During the most recent Ice Age, the majority of the UK, all the way down to South Wales, was covered in ice. Records across Britain show many climatic changes since then. This project finds evidence for abrupt climate change in South Wales by analysing sediment from Llangorse Lake, a source that provides a record for the past 16 000 years. However, the most recent study of the lake has evidence missing from the sequence. This research fills in the gaps by providing the first complete record of long term climate change in this area. By analysing the composition of the soil samples, a picture emerges of rapid changes from warm periods to cold periods and back again, thousands of years ago during the retreat of the glaciers.

Scientific field

Chemistry

Country

United Kingdom

Contestants

Sahar Roxanne El-Hady