Group Aims
Members
Research
Facilities
Links


Dr. Jackie Pates

Lecturer in Environmental Radioactivity

Environmental Science Department
Lancaster Environment Centre
Lancaster University
Bailrigg
Lancaster, LA1 4YQ
United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0)1524 593896
Fax: +44 (0)1524 593985

Email: j.pates@lancaster.ac.uk

Interests


Jackie Pates has interests covering all aspects of radioactivity in the environment. Her research focuses on the use of natural radionuclides as tracers of environmental processes.

Jackie carried out her PhD at the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre (SUERC), where she developed liquid scintillation spectrometry methods for the determination of 234Th in marine tracer studies. She then carried out post-doctoral work at Edinburgh University investigating the distribution of trace metals in particulate matter in the Mediterranean, before undertaking a NERC Post-Doctoral Fellowship on the elucidation of carbon cycle kinetics using natural radionuclides. Since moving to Lancaster in 1999, Jackie’s research interests have diversified to include work in freshwaters, but she has built on the theme of using natural radionuclides to understand environmental processes.

Recent Projects

  • Radon in groundwater (pubs. 3-5): This work is associated with the NERC LOCAR project and is carried out in association with Prof Andrew Binley. Radon is produced through the decay of radium in rocks, from where it diffuses into the groundwater. We are using this signature to investigate stream-aquifer interactions in Chalk catchments of southern England (pub. 8).

    Dr Neil Mullinger worked on this project gaining his PhD in 2008 entitled “Radon as a tracer of stream-aquifer interactions in lowland Chalk catchments”.

  • Turbulent diffusivity in lakes: This NERC funded project is comparing techniques for the determination of Kz (eddy diffusion coefficient) in lakes, and is a collaboration with Dr Andrew Folkard (LU, Geography) and Dr Ian Jones (CEH, Lancaster). One of the techniques under investigation is the use of dissolved radon, diffusing out of the bottom sediments.

  • Use of natural radionuclides to understand the impact of sediment resuspension (pubs. 2, 6, 7): This work was carried out within the EU INTERPOL project. This project investigated the effects of sediment resuspension (caused by either trawling or storms) on the uptake and release of pollutants and nutrients. Lancaster’s contribution was to use the radioactive disequilibrium between 234Th and its parent 238U to determine the rate of uptake by sediment particles of reactive species, which also lead to a study reviewing the distribution of U in the Mediterranean. We also contributed to studies of sediment accumulation and mixing.

    Dr Graham Muir worked on this project gaining his PhD in 2005 entitled “Radionuclides as tracers of marine geochemical processes in the Thermaikos Gulf, Greece”. Graham is currently working at the SUERC.

  • Natural radioisotopes of phosphorus in phosphorus cycling studies: We have been working on the use of the naturally occurring radioactive isotopes of phosphorus (32P and 33P) to examine the cycling of phosphorus in the upper water column of marine and freshwater systems. The marine component was funded through the EU ADIOS project, which investigated the effects of atmospheric sources of pollutants and nutrients on the open Mediterranean Sea. The freshwater component was funded by NERC, and focussed on Windermere in the English Lake District.

    Dr Mark Bescoby worked on these projects gaining his PhD in 2005 entitled “The use of naturally occurring radiophosphorus (32P and 33P) as tracers of phosphorus in aquatic environments”. Mark now works in environmental consultancy.

  • Palaeonutrient studies in the English Lake District (pubs. 1 and 8): This work is undertaken collaboratively with Dr Phil Barker in the Geography Department at Lancaster. Phil uses diatoms preserved in the sediment record to reconstruct past nutrient conditions in lakes. We use natural and artificial radionuclides in the sediments to determine sediment accumulation rates and hence a deposition chronology. More recently we have collaborated on work to assign varying sediment sources to Bassenthwaite Lake over time.

Selected Publications

  1. R. Hatfield, B. Maher, J.M. Pates and P. Barker (2008) Sediment dynamics in an upland catchment: changing sediment sources, rates and deposition. Journal of Paleolimnology (in press) DOI: 10.1007/s10933-008-9221-7

  2. J.M. Patesand G.K.P. Muir (2007) U – salinity relationships in the Mediterranean: implications for 234Th:238U particle flux studies. Marine Chemistry 106: 530-545. DOI: 10.1016/j.marchem.2007.05.006

  3. N.J. Mullinger, A.M. Binley, J.M. Pates and N.P. Crook (2007) Radon in Chalk streams: spatial and temporal variability in groundwater sources. Journal of Hydrology 339: 172-182. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2007.03.010

  4. J. Griffiths, J. Nutter, A. Binley, N. Crook, A. Young and J. Pates (2007) Variability of dissolved CO2 in the Pang and Lambourn Chalk rivers. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 11: 328-339. Available via open access.

  5. J.M. Pates and N.J. Mullinger (2007) Determination of 222Rn in fresh water: development of a robust method of analysis by alpha/beta separation liquid scintillation spectrometry. Applied Radiation and Isotopes 65: 92-103. DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2006.06.006

  6. G.K.P. Muir, J.M. Pates, A.P. Karageorgis and H. Kaberi (2005) 234Th:238U disequilibrium as an indicator of sediment resuspension in the Thermaikos Gulf. Continental Shelf Research 25: 2476-2490. DOI: 10.1016/j.csr.2005.08.009

  7. A.P. Karageorgis, H. Kaberi, N.B. Price, G.K.P. Muir, J.M. Pates and V. Lykousis (2005) Chemical composition of short sediment cores from the Thermaikos Gulf (Eastern Mediterranean). Sediment accumulation rates, trawling and winnowing effects. Continental Shelf Research 25: 2456-2475. DOI: 10.1016/j.csr.2005.08.006

  8. P. Barker, J.M. Pates, R.J. Payne and R.M. Healey (2005) Changing nutrient levels in Grasmere, English Lake District, during recent centuries. Freshwater Biology 50:1971-1981. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2427.2005.01439.x

  9. M.A. French, H. Zhang, J.M. Pates, S. Bryan and R.C. Wilson (2005) Development and performance of the Diffusive Gradients in Thin-films technique for the measurement of technetium-99 in seawater. Analytical Chemistry 77: 135-139. DOI: 10.1021/ac048774b

  10. C.D. Biggin, G.T. Cook, A.B. MacKenzie and J.M. Pates (2002) A time efficient method for the determination of 210Pb, 210Bi and 210Po in seawater using liquid scintillation spectrometry. Analytical Chemistry 74: 671-677. DOI: 10.1021/ac0107599

  11. N.B. Price, F.S. Lindsay and J.M. Pates (1999) Spatial and temporal changes in concentration of the elements of suspended particulate matter in the Cretan Sea and their export to the eastern Mediterranean basin. Progress in Oceanography 44: 677-699. DOI: 10.1016/S0079-6611(99)00043-9

  12. N.B. Price, T. Brand, J.M. Pates, S. Mowbray, A. Theocharis, G. Civitarese, S. Miserocchi, S. Heussner and F. Lindsay (1999) Horizontal distributions of biogenic and lithogenic elements of suspended particulate matter in the Mediterranean Sea. Progress in Oceanography 44: 191-128. DOI: 10.1016/S0079-6611(99)00025-7

  13. J.M. Pates, G.T. Cook, A.B. MacKenzie and C.J. Passo (1998) The implications of beta energy and quenching for alpha/beta liquid scintillation spectrometry calibration. The Analyst 123: 2201-2207. DOI: 10.1039/a805378b

  14. J.M. Pates, G.T. Cook, A.B. MacKenzie, R. Anderson and S.J. Bury (1996) The determination of 234Th in marine samples using liquid scintillation spectrometry. Analytical Chemistry 68: 3783-3788. DOI: 10.1021/ac960503g


Lancaster Environment Centre
Lancaster University