For the first session of the New Year, we welcome Dr John Boyle and his colleague Dr Maddy Moyle, who will talk about water quality, specifically about a project they have been working on involving the Tatton Meres.

John and Maddy both work at the University of Liverpool, Department of Geography and Planning, studying lakes and the landscapes in which they exist.

John trained as a geologist and geochemist and began by researching ancient marine sediments. Maddy trained as an archaeologist and continues to manage digs in eastern Anatolia.

The combination of their diverse experiences and skills has proven to be highly valuable in examining lakes formed by glaciation, which have also undergone significant natural climate changes before the arrival of the first farmers who altered the landscape. A central research interest for both is understanding how this extensive history has influenced how lakes respond to modern industrial and urban impacts.

John says, “Lakes are truly remarkable features of our landscape, providing habitat, resource, recreation, water purification and much more. It is less well known that lakes, by capturing particles from their surroundings, record an environmental history of both their own condition and that of the surrounding landscape. Using the Tatton Meres as an example, we show how these lake records can be read, and we reveal a little of what they tell us about water quality and the changing environment.“