Chen Xu at ICP14, Bergen
SEES PhD candidate Chen Xu (2021–2025) received a £500 travel bursary from SEES to attend the 14th International Conference on Paleoceanography in Bergen, Norway in September. Chen presents the first boron-isotope-based pH and surface pCO2 oscillations of the Antarctic zone of the Southern Ocean over the past 800,000 years. This study reveals a tight relationship between seawater CO2 chemistry and atmospheric CO2, thereby highlighting the Southern Ocean’s key control on glacial-interglacial CO2 change. Chen also shows a new semi-automatic boron purification technique for marine carbonate δ11B analysis he recently built, which largely improves the accuracy of δ11B analysis and lab efficiency. It is the first time Chen has attended an international conference in person. He was not only impressed with the exciting research in this community and the beauty of Scandinavia, but also practiced networking with other academics.
Chen attended alongside a sizeable St Andrews EES contingent who all look like they're having the best time!
