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Department of Geography

Staff Profile

Professor Antony Long

Professor, Deputy Head of Department in the Department of Geography
Telephone: +44 (0) 191 33 41913
Fax: +44 (0)191 33 41801
Room number: 320

Contact Professor Antony Long (email at a.j.long@durham.ac.uk)

Biography

My research interests lie in Quaternary environmental change with a particular focus on the past and future sea-level change and coastal evolution. I am interested in the following areas:

  • Late Quaternary sea-level change and the history of the Greenland Ice Sheet
  • Sea-level and climate change in the last 500 yrs in the North Atlantic
  • Holocene sea-level change and coastal evolution
  • Late Quaternary sea-level changes and ice sheet history
  • Late Glacial sea-level changes in the western British Isles

I am closely involved in various international sea-level and coastal research programmes, particularly in the International Geoscience Programme (IGCP, as co-Leader of IGCP Project 495 “Quaternary Land-Ocean Interactions: driving mechanisms and coastal responses”, 2004-09 and member of IGCP Project 588) and a member of the INQUA Commission on Coastal and Marine Processes). I am a member of PALSEA and am one of the four co-leaders of PALSEA2 (from 2014 onwards).  I am  Editor in Chief of Journal of Quaternary Science, sit on the Executive Committee of the Quaternary Research Association, the editorial board of the Proceedings of the Geologists' Association, and am a member of the NERC Peer Review College.

Sea-level and glacial history of the Greenland Ice Sheet

I have a long-standing research interest in the Late Quaternary history of the Greenland Ice Sheet, using relative sea-level data to constrain the timing and nature of ice load change over a range of time scales.  Isolation basin and cosmogenic exposure data provide information on the initial chronology of ice margin retreat following the end of the last ice age, c. 12-10 ka cal. yr BP, and millennial-scale patterns of land motions.  In the last thousand years, salt marsh sediment sequences provide high precision measurements of land motions associated with recent ice load changes and provide a bridge between geological trends and measurements determined using GPS and other survey methods.  The work has been support by NERC.  I have worked extensively in West Greenland (Disko Bugt, Sondre Stromfjord, Nuuk, Paarmiut and Nanortalik) and also in SE Greenland (Amassalik).  The work is collaborative with colleagues in Durham (Drs Sarah Woodroffe, David Roberts and Jerry Lloyd) as well as at Ottawa (Professor Glenn Milne and Drs Matt Simpson and Leane Wake).

Late Quaternary sea-level changes

I am a co-PI on the NERC Consortium project iGLASS "Using interglacials to assess future sea-level scnarios" led by Professor Eelco Rholing (Southampton Oceanographic Centre).  Working with Professor Roland Gehrels (Plymouth University), we are applying methods of sea-level reconstruction developed from analysis of Holocene-age deposits to sediments deposited in previous interglacials.  The aim is to reconstruct the mode of sea-level variability in previous interglacials, so as to test the evidence for abrupt oscillations in sea-level that may indicate periods of rapid ice sheet instability in the past.  We will apply this work to improve predictions of future sea-level variability. 

Late Glacial sea-level changes

I am project Co-I with Professor Andrew Cooper (University of Ulster) on a NERC grant that seeks to reconstruct patterns of Late Glacial sea-level variability in the western British Isles (2011-2014).  Using marine geophysics and sea bed coring, we are collecting new evidence relating to relative sea-level changes immediately following the Last Glacial Maximum in the Irish Sea.  Our aim it to resolve uncertainty in models of glacio-isostatic land motions at this time and to search for evidence of meltwater pulses.

Holocene sea-level change and coastal evolution

I have worked extensively on reconstructing relative sea-level changes and patterns of coastal evolution on a range of passive and tectonically active coastal margins.  In the UK, my PhD was in the East Kent Fens and I have since undertaken research elsewhere in southern England, notably in Romney Marsh and Dungeness Foreland, the Solent, as well as in the estuaries of the Thames and the Severn.  This work has involved extensive collaboration with Professors Martyn Waller, Andrew Plater and Dr Rob Scaife.  Elsewhere in the UK, I have reconstructed relative sea-level changes in the Humber Estuary, as well as in NW England and NW Scotland.  Using methods developed on stable coastal margins, I have worked with Professor Ian Shennan to develop new approaches to reconstructing sea-level motions on the Cascadia subduction zone of Washington and Oregon, USA.

Sea-level change and climate in the last 500 years

In 2009 I began a three year NERC funded project examining the evidence for North Atlantic sea level variability in the last half millennium. This is a collaborative project with Natasha Barlow (Durham University), Professor Roland Gehrels (Plymouth University), Professors Phil Woodworth, Chris Hughes and Dr Miguel Angel Morales Maqueda (Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory). Our aim is to reconstruct detailed RSL records from six salt marshes in the North Atlantic (NE USA (3), Iceland, southern England and Scotland), complementing the ongoing salt marsh work in Greenland (see above). Our aim is to “clean” these records for steric, tectonic and glacio-isostatic rebound effects in order to test whether there is evidence for synchroneity of sea level accelerations in the last 500 years.

Research Groups

Research Projects

Research Interests

  • Ice sheet dynamics in Greenland
  • Past and future coastal dynamics
  • Sea level change and coastal archaeology
  • Sea-level and crustal movements on active and passive coastal margins

Selected Publications

Journal papers: academic

Books: authored

Books: edited

  • Long, A.J., Hipkin, S. & Clarke, H. Romney Marsh: Coastal and Landscape Change Through the Ages. Oxford: Oxbow; 2002.
  • Eddison, J., Gardiner, M. & Long, A.J. Romney Marsh: Environmental Change and Human Occupation in a Coastal Lowland. Oxford: Oxbow; 1998.
  • Murton, J.B., Whiteman, C.A., Bates, M.R., Bridgland, D.R., Long, A.J., Roberts, M.B. & Waller, M.P. The Quaternary of Kent and Sussex: Field Guide. Quaternary Research Association; 1998.

Books: sections

  • Long, A.J. Past and future sea-level change in Yorkshire. In: Atherden, M. Global Warming: A Yorkshire Perspective. PLACE Research Centre; 2003:71-88.
  • Long, A.J., Scaife, R.G. & Edwards, R.G. Stratigraphic architecture, relative sea level, and models of estuary development in southern England: new data from Southampton Water. In: Pye, K. & Allen, J.R.L. Coastal and Estuarine Environments: Sedimentology, Geomorphology and Geoarchaeology. Geological Society; 2000:253-279.
  • Long, A.J., Innes, J.B., Shennan, I. & Tooley, M.J. Coastal stratigraphy: a case study from Johns River, Washington. In: Jones, A.P., Tucker, M.E. & Hart, J.K. The description and analysis of Quaternary stratigraphic field sections. Quaternary Research Association Technical Guide 7, Quarternary Research Association; 1999:267-286.
  • Dix, J., Long, A.J. & Cook, R. The evolution of Rye Bay and the Dungeness Foreland: New evidence from the offshore record. In: Eddison, J., Gardiner, M. & Long, A.J. Romney Marsh: Environmetal Change and Human Occupation in a Coastal Lowland. Oxford University Committee for Archaeology Monograph; 1998:1-12.
  • Long, A.J., Waller, M.P., Hughes, P.D.M. & Spencer, C. Vegetation history and coastal evolution of Romney Marsh proper. In: Eddison, J., Gardiner, M. & Long, A.J. Romney Marsh: Environmental Change and Human Occupation in a Coastal Lowland. Oxford: Oxford University Committee for Archaeology Monograph; 1998:45-63.
  • Waller, M.P., Long, A.J., Long, D.J. & Innes, J.B. Walland Marsh: wetland vegetation dynamics, sea-level change and coastal evolution. In: Murton, J.B., Whiteman, C.A., Bates, M.R., Bridgland, D.R., Long, A.J., Roberts, M.B. & Waller, M.P. The Quaternary of Kent and Sussex: Field Guide. Quaternary Research Association; 1998:70-81.
  • Long, A.J. & Roberts, D.H. Sea-level change. In: Fulford, M., Champion, T. & Long, A.J. England's Coastal Heritage: A Survey for English Heritage and the RCHME. English Heritage and the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England. Archaeological Report; 1997:25-49.
  • Long, A.J. & Innes, J.B. A palaeoenvironmental investigation of the Midley Sand, Roment Marsh, Kent. In: Eddison, J. Romney Marsh: the Debatable Ground. 1995:37-50.
  • Scaife, R.G. & Long, A.J. Evidence for Holocene sea-level changes at Caldicot Pill, the Seven Estuary. In: Bell, M. Archaeology in the Seven estuary 1994. Annual report of the Seven Estuary Levels Research Committee. 1995:81-86.
  • Long, A.J. Sea-level and crustal movements in the Thames estuary, Essex and East Kent. In: Bridgland, D.R., Allen, P. & Haggart, B.A. The Quaternary of the Lower Thames: Field Guide. Quaternary Research Association; 1995:99-105.
  • Plater, A.J. & Long, A.J. The morphology and evolution of Denge Beach and Denge Marsh, Romney Marsh. In: Eddison, J. Romney Marsh: the Debatable Ground. Oxford University Committee for Archaeology Monograph Series; 1995:8-21.
  • Long, A.J. The East Kent Fens. In: Jennings, S. Field Excursion Guide, IGCP Project 274 UK Working Group: Coastal Evolution of the Quaternary. 1990.

Edited works: contributions

  • Spencer, C., Plater, A.J. & Long, A.J. Holocene barrier estuary evolution: the sedimentary record of the Walland Marsh region. In: Eddison, J., Gardiner, M. & Long, A.J. Romney Marsh: Environmental Change and Human Occupation in a Coastal Lowland. Oxford University Committee for Achaeology Monograph; 1998:13-29.
  • Long, A.J. & Innes, J.B. Midley Church Bank. In: Murton, J.B., Whiteman, C.A., Bates, M.R., Bridgland, D.R., Long, A.J., Roberts, M.B. & Waller, M.P. The Quaternary of Kent and Sussex: Field Guide. Quaternary Reserach Association; 1998:87.

Edited works: journals

Other publications: research

  • Long, A.J., Dix, J.C., Lloyd Jones, D., Roberts, D.H., Kirby, R., Croudance, I.W., Cundy, A.B., Roberts, A. & Shennan, I. Bridgwater Bay - Long term stability study. 2002;102pp.

Theses: PhD

  • Long, A.J. Holocene sea-level changes in the East Ken Fens. 1991.

Show all publications

Related Links

Grants Awarded

  • 2011: Late glacial sea level minima (£213103.78 from NERC - Natural Environment Research Council)
  • 2009: Leverhulme Trust, “Tipping points in environmental and economic systems” (Work Package 1, Professor Antony Long and Professor Brian Huntley “Tipping into the Neoglacial in the North Atlantic”, £180k (overall project value £1.75m).
  • 2009: North Atlantic sea-level variability in the last 500 years, NERC (in collaboration with Plymouth and Southampton University and the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory), total award value £600k, Durham award £179k.
  • 2005: NERC Standard Grant. “Constraining Greenland Ice Sheet Mass Balance Using Proxy Sea-Level Data” (Dr. G. Milne and Prof. A.J. Long), £162,652.
  • 2004: AMEC. “Palaeoecological Survey”, £26,413 (Prof. A.J.Long).
  • 2004: English Heritage. “Late Quaternary Landscape History of the Swale-Ure Washlands” (Dr D. Bridgland, Dr J. Innes, Prof. A. J. Long, Durham University, £90,000).
  • 2004: English Heritage. “Late Quaternary landscape evolution of Dungeness and the Port of Rye” (Prof. A.J.Long, Dr. M. Waller and Dr. A.J.Plater), £43,453.
  • 2004: The Shackleton Scholorship Fund. “Sea-level changes in the Falklands” (Prof. A.J.Long. Dr. M. Bentley and Dr. R. Scaife), £2000.
  • 2003: English Heritage (with the Swale and Ure Washlands Project). Late Quaternary Landscape History of the Swale-Ure Washlands (Dr A. Long and Dr D. Bridgland, Durham University, £166,851).
  • 2003: English Heritage. The Landscape and Evolution of the Port of Rye, Sussex (Dr A. Long and Dr M. Waller, Kingston University, £115,895).
  • 2003: English Nature. Geomorphological interest features at Dungeness (Dr A. Long, Dr. A. Plater University of Liverpool and Dr. M. Waller, University of Kingston, £7810).
  • 2003: Royal Society. Travel grant to attend IGCP Project 437 final project meeting in Pugilla, Italy, £1050.
  • 2002: Cleveland Potash Limited. Coastal subsidence and cliff stability (Prof. R.J. Allison, Dr A. Long and Dr D. Peltey, £385,000).
  • 2002: English Heritage. The Evolution and Landscape History of Dungeness (Dr A. Long and Dr A. Plater, University of Liverpool, £190,847).
  • 2002: NERC Radiocarbon Laboratory. Vegetation and environmental history of Finmark since the last glaciation (Prof. B. Huntley and Dr A. Long, £3850 in kind).
  • 2001: US Geological Survey, National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program. Late Holocene palaeoseismicity in the greater Anchorage area (Prof. I Shennan, Dr A. Long, Dr Y. Zong and Dr B. Horton, $90,000).
  • 2000: NERC Radiocarbon Laboratory. Late Quaternary ice sheet dynamics in West Greenland (A.J.Long and M. Rasch £10,000).
  • 2000: The Leverhulme Trust. Vegetation and environmental history of Finmark since the last glaciation (with Professor Brian Huntley, £122,866).
  • 2000: West Somerset District Council. Bridgwater Bay Coastal Study (A.Long, I.Shennan, J.Dix, I Croudale, A. Cundy, £89.065).

Supervises