Vegetation plays an important role in landscapes that are shaped by wind-driven (aeolian) sand transport, such as coastal dunes and semi-arid regions. We have a good knowledge of how and why different types of desert dunes and dune fields form without the presence of vegetation, but our understanding of the effects of vegetation in the formation of coastal foredunes, parabolic dunes, blowouts, and nebkha's (shrub hummocks) is limited to descriptive observations and reasoning. This is especially true for vegetated dune fields on a landscape scale, and the effects of various plant species on the evolution and dynamics of such environments are not quantified. This research project aims to develop a computer simulation model based on moving around slabs of sand across a grid of cells that represents a landscape surface including varying amounts of vegetation in each cell. These movements are controlled by a set of simple rules that dictate interactions between the existing surface, the vegetation in each cell, and the propagation of the sand slabs. This allows simulating the evolution of aeolian landscapes through self-organisation into different types of dune fields without actually modelling the complex airflow dynamics and sand transport patterns. Simulations will be compared with our current descriptive understanding of vegetated aeolian landscape development to ensure that the model generates realistic results. The model is then used to systematically investigate exactly how and why various kinds of plant species and vegetation patterns influence the dynamics of dune development in aeolian environments.

Data and associated papers. Ocean acidification and the Permo-Triassic mass extinction. Ediacaran metazoan reefs from the Nama Group, Namibia. NERC Grant Re-inventing the planet: The Neoproterozoic revolution in oxygenation, biogeochemistry and biological complexity.

SOMBASE is a tool for looking at marine molluscs in the seas around Antarctica. Using a database and the latest mapping technology it is possible to display all the places where a family, genus or species has been found on an electronic map. These maps show us how widely spread different organisms are and if they prefer a particular area or type of habitat. The database can also be used to address questions about biodiversity in the seas around Antarctica and how it''s unique environment affects which animals are found there. SOMBASE contains comprehensive distribution records of Antarctic, Magellanic, and Sub-Antarctic Gastropods and Bivalves as well as records for many other species from the Southern Hemisphere. Based upon published records and British Antarctic Survey data these distribution maps form part of a biogeographic database, which also includes taxonomic, ecological and habitat data. The database contains information on over 3,250 species from more than 3,800 locations.