Environmental Sciences Research Institute

  1. Background
  2. Publications
  3. Research Grants
  4. Teaching Interests

Sara Benetti

Lecturer in Environmental Change

Contact Me
Room G270
School of Environmental Sciences
University of Ulster
Cromore Road
Coleraine
BT52 1SA
Telephone: +44(0)28 70123113
Email: s.benetti@ulster.ac.uk

Education

2006: PhD in Marine Sedimentology, University of Southampton

2000: MSc in Environmental Sciences (Marine studies) University of Bologna (Italy)

Experience

2009 present: Lecturer in Environmental Change, University of Ulster

2006-2008: Marine geoscientist, Marine Institute of Ireland

2006: Postdoctoral researcher in marine sedimentology, British Antarctic Survey

Research Interests

  • Abrupt and long-term climatic change and its effects on sedimentological processes.
  • Deep sea sedimentation processes and their relationship with glacial/interglacial cycles.
  • Application of image analysis to environmental studies.
  • The use of geo-indicators in vulnerability and environmental impact assessment.

My main current research project is focussed on the reconstruction of the extent and dynamics of the British-Irish Ice Sheet on the continental margin off western Ireland using marine geophysical and sedimentological datasets.

External Activities

Expert evaluator for European Union FP7 programme - Climate Change

Awards

Research Councils UK - Science Communicator’s Award 2005 for an outstanding contribution to the communication of science

Invited presentations

  • British Antarctic Survey “Styles, timing and rates of turbidite deposition in the Western North Atlantic: Implications for generating mechanisms, flow characteristics and depositional processes”, Cambridge, UK, 2006.
  • National Oceanography Centre Southampton “The deep sea: What mud can tell us”, Marine Life Talks, Southampton, UK, 2004.
  • University of Southampton “Costal Zone Vulnerability to Climate Change and Sea Level Rise – Case Study: Versilia (Tuscany-Italy)” Southampton, UK, 2004.
  • Bedford Institute of Oceanography “Overview of the sedimentological processes in the western North Atlantic”, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, 2002.

Publications

Number of items: 14.

Sacchetti, F, Benetti, S, Georgiopoulou, A, Shannon, PM, O'Reilly, BM, Dunlop, P, Quinn, R and Ó Cofaigh, C (2012) Deep-water geomorphology of the glaciated Irish margin from high-resolution marine geophysical data. Marine Geology, 291-294. pp. 113-131.

Georgiopoulou, A., Benetti, S., Shannon, P.M., Haughton, P.D.W. and McCarron, S. (2012) Gravity Flow Deposits in the Deep Rockall Trough, Northeast Atlantic. In: Submarine Mass Movements and Their Consequences 5th International Symposium. Springer , Netherlands, pp. 695-707. ISBN 978 94 007 2162 3

Dunlop, P., Sacchetti, F., Benetti, S. and O' Cofaigh, C. (2011) Mapping Ireland's Glaciated Continental Margin Using Marine Geophysical Data. In: Geomorphological Mapping: Methods and Applications: A Professional Handbook of Techniques and Applications (Developments in Earth Surface Processes). (Eds: Smith, M.J, Paron, P. and Griffiths, J.S.), Elsevier B.V., pp. 337-355. ISBN 0928-2025

Callaway, A, Quinn, R, Brown, CJ, Service, M and Benetti, S (2011) Trace metal contamination of Beaufort’s Dyke, North Channel, Irish Sea: A legacy of ordnance disposal. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 62. pp. 2345-2355.

Plets, R, Quinn, R, Forsythe, W, Westley, K, Bell, T, Benetti, S, McGrath, F and Robinson, R (2011) Using Multibeam Echo-Sounder Data to Identify Shipwreck Sites: archaeological assessment of the Joint Irish Bathymetric Survey data. International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, 40 (1). pp. 87-98.

Callaway, A, Quinn, R, Brown, C, Service, M, Long, D and Benetti, S (2011) The formation and evolution of an isolated submarine valley in the North Channel, Irish Sea: an investigation of Beaufort’s Dyke. Journal of Quaternary Science, 26 (4). pp. 362-373.

Sacchetti, F, Benetti, S, Georgiopoulou, A, Dunlop, P and Quinn, R (2011) Geomorphology of the Irish Rockall Trough, North Atlantic Ocean, mapped from multibeam bathymetric and backscatter data. Journal of Maps, v2011. pp. 60-81.

Westley, K, Quinn, R, Forsythe, W, Plets, R, Bell, T, Benetti, S, McGrath, F and Robinson, R (2011) Mapping Submerged Landscapes Using Multibeam Bathymetric Data: a case study from the north coast of Ireland. International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, 40 (1). pp. 99-112.

Hillenbrand, Claus-Dieter, Larter, R.D., Dowdeswell, J.A., Ehrmann, W., Ó Cofaigh, C., Benetti, S., Graham, A.G.C. and Grobe, H. (2010) The sedimentary legacy of a palaeo-ice stream on the shelf of the southern Bellingshausen Sea: Clues to West Antarctic glacial history during the Late Quaternary. Quaternary Science Reviews, 29 (19-20). pp. 2741-2763.

Benetti, S., Dunlop, P and O Cofaigh, C (2010) Glacial and glacially-related features on the continental margin of northwest Ireland mapped from marine geophysical data. Journal of Maps, v2010. pp. 14-29.

Hillenbrand, C-D., Ehrmann, W., Larter, R. D., Benetti, S., Dowdeswell, J. A., Cofaigh, C. O., Graham, A. G. C. and Grobe, H. (2009) Clay mineral provenance of sediments in the southern Bellingshausen Sea reveals drainage changes of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet during the Late Quaternary. MARINE GEOLOGY, 265 (1-2). pp. 1-18.

Dowdeswell, J. A., Cofaigh, C. O., Noormets, R., Larter, R. D., Hillenbrand, C. -D., Benetti, S., Evans, J. and Pudsey, C. J. (2008) A major trough-mouth fan on the continental margin of the Bellingshausen Sea, West Antarctica: The Belgica Fan. MARINE GEOLOGY, 252 (3-4). pp. 129-140.

Hillenbrand, C. -D., Moreton, S. G., Caburlotto, A., Pudsey, C. J., Lucchi, R. G., Smellie, J. L., Benetti, S., Grobe, H., Hunt, J. B. and Larter, R. D. (2008) Volcanic time-markers for Marine Isotopic Stages 6 and 5 in Southern Ocean sediments and Antarctic ice cores: implications for tephra correlations between palaeoclimatic records. QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS, 27 (5-6). pp. 518-540.

Talling, P. J., Wynn, R. B., Masson, D. G., Frenz, M., Cronin, B. T., Schiebel, R., Akhmetzhanov, A. M., Dallmeier-Tiessen, S., Benetti, S., Weaver, P. P. E., Georgiopoulou, A., Zuehlsdorff, C. and Amy, L. A. (2007) Onset of submarine debris flow deposition far from original giant landslide. NATURE, 450 (7169). pp. 541-544.

This list was generated on Thu May 17 03:52:49 2012 BST.

Research Grants

2009

  • INFOMAR research grant “Deep-water sediment transport on the margins of Rockall Trough: new interpretation from high-resolution multibeam and sidescan sonar TOBI data” with University College Dublin and Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies
  • Irish National Development Plan “Glacial and non-glacial sediment transport in the Rockall Trough and Porcupine Bank, North Atlantic” with University College Dublin, 15 days ship time on R.V. Celtic Explorer
  • Quaternary Research Association Research Fund “Pilot study on the reconstruction of the glacial/deglacial history of the British-Irish Ice Sheet”

2008

  • Irish Integrated Marine Exploration Programme “Reconstruction of the extent and dynamics of the British-Irish Ice Sheet on the continental margin off northwest Ireland – An analogue for present-day ice sheet dynamics and effects of ice melting on oceanic circulation and climate change” with Durham University, 10 days ship time on R.V. Celtic Explorer.

Teaching Interests

I teach aspects of Quaternary science, including marine sedimentology, oceanography and aspects of climate change, at Levels 5, 6 and 7 on the degree programmes in Marine Science, Environmental Science, and Geography (Modules EGM305, EGM327, EGM505 and EGM513). I also contribute to field courses in Ireland and Portugal.