Dr Andrew Johnson

Faculty: Education, Health and Sciences

School: School of Science

Subject Area: Geographical, Earth and Environmental Sciences

I am actively engaged in research and translate the knowledge gained from this into my teaching.

Teaching responsibilities

I teach geology, with particular responsibilities in palaeontology, palaeoenvironmental analysis, Earth history and training in geological fieldwork. I also teach key skills and coordinate final-year independent studies in geology.

Research interests

My research focuses on the use of proxy data from bivalve mollusc shells, both marine and freshwater, to document environmental change. Fine-scale (e.g. seasonal) information can be obtained from ontogenetic (through-growth) records of stable-isotopic composition, trace element concentration and growth-increment width. I have applied this methodology in investigations of the distant (Jurassic) and more recent (Late Cenozoic) past, the results from the latter being relevant to prediction of future climate change.

Membership of professional bodies and advisory committees

Member of the Palaeontological Association; member of PA Council 1999-2003; Handling Editor of Palaeontology 2000-03.

Member of the Higher Education Academy.

Recent Conferences

JohnsonALA, Schöne BR & Chenery SRN (2010) Influences on the trace element content of freshwater buvalve shells. 2^nd International Sclerochronology Conference (Mainz, Germany, 24-28 July), Terra Nostra (Schriften der GeoUnion Alfred-Wegener-Stiftung) 2010/3, 55.

Bird, A, Johnson ALA, Leng M & Balson PS (2010) Pliocene climate of the Southern North Sea Basin: a sclerochronological approach. 2^nd International Sclerochronology Conference (Mainz, Germany, 24-28 July), Terra Nostra (Schriften der GeoUnion Alfred-Wegener-Stiftung) 2010/3, 102.

Bird A, Leng MJ & Balson PS (2010) The mid-Pliocene climate of the southern North Sea Basin. European Geosciences Union, General Assembly (Vienna, Austria, 2-7 May), Geophysical Research Abstracts 12, EGU2010-1957-1.

Knowles T, Williams M, Clark N, Leng M, Okamura B, Taylor P, Johnson A, Nelson A, Smellie J & Haywood A (2010) High fidelity proxies of Pliocene seasonality for the northern Weddell Sea, Antarctica. European Geosciences Union, General Assembly (Vienna, Austria, 2-7 May), Geophysical Research Abstracts 12, EGU2010-1093-1.

Williams M, Nelson A, Smellie J, Leng MJ, Jarram DR, Johnson ALA, Haywood AM, Peck VL, Zalasiewicz J, Bennett C & Schöne BR (2009) A mollusk for all seasons: high fidelity climate records of the Weddell Sea during a warm interval of the Early Pliocene. Palaeontological Association 53^rd Annual Meeting (Univ. Birmingham, 13-16 December), Abstracts, 36-37.

Williams M, Nelson A, Smellie J, Leng MJ, Jarram DR, Johnson ALA, Haywood AM, Peck VL, Zalasiewicz J, Bennett C & Schöne BR (2009) A high fidelity molluscan climate record of the Weddell Sea for a warm interval of the Early Pliocene. Workshop on Pliocene climate (Bordeaux, 23-25 October), Programme and abstracts, 29-30.

Williams M, Nelson A, Smellie J, Leng M, Jarram D, Johnson A, Haywood A, Peck V, Zalasiewicz J & Bennett C (2009) High southern latitude Pliocene palaeoseasonality preserved in shallow marine Austrochlamys (Bivalvia) from the northern Antarctic Peninsula. MOCA-09 (Montreal, 19-29 July), Program, J07.5/23417.

Johnson A, Bird A, Hickson J, Schöne B, Balson P, Heaton T & Williams M (2008) Bivalve sclerochronology and climate change: evidence of global warmth and fluctuating oceanic heat supply from the Pliocene of the southern North Sea Basin. Palaeontological Association 52^nd Annual Meeting (Univ. Glasgow, 18-21 December), Abstracts, 26.

Johnson ALA, Bird A, Schöne BR, Hickson JA, Heaton, THE & Balson PS (2008) Inference of Pliocene marine temperature and other variables through bivalve sclerochronology. European Geosciences Union, General Assembly (Vienna, Austria, 13-18 April), Geophysical Research Abstracts 10, EGU2008-A-07630.

Additional Interests and Activities

• I am Director of PhD studies of Annemarie Bird (topic: Pliocene climate and oceanography of the North Atlantic region through bivalve sclerochronology)
• I undertake my research (and other) travel by environmentally friendly means: train to China for the 2nd International Palaeontological Congress (2006); freighter, train and bicycle to Florida for the 1st International Sclerochronology Conference (2007) ; train for all European conference and research engagements since 2008.

Media experience

Two interviews on Radio Derby; video interview broadcast on regional TV and posted on U-Tube.

Undergraduate qualifications

• BA (MA) Geology (2nd Class), 1975, University of Oxford

Research qualifications

• DPhil (1980) on Jurassic bivalve palaeobiology, University of Oxford

Research posts

Institution	Project	Dates
University of Munich	End-Triassic bivalve extinction	1980-81
University of Leicester	Mid-Jurassic oyster evolution	1983-85
University of Mainz	Bivalve sclerochronology	2009

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