Heliyon, 2 (5) [DOI] [Details]
(2016) 'Evidence for regional cooling, frontal advances, and East Greenland Ice Sheet changes during the demise of the last interglacial'
Irvali, N,Ninnemann, US,Kleiven, HF,Galaasen, EV,Morley, A,Rosenthal, Y (2016) 'Evidence for regional cooling, frontal advances, and East Greenland Ice Sheet changes during the demise of the last interglacial'. Quaternary Science Reviews, 150 :184-199 [DOI] [Details]
(2014) 'Ocean-atmosphere climate shift during the mid-to-late Holocene transition'
Morley, A,Rosenthal, Y,Demenocal, P (2014) 'Ocean-atmosphere climate shift during the mid-to-late Holocene transition'. Earth And Planetary Science Letters, 388 :18-26 [DOI] [Details]
(2011) 'Solar modulation of North Atlantic Central Water formation at multidecadal timescales during the late Holocene'
Morley, A., Schulz, M., Rosenthal, Y., Mulitza, S., Paul, A., Rühlemann, C (2011) 'Solar modulation of North Atlantic Central Water formation at multidecadal timescales during the late Holocene'. Earth And Planetary Science Letters, 308 (1-2):161-171 [Details]
(2011) 'Temperature calibration of Mg/Ca ratios in the intermediate water benthic foraminifer Hyalinea balthica'
Rosenthal, Y., Morley, A., Barras, C., Katz, M.E., Jorissen, F., Reichart, G.-J., Oppo, D.W., Linsley, B.K. (2011) 'Temperature calibration of Mg/Ca ratios in the intermediate water benthic foraminifer Hyalinea balthica'. Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems, 12 (4) [ARAN Link] [Details]
(2010) 'Reduced North Atlantic Central Water formation in response to early Holocene ice-sheet melting'
Bamberg (Morley), A., Rosenthal, Y., Paul, A., Heslop, D., Mulitza, S., Rühlemann, C., and Schulz, M. (2010) 'Reduced North Atlantic Central Water formation in response to early Holocene ice-sheet melting'. Geophysical Research Letters, 37 [Details]

Book Chapters

  Year Publication
(2014) 'Detecting Holocene changes in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation: Integration of Proxy Data and Climate Simulations (DAMOCLES)'
Morley, A., Heslop, D., Rühlemann, C., Mulitza, S. Paul, A. and Schulz, M. (2014) 'Detecting Holocene changes in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation: Integration of Proxy Data and Climate Simulations (DAMOCLES)' In: Integrated Analysis of Interglacial Climate Dynamics (INTERDYNAMIC). Heidelberg: SpringerBriefs in Earth System Sciences. [Details]

Conference Publications

  Year Publication
(2016) International Conference on Paleoceanography
Morley, A., Curran, M., Wright, J., and Rosenthal, Y. (2016) Hazards of warm climates: Reconstructing past mid-latitude storm activity for the British Isles during the Holocene Thermal Maximum International Conference on Paleoceanography [Details]
(2016) International Conference on Paleoceanography
Morley, A., Babila, T., Kozdon, R. and Rosenthal, Y. (2016) Understanding environmental controls on Mg/Ca in Neogloboquadrina incompta: A core top study from the subpolar North Atlantic International Conference on Paleoceanography [Details]
(2014) EGU General Assembly 2014
Audrey Morley, Yair Rosenthal, and Peter deMenocal (2014) Ocean-Atmosphere climate shift during the Mid-to-Late Holocene transition EGU General Assembly 2014 [Details]
(2010) International Conference on Paleoceanography 2010
Bamberg, A., Schulz, M., Rosenthal, Y., Mulitza, S., Paul, A. and Rühlemann, C. (2010) Climate variability and signal propagation from high to low latitudes via North Atlantic central-waters during the Late Holocene International Conference on Paleoceanography 2010 [Details]
(2009) EGU General Assembly 2014
Bamberg, A., Rosenthal, Y., Paul, A., Heslop, D., Mulitza, S., Rühlemann, C. and Schulz, M. (2009) Hydrographic response to the 8.2kyr event in surface and intermediate waters along the eastern boundary of the northern subtropical gyre (NW Africa) EGU General Assembly 2014 [Details]

Conference Paper

  Year Publication
(2015) Post-Storm Recovery of Beach-Dune Systems in Ireland (The Maharees, Castlegregory, Co. Kerry). 47th Conference of Irish Geographers, Queens University Belfast, Ireland.
Farrell, E.J.Farrell, E.F., Kandrot, S., Morley, A., Lynch, K., and Finneran, B. (2015) Post-Storm Recovery of Beach-Dune Systems in Ireland (The Maharees, Castlegregory, Co. Kerry). 47th Conference of Irish Geographers, Queens University Belfast, Ireland. Conference Paper [Details]
(2015) The Winter Storms of 2013-2014: a window into Ireland’s future for coastal climate change. 47th Conference of Irish Geographers, Queens University Belfast, Ireland.
Farrell, E.J.Farrell, E.F., Kandrot, S., Morley, A., Lynch, K., and Finneran, B. (2015) The Winter Storms of 2013-2014: a window into Ireland’s future for coastal climate change. 47th Conference of Irish Geographers, Queens University Belfast, Ireland. Conference Paper [Details]

Reviews

  Year Publication
(2017) A paleo-perspective on ocean heat content: Lessons from the Holocene and Common Era.
Rosenthal, Y;Kalansky, J;Morley, A;Linsley, B (2017) A paleo-perspective on ocean heat content: Lessons from the Holocene and Common Era. OXFORD: Reviews [DOI] [Details]

Honours and Awards

  Year Title Awarding Body
2016 IRC New Foundations Irish Research Council
2015 GSI Short calls Geological Survey of Ireland
2014 Early Stage Researchers Million Euro Project Pitch - 3rd place NUIG
2011 IMCS Post-Doctoral Associate (30 - months post-doctoral fellowship) Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences (IMCS), Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA
2010 ICP Best Student Poster Award International Conference on Paleoceanography 2010
2008 ECORD Scholarship ECORD
2005 Provost Fellowship University of Maine (USA)

Professional Associations

  Association Function From / To
Paleoceanography (journal) reviewer /
European Geological Union (EGU) member /
Geophysical Research Letters (journal) reviewer /
National Science Foundation (USA) reviewer /

Employment

  Employer Position From / To
School of Geography and Archaeology, National University of Ireland, Galway Lecturer 01-NOV-13 /
Climate Change Institute, University of Maine, USA Graduate Research Assistant 01-SEP-05 / 31-DEC-07
Bundesanstalt fuer Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe (BGR), Hannover Germany Research Assistant 01-JAN-08 / 01-JAN-10
University of Bremen, Germany Research Assistant 01-JAN-10 / 31-MAR-11
Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences (IMCS), Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA. Post-Doctoral Associate 01-APR-11 / 31-OCT-13

Education

  Year Institution Qualification Subject
2011 University Of Bremen (Germany) DOCTOR OF SCIENCE Geosciences
2005 University College Dublin (Ireland) Bachelor of Arts Geography and Archaeology
2007 University Of Maine (USA) MASTERS OF SCIENCE Quaternary and Climate Studies at the Climate Change

Languages

  Language
French
German
English

Reviews

  Journal Role
Geophysical Research Letters Reviewer
Environmental Pollution Reviewer
Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology Reviewer

Other Activities

  Description

Reviewer of research proposals for the National Science Foundation (USA) and for the Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)

Teaching Interests

My ultimate teaching objective is to enhance climate science literacy of my students. Students that gain a better understanding of climate science in my classes are able to apply that knowledge in their careers, become active members of their communities, and are able to interpret and critique media coverage so they can contribute to conversations about climate as informed citizens. Modern students are primarily active learners, For this reason I’m always eager to pilot the use of new teaching and learning technologies (ResponseWare, Smart Podium, Blackboard, e-text books, ect.) to enhance the student experience. At the Post-graduate level I immerse my research interests into my teaching by organizing annual ship-based research-training opportunities for our MSc class.



Current Postgraduate Students (Taught)

  Name Degree Primary Supervisor
Dakota Holmes MSc in Marine and Coastal Environments Y

Recent Postgraduate Students

  Graduation Name Degree Primary Supervisor
2016 Jake Martin MSc in Marine and Coastal Environments Y
2016 Fatimatuj Zohara Sonny MSc in Marine and Coastal Environments Y
2016 Michelle Curran MSc in Marine and Coastal Environments Y
2017 Christine Loughlin MSc in Marine and Coastal Environments Y
2017 Kimberly Harris MSc in Marine and Coastal Environments Y
2017 Solenn Ni Dhonnabhain MSc in Marine and Coastal Environments Y

Current Postgraduate Students (Research)

  Student Degree Type Type
Michelle Curran Doctorate - Structured Ph.D. in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Supervisor

Modules Taught

  Term/Year Module Title Module Code Subject / Desc
Spring 2018 Research Seminar in Future Climate Change TI3107 Geography
Spring 2018 Research Seminar in Natural Climate Variability TI3101 Geography
Fall 2017 Research Project Design and Development TI335 Geography
Fall 2017 Reconstructing Marine Environments TI6107 Geography
Fall 2017 Weather and Climate TI216 Geography
2016/17 Weather and Climate TI216 Geography
2016/17 Reconstructing Marine Environments TI6107 Marine and Coastal Sciences
2016/17 Theory and Practice TI251 Geography
2015/16 Reconstructing Marine Environments TI6107 Marine and Coastal Sciences
2/2014 Weather and Climate TI216
1/2015 Principles in Physical Geography TI151
1/2014 Research Seminar in Critical Environmental Geography TI365
1/2014 Weather and Climate TI225