![Professor Kevin Edwards Professor Kevin Edwards](/img/200x200/staffpages/uploads/s01ke7/avatar/0cV7dE8S7u1SlVP4gZv1YxT9skWvPAu4FOJa9UR0.jpeg)
MA, PhD, DSc, FRSGS, FRGS, FSAScot, FSA, FRSE, MAE
Emeritus Professor
- About
-
- Email Address
- kevin.edwards@abdn.ac.uk
- Office Address
Department of Geography and Environment,
School of Geosciences,
University of Aberdeen,
St Mary's, Elphinstone Road,
Aberdeen AB24 3UF
Scotland, UK& Clare Hall,
Herschel Road,
Cambridge CB3 9AL,
UK
- School/Department
- School of Geosciences
Biography
- Honorary Life Member, Quaternary Research Association, 2022-
- Senior Fellow, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, Univ. of Cambridge, 2019-
- Coppock Research Medal and Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, 2018
- Institute Associate, Scott Polar Research Institute, Univ. of Cambridge, 2018-
- DSc, 'Studies in Quaternary, Geographical and Archaeological Science', Univ. of St Andrews, 2014
- REF 2014: Panel member for Geography, Environmental Studies and Archaeology, UK Research Excellence Framework
- Christensen Fellow, St Catherine's College, Univ. of Oxford, 2012
- 133rd Rhind Lecturer, Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 2012
- Member of Academia Europaea, 2012
- Life Member, Clare Hall, University of Cambridge, 2012-, Fellow Commoner, 2020-
- Visiting Fellow, Clare Hall and Visiting Scholar, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, Univ. of Cambridge, 2011-2012
- RAE 2008: Panel member for Geography and Environmental Studies, UK Research Assessment Exercise
- Visiting Researcher, Geography & Geology, Univ. of Copenhagen, 2007-09
- Adjunct Professor, Doctoral Faculty of the Graduate School, The City Univ. of New York, 2002-
- Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, 2002
- Professor in Physical Geography, Univ. of Aberdeen, 2000-17, Adjunct Professor in Archaeology, 2007-, Emeritus Professor in Geography, 2018-
- Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London, 1999
- Professor of Palaeoecology, Dept. of Archaeology & Prehistory, Univ. of Sheffield, 1994-2000, Head of Dept. 1996-1999
- Honorary Research Associate, Limnological Research Center, Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, 1983
- Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in Biogeography, Reader in Palaeoecology, School of Geography, Univ. of Birmingham, 1980-94
- Lecturer, Dept. of Geography and Palaeoecology Centre, The Queen's Univ. of Belfast, 1975-80
- PhD, University of Aberdeen, 1978
- Tutorial Fellow, Dept. of Geography, Univ.of Aberdeen, 1972-75
- MA First Class Honours in Geographical Studies, Univ. of St Andrews, 1972
External Memberships
CURRENT EDITORIAL ROLES
Editorial Boards:
- Palynology
- Journal of Archaeological Science
- North Atlantic World book series (Brepols)
- Research
-
Research Overview
- Palynology
- Environmental and anthropogenic change in the North Atlantic region
- Mesolithic (hunter-gatherer) impacts on vegetation in Scotland
- Long-term vegetation and environmental change in the Western and Northern Isles of Scotland
- Tephropalynological studies
- Environmental archaeology
- History of Science
The above are pursued within the context of the Environmental Change sub-group of the Environmental Processes and Change Research Cluster of the Department.
Current Research
Landscapes circum-Landnám: Viking settlement in the North Atlantic and its human and ecological consequences: This project was made possible by a major Research Programme Grant for the period 2002-07 from the Leverhulme Trust. The award resulted from a UK-wide competition within the theme 'Long-term settlement in the ancient world'. It enabled a high resolution and comprehensive investigation of what happens environmentally and socially when a group of people - in this case the Vikings - colonise 'pristine' landscapes. Sites in the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland were and are being studied by an interdisciplinary and multinational team including Paul Buckland (Archaeology, Universities of Sheffield and Bournemouth), Andrew Dugmore (Geography, University of Edinburgh), Thomas McGovern (Anthropology, Hunter College, City University New York), Ian Simpson (Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling) and Guðrún Sveinbjarnardóttir (Scandinavian Studies and Archaeology, University College London). Kevin Edwards was PI on the project which was led by the University of Aberdeen.
Footprints on the edge of Thule: landscapes of Norse-indigenous interaction: This is a development of the Landscapes circum-Landnám project and was funded by the Leverhulme Trust for the period 2007-11. A primary aim is to investigate the complex relationships between humans (Norse incomers and indigenous groups), their economies and interactions with environment in parts of Greenland, Norway and Sweden. Collaborating researchers include Andrew Dugmore and Eva Panagiotakopulu (Geography, University of Edinburgh) and Ian Simpson (Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling), as well as many overseas research collaborators (e.g. in Greenland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark). Kevin Edwards was PI on the project which was led by the University of Aberdeen.
Pre-agricultural landscape impacts (erosion, fire and vegetational change) and woodland status in western Scotland (including the Inner and Outer Hebrides) and the Northern Isles (Orkney and Shetland): Pollen, charcoal, palaeoentomological and archaeological studies of early Holocene/Mesolithic environmental and cultural change, including the nature of the woodland cover. The work involves collaboration with archaeologists from the University of Edinburgh (Scotland's First Settlers Project) and Bradford, and palynologists and palaeoentomologists from the Universities of Birmingham, Sheffield and St Andrews. Funding has come from NERC and The Leverhulme Trust.
Palaeolimnological studies of prehistoric agricultural impacts: Studies of lake sediments as repositories of land use and erosional history and involving pollen, chemical, particle size and radiocarbon studies. This is being carried out partly in association with Graeme Whittington, the School of Geography and Geosciences, University of St Andrews with funding for radiocarbon dates from the NERC.
Lateglacial environments in Scotland, including oxygen isotope studies: High resolution palynological, palaeoentomological and stable isotope research aimed at detecting biotic and environmental sensitivity to climate change . This is joint research with the School of Geography and Geosciences, University of St Andrews, the School of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Birmingham and the Department of Chemistry, University of Glasgow/SUERC, East Kilbride. Funding for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry 14C dating and oxygen isotope analysis has come from NERC.
Soil pollution on the remote Scottish islands: High levels of pollution (e.g. lead, zinc, cadmium and arsenic) discovered in the anthropogenic soils of St Kilda seem to be related to peat burning and arable farming practices combined with the local custom of composting seabird waste. This project aims to continue investigations on St Kilda and to place the results in a wider context. This is joint research with the Departments of Plant & Soil Science and Chemistry, University of Aberdeen, and the School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, with funding from the Leverhulme Trust.
The antiquity and environmental signatures of ancient tin mining in SW Britain: The precise date of tin mining – and the related metallurgical extraction of copper, lead and silver in Devon and Cornwall – was unknown and has been subject to historical comment/myth for millennia. This project investigated the chemical signatures in raised mires from Bodmin Moor and Dartmoor accompanied by AMS 14C dating. The outcome has significance for the economic (pre-)history of Europe. This is joint research with Andrew Meharg (Department of Plant & Soil Science, University of Aberdeen and is funded by NERC (Meharg and Edwards co-PIs).
Reconstructing 8000 years of environmental and landscape change in the Cairngorms: New discoveries of well preserved sub-fossil pine stems in lakes from the northwest Cairngorms highlight the potential of deriving a long Holocene length tree-ring record for this region. Combined with palynology and geochemical data, multiproxy approaches enable an examination of environmental change during the Holocene, including: the first comprehensive appraisal of human influence on the vegetational structure of the region; quantified tree-ring based inter-annual summer temperature reconstructions for discrete time periods, which will significantly extend high resolution records of climate change in the UK; elucidation of whether periods of forest decline are related to climatic anomalies or human influences. This work is funded by The Leverhulme Trust (2010-13) with co-PIs Rob Wilson (St Andrews), Siwan Davies (Swansea) and Kevin Edwards (Aberdeen).
Viking Unst: The Viking Unst project began as a collaborative project between the Shetland Amenity Trust and the University of Copenhagen and aims to investigate the archaeological and environmental evidence for Norse settlement on the Island of Unst, Shetland. Our work includes palynological investigations associated with the excavations at Belmont being carried out under the direction of Anne-Christine Larsen of the Vikingeborgen Trelleborg, Sydvestsjællands Museum, Denmark.
History of science: Archive-based historiographical and biographical research into two main areas: (i) the history of palynology; (ii) James Croll. The research is based heavily on fresh archival work (e.g. in the British Library [London], Imperial College London, the National Museum of Wales [Cardiff], BGS [Keyworth], Tolson Memorial Museum [Huddersfield], Royal Society of Edinburgh, University of St Andrews, University of Glasgow, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the Swedish Museum of Natural History [both Stockholm]).
Recent Research Students - Fraser Green, BSc (Edinburgh), PhD (Aberdeen): Palynology and the Mesolithic of the Isle of Skye and Inner Sound, Scotland
- Douglas Borthwick, MA, PhD (Aberdeen): Palynology of Norse settlement, Suðuroy, Faroe Islands
- Egill Erlendsson, BS (Iceland), PhD (Aberdeen): Palynology of Norse settlement, southwestern Iceland
- Clare Brown, BSc (Plymouth), PhD (Aberdeen): Palynology, neoecology, erosion and agriculture, Isle of Skye, Scotland
- Ilse Kamerling, BSc, MSc (Free University of Amsterdam), PhD (Aberdeen): Palynology of Norse and Sami settlement, northern Sweden
- Paul Ledger, BSc (East Anglia), MSc (Coventry), PhD (Aberdeen): Palynology of the Norse Eastern Settlement, Greenland
- Patricia Wiltshire, BSc (London), DSc hc (Glous), PhD (Aberdeen): Developing forensic palynology
- Claire Christie, MA (Aberdeen), MA (UCL), PhD (Aberdeen): The prehistoric settlement of West Mainland, Shetland
Funding and Grants
£1,235,000 The Leverhulme Trust
Landscapes circum-Landnám: Viking settlement in the North Atlantic and its human and ecological consequences. (Jointly with P.C. Buckland, University of Sheffield, A.J. Dugmore, University of Edinburgh and I.A. Simpson, University of Stirling). 2002-07.
£168,350 The Leverhulme Trust
Did the disposal of seabird waste seriously pollute cultivated soils in remote islands of Scotland? (Jointly with A.Meharg and J. Feldmann, University of Aberdeen and D.A. Davidson, University of Stirling). 2002-05.
£270,000 Scottish Funding Council: SAGES
Scottish Alliance forGeosciences, Environment and Society. For provision of 60% share of 2 lectureships, shared studentships and equipment. 2006-11.
£1,000,000 The Leverhulme Trust
Footprints on the edge of Thule: landscapes of Norse-indigenous interaction. (Jointly with A.J. Dugmore and E. Panagiotakopulu, University of Edinburgh and I.A. Simpson, University of Stirling). 2007-11.
£28,000 Natural Environment Research Council
When was Cornish tin mined and processed in prehistory? (Jointly with A.M. Meharg, University of Aberdeen). 2009.
£4,400 The Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland
The potential of the Norse middle settlement of Greenland for a major interdisciplinary research project. (Jointly with J. Edward Schofield, University of Aberdeen). 2010.
£250,000 The Leverhulme Trust
Reconstructing 8000 years of Environmental and Landscape change in the Cairngorms. (Jointly with R. Wilson, St Andrews and S. Davies, Swansea). 2010-13.
$15,000 National Geographic
Palaeoecological investigations at Point Rosee, Newfoundland. (Jointly with J.E. Schofield). 2016-17.
- Publications
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Page 1 of 4 Results 1 to 50 of 152
Loch Dee Peninsula Bog II, Galloway Hills (Scotland)
GranaContributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00173134.2024.2381140
72. Loch Doon IV, Galloway Hills (Scotland)
Grana, vol. 63, no. 2, pp. 188-191Contributions to Journals: ArticlesLoch Doon IV, Galloway Hills (Scotland)
GranaContributions to Journals: ArticlesThe man who vacuum cleaned the Atlantic: the aerosol collector and Gunnar Erdtman’s attempts to measure pollen rain
Palynology, vol. 48, no. 1, 2260437Contributions to Journals: ArticlesTesting the Effect of Relative Pollen Productivity on the REVEALS Model: A Validated Reconstruction of Europe-Wide Holocene Vegetation
Land, vol. 12, no. 5, 986Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/land12050986
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/21098/1/Serge_etal_Testing_effect_pollen_VOR.pdf
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Hidden in plain sight: Overlooked evidence concerning James Croll (1821-1890)
Earth Sciences History, vol. 42, no. 1, pp. 160–173.Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.17704/1944-6187-42.1.160
‘The most remarkable man’: James Croll, Quaternary scientist
Journal of Quaternary Science, vol. 37, no. 3, pp. 400-419Contributions to Journals: Review articlesThe Reading Palaeofire Database: an expanded global resource to document changes in fire regimes from sedimentary charcoal records
Earth System Science Data, vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 1109-1124Contributions to Journals: ArticlesEnvironmental challenges for the medieval North Atlantic world
Environmental Archaeology, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 123-126Contributions to Journals: EditorialsMarginalia in the ‘bible’ of pollen analysis: Gunnar Erdtman and the annotations of a displeased ‘evangelist’
Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, vol. 295, 104538Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.revpalbo.2021.104538
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
James Croll – a man ‘greater far than his work
Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, vol. 112, no. Special issue 3-4, pp. 171-190Contributions to Journals: ArticlesPalynological evidence for pre-agricultural reindeer grazing and the later settlement history of the Lycksele region, northern Sweden
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, vol. 13, 42Contributions to Journals: ArticlesLandnám and the North Atlantic Flora
Biogeography in the Sub-Arctic: The Past and Future of North Atlantic Biota. Panagiotakopulu, E., Sadler, J. P. (eds.). Wiley, pp. 187-214, 28 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118561461
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
In search of James Croll: archives, genealogy, publications and other resources
Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh , vol. 112, no. Special issue 3-4, pp. 309-328Contributions to Journals: ArticlesJames Croll and 1876 – an exceptional year for a ‘singularly modest man’
Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, vol. 112, no. Special issue 3-4, pp. 191-207Contributions to Journals: ArticlesWilliam Su Ting: China’s forgotten palynologist
Palynology, vol. 45, no. 3, pp. 391-419Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01916122.2020.1844816
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
The Eurasian Modern Pollen Database (EMPD), version 2
Earth System Science Data, vol. 12, no. 4, pp. 2423-2445Contributions to Journals: ArticlesThule Inuit environmental impacts on Kangeq, southwest Greenland
Quaternary International, vol. 549, pp. 176-190Contributions to Journals: ArticlesPalaeoenvironmental and source rock potential of the Turonian–Miocene sequence in the West Esh El Mellaha (SW margin of the Suez rift, Egypt): Insights from palynofacies, palynology and organic geochemistry
Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, vol. 276, 104190Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.revpalbo.2020.104190
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Pushing the Limits: Palynological Investigations at the Margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet in the Norse Western Settlement
Environmental Archaeology, pp. 1-15Contributions to Journals: ArticlesArchaeological assessment reveals Earth’s early transformation through land use
Science, vol. 365, no. 6456, pp. 897-902Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aax1192
The Vikings
Arc Humanities Press, LeedsBooks and Reports: BooksCentenary of the Department of Geography, University of Aberdeen
Scottish Geographical Journal, vol. 135, no. 3-4, pp. 156-212Contributions to Journals: ArticlesPalaeoecological perspectives on Holocene environmental change in Scotland
Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, vol. 110, no. 1-2, pp. 199-217Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1755691018000208
Palaeoecological research in the Department of Geography and Environment, University of Aberdeen
Scottish Geographical Journal, vol. 135, no. 3-4, pp. 287-315Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14702541.2019.1695895
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Cereal cultivation as a correlate of high social status in medieval Iceland
Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, vol. 27, no. 5, pp. 679-696Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00334-017-0665-4
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Pollen, women, war and other things: reflections on the history of palynology
Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 319-335Contributions to Journals: Articles“Think horizontally, act vertically”: the centenary (1916–2016) of pollen analysis and the legacy of Lennart von Post
Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 267-269Contributions to Journals: EditorialsIndustrial-era lead and mercury contamination in southern Greenland implicates North American sources
Science of the Total Environment, vol. 613-614, pp. 919-930Contributions to Journals: ArticlesHow palynology could have been paepalology: the naming of a discipline
Palynology, vol. 42, no. 1, pp. 4-19Contributions to Journals: ArticlesQuantifying the effects of land use and climate on Holocene vegetation in Europe
Quaternary Science Reviews, vol. 171, pp. 20-37Contributions to Journals: ArticlesHigh-resolution palynology reveals the land-use history of a Sami renvall in northern Sweden
Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, vol. 26, no. 4, pp. 369-388Contributions to Journals: ArticlesThe first 100 years of pollen analysis
Nature Plants, vol. 3, 17001Contributions to Journals: Comments and DebatesCompeting hypotheses, ordination and pollen preservation: landscape impacts of Norse landnám in southern Greenland
Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, vol. 236, pp. 1-11Contributions to Journals: ArticlesThe biogeographical status of Alnus crispa (Ait.) Pursch in sub-Arctic southern Greenland: Do pollen records indicate local populations during the past 1500 years?
Polar Biology, vol. 39, no. 3, pp. 433-441Contributions to Journals: ArticlesResponse to the letter submitted by Dos Santos et al.
Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine , vol. 38, pp. 118-119Contributions to Journals: Letters- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jflm.2015.12.004
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Biomarker characteristics of the Turonian–Eocene succession, Belayim oilfields, central Gulf of Suez, Egypt
Journal of the Association of Arab Universities for Basic and Applied Research, vol. 19, pp. 91-100Contributions to Journals: ArticlesLes premiers agricultueurs et leur impact sur la végétation
Le Groenland: Climat, écologie, société. CNRS Éditions, pp. 192-197, 6 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: ChaptersNorse landscape impacts: Northern Isles versus the North Atlantic islands
Shetland and the Viking World: Papers from the Proceedings of the Seventeenth Viking Congress, Lerwick. Turner, V. E., Owen, O. A., Waugh, D. J. (eds.). Shetland Heritage Publications, pp. 91-96, 6 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: ChaptersPeat and people in Greenland
Shetland and the Viking World: Papers from the Proceedings of the Seventeenth Viking Congress, Lerwick. Turner, V. E., Owen, O. A., Waugh, D. J. (eds.). Shetland Heritage Publications, pp. 192-197, 6 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: ChaptersA Rapid and Efficient Method for Evaluation of Suspect Testimony: Palynological Scanning
Journal of forensic sciences, vol. 60, no. 6, pp. 1441-1450Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1556-4029.12835
Organic geochemical characteristics of the Upper Cretaceous–Early Paleogene source rock and correlation with some Egyptian mummy bitumen and oil from the southern Gulf of Suez, Egypt
Arabian Journal of Geosciences, vol. 11, no. 8, pp. 9193-9204Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-015-1855-y
The onset of the palaeoanthropocene in Iceland: Changes in complex natural systems
The Holocene, vol. 25, no. 10, pp. 1662-1675Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0959683615594468
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Climate changes, lead pollution and soil erosion in south Greenland over the past 700 years
Quaternary Research, vol. 84, no. 2, pp. 159-173Contributions to Journals: ArticlesTwo sources and two kinds of trace evidence: Enhancing the links between clothing, footwear and crime scene
Forensic Science International, vol. 254, pp. 231-242Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2015.05.033
Lateglacial and early Holocene climates of the Atlantic margins of Europe: Stable isotope, mollusc and pollen records from Orkney, Scotland
Quaternary Science Reviews, vol. 122, pp. 112-130Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2015.05.026
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Light microscopy can reveal the consumption of a mixture of psychotropic plant and fungal material in suspicious death
Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine , vol. 34, pp. 73-80Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jflm.2015.05.010
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
First evidence of cryptotephra in palaeoenvironmental records associated with Norse occupation sites in Greenland
Quaternary Geochronology, vol. 27, pp. 145-157Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quageo.2015.02.023
Moving forwards? Palynology and the human dimension
Journal of Archaeological Science, vol. 56, pp. 117-132Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2015.02.010
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/5321/1/JAS_Accepted.pdf
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Europeanization of sub-arctic environments: perspectives from Norse Greenland's outer fjords
Human Ecology, vol. 43, no. 1, pp. 61-77Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-014-9708-y
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/5469/1/Human_Ecology_accepted.pdf
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus