Ian Boomer
The University of Birmingham, GEES, Faculty Member
Cyprideis torosa (JONES, 1850) is one of the most widespread brackish water ostracod species in the Northern hemisphere. It occurs in high frequencies in brackish marginal seas as the Baltic Sea, in lagoons, estuaries, as well as brackish... more
Cyprideis torosa (JONES, 1850) is one of the most widespread brackish water ostracod species in the Northern hemisphere. It occurs in high frequencies in brackish marginal seas as the Baltic Sea, in lagoons, estuaries, as well as brackish athalassic waters. Often , ostracod associations with C. torosa are dominated by this species or even mono-specific. Such low diversity associations are hard to interpret using ecological tolerance data of species alone. Intraspecific morphological variations may give a key to the reconstruction of low diversity brackish water palaeoenvironments. We give an overview on salinity dependant morphological variation in C. torosa based on literature data and our own observations covering several sites along the coasts of the North Sea, Baltic Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and Aral Sea, as well as smaller saline inland waters in Central Germany and Saudi Arabia. These observations show (1) a salinity dependant size variation with a maximum around the switching ...
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Cyprideis torosa has been the focus of many ecological and biological studies. A number of factors make this species of particular interest, in particular its wide biogeogra-phic range today, a relatively long stratigraphical range and... more
Cyprideis torosa has been the focus of many ecological and biological studies. A number of factors make this species of particular interest, in particular its wide biogeogra-phic range today, a relatively long stratigraphical range and its ability to inhabit waters of varying salinity (or solute composition) as well as a significant total salinity range with reports of occurrences in waters from freshwater to those in excess of 150 ‰. Where it does occur, it often does so in extremely high abundances making it useful for a range of analytical and morphological/morphometric studies. These approaches have made C. torosa fundamentally important in reconstructing past changes in water chemistry , particularly salinity as a key to understanding past climatic change. A number of authors have commented on the occurrence and significance of no-ding on the lateral surfaces (KILENYI 1972) as an indicator of relatively low salinity conditions (generally less than about 3 ‰) and the environment...
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Assemblages of upper Oligocene to Pleistocene Ostracoda are described from pelagic sediments capping three guyots in the western Pacific Ocean. Recent studies have shown that a high percentage of seamount Ostracoda are restricted (i.e.,... more
Assemblages of upper Oligocene to Pleistocene Ostracoda are described from pelagic sediments capping three guyots in the western Pacific Ocean. Recent studies have shown that a high percentage of seamount Ostracoda are restricted (i.e., endemic) to these bathymetrically isolated sites. In the following we detail changes in the Ostracoda (diversity, abundance, dominance, endemism, faunal turnover) from upper Oligocene to Pleistocene sediments encountered during Ocean Drilling Program Leg 144. Our results support previous observations on guyots and indicate that their high levels of endemism do not simply reflect a poor knowledge of the fauna in that region but truly reflect their bathymetrical isolation. Furthermore, whatever global event or events affected the deep-sea Ostracoda during the Miocene, the guyot faunas were not isolated from these changes.
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This study focuses on a condensed sequence of alternating carbonate-clastic sediments of the Barrington Member, Beacon Limestone Formation (latest Pliensbachian to early Toarcian) from Somerset (south west England). Abundant ammonites... more
This study focuses on a condensed sequence of alternating carbonate-clastic sediments of the Barrington Member, Beacon Limestone Formation (latest Pliensbachian to early Toarcian) from Somerset (south west England). Abundant ammonites confirm (apart from the absence of the Clevelandicum and Tenuicostatum ammonite subchronozones) the presence of Hawskerense Subchronozone to Fallaciosum-Bingmanni subchronozones. Well-preserved, sometimes diverse assemblages of ostracods, foraminifera, nannofossils and low diversity dinoflagellate assemblages support the chronostratigraphic framework. Stable-isotope analyses demonstrate the presence of a carbon isotope excursion (CIE), relating to the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE), within the early Toarcian. Faunal, geochemical and sedimentological evidence suggest that deposition largely took place in a relatively deep-water (sub-wave base), mid-outer shelf environment under a well-mixed water column. However, reduced benthic diversity, the pr...
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Excavations at a coastal site at Howick during 2000 and 2002 have revealed evidence for a substantial Mesolithic settlement and a Bronze Age cist cemetery. Twenty one radiocarbon determinations of the earlier eighth millennium BP (Cal.)... more
Excavations at a coastal site at Howick during 2000 and 2002 have revealed evidence for a substantial Mesolithic settlement and a Bronze Age cist cemetery. Twenty one radiocarbon determinations of the earlier eighth millennium BP (Cal.) indicate that the ...
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Abstract Palaeoecological analyses of Falkland Island peat profiles have largely been confined to pollen analyses. In order to improve understanding of long-term Falkland Island peat development processes, the plant macrofossil and stable... more
Abstract Palaeoecological analyses of Falkland Island peat profiles have largely been confined to pollen analyses. In order to improve understanding of long-term Falkland Island peat development processes, the plant macrofossil and stable isotope stratigraphy of an 11,550 year Falkland Island Cortaderia pilosa (‘whitegrass’) peat profile was investigated. The peatland developed into an acid, whitegrass peatland via a poor fen stage. Macrofossil charcoal indicate that local fires have frequently occurred throughout the development of the peatland. Raman spectroscopy analyses indicate changes in the intensity of burning which are likely to be related to changes in fuel types, abundance of fine fuels due to reduced evapotranspiration/higher rainfall (under weaker Southern Westerly Winds), peat moisture and human disturbance. Stable isotope and thermogravimetric analyses were used to identify a period of enhanced decomposition of the peat matrices dating from ∼7020 cal yr BP, which possibly reflects increasing strength of the Southern Westerly winds. The application of Raman spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analyses to the Falkland Island peat profile identified changes in fire intensity and decomposition which were not detectable using the techniques of macrofossil charcoal and plant macrofossil analyses.
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The avian embryo resorbs most of the calcium for bone formation from the calcite eggshell but the exact mechanisms of the resorption are unknown. The present study tested whether this process results in variable fractionation of the... more
The avian embryo resorbs most of the calcium for bone formation from the calcite eggshell but the exact mechanisms of the resorption are unknown. The present study tested whether this process results in variable fractionation of the oxygen and carbon isotopes in shell calcium carbonate, which could provide a detailed insight into the temporal and spatial use of the eggshell by the developing embryo. Despite the uncertainty regarding changes in stable isotope composition of the eggshell across developmental stages or regions of the shell, eggshells are a popular resource for the analysis of historic and extant trophic relationships. To clarify how the stable isotope composition varies with embryonic development, the δ(13)C and δ(18)O content of the carbonate fraction in shells of black-headed gull (Larus ridibundus) eggs were sampled at four different stages of embryonic development and at five eggshell regions. No consistent relationship between the stable isotope composition of the...
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... Ostracode distribution and biofacies, Newfoundland continental slope and rise. ... A preliminary note on recent ostracodes from shelf to rise sediments off Northwest Africa. ... Oligocene to Quaternary ostracods of the Central... more
... Ostracode distribution and biofacies, Newfoundland continental slope and rise. ... A preliminary note on recent ostracodes from shelf to rise sediments off Northwest Africa. ... Oligocene to Quaternary ostracods of the Central Equatorial Pacific (Leg 85, DSDP-IPOD). ...
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ABSTRACT Flutes are widespread across the forefield of a polythermal valley glacier Midre Lovénbreen, Svalbard, where they consistently form on the downglacier face of cobble to boulder-sized subglacially-transported clasts ploughed into... more
ABSTRACT Flutes are widespread across the forefield of a polythermal valley glacier Midre Lovénbreen, Svalbard, where they consistently form on the downglacier face of cobble to boulder-sized subglacially-transported clasts ploughed into proglacial till. The width of flutes at Midre Lovénbreen is constant along their long-axes and proportional to the size of their associated subglacially-transported boulders. Frozen flutes are observed subglacially where they protrude into the debris-rich basal ice layer of the glacier. Particle-size analysis ...
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... The HPI fraction from treated effluent displays a small peak at about 6 min, attributable to the very high molecular weight compounds that could be colloidal polysac-charides and proteins due to the negligible corre-sponding UVA peaks... more
... The HPI fraction from treated effluent displays a small peak at about 6 min, attributable to the very high molecular weight compounds that could be colloidal polysac-charides and proteins due to the negligible corre-sponding UVA peaks (Croué 2004; Nam and Amy 2008). ...
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ABSTRACT
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Deep-sea benthic foraminifera provide important markers of environmental conditions in the deep-ocean basins where their assemblage composition and test chemistry are influenced by ambient physical and chemical conditions in bottom-water... more
Deep-sea benthic foraminifera provide important markers of environmental conditions in the deep-ocean basins where their assemblage composition and test chemistry are influenced by ambient physical and chemical conditions in bottom-water masses. However, all foraminiferal studies must be underpinned by robust taxonomic approaches. Although many parts 10 of the world's oceans have been examined, over a range of geological timescales, the Neogene benthic foraminifera from the southern Indian Ocean have only been recorded from a few isolated sites. In this study, we have examined 97 samples from Neogene sediments recovered from three ODP Sites in the southern Indian Ocean (752, Broken Ridge; 1139, Kerguelan Plateau; 1168, West Tasmania). These data cover a range of palaeolatitudes and water depth during the Miocene. More than 200 species of benthic foraminifera were recorded at each site and, despite their geographic and bathymetric separation, the 15 most abundant taxa were similar at all three sites. Many of these species range-through from late Oligocene to early Pliocene demonstrating relatively little faunal turnover of the most abundant taxa during the key palaeoclimatic shifts of the Miocene. We illustrate and document the occurrence of the 52 most-abundant species (i.e. those with >1% abundance) encountered across the three study sites.
30 31 Palaeoecological analyses of Falkland Island peat profiles have largely been 32 confined to pollen analyses. In order to improve understanding of long-term Falkland 33 Island peat development processes, the plant macrofossil and... more
30 31 Palaeoecological analyses of Falkland Island peat profiles have largely been 32 confined to pollen analyses. In order to improve understanding of long-term Falkland 33 Island peat development processes, the plant macrofossil and stable isotope 34 stratigraphy of an 11,550 year Falkland Island Cortaderia pilosa ('whitegrass') peat 35 profile was investigated. The peatland developed into an acid, whitegrass peatland 36 via a poor fen stage. Macrofossil charcoal indicate that local fires have frequently 37 occurred throughout the development of the peatland. Raman spectroscopy analyses 38 indicate changes in the intensity of burning which are likely to be related to changes 39 in fuel types, abundance of fine fuels due to reduced evapotranspiration/higher 40 rainfall (under weaker Southern Westerly Winds), peat moisture and human 41 disturbance. Stable isotope and thermogravimetric analyses were used to identify a 42 period of enhanced decomposition of the peat matrices dating from ~7020 cal yr BP, 43 which possibly reflects increasing strength of the Southern Westerly winds. The 44 application of Raman spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analyses to the Falkland 45 Island peat profile identified changes in fire intensity and decomposition which were 46 not detectable using the techniques of macrofossil charcoal and plant macrofossil 47 analyses. 48 49
The survival of one of Europe's most important Mesolithic sites, Star Carr, has been threatened owing to recent changes in its hydrology and associated changes in groundwater geochemistry. Before this study it was unclear what was... more
The survival of one of Europe's most important Mesolithic sites, Star Carr, has been threatened owing to recent changes in its hydrology and associated changes in groundwater geochemistry. Before this study it was unclear what was controlling these changes, but possible causes were changes in precipitation regime (notably the frequency of drought), changes in groundwater abstraction, recent agricultural drainage or a combination of these factors. This paper evaluates the hydrology of Star Carr and its environs within the River Hertford sub-catchment of the River Derwent. Available hydrological data (precipitation, evapotranspiration, river flow and groundwater levels) were collated and used to characterise the River Hertford catchment and provide a hydrological and hydrogeological context for the site. The data were augmented by the insertion of 12 dipwells into the site which were used for both site monitoring and model testing. The monitoring included water abstraction for iso...
The Iron Age hill fort at Burrough Hill, Leicestershire, eastern England, lies in a lowland landscape of Mesozoic sedimentary ocks comprising mudstones with thin limestone units, sandstones and ironstones, which are blanketed by... more
The Iron Age hill fort at Burrough Hill, Leicestershire, eastern England, lies in a lowland landscape of Mesozoic sedimentary ocks comprising mudstones with thin limestone units, sandstones and ironstones, which are blanketed by Pleistocene till. During the late Iron Age the hill fort was an important central place; permanent occupation probably began in Early-Middle Iron Age and continued into the Roman period. A variety of materials in archaeological contexts from the site, including clay rampart bonding and the clay linings of storage pits and floors, are found to yield characteristically mixed microfossil assemblages of Early to Late Jurassic ostracods and foraminifera, together with foraminifera from the Late Cretaceous. These provide a unique microfossil signature that indicate provenance from the local till. Microfossils can also be recovered from Middle to Late Iron Age potsherds at Burrough Hill, and these too suggest a local glacial source for the clay. Our analysis demonstrates the power of microfossils to provenance clay materials used for construction and manufactures at an Iron Age site, where a detailed baseline understanding of the local geology is firmly established.
Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 99 (1992): 373379 373 Elsevier Science Publishers BV, Amsterdam Ostracoda and dysaerobia in the Lower Jurassic of Wales: the reconstruction of past oxygen levels Ian Boomera and Robin... more
Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 99 (1992): 373379 373 Elsevier Science Publishers BV, Amsterdam Ostracoda and dysaerobia in the Lower Jurassic of Wales: the reconstruction of past oxygen levels Ian Boomera and Robin Whatleyb aSchool of Environmental ...
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This paper reports the results of the excavation of an Early Bronze Age cist cemetery on the mid-Northumberland coast at Howick. The Bronze Age site was discovered during the investigation of a Mesolithic hut site, the latter having been... more
This paper reports the results of the excavation of an Early Bronze Age cist cemetery on the mid-Northumberland coast at Howick. The Bronze Age site was discovered during the investigation of a Mesolithic hut site, the latter having been published separately as a monograph. A ...
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ABSTRACT The Cenozoic Ostracoda recovered from two guyots in the western Pacific Ocean are investigated. A high percentage of the taxa have been restricted to the individual guyots, thus supporting recent evidence that high levels of... more
ABSTRACT The Cenozoic Ostracoda recovered from two guyots in the western Pacific Ocean are investigated. A high percentage of the taxa have been restricted to the individual guyots, thus supporting recent evidence that high levels of endemism documented on ...
... Holocene Sedimentation and Sea Level Rise in the Sado Estuary, Portugal. ... The Concheiro at Vidigal: a Contribution to the Late Mesolithic of Southern Portugal In PM Vermeersch & P. Van Peer (eds) Contributions to the Mesolithic... more
... Holocene Sedimentation and Sea Level Rise in the Sado Estuary, Portugal. ... The Concheiro at Vidigal: a Contribution to the Late Mesolithic of Southern Portugal In PM Vermeersch & P. Van Peer (eds) Contributions to the Mesolithic in Europe: 463-474. ...