In this presentation Phil Wookey will share his passion for ‘The North’, and select a few examples, from his own research in the region since 1991, of the interactions between terrestrial (land-based) ecosystems and the climate system. This personal journey started, however, with the Exeter University North Iceland Expedition (‘EUNICE’) 1983 and continues to this day.
Phil is Professor of Ecosystem Ecology at the University of Stirling. He has previously held professorial appointments at the University of Uppsala (Sweden), the University of Sheffield and Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh.In 2004 Phil was recipient of the ‘Bergstedt Prize’ from the Royal Society of Sciences in Uppsala in the earth sciences.
Phil is passionate about ‘The North’, and attributes his love of cold, snowy and windswept places to his maternal heritage (from Sutherland, in the north of Scotland), going on expedition to North Iceland as an undergraduate, and reading Jack London novels. His ‘top tip’ for fieldwork reading material would be The Worst Journey in the World, by Apsley Cherry-Garrard (first published in 1922). This is about polar exploration, science and suffering, told by someone utterly disarming, brave (in an unconventional way) and not conforming to the stereotypes of the genre or the era. Phil finds that this compelling narrative puts the occasional bad day in the field in true perspective!
We shall provide the usual refreshments after the talk on a help-yourself basis. There are mugs available from the Centre's kitchen, but bring your own if you prefer.
If you plan to attend, please let Donald know carolineanddonald@gmail.com