Dr. Adrian Spence

I am a Biogeochemist by training. My research interests include (but are not limited to) molecular- and nano-scale understanding of clay-organo interactions and the degradation dynamics of organic matter in soils. More recently, I have been focusing on soil-atmospheric carbon fluxes across different land management systems (in particular the agricultural sector) in trying to better understand the contribution of land-use and land-use changes to the global carbon budget. Secondarily, I have started looking at greenhouse gas emissions in urban spaces with the view of understanding which processes/activities of urban lifestyle account for current CO2 emissions and how such emissions vary in both space and time. Additionally, this work hopes to assess to potential impacts of CO2 hotspots on public health and critical infrastructure. Additional research endeavours include digital soil carbon mapping and biogeochemical interactions controlling the bioavailability of trace metals in terrestrial and aquatic environments.