Refining tephra dispersal in Japan to understand the impact of past volcanic eruptions and the synchrony of past climate changes. Funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
The east Asian/Pacific region is home to ~ 30% of the global population and the location of a large number of volcanoes - some of which have produced a number of the largest volcanic eruptions over the last 200 ka. Across the islands of Japan there are over 100 volcanic centres that are known to have been active during the late Quaternary. Thus, it is crucial that the tempo of volcanism is better understood as well as the potential environmental impacts of large explosive eruptions in order to generate more accurate hazard assessments for Japan.
My research utilises cryptically persevered volcanic ash (cryptotephra) layers to improve the tephrochronological framework for the east Asia/Pacific region. I am working on the Lake Suigetsu sedimentary sequence (a detailed and continuous palaeoenvironmental record from central Honshu, Japan) focussing on the 50 - 120 ka timeframe that has not yet been studied. Therefore this research has the potential to refine the understanding of tephra dispersal in Japan. I am focussing in on three factors (i) the magnitude and tempo of past volcanism, (ii) environmental responses to past large explosive volcanic eruptions, (iii) the synchrony of environmental response to past climate change over space and time.
