Personal profile
Overview
I am a physical oceanographer specialising in numerical ocean modelling, with a particular interest in understanding how marine systems respond to environmental change. My research spans physical and biophysical modelling, sediment dynamics, and climate-driven processes, with applications across blue carbon, marine renewable energy, and ecosystem resilience.
Current and past projects include:
as well as contributing to external projects (e.g., Angle Shark Project: Wales and Project SIARC) as an hydrodynamic- and biophysical modeller.
Specific research interests include:
- Blue carbon and carbon cycling in subtidal sedimentary systems
- Palaeotidal modelling and long-term hydrodynamic evolution
- Climate change impacts on marine ecosystems and coastal resilience
- Sediment dynamics and seabed processes
- Marine spatial planning, conservation, and blue carbon governance
- Marine renewable energy
I lead Bangor University's Blue Carbon Special Interest Group and am committed to open, reproducible science and bilingual (Welsh/English) public engagement.
Postgraduate Project Opportunities
I have a range of research interests where postgraduate and PhD projects can be developed. My core focus is on blue carbon - particularly long-term carbon storage in subtidal sedimentary systems, palaeotidal modelling, and coastal processes influencing long-term carbon dynamics. I also welcome enquiries in the following areas:
- Tidal modelling (past, present or future)
- Marine renewable energy
- Dispersal of marine organisms (including invasive species and aquaculture)
If you are interested in developing a project in any of these areas, please contact me by email in the first instance.
Education/Academic qualification
Professional, Professional, ILM Level 7 Certificate for Executive and Senior Level Coaches and Mentors
Award Date: 17 Apr 2023
Postgraduate, PhD, A new proxy for constraining palaeotidal simulations of the northwest European shelf seas, Bangor University
2010 → 2014
Award Date: 17 Jul 2015
Postgraduate, Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCertHE), Bangor University
Award Date: 1 Sept 2013
Postgraduate, MSc, Applied Physical Oceanography, Bangor University
2009 → 2010
Award Date: 1 Jul 2011
Undergraduate, BSc, Natural Sciences, University of Bath
2004 → 2007
Award Date: 1 Jun 2007
External positions
Graduate Environmental Scientist, Egniol Consulting Ltd
Sept 2007 → May 2009
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy
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SDG 13 Climate Action
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SDG 14 Life Below Water
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Assessing Atlantic subpolar gyre influence on the northern North Sea during the Holocene: A marine palaeoenvironmental reconstruction from the Fetlar basin (Shetland, UK)
Earland, J. L., Kender, S., Schone, B., Sengupta, T., Ward, S., Bradley, S. L., Blaauw, M., Ascough, P. & Scourse, J. D., 1 Jan 2026, In: Quaternary Science Reviews. 372, 109711.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile2 Downloads (Pure) -
Estimating historic seabed carbon disturbance by port dredging and aggregate extraction in NW Europe
Maynard, E., Roseby, Z. A., Scourse, J. D., Ward, S. L., Roberts, C., Thurstan, R. H., McLaverty, C. & Cooper, L. W. (Editor), 27 May 2026, In: PLoS ONE. 21, 5, e0349191.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Relative Sea-Level Change, Tidal Evolution and Energy Dissipation Across the Patagonian Shelf Since the Last Glacial Maximum
Ward, S., Bradley, S. L., Wilmes, S.-B., Roseby, Z., Green, M., Robins, P., Roberts, C. M. & Scourse, J., 16 May 2026, In: Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology. 41, 5Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Vulnerability of blue carbon stocks to disturbance in sediments with low burial efficiency
Roseby, Z. A., Sengupta, T., Ward, S., Vosper, D. F., Blaauw, M., Roberts, C. M. & Scourse, J., 1 Feb 2026, In: Marine Geology. 107676.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Revealing Elasmobranch Distributions in Turbid Coastal Waters: Insights From Environmental DNA and Particle Tracking
Dunn, N., Ward, S., Barker, J., Davies, J., Davies, S., Wray, B., Robins, P., Apetroaie, I., Willams, J., Hopkins, K. & Curnick, D., 24 Jan 2025, In: Ecology and Evolution. 15, 1, e70857.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access
Press/Media
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Ocean mud locks up much of the planet’s carbon – we’re digging deep to map these ancient stores
6/06/25
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Research
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Subsurface Sea Mud Is The Unsung Hero In The Climate War
25/05/25
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Other
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Thesis
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A new proxy for constraining Palaeotidal simulations for the Northwest European Shelf Seas
Ward, S. (Author), Neill, S. (Supervisor) & Scourse, J. (Supervisor), 3 Oct 2016Student thesis: Doctor of Philosophy
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