Professor Mark Bateman

Department of Geography

Professor in Palaeoenvironmental Reconstruction

Mark Bateman showcasing his Sorby Medal and certificate

M.D.Bateman@Sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 7929

Geography and Planning Building

Full contact details

Professor Mark Bateman
Department of Geography
Geography and Planning Building
Winter Street
Sheffield
S3 7ND

Profile

Mark Bateman received a First Class BSc in Geography from the University of London in 1991 and a DPhil from Sussex University in 1995 for his research on dating UK coversands. In 1995 he joined the Sheffield Geography department as a post-doctoral research assistant to set up and run the luminescence laboratory for the Sheffield Centre for International Drylands Research.

In 1998, Mark Bateman was appointed Lecturer in Physical Geography, promoted to Senior Lecturer (2004), Reader in Palaeoenvironmental Reconstruction (2006), and became a Professor in 2011. In 2018 he was awarded the Sorby medal by the Yorkshire Geological Society for his contribution to Yorkshire Geology.

Qualifications

BSc in Geography
DPhil in Geography
Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

Research interests

Society faces a Climate Crisis with a number of challenges including rising sea-levels, melting ice, desertification and increased storminess. My research aims to make a contribution towards understanding these changes by understanding the causes and magnitude of past environmental changes. It focuses on Sandscapes as an archive for understanding past depositional processes and environmental changes which have shaped the landscape we live in. Three themes are centred around this:

Past glacial and periglacial landscapes
Past aeolian activity in deserts and on coasts
Advances in Luminescence dating of sediments

Publications

Journal articles

Bateman MD, Kinnaird TC, Hill J, Ashurst RA, Mohan J, Bateman RBI & Robinson R (2021) Detailing the impact of the Storegga Tsunami at Montrose, Scotland. Boreas.
Benetti S, Chiverrell RC, Cofaigh CÓ, Burke M, Medialdea A, Small D, Ballantyne C, Bateman MD, Callard SL, Wilson P , Fabel D et al (2021) Exploring controls of the early and stepped deglaciation on the western margin of the British Irish Ice Sheet. Journal of Quaternary Science. View this article in WRRO
Scourse JD, Chiverrell RC, Smedley RK, Small D, Burke MJ, Saher M, Van Landeghem KJJ, Duller GAT, Cofaigh C, Bateman MD , Benetti S et al (2021) Maximum extent and readvance dynamics of the Irish Sea Ice Stream and Irish Sea Glacier since the Last Glacial Maximum. Journal of Quaternary Science.
Scott L, Manzano S, Carr AS, Cordova C, Ochando J, Bateman MD & Carrión JS (2021) A 14000 year multi-proxy alluvial record of ecotone changes in a Fynbos-Succulent Karoo transition in South Africa. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 569.
Bradwell T, Fabel D, Clark CD, Chiverrell RC, Small D, Smedley RK, Saher MH, Moreton SG, Dove D, Callard SL , Duller GAT et al (2021) Pattern, style and timing of British–Irish Ice Sheet advance and retreat over the last 45 000 years: evidence from NW Scotland and the adjacent continental shelf. Journal of Quaternary Science.
Evans DJA, Roberts DH, Bateman MD, Clark CD, Medialdea A, Callard L, Grimoldi E, Chiverrell RC, Ely J, Dove D , Ó Cofaigh C et al (2021) Retreat dynamics of the eastern sector of the British–Irish Ice Sheet during the last glaciation. Journal of Quaternary Science.
Scerri EML, Niang K, Candy I, Blinkhorn J, Mills W, Cerasoni JN, Bateman MD, Crowther A & Groucutt HS (2021) Continuity of the Middle Stone Age into the Holocene. Scientific Reports, 11(1). View this article in WRRO
Bertran P, Andrieux E, Bateman MD, Fuchs M, Klinge M & Marembert F (2020) Mapping and chronology of coversands and dunes from the Aquitaine basin, southwest France. Aeolian Research, 47, 100628-100628.
Niang K, Blinkhorn J, Ndiaye M, Bateman M, Seck B & Sawaré G (2020) The Middle Stone Age occupations of Tiémassas, coastal West Africa, between 62 and 25 thousand years ago. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 34, 102658-102658.
Garton D, Barton N & Bateman MD (2020) Farndon fields, newark, Nottinghamshire: Windermere interstadial deposits with potential for late upper palaeolithic human activity. Mercian Geologist, 20, 5-14.
Bateman MD, McHale K, Bayntun HJ & Williams N (2020) Understanding historical coastal spit evolution : a case study from Spurn, East Yorkshire, UK. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms.
Wolfe S, Murton J, Bateman M & Barlow J (2020) Oriented-lake development in the context of late Quaternary landscape evolution, McKinley Bay Coastal Plain, western Arctic Canada. Quaternary Science Reviews, 242, 106414-106414.
Tamura T, Ta TKO, Saito Y, Bateman MD, Murray-Wallace CV, Nguyen TML, Sato T & Nguyen VL (2020) Seasonal control on coastal dune morphostratigraphy under a monsoon climate, Mui Ne dunefield, SE Vietnam. Geomorphology, 370, 107371-107371.
Chiverrell RC, Thomas GSP, Burke M, Medialdea A, Smedley R, Bateman M, Clark C, Duller GAT, Fabel D, Jenkins G , Ou X et al (2020) The evolution of the terrestrial‐terminating Irish Sea glacier during the last glaciation. Journal of Quaternary Science. View this article in WRRO
Guagnin M, Breeze P, Shipton C, Ott F, Stewart M, Bateman M, Martin L, Graham L, el-Dossary S, Kingwell-Banham E , Zahrani B et al (2020) The Holocene humid period in the Nefud Desert: Hunters and herders in the Jebel Oraf palaeolake basin, Saudi Arabia. Journal of Arid Environments, 178. View this article in WRRO
Tamura T, Nguyen VL, Ta TKO, Bateman MD, Gugliotta M, Anthony EJ, Nakashima R & Saito Y (2020) Long-term sediment decline causes ongoing shrinkage of the Mekong megadelta, Vietnam. Scientific Reports, 10(1). View this article in WRRO
Bradwell T, Small D, Fabel D, Clark CD, Chiverrell RC, Saher MH, Dove D, Callard SL, Burke MJ, Moreton SG , Medialdea A et al (2019) Pattern, style and timing of British–Irish Ice Sheet retreat : Shetland and northern North Sea sector. Journal of Quaternary Science. View this article in WRRO
Veth P, Ditchfield K, Bateman M, Ouzman S, Benoit M, Motta AP, Lewis D & Harper S (2019) Minjiwarra : archaeological evidence of human occupation of Australia’s northern Kimberley by 50,000 BP. Australian Archaeology, 85(2), 115-125. View this article in WRRO
Buckland PI, Bateman MD, Bennike O, Buckland PC, Chase BM, Frederick C, Greenwood M, Murton J, Murton D & Panagiotakopulu E (2019) Mid-Devensian climate and landscape in England : new data from Finningley, South Yorkshire. Royal Society Open Science, 6(7). View this article in WRRO
Rushby GT, Richards GT, Gehrels WR, Anderson WP, Bateman MD & Blake WH (2019) Testing the mid-Holocene relative sea-level highstand hypothesis in North Wales, UK. The Holocene. View this article in WRRO
Roberts DH, Grimoldi E, Callard L, Evans DJA, Clark CD, Stewart HA, Dove D, Saher M, Ó Cofaigh C, Chiverrell RC , Bateman MD et al (2019) The mixed‐bed glacial landform imprint of the North Sea Lobe in the western North Sea. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 44(6), 1233-1258. View this article in WRRO
Kitchener BGB, Dixon SD, Howarth KO, Parsons AJ, Wainwright J, Bateman MD, Cooper JR, Hargrave GK, Long EJ & Hewett CJM (2019) A low-cost bench-top research device for turbidity measurement by radially distributed illumination intensity sensing at multiple wavelengths. HardwareX, 5. View this article in WRRO
Luo W, Wang Z, Shao M, Lu J, Qian G, Dong Z, Hesp PA & Bateman MD (2019) Historical evolution and controls on mega-blowouts in northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China. Geomorphology, 329, 17-31. View this article in WRRO
Fattahi M, Woodbridge KP & Bateman MD (2019) OSL dating of sediments samples from Karun river traces in Khuzestan, SW Iran. Journal of the Earth and Space Physics, 45(2), 299-312.
Carr AS, Bateman MD, Cawthra HC & Sealy J (2019) First evidence for onshore marine isotope stage 3 aeolianite formation on the southern Cape coastline of South Africa. Marine Geology, 407, 1-15. View this article in WRRO
Bertran P, Andrieux E, Bateman M, Font M, Manchuel K & Sicilia D (2019) Response to the discussion by Van Vliet-Lanoë et al. of the paper ‘Features caused by ground ice growth and decay in Late Pleistocene fluvial deposits, Paris Basin, France’ (Bertran et al., 2018, Geomorphology 310, 84–101). Geomorphology, 327, 629-633.
del Val M, Duval M, Medialdea A, Bateman MD, Moreno D, Arriolabengoa M, Aranburu A & Iriarte E (2019) First chronostratigraphic framework of fluvial terrace systems in the eastern Cantabrian margin (Bay of Biscay, Spain). Quaternary Geochronology, 49, 108-114.
De Keyzer M & Bateman MD (2018) Late Holocene landscape instability in the Breckland (England) drift sands. Geomorphology, 323, 123-134. View this article in WRRO
Steenekamp JMA, van der Westhuizen WA, Bateman MD, Jacobson L & Nel L (2018) A Pleistocene Thrust Fault in Anorthosite of the Rustenburg Layered Suite near Mooinooi, North West Province, South Africa: Neotectonic Implications. South African Journal of Geology, 121(4), 421-430.
Evans DJA, Roberts DH, Bateman MD, Ely J, Medialdea A, Burke MJ, Chiverrell RC, Clark CD & Fabel D (2018) A chronology for North Sea Lobe advance and recession on the Lincolnshire and Norfolk coasts during MIS 2 and 6. Proceedings of the Geologists Association. View this article in WRRO
Roberts DH, Evans DJA, Callard SL, Clark CD, Bateman MD, Medialdea A, Dove D, Cotterill CJ, Saher M, Cofaigh C , Chiverrell RC et al (2018) Ice marginal dynamics of the last British-Irish Ice Sheet in the southern North Sea: Ice limits, timing and the influence of the Dogger Bank. Quaternary Science Reviews, 198, 181-207. View this article in WRRO
Luo W, Wang Z, Lu J, Yang L, Qian G, Dong Z & Bateman MD (2018) Mega-blowouts in Qinghai–Tibet Plateau: Morphology, distribution and initiation. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. View this article in WRRO
Evans DJA, Roberts DH, Bateman MD, Medialdea A, Ely J, Moreton SG, Clark CD & Fabel D (2018) Sedimentation during Marine Isotope Stage 3 at the eastern margins of the Glacial Lake Humber basin, England. Journal of Quaternary Science. View this article in WRRO
Swindles GT, Galloway JM, Macumber AL, Croudace IW, Emery AR, Woulds C, Bateman MD, Parry L, Jones JM, Selby K , Rushby GT et al (2018) Sedimentary records of coastal storm surges: Evidence of the 1953 North Sea event. Marine Geology, 403, 262-270. View this article in WRRO
Bertran P, Andrieux E, Bateman M, Font M, Manchuel K & Sicilia D (2018) Features caused by ground ice growth and decay in Late Pleistocene fluvial deposits, Paris Basin, France. Geomorphology, 310, 84-101. View this article in WRRO
Bateman MD, Swift DA, Piotrowski JA, Rhodes EJ & Damsgaard A (2018) Can glacial shearing of sediment reset the signal used for luminescence dating?. Geomorphology, 306, 90-101. View this article in WRRO
Stone A, Bateman MD, Burrough SL, Garzanti E, Limonta M, Radeff G & Telfer MW (2018) Using a portable luminescence reader for rapid age assessment of aeolian sediments for reconstructing dunefield landscape evolution in southern Africa. Quaternary Geochronology. View this article in WRRO
Andrieux E, Bateman MD & Bertran P (2018) The chronology of Late Pleistocene thermal contraction cracking derived from sand wedge OSL dating in central and southern France. Global and Planetary Change, 162, 84-100. View this article in WRRO
Nash DJ, Bateman MD, Bullard JE & Latorre C (2018) Late Quaternary coastal evolution and aeolian sedimentation in the tectonically-active southern Atacama Desert, Chile. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 490, 546-562. View this article in WRRO
Bateman MD, Rushby G, Stein S, Ashurst RA, Stevenson D, Jones JM & Gehrels WR (2017) Can sand dunes be used to study historic storm events?. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. View this article in WRRO
Clark CD, Ely J, Greenwood SL, Hughes ALC, Meehan R, Barr ID, Bateman MD, Bradwell T, Doole J, Evans DJA , Jordan CJ et al (2017) BRITICE Glacial Map, version 2: a map and GIS database of glacial landforms of the last British–Irish Ice Sheet. Boreas. View this article in WRRO
Bateman MD, Evans DJA, Roberts DH, Medialdea A, Ely J & Clark CD (2017) The timing and consequences of the blockage of the Humber Gap by the last British−Irish Ice Sheet. Boreas. View this article in WRRO
Murton JB, Bateman MD, Telka AM, Waller R, Whiteman C & Kuzmina S (2017) Early to mid Wisconsin Fluvial Deposits and Palaeoenvironment of the Kidluit Formation, Tuktoyaktuk Coastlands, Western Arctic Canada. Permafrost and Periglacial Processes. View this article in WRRO
Bateman MD (2017) Book Review. Proceedings of the Geologists' Association, 128(2), 296-297.
Evans DJA, Bateman MD, Roberts DH, Medialdea A, Hayes L, Duller GAT, Fabel D & Clark CD (2017) Glacial Lake Pickering: stratigraphy and chronology of a proglacial lake dammed by the North Sea Lobe of the British–Irish Ice Sheet. Journal of Quaternary Science, 32(2), 295-310. View this article in WRRO
Scerri EML, Blinkhorn J, Niang K, Bateman MD & Groucutt HS (2017) Persistence of Middle Stone Age technology to the Pleistocene/Holocene transition supports a complex hominin evolutionary scenario in West Africa. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 11, 639-646. View this article in WRRO
Smedley RK, Scourse JD, Small D, Hiemstra JF, Duller GAT, Bateman MD, Burke MJ, Chiverrell RC, Clark CD, Davies SM , Fabel D et al (2017) New age constraints for the limit of the British–Irish Ice Sheet on the Isles of Scilly. Journal of Quaternary Science, 32(1), 48-62. View this article in WRRO
Small D, Clark CD, Chiverrell RC, Smedley RK, Bateman MD, Duller GAT, Ely JC, Fabel D, Medialdea A & Moreton SG (2017) Devising quality assurance procedures for assessment of legacy geochronological data relating to deglaciation of the last British-Irish Ice Sheet. Earth-Science Reviews, 164, 232-250. View this article in WRRO
Friend R, Buckland P, Bateman MD & Panagiotakopulu E (2016) The 'Lindholme Advance' and the extent of the Last Glacial Maximum in the Vale of York. Mercian Geologist, 19(1), 18-25. View this article in WRRO
Roberts DL, Carr AS, Matthews T & Bateman MD (2016) Early modern human fossils: A tale of earthquakes and cannibalism. Quaternary International, 404, 212-212.
Quick LJ, Meadows ME, Bateman MD, Kirsten KL, Mäusbacher R, Haberzettl T & Chase BM (2016) Vegetation and climate dynamics during the last glacial period in the fynbos-afrotemperate forest ecotone, southern Cape, South Africa. Quaternary International, 404, 136-149.
Vandenberghe J, Woronko B, Nieuwendam A & Bateman M (2016) Reconstruction and Modelling of Past Permafrost and Periglacial Environments. Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, 27(1), 3-5.
Tamura T, Kodama Y, Bateman MD, Saitoh Y, Yamaguchi N & Matsumoto D (2016) Late Holocene aeolian sedimentation in the Tottori coastal dune field, Japan Sea, affected by the East Asian winter monsoon. Quaternary International, 397, 147-158.
Fairburn WA & Bateman MD (2016) A new multi-stage recession model for Proglacial Lake Humber during the retreat of the last British-Irish Ice Sheet. Boreas, 45(1), 133-151. View this article in WRRO
Bateman MD, Evans DJA, Buckland PC, Connell ER, Friend RJ, Hartmann D, Moxon H, Fairburn WA, Panagiotakopulu E & Ashurst RA (2015) Last glacial dynamics of the Vale of York and North Sea lobes of the British and Irish Ice Sheet. Proceedings of the Geologists' Association, 126(6), 712-730. View this article in WRRO
Quick LJ, Carr AS, Meadows ME, Boom A, Bateman MD, Roberts DL, Reimer PJ & Chase BM (2015) A late Pleistocene-Holocene multi-proxy record of palaeoenvironmental change from Still Bay, southern Cape Coast, South Africa. Journal of Quaternary Science, 30(8), 870-885.
Bateman MD, Stein S, Ashurst RA & Selby K (2015) Instant luminescence chronologies? High resolution luminescence profiles using a portable luminescence reader. Quaternary Geochronology, 30, 141-146. View this article in WRRO
Sitzia L, Bertran P, Bahain J-J, Bateman MD, Hernandez M, Garon H, de Lafontaine G, Mercier N, Leroyer C, Queffelec A & Voinchet P (2015) The Quaternary coversands of southwest France. Quaternary Science Reviews, 124, 84-105.
Murton JB, Goslar T, Edwards ME, Bateman MD, Danilov PP, Savvinov GN, Gubin SV, Ghaleb B, Haile J, Kanevskiy M , Lozhkin AV et al (2015) Palaeoenvironmental Interpretation of Yedoma Silt (Ice Complex) Deposition as Cold‐Climate Loess, Duvanny Yar, Northeast Siberia. Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, 26(3), 208-288. View this article in WRRO
Livingstone SJ, Piotrowski JA, Bateman MD, Ely JC & Clark CD (2015) Discriminating between subglacial and proglacial lake sediments: an example from the Dänischer Wohld Peninsula, northern Germany. Quaternary Science Reviews, 112, 86-108. View this article in WRRO
Stone AEC, Bateman MD & Thomas DSG (2015) Rapid age assessment in the Namib Sand Sea using a portable luminescence reader. Quaternary Geochronology, 30, 134-140.
Lokier SW, Bateman MD, Larkin NR, Rye P & Stewart JR (2015) Late Quaternary sea-level changes of the Persian Gulf. Quaternary Research, 84(1), 69-81.
Cawthra HC, Bateman MD, Carr AS, Compton JS & Holmes PJ (2014) Understanding Late Quaternary change at the land–ocean interface: a synthesis of the evolution of the Wilderness coastline, South Africa. Quaternary Science Reviews, 99, 210-223. View this article in WRRO
Livingstone I, Baas A, Bateman MD, Bristow C, Bryant RG, Bullard JE, Nield JM, Thomas DSG, White KH & Wiggs GFS (2014) A prospectus for future geomorphological investigation of the Namib Sand Sea. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa, 69(3), 151-156.
Bateman MD, Hitchens S, Murton JB, Lee JR & Gibbard PL (2014) The evolution of periglacial patterned ground in East Anglia, UK. Journal of Quaternary Science, 29(4), 301-317. View this article in WRRO
Baker C, Bateman M, Bateman P, Jones H & Bateman MD (2013) The aeolian sand record in the Trent valley. Mercian Geologist, 18(2), 108-118.
Bertran P, Sitzia L, Banks WE, Bateman MD, Demars PY, Hernandez M, Lenoir M, Mercier N & Prodeo F (2013) The Landes de Gascogne (southwest France): Periglacial desert and cultural frontier during the Palaeolithic. Journal of Archaeological Science, 40(5), 2274-2285.
Bateman MD & Reimer PJ (2013) Chronologies and the Quaternary record - Introduction. BOREAS, 42(2), 257-258.
Bateman MD (2013) Aeolian Processes in Periglacial Environments, 8, 416-429.
Bateman MD, Swift DA, Piotrowski JA & Sanderson DCW (2012) Investigating the effects of glacial shearing of sediment on luminescence. Quaternary Geochronology, 10, 230-236.
Tamura T, Saito Y, Nguyen VL, Ta TKO, Bateman MD, Matsumoto D & Yamashita S (2012) Origin and evolution of interdistributary delta plains; insights from Mekong River delta. GEOLOGY, 40(4), 303-306.
Tamura T, Saito Y, Bateman MD, Nguyen VL, Ta TKO & Matsumoto D (2012) Luminescence dating of beach ridges for characterizing multi-decadal to centennial deltaic shoreline changes during Late Holocene, Mekong River delta. Marine Geology, 326-328, 140-153.
Bateman MD, Bryant RG, Foster IDL, Livingstone I & Parsons AJ (2012) On the formation of sand ramps: A case study from the Mojave Desert. Geomorphology, 161-162, 93-109. View this article in WRRO
Holmes PJ, Thomas DSG, Bateman MD, Wiggs GFS & Rabumbulu M (2012) Evidence for land degradation from aeolian sediment in the west-central free state province, South Africa. Land Degradation and Development, 23(6), 601-610.
Foroutan M, Sébrier M, Nazari H, Meyer B, Fattahi M, Rashidi A, Le Dortz K & Bateman MD (2012) New evidence for large earthquakes on the Central Iran plateau: Palaeoseismology of the Anar fault. Geophysical Journal International, 189(1), 6-18.
Forsyth AJ, Nott J, Bateman MD & Beaman RJ (2012) Juxtaposed beach ridges and foredunes within a ridge plain - Wonga Beach, northeast Australia. Marine Geology, 307-310, 111-116.
Andreucci S, Bateman MD, Zucca C, Kapur S, Akşit I, Dunajko A & Pascucci V (2012) Evidence of Saharan dust in upper Pleistocene reworked palaeosols of North-west Sardinia, Italy: Palaeoenvironmental implications. Sedimentology, 59(3), 917-938.
Tamura T, Bateman MD, Kodama Y, Saitoh Y, Watanabe K, Yamaguchi N & Matsumoto D (2011) Building of shore-oblique transverse dune ridges revealed by ground-penetrating radar and optical dating over the last 500 years on Tottori coast, Japan Sea. Geomorphology.
Tamura T, Kodama Y, Bateman MD, Saitoh Y, Watanabe K, Matsumoto D & Yamaguchi N (2011) Coastal barrier dune construction during sea-level highstands in MIS 3 and 5a on Tottori coast-line, Japan. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology.
Roberts DL, Matthews T, Herries AIR, Boulter C, Scott L, Dondo C, Mtembi P, Browning C, Smith RMH, Haarhoff P & Bateman MD (2011) Regional and global context of the Late Cenozoic Langebaanweg (LBW) palaeontological site: West Coast of South Africa. Earth-Science Reviews.
Bertran P, Bateman MD, Hernandez M, Mercier N, Millet D, Sitzia L & Tastet JP (2011) Inland aeolian deposits of south-west France: Facies, stratigraphy and chronology. Journal of Quaternary Science.
Bateman MD, Buckland PC, Whyte MA, Ashurst RA, Boulter C & Panagiotakopulu E (2011) Re-evaluation of the Last Glacial Maximum typesite at Dimlington, UK. Boreas.
Le Dortz K, Meyer B, Sébrier M, Braucher R, Nazari H, Benedetti L, Fattahi M, Bourlès D, Foroutan M, Siame L , Rashidi A et al (2011) Dating inset terraces and offset fans along the Dehshir Fault (Iran) combining cosmogenic and OSL methods. Geophysical Journal International.
Bateman MD, Carr AS, Dunajko AC, Holmes PJ, Roberts DL, McLaren SJ, Bryant RG, Marker ME & Murray-Wallace CV (2011) The evolution of coastal barrier systems: A case study of the Middle-Late Pleistocene Wilderness barriers, South Africa. Quaternary Science Reviews, 30(1-2), 63-81.
Bateman MD, Ayala G & Wainwright J (2010) Guest Editorial: Sheffield 2009-From Landscape to Laboratory and Back Again. GEOARCHAEOLOGY, 25(6), 671-674.
Boulter C, Bateman MD & Frederick CD (2010) Understanding geomorphic responses to environmental change: a 19 000-year case study from semi-arid central Texas, USA. J QUATERNARY SCI, 25(6), 889-902.
Aiuvalasit MJ, Neely JA & Bateman MD (2010) New radiometric dating of water management features at the prehistoric Purron Dam Complex, Tehuacan Valley, Puebla, Mexico. J ARCHAEOL SCI, 37(6), 1207-1213.
Murton JB, Bateman MD, Dallimore SR, Teller JT & Yang ZR (2010) Identification of Younger Dryas outburst flood path from Lake Agassiz to the Arctic Ocean. NATURE, 464(7289), 740-743.
Carr AS, Bateman MD, Roberts DL, Murray-Wallace CV, Jacobs Z & Holmes PJ (2010) The last interglacial sea-level high stand on the southern Cape coastline of South Africa. QUATERNARY RES, 73(2), 351-363.
Carr AS, Boom A, Dunajko A, Bateman MD, Holmes PJ & Berrio JC (2010) New evidence for the age and palaeoecology of the Knysna formation, South Africa. South African Journal of Geology, 113(3), 241-256.
Dunajko AC & Bateman MD (2010) Sediment provenance of the Wilderness barrier dunes, southern Cape coast, South Africa. Terra Nova, 22(6), 417-423.
Forsyth AJ, Nott J & Bateman MD (2010) Beach ridge plain evidence of a variable late-Holocene tropical cyclone climate, North Queensland, Australia. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 297(3-4), 707-716.
Hansen EC, Fisher TG, Arbogast AF & Bateman MD (2010) Geomorphic history of low-perched, transgressive dune complexes along the southeastern shore of Lake Michigan. Aeolian Research, 1(3-4), 111-127.
Livingstone I, Bristow C, Bryant RG, Bullard J, White K, Wiggs GFS, Baas ACW, Bateman MD & Thomas DSG (2010) The Namib Sand Sea digital database of aeolian dunes and key forcing variables. Aeolian Research, 2(2-3), 93-104.
Nazari H, Fattahi M, Meyer B, Sebrier M, Talebian M, Foroutan M, Le Dortz K, Bateman MD & Ghorashi M (2009) First evidence for large earthquakes on the Deshir Fault, Central Iran Plateau. TERRA NOVA, 21(6), 417-426.
Briant RM & Bateman MD (2009) Luminescence dating indicates radiocarbon age underestimation in late Pleistocene fluvial deposits from eastern England. J QUATERNARY SCI, 24(8), 916-927.
Le Dortz K, Meyer B, Sebrier M, Nazari H, Braucher R, Fattahi M, Benedetti L, Foroutan M, Siame L, Bourles D , Talebian M et al (2009) Holocene right-slip rate determined by cosmogenic and OSL dating on the Anar fault, Central Iran. GEOPHYS J INT, 179(2), 700-710.
McLaren SJ, Al-Juaidi F, Bateman MD & Millington AC (2009) First evidence for episodic flooding events in the arid interior of central Saudi Arabia over the last 60 ka. J QUATERNARY SCI, 24(2), 198-207.
Roberts DL, Bateman MD, Murray-Wallace CV, Carr AS & Holmes PJ (2009) West coast dune plumes: Climate driven contrasts in dunefield morphogenesis along the western and southern South African coasts. PALAEOGEOGR PALAEOCL, 271(1-2), 24-38.
Holmes PJ, Bateman MD, Thomas DSG, Telfer MW, Barker CH & Lawson MP (2008) A Holocene-late Pleistocene aeolian record from lunette dunes of the western Free State panfield, South Africa. HOLOCENE, 18(8), 1193-1205.
Bateman MD, Carr AS, Murray-Wallace CV, Roberts DL & Holmes PJ (2008) A Dating Intercomparison Study on Late Stone Age Coastal Midden Deposits, South Africa. GEOARCHAEOLOGY, 23(6), 715-741.
Borejsza A, Lopez IR, Frederick CD & Bateman MD (2008) Agricultural slope management and soil erosion at La Laguna, Tlaxcala, Mexico. J ARCHAEOL SCI, 35(7), 1854-1866.
Telfer MW, Bateman MD, Carr AS & Chase BM (2008) Testing the applicability of a standardized growth curve (SGC) for quartz OSL dating: Kalahari dunes, South African coastal dunes and Florida dune cordons. QUAT GEOCHRONOL, 3(1-2), 137-142.
Roberts DL, Bateman MD, Murray-Wallace CV, Carr AS & Holmes PJ (2008) Last Interglacial fossil elephant trackways dated by OSL/AAR in coastal aeolianites, Still Bay, South Africa. PALAEOGEOGR PALAEOCL, 257(3), 261-279.
Bateman MD (2008) Luminescence dating of periglacial sediments and structures. BOREAS, 37(4), 574-588.
Bateman MD, Buckland PC, Chase B, Frederick CD & Gaunt GD (2008) The Late-Devensian proglacial Lake Humber: new evidence from littoral deposits at Ferrybridge, Yorkshire, England. BOREAS, 37(2), 195-210.
Langford HE, Bateman MD, Penkman KEH, Boreham S, Briant RM, Coope GR & Keen DH (2007) Age-estimate evidence for Middle-Late Pleistocene aggradation of River Nene 1st Terrace deposits at Whittlesey, eastern England. P GEOLOGIST ASSOC, 118, 283-300.
Holmes PJ, Bateman MD, Carr AS & Marker ME (2007) The place of aeolian coversands in the geomorphic evolution of the southern Cape coast, South Africa. S AFR J GEOL, 110(1), 125-136.
Bateman MD (2007) Global environments through the quaternary. GEOGRAPHY, 92, 165-165.
Murton JB & Bateman MD (2007) Syngenetic sand veins and anti-syngenetic sand wedges, Tuktoyaktuk Coastlands, western Arctic Canada. PERMAFROST PERIGLAC, 18(1), 33-47.
Bateman MD & Murton JB (2006) The chronostratigraphy of late pleistocene glacial and periglacial aeolian activity in the Tuktoyaktuk Coastlands, NWT, Canada. QUATERNARY SCI REV, 25(19-20), 2552-2568. View this article in WRRO
Carr AS, Thomas DSG, Bateman MD, Meadows ME & Chase B (2006) Late Quaternary palaeoenvironments of the winter-rainfall zone of southern Africa: Palynological and sedimentological evidence from the Agulhas Plain. PALAEOGEOGR PALAEOCL, 239(1-2), 147-165.
Carr AS, Thomas DSG & Bateman MD (2006) Climatic and sea level controls on Late Quaternary eolian activity on the Agulhas Plain, South Africa. QUATERNARY RES, 65(2), 252-263.
Shaw PA & Bateman MD (2006) Provenance and chronology of the Barcavecchia Tufa, Southwest Etna, Sicily. BOLL SOC GEOL ITAL, 125(3), 265-272.
Briant RM, Bateman MD, Coope GR & Gibbard PL (2005) Climatic control on Quaternary fluvial sedimentology of a Fenland Basin river, England. SEDIMENTOLOGY, 52(6), 1397-1423.
Boardman J, Holmes PJ, Rhodes EJ & Bateman MD (2005) Colluvial fan gravels, depositional environments and luminescence dating: A karoo case study. South African Geographical Journal, 87(1), 73-79.
Clark CD, Evans DJA, Khatwa A, Bradwell T, Jordan CJ, Marsh SH, Mitchell WA & Bateman MD (2004) Map and GIS database of glacial landforms and features related to the last British Ice Sheet. BOREAS, 33(4), 359-375. View this article in WRRO
Bateman MD & Godby SP (2004) Late-Holocene inland dune activity in the UK: a case study from Breckland, East Anglia. HOLOCENE, 14(4), 579-588. View this article in WRRO
Bateman MD, Holmes PJ, Carr AS, Horton BP & Jaiswal MK (2004) Aeolianite and barrier dune construction spanning the last two glacial-interglacial cycles from the southern Cape coast, South Africa. QUATERNARY SCI REV, 23(14-15), 1681-1698. View this article in WRRO
Wilson P, McGourty J & Bateman MD (2004) Mid- to late-Holocene coastal dune event stratigraphy for the north coast of Northern Ireland. HOLOCENE, 14(3), 406-416.
Murton JB, Bateman MD, Baker CA, Knox R & Whiteman CA (2003) The devensian periglacial record on Thanet, Kent, UK. PERMAFROST PERIGLAC, 14(3), 217-246.
Moumani K, Alexander J & Bateman MD (2003) Sedimentology of the Late Quaternary Wadi Hasa Marl Formation of Central Jordan: a record of climate variability. PALAEOGEOGR PALAEOCL, 191(2), 221-242.
White K, Livingstone I, Gurney S, Dearing J & Bateman M (2002) Post-processing of mineral mixture maps for mapping surficial materials: The example of the Matmata loess, southern Tunisia. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 23(15), 3091-3106.
Bateman MD (2002) Book Review. Journal of Arid Environments, 50(3), 523-524.
Meadows ME, Rogers J, Lee-Thorp JA, Bateman MD & Dingle RV (2002) Holocene geochronology of a continental-shelf mudbelt off southwestern Africa. HOLOCENE, 12(1), 59-67.
van Huissteden K, Schwan JCG & Bateman MD (2001) Environmental conditions and paleowind directions at the end of the Weichselian Late Pleniglacial recorded in aeolian sediments and geomorphology (Twente, Eastern Netherlands). GEOL MIJNBOUW-N J G, 80(2), 1-18.
Srivastava P, Juyal N, Singhvi AK, Wasson RJ & Bateman MD (2001) Luminescence chronology of river adjustment and incision of Quaternary sediments in the alluvial plain of the Sabarmati River, north Gujarat, India. GEOMORPHOLOGY, 36(3-4), 217-229.
Thomas DSG, O'Connor PW, Bateman MD, Shaw PA, Stokes S & Nash DJ (2000) Dune activity as a record of late Quaternary aridity in the Northern Kalahari: new evidence from northern Namibia interpreted in the context of regional arid and humid chronologies. PALAEOGEOGR PALAEOCL, 156(3-4), 243-259.
Bateman MD, Murton JB & Crowe W (2000) Late Devensian and Holocene depositional environments associated with the coversand around Caistor, north Lincolnshire, UK. BOREAS, 29(1), 1-15.
Howard AJ, Bateman MD, Garton D, Green FML, Wagner P & Priest V (1999) Evidence of Late Devensian and early Flandrian processes and environments in the Idle Valley at Tiln, North Nottinghamshire. P YORKS GEOL SOC, 52, 383-393.
Keen DH, Bateman MD, Coope GR, Field MH, Langford HE, Merry JS & Mighall TM (1999) Sedimentology, palaeoecology and geochronology of Last Interglacial deposits from Deeping St James, Lincolnshire, England. J QUATERNARY SCI, 14(5), 411-436.
Bateman MD & Van Huissteden J (1999) The timing of last-glacial periglacial and aeolian events, Twente, eastern Netherlands. J QUATERNARY SCI, 14(3), 277-283.
Bateman MD & Herrero AD (1999) Thermoluminescence dates and palaeoenvironmental information of the late Quaternary sand deposits, Tierra de Pinares, Central Spain. CATENA, 34(3-4), 277-291.
Bateman MD & Holmes PJ (1999) Orange River alluvial terraces: is luminescence dating a useful teal?. S AFR J SCI, 95(2), 57-58.
Bateman MD, Hannam J & Livingstone I (1999) Late Quaternary dunes at Twigmoor Woods, Lincolnshire, UK: A preliminary investigation. Zeitschrift fur Geomorphologie, Supplementband, 116, 131-146.
Bateman MD (1998) The origin and age of coversand in north Lincolnshire, UK. PERMAFROST PERIGLAC, 9(4), 313-325.
Bateman MD (1998) Reconstructing quaternary environments, 2nd edition. APPL GEOGR, 18(2), 193-193.
Garcia-Guinea J, Harffy M & Bateman MD (1998) Museums: A palliative or solution for declining historical mines?. EPISODES, 21(1), 32-36.
Thomas DSG, Bateman MD, Mehrshahi D & OHara SL (1997) Development and environmental significance of an eolian sand ramp of last-glacial age, central Iran. QUATERNARY RES, 48(2), 155-161.
Bateman MD, Garton D, Priest V & Sainty D (1997) The dating of linear banks found at Tiln, North Northamptonshire, using thermoluminescence. East Midland Geographer, 20(1-2), 42-49.
Bateman MD & Catt JA (1996) An absolute chronology for the raised beach and associated deposits at Sewerby, East Yorkshire, England. J QUATERNARY SCI, 11(5), 389-395.
Dawson AG, Hindson R, Andrade C, Freitas C, Parish R & Bateman M (1995) Tsunami sedimentation associated with the Lisbon earthquake of 1 November AD 1755: Boca do Rio, Algarve, Portugal. The Holocene, 5(2), 209-215.
Chiverrell R, Thomas G, Burke M, Medialdea A, Smedley R, Bateman M, Clark C, Duller G, Fabel D, Jenkins G , Ou X et al () The evolution of the terrestrial-terminating Irish Sea glacier during the last glaciation.
Fairburn WA & Bateman MD () Possible new evidence for Mid-Pleistocene glaciation in the Vale of Pickering, North Yorkshire, UK. Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society, pygs2020-019.

Chapters

Bateman MD (2015) The application of luminescence dating in sea-level studies In Shennan I, Long AJ & Horton BP (Ed.), Handbook of Sea-Level Research (pp. 404-417). Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd..
Bateman MD (2013) 8.25 Aeolian Processes in Periglacial Environments, Treatise on Geomorphology (pp. 416-429).
Cawthra HC & Bateman MD () Sandy coasts, Quaternary Environmental Change in Southern Africa (pp. 203-218). Cambridge University Press

Conference proceedings papers

Murton JB, Bateman MD & Waller RI (2015) Late Wisconsin glaciation of Hadwen and Summer islands, Tuktoyaktuk Coastlands, NWT, Canada. GeoQuebec 2015 (pp 1-6), 20 September 2015 - 23 September 2015. View this article in WRRO
Bateman MD, Murton JB & Boulter C (2010) The source of D-e variability in periglacial sand wedges: Depositional processes versus measurement issues. QUATERNARY GEOCHRONOLOGY, Vol. 5(2-3) (pp 250-256)
Fattahi M, Nazari H, Bateman MD, Meyer B, Sebrier M, Talebian M, Le Dortz K, Foroutan M, Givi FA & Ghorashi M (2010) Refining the OSL age of the last earthquake on the Dheshir fault, Central Iran. QUATERNARY GEOCHRONOLOGY, Vol. 5(2-3) (pp 286-292)
Bateman MD, Boulter CH, Carr AS, Frederick CD, Peter D & Wilder M (2007) Preserving the palaeoenvironmental record in Drylands: Bioturbation and its significance for luminescence-derived chronologies. SEDIMENTARY GEOLOGY, Vol. 195(1-2) (pp 5-19) View this article in WRRO
Carr AS, Bateman MD & Holmes PJ (2007) Developing a 150 ka luminescence chronology for the barrier dunes of the southern Cape, South Africa. QUATERNARY GEOCHRONOLOGY, Vol. 2(1-4) (pp 110-116)
Boulter C, Bateman MD & Frederick CD (2007) Developing a protocol for selecting and dating sandy sites in East Central Texas: Preliminary results. QUATERNARY GEOCHRONOLOGY, Vol. 2(1-4) (pp 45-50)
Bateman MD, Boulter CH, Carr AS, Frederick CD, Peter D & Wilder M (2007) Detecting post-depositional sediment disturbance in sandy deposits using optical luminescence. Quaternary Geochronology, Vol. 2(1-4) (pp 57-64)
Bateman MD, Frederick CD, Jaiswal MK & Singhvi AK (2003) Investigations into the potential effects of pedoturbation on luminescence dating. QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS, Vol. 22(10-13) (pp 1169-1176) View this article in WRRO
Thomas DSG, Brook G, Shaw P, Bateman M, Haberyan K, Appleton C, Nash D, McLaren S & Davies F (2003) Late Pleistocene wetting and drying in the NW Kalahari: an integrated study from the Tsodilo Hills, Botswana. Quaternary International, Vol. 104(1) (pp 53-67)
Bateman MD, Thomas DSG & Singhvi AK (2003) Extending the aridity record of the Southwest Kalahari: current problems and future perspectives. QUATERNARY INTERNATIONAL, Vol. 111 (pp 37-49) View this article in WRRO
Shaw PA, Bateman MD, Thomas DSG & Davies F (2003) Holocene fluctuations of Lake Ngami, Middle Kalahari: chronology and responses to climatic change. QUATERNARY INTERNATIONAL, Vol. 111 (pp 23-35)
Frederick CD, Bateman MD & Rogers R (2002) Evidence for eolian deposition in the sandy uplands of east texas and the implications for archaeological site integrity. GEOARCHAEOLOGY-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Vol. 17(2) (pp 191-217)
Thomas DS, Holmes PJ, Bateman MD & Marker ME (2002) Geomorphic evidence for late Quaternary environmental change from the eastern Great Karoo margin, South Africa. QUATERNARY INTERNATIONAL, Vol. 89 (pp 151-164)
Singhvi AK, Bluszcz A, Bateman MD & Rao MS (2001) Luminescence dating of loess-palaeosol sequences and coversands: methodological aspects and palaeoclimatic implications. EARTH-SCIENCE REVIEWS, Vol. 54(1-3) (pp 193-211)
Bateman MD & Herrero AD (2001) The timing and relation of aeolian sand deposition in central Spain to the aeolian sand record of NW Europe. QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS, Vol. 20(5-9) (pp 779-782)
Dearing JA, Livingstone IP, Bateman MD & White K (2001) Palaeoclimate records from OIS 8.0-5.4 recorded in loess-palaeosol sequences on the Matmata Plateau, southern Tunisia, based on mineral magnetism and new luminescence dating. QUATERNARY INTERNATIONAL, Vol. 76-7 (pp 43-56)
Bateman MD (1995) Thermoluminescence dating of the British coversand deposits. QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS, Vol. 14(7-8) (pp 791-798)

Teaching interests

The undergraduate and postgraduate teaching I specialise in relates to understanding past changes in climate and environment which have shaped the landscape we live in. I enjoy bringing across to my students how and why the fields of geomorphology, sedimentology and Quaternary Science are relevant to a wide range of geographical challenges we face.

My teaching interests reflect my research interests so I can keep students up-to-date on current developments. The style of my teaching varies from teaching out and about on field classes, in the laboratory and through lectures and small group tutorials. I have particular interests in former glacial and coastal environments and each year supervise students' projects in these areas.

Professional activities

Editorial responsibilities

Editor Board member for Boreas and Journal of Archaeological Science Reports and Associate Editor for Proceeding of the Yorkshire Geological Society. Former Editor of Special publications for the International Association of Sedimentologists (2014-2018) and former Editorial board member for Quaternary Science Reviews (2010-2014).
Journal Reviewer for >40 International, peer-reviewed journals

Committee/panel activities

NERC Peer-Review College (2012-).
Bureau Member for International Association of Sedimentologists (2014-2018)
Council Member of the British Society for Geomorphology (BSG: 2005-2008)
Meeting Officer for Quaternary Research Association (QRA: 2002-2005)
Secretary for the International Global Correlation Programme 413 (1998-2003)

External Examiner roles

Queens University (2020-)
University of Exeter (2014-2018)
Sussex University (2012-2015)
Queen Mary’s College London (2008-2012)
26 PhD Examinations (16 external and 10 internal) - including overseas

Invited Lectures and Visiting Positions

I have given 35 invited and keynote talks both in UK and internationally.

In 2019 I was an invited Visiting Fellow at University of Western Australia.

Additional research projects

Past periglacial and glacial environments

During much of the last 2.5 million years, NW Europe experienced cold glacial and non-glacial conditions which have shaped the landscape we live in and the sediments beneath our feet. From understanding how they were deposited and when we can understand key aspects of past climates, how they changed and how quickly they changed. For example my work has shown that erosion of dune systems in the McKenzie Delta (Arctic Canada) are tied to mega Lake Aggassiz outburst flood (USA) which may have caused the Younger Dryas hemispheric cooling event (Murton et al. 2010, Nature).

Thermal map showing the possible route of outburst floods from pro-glacial Lake Aggassiz. Work in McKenzie Delta showed for the first time evidence for the Northern route at just before the start of the Younger Dryas (Murton et al 2010).

Possible route of outburst floods from pro-glacial Lake Aggassiz. Work in McKenzie Delta showed for the first time evidence for the Northern route at just before the start of the Younger Dryas (Murton et al 2010).

Work on the last icesheet to cover Britain has been able to reconstruct ice thickness and show that different parts of it advanced and retreated at different times. Ice in the North sea reached its maximum limits very late within the glacial stage and was dynamic, ponding up significant pro-glacial Lakes Humber and Pickering (Bateman et al 2018). More recent work has been trying to date the previous icesheet to cover Britain around 160,000 years ago (Fairburn and Bateman 2021). Over 40 publications have come from this work so far with past funding from NERC, QRA, BSG and Royal Society.

A series of time slices showing the advance, dynamics and retreat of the Vale of York and North sea icelobes of the last British and Irish Icesheet (Bateman et al 2015).

A reconstruction from Lidar of the glacial moraine in the Vale of Pickering which research has shown to have been formed by ice ~160,000 years ago (Fairburn and Bateman et al 2021). LiDAR data from Open Survey online store (data.gov.uk).

Key outcomes

Erosion of dune systems in the McKenzie Delta have been dated and tied to Lake Aggassiz outburst floods which may have caused the Younger Dryas event
The Northsea icelobe of the last British and Irish Icesheet was dynamic and advanced to its maximum only 21000 years ago
Evidence exists for the previous icesheet which covered Britain 160000 years ago.

Recent papers

Evans, D.J.A., Robert, D.H., Bateman, M.D., Clark, C.D., Medialdea, A., Callard, L., Grimoldi, E., Chiverrell, R.C., Ely, J.C., Dove, D., Ó Cofaigh, C., Saher, M., Bradwell, T., Moreton, S.G., Fabel, D., Bradley, D. (2021). Retreat dynamics of the eastern sector of the British-Irish Ice Sheet during the last glaciation. Journal of Quaternary Science. Doi: 10.1002/jqs.3275
Bateman, M.D., Evans, D.J.A., Roberts, D.H., Medialdea, A., Ely, E., Clark C.D. (2018). The timing and consequences of the blockage of the Humber Gap by the last British-Irish Ice Sheet. Boreas, 47, 41-61. DOI: 10.1111/bor.12256
Fairburn, W.A. and Bateman, M.D. (2021). Possible new evidence for a Mid-Pleistocene Glaciation in the Vale Of Pickering, North Yorkshire, U.K. Proceedings of the Geological Society of Yorkshire. Doi: 10.1144/pygs2020-019.

Understanding past aeolian activity

Part of my research has focussed on coastal dune systems which form a key landscape component in protecting coastal assets from coastal storms and rising sea levels. Understanding how they have developed through time and how they have been impacted by historic storms (and tsunami) will lead to a better understanding of coastal resilience as well as return intervals of impactful storms. This work has formed the basis of over 50 printed journal articles with past funding from Leverhulme Trust, National Geographic, QRA, BSG, White Rose and a NERC DTP award.

Recent work on Spurn Point has been able to show how it has evolved over the last 200 years and where it is must vulnerable to breaches by the North Sea (Bateman et al 2020).

How the coastal spit system at Spurn Point, East Yorkshire, UK has changed over the last 200 years as shown from historical maps (Bateman et al 2020).

How dunes and beach ridges on the Mekong Delta has helped understand when it developed and why 19^th century canalisation and agriculture might be responsible for its current erosion.

(A) Reconstruction of past shorelines on the Mekong Delta; (B) Estimates of shoreline change through time; (C) Changes in population, agriculture with the grey area indicating when the delta had canals dug into it. (Tamura et al 2020 Nature Scientific Reports 10, 8085) — (A) Reconstruction of past shorelines on the Mekong Delta; (B) Estimates of shoreline change through time; (C) Changes in population, agriculture with the grey area indicating when the delta had canals dug into it. (Tamura et al 2020 Nature Scientific Rep

On longer time scales work has been able to show how a tsunami 8200 years ago impacted on the coastline of eastern Scotland (Bateman et al 2021) and how coastal dunes from the Atacama Desert, Chile are able to show how fast this coastline is tectonically uplifting (Nash et al. 2018).

Model of how the Storegga tsunami wave 8200 years ago flooded the Montrose basin (Bateman et al 2021).

Key outcomes

Coastal dunes show dynamic responses to climate changes in particular sediment supply from erosion, sea level changes and storms.

Recent papers

Tamura T., Nguyen V.P., Ta T.K.O., Bateman, M.D., Gugliotta M., Anthony, E.J., Saito, Y. (2020). Long-term sediment decline causes ongoing shrinkage of the Mekong megadelta, Vietnam. Nature Scientific Reports, 10, No. 8085 . DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-64630-z
Bateman, M.D., Kinnaird T.C., Hill, J., Ashurst, R.A., Mohan, J., Bateman, R.B.I., Robinson, R. (2021). Detailing the impact of the Storegga tsunami at Montrose, Scotland. Boreas.
Bateman, M.D., McHale, K., Bayntun, H.J., Williams N. (2020). Understanding Historical Coastal Spit Evolution: a Case Study from Spurn, East Yorkshire, UK. Earth Surface Landforms and Processes 45, 3670-3686. DOI: 10.1002/esp.4991
Bateman, M.D., Rushby, G., Stein, S., Ashurst, R.A., Stevenson, D., Jones, J.M. and Gehrels, W.R. (2018). Can sand dunes be used to study historic storm events? Earth surface Processes and Landforms 43, 779-790. DOI: 10.1002/esp.4255
Nash, D.J., Bateman, M.D., Bullard, J.E., Latorre, C. (2018). Late Quaternary coastal evolution and aeolian sedimentation in the tectonically-active southern Atacama Desert, Chile. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 490, 546-562. DOI. 10.1016palaeogeogalaeo.2017.11.040

Advances in luminescence

The time dimension is fundamental to understanding past change. Although vast advances in dating have been made, methods all require laboratory-based protocols that are not available during field sampling. It is now possible to make in field measurements of luminescence intensity which give a first order approximation for sediment age.

Prof Mark Bateman using a portable luminescence reader — A portable luminescence reader able to find out a relative age of sediment whilst out in the field.

Research I have undertaken (funded by NATURAL ENGLAND, WHITE ROSE and RGS) has shown how portable luminescence can be used to understand phases of coastal dune building.

High resolution portable luminescence results from dune profiles at Holkham, Norfolk showing multiple phases of dune growth on this coastline (from Bateman et al. 2018).

Following on from work to understand post-depositional processes on the sediment archive (Bateman et al . 2007), recently I developed an approach to used harder to reset luminescence signals (pIRSL₁₈₀ and pIRSL₂₂₅) to find the location of where sediment were eroded from. This was applied to Storegga tsunami deposits in Scotland which helped find the sediment source and therefore the direction of the wave that impacted the coastline (Bateman et al 2021).

Dated Storegga sand had pIRSL180 and pIRSL225 signals of a similar age to a nearby Marine sand enabling the source of the tsunami sediment to be recognised and also the direction the wave travelled in (from Bateman et al. 2021).

In 2019 I edited together “The Handbook of Luminescence dating” in order to demystify the technique of luminescence dating for Quaternary geologists and archaeologists who require luminescence ages for their research.

The Handbook of Luminescence Dating (Bateman 2019) aims to help those wanting to understand luminescence dating for use in their own research.

Key Outcomes

It is possible to rapidly generate accurate, high resolution down core OSL data using a portable OSL reader to enable differentiation of older from the younger sediments, identify phases of sedimentation and temporal hiatuses. Luminescence can provide information on both post-depositional disturbance and be used to locate sediment sources.