Staff profile

2018 - 2021: Leverhulme Early Career Research Fellow, Durham University

2018: Postdoctoral Research Associate, Durham University

2016 - 2017: PhD - Durham University

2016: Postdoctoral Research Associate, National Oceanography Centre Southampton

2013 - 2016: PhD - National Oceanography Centre Southampton

2012 - 2013: MPhil - Polar Studies, Scott Polar Research Institute

2009 - 2012: BA - Geography, University of Cambridge 

Current Research

I am a marine geologist interested in submarine mass movements including turbidity currents, debris flows and submarine landslides.

Submarine mass movements are volumetrically one of the most important processes for moving sediment across our planet. They also play a key role in the transport of nutrients, pollutants and fresher water from coastal regions to the deep-sea. These flows represent a significant geohazard to coastal communities and subsea infrastructure, such as submarine cable networks. My research mainly focusses on understanding the frequency and triggering mechanisms of these sediment density flows and quantification of the geohazard potential they pose. To achieve this I use a combination of field measurements, sedimentary deposits and records of damage to subsea infrastructure. These records have been used to identify the role of earthquakes, tropical cyclones, dilute river plumes, sea level change and ice sheet sedimentation as triggers of these flows in different areas around the world.

Using direct measurements of these flows, I also seek to understand what governs their dynamics and evolution. For example, is runout distance controlled by the initial failure volume or are flows such as turbidity currents driven by dense basal layers and is it the presence of these layers that allows flows to self-accelerate and runout for thousands of kilometres.

I also have an interest in the relationship between ice sheets and different types of submarine mass movements, particularly how the interplay between these processes can impact continental margin evolution.

• Frequency and triggers of submarine mass movements
• Submarine geohazards
• Ice sheet processes and histories

Journal Article

• Talling, P. J., Cartigny, M. J. B., Pope, E., Baker, M., Clare, M. A., Heijnen, M., …Maier, K. L. (2023). Detailed monitoring reveals the nature of submarine turbidity currents. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, 4(9), 642-658. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-023-00458-1
• Bailey, L. P., Clare, M. A., Pope, E. L., Haigh, I. D., Cartigny, M. J., Talling, P. J., …Heijnen, M. (2023). Predicting turbidity current activity offshore from meltwater-fed river deltas. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 604, Article 117977. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2022.117977
• Pope, E. L., Heijnen, M. S., Talling, P. J., Jacinto, R. S., Gaillot, A., Baker, M. L., …Urlaub, M. (2022). Carbon and sediment fluxes inhibited in the submarine Congo Canyon by landslide-damming. Nature Geoscience, 15(10), 845-853. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-022-01017-x
• Lu, Y., Pope, E. L., Moernaut, J., Bookman, R., Waldmann, N., Agnon, A., …Strasser, M. (2022). Stratigraphic record reveals contrasting roles of overflows and underflows over glacial cycles in a hypersaline lake (Dead Sea). Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 594, Article 117723. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2022.117723
• Pope, E. L., Cartigny, M. J., Clare, M. A., Talling, P. J., Lintern, D. G., Vellinga, A., …Vendettuoli, D. (2022). First source-to-sink monitoring shows dense head controls sediment flux and runout in turbidity currents. Science Advances, 8(20), Article eabj3220. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abj3220
• Heijnen, M. S., Clare, M. A., Cartigny, M. J., Talling, P. J., Hage, S., Pope, E. L., …Hughes Clarke, J. E. (2022). Fill, flush or shuffle: How is sediment carried through submarine channels to build lobes?. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 584, Article 117481. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2022.117481
• Talling, P. J., Baker, M. L., Pope, E. L., Ruffell, S. C., Jacinto, R. S., Heijnen, M. S., …Hilton, R. J. (2022). Longest sediment flows yet measured show how major rivers connect efficiently to deep sea. Nature Communications, 13(1), https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-31689-3
• Hage, S., Galy, V., Cartigny, M., Heerema, C., Heijnen, M., Acikalin, S., …Talling, P. (2022). Turbidity Currents Can Dictate Organic Carbon Fluxes Across River‐Fed Fjords: An Example From Bute Inlet (BC, Canada). Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, 127(6), https://doi.org/10.1029/2022jg006824
• Yin, S., Pope, E. L., Lin, L., Ding, W., Gao, J., Wu, Z., …Li, J. (2021). Re-channelization of turbidity currents in South China Sea abyssal plain due to seamounts and ridges. Marine Geology, 440, Article 106601. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2021.106601
• Casalbore, D., Clare, M., Pope, E., Quartau, R., Bosman, A., Chiocci, F., …Santos, R. (2021). Bedforms on the submarine flanks of insular volcanoes: New insights gained from high resolution seafloor surveys. Sedimentology, 68(4), 1400-1438. https://doi.org/10.1111/sed.12725
• Simmons, S., Azpiroz-Zabala, M., Cartigny, M., Clare, M., Cooper, C., Parsons, D., …Talling, P. (2020). Novel acoustic method provides first detailed measurements of sediment concentration structure within submarine turbidity currents. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 125(5), Article e2019JC015904. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019jc015904
• Heerema, C. J., Talling, P. J., Cartigny, M. J., Paull, C. K., Bailey, L., Simmons, S. M., …Pope, E. (2020). What determines the downstream evolution of turbidity currents?. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 532, Article 116023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2019.116023
• Yin, S., Lin, L., Pope, E. L., Li, J., Ding, W., Wu, Z., …Zhao, D. (2019). Continental slope-confined canyons in the Pearl River Mouth Basin in the South China Sea dominated by erosion, 2004–2018. Geomorphology, 344, 60-74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2019.07.016
• Hage, S., Cartigny, M. J., Sumner, E. J., Clare, M. A., Hughes Clarke, J. E., Talling, P. J., …Watts, C. (2019). Direct monitoring reveals initiation of turbidity currents from extremely dilute river plumes. Geophysical Research Letters, 46(20), 11310-11320. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019gl084526
• Pope, E. L., Normandeau, A., Ó Cofaigh, C., Stokes, C. R., & Talling, P. J. (2019). Controls on the formation of turbidity current channels associated with marine-terminating glaciers and ice sheets. Marine Geology, 415, Article 105951. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2019.05.010
• Pope, E. L., Jutzeler, M., Cartigny, M. J., Shreeve, J., Talling, P. J., Wright, I. C., & Wysoczanski, R. J. (2018). Origin of spectacular fields of submarine sediment waves around volcanic islands: distinguishing eruption-fed supercritical flow bedforms from slope failures. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 493, 12-24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2018.04.020
• Pope, E. L., Talling, P. J., & Ó Cofaigh, C. (2018). The relationship between ice sheets and submarine mass movements in the Nordic Seas during the Quaternary. Earth-Science Reviews, 178, 208-256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2018.01.007
• Azpiroz-Zabala, M., Cartigny, M., Talling, P., Parsons, D., Sumner, E., Clare, M., …Pope, E. (2017). Newly recognized turbidity current structure can explain prolonged flushing of submarine canyons. Science Advances, 3(10), Article e1700200. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1700200
• Pope, E., Talling, P., & Carter, L. (2017). Which earthquakes trigger damaging submarine mass movements: Insights from a global record of submarine cable breaks?. Marine Geology, 384(1), 131-146. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2016.01.009
• Pope, E., Talling, P., Carter, L., Clare, M., & Hunt, J. (2017). Damaging sediment density flows triggered by tropical cyclones. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 458, 161-169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2016.10.046
• Pope, E., Talling, P., Hunt, J., Dowdeswell, J., Allin, J., Cartigny, M., …Watts, M. (2016). Long-term record of Barents Sea Ice Sheet advance to the shelf edge from a 140,000 year record. Quaternary Science Reviews, 150, 55-66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2016.08.014
• Willis, I., Pope, E., Leysinger Vieli, G., Arnold, N., & Long, S. (2016). Drainage networks, lakes and water fluxes beneath the Antarctic ice sheet. Annals of Glaciology, 57(72), 96-108. https://doi.org/10.1017/aog.2016.15
• Pope, E., Willis, I., Pope, A., Miles, E., Arnold, N., & Rees, W. (2016). Contrasting snow and ice albedos derived from MODIS, Landsat ETM+ and airborne data from Langjökull, Iceland. Remote Sensing of Environment, 175, 183-195. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2015.12.051
• Gavey, R., Carter, L., Liu, J., Talling, P., Hsu, R., Pope, E., & Evans, G. (2016). Frequent sediment density flows fromed by different triggering mechanisms: observations from subsea cable breaks in the Gaoping Canyon-Manila Trench, Taiwan. Marine Geology, 384, 147-158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2016.06.001
• Allin, J., Hunt, J., Talling, P., Clare, M., Pope, E., & Masson, D. (2016). Different frequencies and triggers of canyon filling and flushing events in Nazaré Canyon, offshore Portugal. Marine Geology, 371, 89-105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2015.11.005
• Talling, P. J., Allin, J., Armitage, D. A., Arnott, R. W., Cartigny, M. J., Clare, M. A., …Xu, J. (2015). Key future directions for research on turbidity currents and their deposits. Journal of Sedimentary Research, 85(2), 153-169. https://doi.org/10.2110/jsr.2015.03
• Pope, E., Talling, P., Urlaub, M., Hunt, J., Clare, M., & Challenor, P. (2015). Are large submarine landslides temporally random or do uncertainties in available age constraints make it impossible to tell?. Marine Geology, 369, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2015.07.002
• Talling, P., Clare, M., Urlaub, M., Pope, E., Hunt, J., & Watt, S. (2014). Large submarine landslides on continental slopes. Oceanography, 27(2), https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2014.38

Other (Print)

• Clare, M. A., Lintern, G., Pope, E., Baker, M., Ruffell, S., Zulkifli, M. Z., …Talling, P. J. (2024). Seismic and Acoustic Monitoring of Submarine Landslides: Ongoing Challenges, Recent Successes, and Future Opportunities. In G. Bayrakci, & F. Klingelhoefer (Eds.), Noisy Oceans: Monitoring Seismic and Acoustic Signals in the Marine Environment (59-82). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119750925.ch5

Working Paper

• Talling, P., Baker, M., Pope, E., Cula, C., Cartigny, M., Faria, R., …Nunny, R. (2021). Novel sensor array helps to understand submarine cable faults off West Africa