
Professor Paul Pearson
Honorary Professor
Overview
Interests
- Cenozoic palaeoclimate
- climate proxies
- micropalaeontology
- evolutionary palaeobiology
- stratigraphy
Biography
- Professor– School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Cardiff University, UK (2003 – present)
- Royal Society University Research Fellow and Reader in Geology – Bristol University (1995-2002)
- Research Fellow, Natural Environment Research Council – University of Cambridge (1990 – 1995)
- PhD – Earth Sciences, Cambridge University (1990)
- BA – Geology, Oxford University (1986)
Publications
2022
- Zammit, R., Lear, C. H., Samankassou, E., Lourens, L. J., Micallef, A., Pearson, P. N. and Bialik, O. M. 2022. Early Miocene intensification of the North African hydrological cycle: multi‐proxy evidence from the shelf carbonates of Malta. Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology 37(9), article number: e2022PA004414. (10.1029/2022pa004414)
- Pearson, P. N., John, E., Wade, B. S., D'haenens, S. and Lear, C. H. 2022. Spine-like structures in Paleogene muricate planktonic foraminifera. Journal of Micropalaeontology 41(2), pp. 107-127. (10.5194/jm-41-107-2022)
- Boscolo Galazzo, F., Jones, A., Dunkley Jones, T., Crichton, K. A., Wade, B. S. and Pearson, P. N. 2022. Late Neogene evolution of modern deep-dwelling plankton. Biogeosciences 19(3), pp. 743-762. (10.5194/bg-19-743-2022)
2021
- Steinthorsdottir, M. et al. 2021. The Miocene: the future of the past. Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology 36(4), article number: e2020PA004037. (10.1029/2020PA004037)
- Pearson, P. and Penny, L. 2021. Coiling directions in the planktonic foraminifer Pulleniatina: a complex eco-evolutionary dynamic spanning millions of years. PLoS ONE 16(4), article number: e0249113. (10.1371/journal.pone.0249113)
- Boscolo Galazzo, F., Crichton, K. A., Ridgwell, A., Mawbey, E. M., Wade, B. S. and Pearson, P. N. 2021. Temperature controls carbon cycling and biological evolution in the ocean twilight zone. Science 371(6534), pp. 1148-1152. (10.1126/science.abb6643)
- Hutchinson, D. K. et al. 2021. The Eocene-Oligocene transition: a review of marine and terrestrial proxy data, models and model-data comparisons. Climate of the Past 17(1), pp. 269-315. (10.5194/cp-17-269-2021)
2020
- Anagnostou, E. et al. 2020. Proxy evidence for state-dependence of climate sensitivity in the Eocene greenhouse. Nature Communications 11, article number: 4436. (10.1038/s41467-020-17887-x)
- Maselli, V. et al. 2020. Large-scale mass wasting in the western Indian Ocean constrains onset of East African rifting. Nature Communications 11(1), article number: 3456. (10.1038/s41467-020-17267-5)
- Henehan, M. J. et al. 2020. Revisiting the middle eocene climatic pptimum ‘carbon cycle conundrum’ with new estimates of atmospheric pCO2 from boron isotopes. Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology 35(6), article number: e2019PA003713. (10.1029/2019PA003713)
- Crichton, K. A., Wilson, J. D., Ridgwell, A. and Pearson, P. N. 2020. Calibration of key temperature-dependent ocean microbial processes in the cGENIE.muffin Earth system model. Geoscientific Model Development 14, pp. 125-149. (10.5194/gmd-2019-344)
- Edgar, K. M., Bohaty, S. M., Coxall, H. K., Bown, P. R., Batenburg, S. J., Lear, C. H. and Pearson, P. N. 2020. New composite bio- and isotope stratigraphies spanning the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum at tropical ODP Site 865 in the Pacific Ocean. Journal of Micropalaeontology 39, pp. 117-138. (10.5194/jm-39-117-2020)
2018
- Wade, B. et al. eds. 2018. Atlas of Oligocene Planktonic Foraminifera. London: Cushman Foundation for Foraminiferal Research.
- Spence, E., Pidgeon, N. and Pearson, P. 2018. UK public perceptions of ocean acidification - the importance of place and environmental identity. Marine Policy 97, pp. 287-293. (10.1016/j.marpol.2018.04.006)
- Boscolo-Galazzo, F., Crichton, K. A., Barker, S. and Pearson, P. N. 2018. Temperature dependency of metabolic rates in the upper ocean: A positive feedback to global climate change?. Global and Planetary Change 170, pp. 201-212. (10.1016/j.gloplacha.2018.08.017)
- Fordham, B. G., Aze, T., Haller, C., Zehady, A. K., Pearson, P. N., Ogg, J. G. and Wade, B. S. 2018. Future-proofing the Cenozoic macroperforate planktonic foraminifera phylogeny of Aze & others (2011). PLoS ONE 13(10), article number: e0204625. (10.1371/journal.pone.0204625)
- Fenton, I. S. et al. 2018. Factors affecting consistency and accuracy in identifying modern macroperforate planktonic foraminifera. Journal of Micropalaeontology 37(2), pp. 431-443. (10.5194/jm-37-431-2018)
- Sosdian, S. M., Greenop, R., Hain, M. H., Foster, G. L., Pearson, P. N. and Lear, C. H. 2018. Constraining the evolution of Neogene ocean carbonate chemistry using the boron isotope pH proxy. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 498, pp. 362-376. (10.1016/j.epsl.2018.06.017)
- Evans, D. et al. 2018. Eocene greenhouse climate revealed by coupled clumped isotope - Mg/Ca thermometry. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 115(6), pp. 1174-1179. (10.1073/pnas.1714744115)
- Pearson, P. N. and IODP Expedition 363 Scientific Party, . 2018. A deep-sea agglutinated foraminifer tube constructed with planktonic foraminifer shells of a single species. Journal of Micropalaeontology 37, pp. 97-104. (10.5194/jm-37-97-2018)
- Martino, E. D., Taylor, P. D., Cotton, L. J. and Pearson, P. N. 2018. First bryozoan fauna from the Eocene-Oligocene transition in Tanzania. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 16(3), pp. 225-243. (10.1080/14772019.2017.1284163)
- Berggren, W. A., Wade, B. S. and Pearson, P. N. 2018. Oligocene chronostratigraphy and planktonic foraminiferal biostratigraphy: historical review and current state-of-the art. In: Atlas of Oligocene Planktonic Foraminifera. London: Cushman Foundation for Foraminiferal Research, pp. 29-54.
2017
- Cotton, L. J., Janssen, A. W., Pearson, P. N. and Van Driel, R. 2017. Pteropoda (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Thecosomata) from the Eocene/Oligocene boundary interval of three cored boreholes in southern coastal Tanzania and their response to the global cooling event. Palaeontologia Electronica 20(3), pp. 1-21.
- Gutjahr, M. et al. 2017. Very large release of mostly volcanic carbon during the Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum. Nature 548, pp. 573-577. (10.1038/nature23646)
- Pearson, P. N. 2017. Provenance and identity of a large bronze statue currently in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Journal of the History of Collections 30(1), pp. 35-48. (10.1093/jhc/fhx016)
- Pearson, P., Wade, B., Backman, J., Raffi, I. and Monechi, S. 2017. Sub-series and sub-epochs are informal units and should continue to be omitted from the International Chronostratigraphic Chart. Episodes 40(1), pp. 5-7. (10.18814/epiiugs/2017/v40i1/017002)
- Lunt, D. J. et al. 2017. The DeepMIP contribution to PMIP4: experimental design for model simulations of the EECO, PETM, and pre-PETM (version 1.0). Geoscientific Model Development 10(2), pp. 889-901. (10.5194/gmd-10-889-2017)
2016
- Fenton, I. S., Pearson, P. N., Dunkley Jones, T. and Purvis, A. 2016. Environmental predictors of diversity in recent planktonic foraminifera as recorded in marine sediments. PLoS ONE 11(11), pp. e0165522. (10.1371/journal.pone.0165522)
- Cotton, L. J. and Pearson, P. N. 2016. Integrated stratigraphy of the Priabonian (upper Eocene) Urtsadzor section, Armenia. Newsletters on Stratigraphy (10.1127/nos/2016/0313)
- Capstick, S. B., Pidgeon, N. F., Corner, A. J., Spence, E. M. and Pearson, P. N. 2016. Public understanding in Great Britain of ocean acidification. Nature Climate Change 6, pp. 763-767. (10.1038/nclimate3005)
- Cotton, L. J., Pearson, P. N. and Renema, W. 2016. A new eocene lineage of reticulate Nummulites (Foraminifera) from Kilwa district, Tanzania; a place for Nummulites ptukhiani?. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 14(7), pp. 569-579. (10.1080/14772019.2015.1079562)
- Anagnostou, E. et al. 2016. Changing atmospheric CO2 concentration was the primary driver of early Cenozoic climate. Nature 533, pp. 380-384. (10.1038/nature17423)
- Fenton, I. S., Pearson, P. N., Dunkley Jones, T., Farnsworth, A., Lunt, D. J., Markwick, P. and Purvis, A. 2016. The impact of Cenozoic cooling on assemblage diversity in planktonic foraminifera. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London Series B - Biological Sciences 371(1691), article number: 20150224. (10.1098/rstb.2015.0224)
- Birch, H., Coxall, H., Pearson, P. N., Kroon, D. and Schmidt, D. 2016. Partial collapse of the marine carbon pump after the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary. Geology 44(4), pp. 287-290. (10.1130/G37581.1)
2015
- Edgar, K. M., Anagnostou, E., Pearson, P. N. and Foster, G. L. 2015. Assessing the impact of diagenesis on δ11B, δ13C, δ18O, Sr/Ca and B/Ca values in fossil planktic foraminiferal calcite. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 166, pp. 189-209. (10.1016/j.gca.2015.06.018)
- Inglis, G. N. et al. 2015. Descent toward the Icehouse: Eocene sea surface cooling inferred from GDGT distributions. Paleoceanography 30(7), pp. 1000-1020. (10.1002/2014PA002723)
- Spezzaferri, S. et al. 2015. Fossil and genetic evidence for the polyphyletic nature of the planktonic foraminifera "Globigerinoides", and description of the new genus Trilobatus. PLoS ONE 10(5), article number: e0128108. (10.1371/journal.pone.0128108)
- Pearson, P. N. and Thomas, E. 2015. Drilling disturbance and constraints on the onset of the Paleocene/Eocene boundary carbon isotope excursion in New Jersey. Climate of the Past Discussions 10(4), pp. 3303-3325. (10.5194/cpd-10-3303-2014)
- Pearson, P. N. and Thomas, E. 2015. Drilling disturbance and constraints on the onset of the Paleocene-Eocene boundary carbon isotope excursion in New Jersey. Climate of the Past 11(1), pp. 95-104. (10.5194/cp-11-95-2015)
- Pearson, P. N., Evans, S. L. and Evans, J. 2015. Effect of diagenetic recrystallization on the strength of planktonic foraminifer tests under compression. Journal of Micropalaeontology 34(1), pp. 59-64. (10.1144/jmpaleo2013-032)
- Pearson, P. N. and Wade, B. S. 2015. Systematic taxonomy of exceptionally well-preserved planktonic foraminifera from the Eocene/Oligocene boundary of Tanzania. Special Publication 45: Cushman Foundation for Foraminiferal Research, pp. 1-85.
2014
- Pearson, P. N. and Hudson, W. 2014. Early Cenozoic tropical climate: report from the Tanzania Onshore Paleogene Integrated Coring (TOPIC) workshop. Scientific Drilling 18, pp. 13-17. (10.5194/sd-18-13-2014)
- John, E. H., Wilson, J. D., Pearson, P. N. and Ridgwell, A. 2014. Temperature-dependent remineralization and carbon cycling in the warm Eocene oceans. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 413, pp. 158-166. (10.1016/j.palaeo.2014.05.019)
- Aze, T. et al. 2014. Extreme warming of tropical waters during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum. Geology 42(9), pp. 739-742. (10.1130/G35637.1)
- Pearson, P. N. and Nicholas, C. J. 2014. Layering in the Paleocene/Eocene boundary of the Millville core is drilling disturbance [Letter]. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 111(12), pp. E1064-E1065. (10.1073/pnas.1322077111)
- Pearson, P. N. and Coxall, H. K. 2014. Origin of the Eocene planktonic foraminifer Hantkenina by gradual evolution. Palaeontology 57(2), pp. 243-267. (10.1111/pala.12064)
- Cotton, L. J., Pearson, P. N. and Renema, W. 2014. Stable isotope stratigraphy and larger benthic foraminiferal extinctions in the Melinau Limestone, Sarawak. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 79(A), pp. 65-71. (10.1016/j.jseaes.2013.09.025)
2013
- Pearson, P. N. and Ezard, T. H. G. 2013. Evolution and speciation in the Eocene planktonic foraminifer Turborotalia. Paleobiology 40(1), pp. 130-143. (10.1666/13004)
- Pancost, R. D. et al. 2013. Early Paleogene evolution of terrestrial climate in the SW Pacific, Southern New Zealand. Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems 14(12), pp. 5413-5429. (10.1002/2013GC004935)
- John, E. H., Pearson, P. N., Coxall, H. K., Birch, H., Wade, B. S. and Foster, G. L. 2013. Warm ocean processes and carbon cycling in the Eocene. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences 371(2001), article number: 20130099. (10.1098/rsta.2013.0099)
- Aze, T., Ezard, T. H. G., Purvis, A., Coxall, H. K., Stewart, D. R. M., Wade, B. S. and Pearson, P. N. 2013. Identifying anagenesis and cladogenesis in the fossil record [Letter]. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 110(32), article number: E2946. (10.1073/pnas.1307562110)
- Birch, H., Coxall, H. K., Pearson, P. N., Kroon, D. and O'Regan, M. 2013. Planktonic foraminifera stable isotopes and water column structure: Disentangling ecological signals. Marine Micropaleontology 101, pp. 127-145. (10.1016/j.marmicro.2013.02.002)
2012
- Hollis, C. J. et al. 2012. Early Paleogene temperature history of the southwest Pacific Ocean: reconciling proxies and models. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 349-50, pp. 53-66. (10.1016/j.epsl.2012.06.024)
- Birch, H. S., Coxall, H. K. and Pearson, P. N. 2012. Evolutionary ecology of Early Paleocene planktonic foraminifera: Size, depth habitat and symbiosis. Paleobiology 38(3), pp. 374-390. (10.1666/11027.1)
- Etienne, R. S., Haegeman, B., Stadler, T., Aze, T., Pearson, P. N., Purvis, A. and Phillimore, A. B. 2012. Diversity-dependence brings molecular phylogenies closer to agreement with the fossil record. Proceedings of the Royal Society, Series B: Biological Sciences 279(1732), pp. 1300-1309. (10.1098/rspb.2011.1439)
- Ezard, T. H. G., Pearson, P. N., Aze, T. and Purvis, A. 2012. The meaning of birth and death (in macroevolutionary birth-death models). Biology Letters 8(1), pp. 139-142. (10.1098/rsbl.2011.0699)
- Handley, L. et al. 2012. Changes in the hydrological cycle in tropical East Africa during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 329-30, pp. 10-21. (10.1016/j.palaeo.2012.02.002)
- Knox, R. W. et al. 2012. Examining the case for the use of the Tertiary as a formal period or informal unit. Proceedings of the Geologists' Association 123(3), pp. 390-393. (10.1016/j.pgeola.2012.05.004)
- Cotton, L. J. and Pearson, P. N. 2012. Larger benthic foraminifera from the Middle Eocene to Oligocene of Tanzania. Austrian Journal of Earth Sciences 105(1), pp. 189-199.
- Pearson, P. N. 2012. Oxygen isotopes in foraminifera: Overview and historical review. Paleontological Society Papers 18, pp. 1-38.
- Lloyd, G. T., Pearson, P. N., Young, J. R. and Smith, A. B. 2012. Sampling bias and the fossil record of planktonic foraminifera on land and in the deep sea. Paleobiology 38(4), pp. 569-584. (10.1666/11041.1)
2011
- Aze, T., Ezard, T. H. G., Purvis, A., Coxall, H. K., Stewart, D. R. M., Wade, B. S. and Pearson, P. N. 2011. A phylogeny of Cenozoic macroperforate planktonic foraminifera from fossil data. Biological Reviews 86(4), pp. 900-927. (10.1111/j.1469-185X.2011.00178.x)
- Wade, B. S., Pearson, P. N., Berggren, W. A. and Pälike, H. 2011. Review and revision of Cenozoic tropical planktonic foraminiferal biostratigraphy and calibration to the geomagnetic polarity and astronomical time scale. Earth-Science Reviews 104(1-3), pp. 111-142. (10.1016/j.earscirev.2010.09.003)
- Zalasiewicz, J. et al. 2011. Stratigraphy of the Anthropocene. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences 369(1938), pp. 1036-1055. (10.1098/rsta.2010.0315)
- Ezard, T. H. G., Aze, T., Pearson, P. N. and Purvis, A. 2011. Interplay between changing climate and species' ecology drives macroevolutionary dynamics. Science 332(6027), pp. 349-351. (10.1126/science.1203060)
- Cotton, L. J. and Pearson, P. N. 2011. Extinction of larger benthic foraminifera at the Eocene/Oligocene boundary. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 311(3-4), pp. 281-296. (10.1016/j.palaeo.2011.09.008)
2010
- Pearson, P. N. 2010. Increased Atmospheric CO2 During the Middle Eocene. Science 330(6005), pp. 763-764. (10.1126/science.1197894)
- Ezard, T. H. G., Pearson, P. N. and Purvis, A. 2010. Algorithmic approaches to aid species' delimitation in multidimensional morphospace. BMC Evolutionary Biology 10(1), article number: 175. (10.1186/1471-2148-10-175)
2009
- Jones, T. D., Bown, P. R. and Pearson, P. N. 2009. Exceptionally well preserved upper Eocene to lower Oligocene calcareous nannofossils (Prymnesiophyceae) from the Pande Formation (Kilwa Group), Tanzania. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 7(4), pp. 359-411. (10.1017/S1477201909990010)
- Pearson, P. N., Foster, G. L. and Wade, B. S. 2009. Atmospheric carbon dioxide through the Eocene-Oligocene climate transition. Nature 461(7267), pp. 1110-1113. (10.1038/nature08447)
- Pearson, P. N. and Wade, B. S. 2009. Taxonomy and stable isotope paleoecology of well-preserved planktonic foraminifera from the uppermost oligocene of Trinidad. The Journal of Foraminiferal Research 39(3), pp. 191-217. (10.2113/gsjfr.39.3.191)
- Spezzaferri, S. and Pearson, P. N. 2009. Distribution and ecology of catapsydrax indianus, a new planktonic foraminifer index species for the late oligocene-early miocene. The Journal of Foraminiferal Research 39(2), pp. 112-119. (10.2113/gsjfr.39.2.112)
- Brown, P. and Pearson, P. N. 2009. Calcareous plankton evolution and the Paleocene/Eocene thermal maximum event: new evidence from Tanzania. Marine Micropaleontology 71(1-2), pp. 60-70. (10.1016/j.marmicro.2009.01.005)
- Purvis, A., Orme, C. D. L., Toomey, N. H. and Pearson, P. N. 2009. Temporal patterns in diversification rates. In: Butlin, R., Bridle, J. and Schluter, D. eds. Speciation and Patterns of Diversity. Ecological Reviews Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 278-300.
2008
- Lear, C. H., Bailey, T. R., Pearson, P. N., Coxall, H. K. and Rosenthal, Y. 2008. Cooling and ice growth across the Eocene-Oligocene transition. Geology 36(3), pp. 251-254. (10.1130/G24584A.1)
- Burgess, C. E., Pearson, P. N., Lear, C. H., Morgans, H. E. G., Handley, L., Pancost, R. D. and Schouten, S. 2008. Middle Eocene climate cyclicity in the southern Pacific: implications for global ice volume. Geology 36(8), pp. 651-654. (10.1130/G24762A.1)
- Handley, L., Pearson, P. N., McMillan, I. K. and Pancost, R. D. 2008. Large terrestrial and marine carbon and hydrogen isotope excursions in a new Paleocene/Eocene boundary section from Tanzania. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 275(1-2), pp. 17-25. (10.1016/j.epsl.2008.07.030)
- Zalasiewicz, J. et al. 2008. Are we now living in the Anthropocene?. GSA Today 18(2), pp. 4-8. (10.1130/GSAT01802A.1)
- Pearson, P. N. and Burgess, C. E. 2008. Foraminifer test preservation and diagenesis: comparison of high latitude Eocene sites. Geological Society, London, Special Publications 303(1), pp. 59-72. (10.1144/SP303.5)
- Wade, B. S. and Pearson, P. N. 2008. Planktonic foraminiferal turnover, diversity fluctuations and geochemical signals across the Eocene/Oligocene boundary in Tanzania. Marine Micropaleontology 68(3-4), pp. 244-255. (10.1016/j.marmicro.2008.04.002)
- Kasemann, S. A., Schmidt, D. N., Pearson, P. N. and Hawkesworth, C. J. 2008. Biological and ecological insights into Ca isotopes in planktic foraminifers as a palaeotemperature proxy. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 271(1-4), pp. 292-302. (10.1016/j.epsl.2008.04.007)
- Pearson, P. N., McMillan, I. K., Wade, B. S., Jones, T. D., Coxall, H. K., Bown, P. R. and Lear, C. H. 2008. Extinction and environmental change across the Eocene-Oligocene boundary in Tanzania. Geology 36(2), pp. 179-182. (10.1130/G24308A.1)
- Dunkley Jones, T., Bown, P. R., Pearson, P. N., Wade, B. S., Coxall, H. K. and Lear, C. H. 2008. Major shifts in calcareous phytoplankton assemblages through the Eocene-Oligocene transition of Tanzania and their implications for low-latitude primary production. Paleoceanography 23(4), article number: PA4204. (10.1029/2008PA001640)
- Bown, P. et al. 2008. A Paleogene calcareous microfossil Konservat-Lagerstätte from the Kilwa Group of coastal Tanzania. Geological Society of America Bulletin 120(1-2), pp. 3-12. (10.1130/B26261.1)
2007
- Coxall, H. K., Wilson, P. A., Pearson, P. N. and Sexton, P. F. 2007. Iterative evolution of digitate planktonic foraminifera. Paleobiology 33(4), pp. 495-516. (10.1666/06034.1)
- Ni, Y. et al. 2007. A core top assessment of proxies for the ocean carbonate system in surface-dwelling foraminifers. Paleoceanography 22(3), article number: PA3212. (10.1029/2006PA001337)
- Nicholas, C. J., Pearson, P. N., McMillan, I. K., Ditchfield, P. W. and Singano, J. M. 2007. Structural evolution of southern coastal Tanzania since the Jurassic. Journal of African Earth Sciences 48(4), pp. 273-297. (10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2007.04.003)
- Pearson, P. N., Dongen, B. E. v., Nicholas, C. J., Pancost, R. D., Schouten, S., Singano, J. M. and Wade, B. S. 2007. Stable warm tropical climate through the Eocene epoch. Geology 35(3), pp. 211-214. (10.1130/G23175A.1)
- Coxall, H. K. and Pearson, P. N. 2007. The Eocene-Oligocene transition. In: Williams, M. et al. eds. Deep-Time Perspectives on Climate Change: Marrying the Signal from Computer Models and Biological Proxies. Micropaleontology Society Special Publication London: Geological Society, pp. 351-387.
- Pearson, P. N. and Nicholas, C. J. 2007. 'Marks of extreme violence': Charles Darwin's geological observations at St Jago (São Tiago), Cape Verde islands. In: Wyse Jackson, P. N. ed. Four Centuries of Geological Travel: The Search for Knowledge on Foot, Bicycle, Sledge and Camel. Geological Society Special Publication Vol. 287. London: Geological Society, pp. 239-253., (10.1144/SP287.19)
2006
- Sexton, P. F., Wilson, P. A. and Pearson, P. N. 2006. Microstructural and geochemical perspectives on planktic foraminiferal preservation: “Glassy” versus “Frosty”. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems 7(12), article number: Q12P19. (10.1029/2006GC001291)
- Nicholas, C. J. et al. 2006. Stratigraphy and sedimentology of the Upper Cretaceous to Paleogene Kilwa Group, southern coastal Tanzania. Journal of African Earth Sciences 45(4-5), pp. 431-466. (10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2006.04.003)
- Pearson, P. N. et al. 2006. Further Paleogene and Cretaceous sediment cores from the Kilwa area of coastal Tanzania: Tanzania Drilling Project Sites 6-10. Journal of African Earth Sciences 45(3), pp. 279-317. (10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2006.02.005)
- Sexton, P. F., Wilson, P. A. and Pearson, P. N. 2006. Palaeoecology of late middle Eocene planktic foraminifera and evolutionary implications. Marine Micropaleontology 60(1), pp. 1-16. (10.1016/j.marmicro.2006.02.006)
- van Dongen, B. E., Talbot, H. M., Schouten, S., Pearson, P. N. and Pancost, R. D. 2006. Well preserved Palaeogene and Cretaceous biomarkers from the Kilwa area, Tanzania. Organic Geochemistry 37(5), pp. 539-557. (10.1016/j.orggeochem.2006.01.003)
- Pearson, P. N. et al. eds. 2006. Atlas of eocene planktonic foraminifera. Cushman Foundation for Foraminiferal Research Special Publication Vol. 41. Fredericksburg, USA: Cushman Foundation for Foraminiferal Research.
- Flower, B. P., Zachos, J. C. and Pearson, P. N. 2006. Astronomic and oceanographic influences on global carbon cycling across the Oligocene/Miocene boundary. In: Sinha, D. K. ed. Micropaleontology: Application in Stratigraphy and Paleoceanography. New Delhi: Narosa Publishing House
- Pearson, P. N., Olsson, R. K., Huber, B. T., Hemleben, C., Berggren, W. A. and Coxall, H. K. 2006. Overview of eocene planktonic for aminiferal taxonomy, paleoecology, phylogeny, and biostratigraphy. In: Pearson, P. N. et al. eds. Atlas of Eocene Planktonic Foraminifera. Cushman Foundation, pp. 11-28.
2005
- Berggren, W. A. and Pearson, P. N. 2005. A revised tropical to subtropical Paleogene planktonic foraminiferal zonation. The Journal of Foraminiferal Research 35(4), pp. 279-298. (10.2113/35.4.279)
- Heuser, A. et al. 2005. Calcium isotope (δ44/40Ca) variations of Neogene planktonic foraminifera. Paleoceanography 20(2), article number: PA2013. (10.1029/2004PA001048)
- Kasemann, S. A., Hawkesworth, C. J., Prave, A. R., Fallick, A. E. and Pearson, P. N. 2005. Boron and calcium isotope composition in Neoproterozoic carbonate rocks from Namibia: evidence for extreme environmental change. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 231(1-2), pp. 73-86. (10.1016/j.epsl.2004.12.006)
2004
- Pearson, P. N. et al. 2004. Paleogene and Cretaceous sediment cores from the Kilwa and Lindi areas of coastal Tanzania: Tanzania Drilling Project Sites 1-5. Journal of African Earth Sciences 39(1-2), pp. 25-62. (10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2004.05.001)
- Stewart, D. R. M., Pearson, P. N., Ditchfield, P. W. and Singano, J. M. 2004. Miocene tropical Indian Ocean temperatures: evidence from three exceptionally preserved foraminiferal assemblages from Tanzania. Journal of African Earth Sciences 40(3-4), pp. 173-189. (10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2004.09.001)
2003
- Coxall, H. K., Huber, B. T. and Pearson, P. N. 2003. Origin and morphology of the Eocene planktonic foraminifera Hantkenina. Journal of Foraminiferal Research 33(3), pp. 237-261. (10.2113/33.3.237)
- Palmer, M. R. and Pearson, P. N. 2003. A 23,000-year record of surface water pH and pCO2 in the western equatorial Pacific Ocean. Science 300(5618), pp. 480-482. (10.1126/science.1080796)
- Pearson, P. N. 2003. In retrospect [Commentary]. Nature 425(6959), pp. 665. (10.1038/425665a)
2002
- Pearson, P. N., Ditchfield, P. and Shackleton, N. J. 2002. Palaeoclimatology (Communication arising): tropical temperatures in greenhouse episodes. Nature 419(6910), pp. 898. (10.1038/419898a)
2001
- Pearson, P. N. et al. 2001. Warm tropical sea surface temperatures in the Late Cretaceous and Eocene epochs. Nature 413(6855), pp. 481-487. (10.1038/35097000)
- Winter, C. J. and Pearson, P. N. 2001. Coiling directions in some Miocene planktonic Foraminifera. Journal of Micropalaeontology 20, pp. 29-30. (10.1144/jm.20.1.29)
- Harcourt-Brown, K. G., Pearson, P. N. and Wilkinson, M. 2001. The imbalance of paleontological trees. Paleobiology 27(2), pp. 188-204. (10.1666/0094-8373(2001)027<0188:TIOPT>2.0.CO;2)
- Benton, M. J. and Pearson, P. N. 2001. Speciation in the fossil record. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 16(7), pp. 405-411. (10.1016/S0169-5347(01)02149-8)
2000
- Pearson, P. N. and Palmer, M. R. 2000. Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations over the past 60 million years. Nature 406(6797), pp. 695-699. (10.1038/35021000)
- Pearson, P. N. and Palmer, M. R. 2000. Estimating Paleogene atmospheric pCO(2) using boron isotope analysis of foraminifera. Geologiska Foereningen i Stockholm Foerhandlingar 122(1), pp. 127-128. (10.1080/11035890001221127)
- Coxall, H. K., Pearson, P. N., Shackleton, N. J. and Hall, M. A. 2000. Hantkeninid depth adaptation: an evolving life strategy in a changing ocean. Geology 28(1), pp. 87-90. (10.1130/0091-7613(2000)28<87:HDAAEL>2.0.CO;2)
1999
- Pearson, P. N. and Palmer, M. R. 1999. Middle eocene seawater pH and atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. Science 284(5421), pp. 1824-1826. (10.1126/science.284.5421.1824)
- Pearson, P. N. 1999. Apomorphy distribution is an important aspect of cladogram symmetry. Systematic Biology 48(2), pp. 399-406. (10.1080/106351599260373)
1998
- Palmer, M. R., Pearson, P. N. and Cobb, S. J. 1998. Reconstructing past ocean pH-depth profiles. Science 282(5393), pp. 1468-1471. (10.1126/science.282.5393.1468)
- Pearson, P. N. 1998. Speciation and extinction asymmetries in paleontological phylogenies: evidence for evolutionary progress?. Paleobiology -Chicago- 24(3), pp. 305-335.
1997
- Pearson, P. N., Shackleton, N. J. and Hall, M. 1997. Stable isotopic evidence for the sympatric divergence of Globigerinoides trilobus and Orbulina universa (planktonic foraminifera). Journal of the Geological Society 154(2), pp. 295-302. (10.1144/gsjgs.154.2.0295)
1996
- Pearson, P. N. 1996. Cladogenetic, extinction and survivorship patterns from a lineage phylogeny: The Paleogene planktonic foraminifera. Micropaleontology 42(2), pp. 179-188. (10.2307/1485869)
1993
- Arnaud-Vanneau, A. et al. 1993. Carbonate build-up of atolls and guyots in the Northwestern Pacific: Preliminary results from ODP Leg 144. Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences - Series II 317(7), pp. 947-954.
- Pearson, P. N., Shackleton, N. J. and Hall, M. A. 1993. Stable isotope paleoecology of middle Eocene planktonic foraminifera and multi-species isotope stratigraphy, DSDP Site 523, South Atlantic. Journal of Foraminiferal Research 23(2), pp. 123-140. (10.2113/gsjfr.23.2.123)
- Pearson, P. N. 1993. A lineage phylogeny for the Paleogene planktonic foraminifera. Micropaleontology 39(3), pp. 193-232.
1992
- Pearson, P. N. 1992. Walking traces of the giant myriapod Arthropleura from the Strathclyde Group (Lower Carboniferous) of Fife. Scottish Journal of Geology 28(2), pp. 127-133. (10.1144/sjg28020127)
- Pearson, P. N. 1992. Survivorship analysis of fossil taxa when real-time extinction rates vary: the Paleogene planktonic foraminifera. Paleobiology 18(2), pp. 115-131.
- Pearson, P. N. and Nicholas, C. J. 1992. Defining the base of the Cambrian: the Hicks-Geikie confrontation of April 1883. Earth Sciences History 11(2), pp. 70-80.
Teaching
I am Degree Scheme Convenor for Geology. I currently teach Year 1 Earth Surface Processes, Year 2 Formation of the British Isles and Geological Field Trip to Arran, and NERC Doctoral Training Programme on planktonic foraminifer taxonomy, stratigrapjy and evolution at the Natural History Museum. I also supervise students and Masters and PhD level.
I am interested in extracting climatic information from deep sea cores and sediments. I specialize in evolutionary and geochemical studies of planktonic foraminifera, and what they tell us about the long history of climate change on Earth. I have helped develop new proxies for determining past seawater pH and atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, and hence the history of the greenhouse effect. My studies range from the Cretaceous period to Recent. I am currently lead investigator on a proposal to the International Continental Drilling Project to recover the Eocene succession in Tanzania which is well known for its exceptional microfossil preservation. I was author of a recent UN report on the impacts of ocean acidification on marine life and chapter co-author of the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report.
The following externally funded research projects are currently underway:'Carbon Cycling Since the Middle Miocene', 'Adaptive Zones and Macroevolution', 'Super-warm early Eocene temperatures', and 'IODP Expedition 363 Western Pacific Warm Pool'.
Supervision
- Cenozoic climate change
- Planktonic foraminifer taxonomy, stratigraphy and evolution
Past projects
- Dr Laura Cotton - Large benthic foraminifera of Tanzania
- Dr Amina Mweneinda - Aptian / Albian of Tanzania
- Dr Tracy Aze - Macroevolution of Cenozoic planktonic foraminifera
- Dr Heather Birch - Ocean recovery from the Cretaceous / Paleogene mass extinction
- Dr Catherine Burgess - Middle Eocene climate of New Zealand
- Dr Luke Handley (Bristol) - Paleogene Organic geochemistry and climate
- Dr Tom Dunkley Jones (UCL) - Tanzania nanoplankton evolution
- Dr Yunyan Ni (Bristol) - Boron isotopes in foraminifera
- Dr Phil Sexton (Southampton) - foraminifer geochemistry and preservation
- Dr Duncan Stewart (Bristol) - Evolution of globorotaliid foraminifera
- Dr Stewart Knott (Bristol) - Extinction in the oceans
- Dr Kate Harcourt-Brown (Bristol) - Phlogenetic tree balance and macroevolution
- Dr Helen Coxall (Bristol) - Evolution of hantkeninid planktonic foraminifera