Biography
Daniel Kerr is a first year PhD student in the School of Chemistry, Dublin City University. Daniel graduated with degree in Environmental Science & Health awarded by DCU in conjunction with the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Wollongong, before joining iCRAG under the supervision of Dr Brian Kelleher.
Increasing levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere is a growing problem, CO2 being a major player in the “greenhouse” effect. However, pathways of CO2 removal from the environment have been observed in microorganisms which reside in a wide range of terrestrial and aquatic environments. My research primarily focuses on the identification of the rates of CO2 sequestration, the interactions between varying nutrient levels and microbial communities, and the integration of acquired soil/sediment data with existing datasets in order to further understand the fate of carbon cycling within the soil.
Technical description
Microbial contributions to carbon cycling will be investigated in a variety of environmental settings including marine sediments, wetland marshes and terrestrial soils. The organic and inorganic components of soil/sediment substrates will be measured using an array of analytical techniques including GCMS, ICP-OES and spectrophotometric methods. Spatial and temporal data of soil/sediment profiles will be integrated with existing EO datasets in order to produce management procedures, and to potentially construct forecast models of soil/sediment health status. Research is currently being carried out on Bull Island, Dublin Bay, exploring the depth profile of wetland marsh soils utilising the aforementioned analysis techniques.
Role
- Postgraduate Researcher
Institution
- DCU
Research Area
- Safeguard the Geomarine Environment, Secure & Protect Groundwater Resources
Expertise
- Geochemistry, Contamination, Hydrochemistry, Marine, Water
