Homepage:http://cepsar.open.ac.uk/pers/r.a.spicer/p5.shtml
Education:
l 1972-1975 Imperial College, London University, Geology
l 1969-1972 Imperial College, London University, Botany
Degrees:
l BSc (First Class, Botany), 1972, Imperial College, Associate of the Royal College of Science
l PhD (Geology), 1975. Royal School of Mines, Imperial College
Current and Previous Positions:
Professor of Earth Sciences, The Open University
l 1/5/04 - 31/9/06: Founding Director of the Centre for Earth, Planetary, Space and Astronomical Research (CEPSAR), The Open University; Chair of Directorate
l 1/10/1994 - 1/1/ 1998: Head of Earth Sciences, The Open University; Chair of Earth Sciences Management team
Professional Affiliations:
l Council Member, Systematics Association (1985 - 1988). Ongoing ordinary member
l Council Member Palaeontological Association (1988 - 1990). Ongoing ordinary member
l Member, International Organization of Palaeobotany (1985 - Present)
l Member, Paleobotanical Section, Botanical Society of America (1977 - 2003)
l Member, Geological Society of America (1988 - 1994)
l Member, IGCP 245 (Cretaceous Non-marine Correlation)
l Member, British Association, (1990 - 1991)
Editorial Positions:
l 2006 Member, Editorial Board of The Palaeobotanist.
l 1992 - 2005 Editor, Cambridge Palaeobiology Book Series
l 1996 - 1999 Associate Editor of Geology.
l 1990 - 1991 Associate Editor,
l 1992 - 1999 Associate Editor, Palaeoclimates: Data and Modelling.
Achievements:
Professor Spicer began his research career pioneering the subject of plant taphonomy (the study of the processes of fossilisation) that led to him gaining a prestigious Lindemann Fellowship to work with J.A.Wolfe, then at the US Geological Survey in California. This culminated in several seminal papers notably Spicer, R.A., 1981,( The sorting and deposition of allochthonous plant material in a modern environment at Silwood Lake, Silwood Park, Berkshire, England. U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1143, 77p), Spicer, R.A., and Wolfe, J.A., 1987, (Taphonomy of Holocene deposits in Trinity (Clair Engle) Lake, Northern California. Paleobiology, v.13, p.227-245) and Spicer, R.A., 1989, (The formation and interpretation of plant fossil assemblages. Advances in Botanical Research, 16:95-191.).
Professor Spicer subsequently applied this knowledge to the integrated interpretation of plant fossils in sedimentary context focussing on the extensive record of ancient vegetation and climate at high northern latitudes in both Alaska and subsequently north eastern Russia (see publication list for a selection of the 46 papers that have arisen from this work so far). This has allowed detailed reconstruction of the seral development of plant communities and vegetation dynamics for the now extinct north polar forests of the greenhouse climates of the late cretaceous and early Tertiary. Comparison of the reconstructed palaeoclimates has highlighted serious shortcomings in model simulations for warm Arctic environments that are as yet unresolved by the modeling community.
During his tenure as Lindemann Fellow Spicer advised Wolfe on the use of multivariate statistics in both taphonomy and leaf physiognomy. This led to the development of CLAMP. In recognition of this Wolfe bequeathed all data underpinning CLAMP to Spicer and the refinement of this technique is part of the proposed project as a direct continuation of work in progress with fellow researchers in Russia, the US, Africa, India, New Zealand and China. Spicer has applied this technique to quantifying the elevation history of the Tibetan Plateau as well as to the palaeoclimates of the Arctic, New Zealand, Mexico, and the Czech Republic. To date Spicer has published over 100 books, papers and articles including three in Nature and two in Science. His contribiutions to palaeobotany and climate change issues led to the award in 2007 of the Palaeobotanical Society of India International Medal.
Honours and Awards:
l 2007 Awarded Palaeobotanical Society of India International Medal
l Best Paper, Geological Society of America Centennial Meeting, Coal Division
l 1981 Guest Lecturer, Royal Geographical Society Annual Tripartite Meeting
l 1975 - 1977 Lindemann Research Fellowship
l 1975 Marshall Prize for Palaeontology
1972 University of London (Hocart) Prize in Botany for highest score across the whole of London University in the final third year examination
List of Major Publications
Spicer, R.A., Ahlberg, A., Herman, A.B., Hofmann, C-C., Raikevich, M., Valdes, P.J., and Markwick, P.J. 2008, The Late Cretaceous continental interior of Siberia: A challenge for climate models. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 267: 228-235.
Spicer, R.A., 2007, Recent and Future Developments of CLAMP: Building on the Legacy of Jack A. Wolfe. Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg. 258:109-118.
Yang, J.,Wang, Y.F., Spicer, R.A., Mosbrugger, V., Li, C.S., and Sun, Q.G., 2007, Climatic Reconstruction of Miocene Shanwang Basin, China, by using Leaf Margin Analysis, CLAMP, Co-existence Approach and Overlapping Distribution Analysis. American Journal of Botany, 94: 599-608.
Spicer, R.A., Herman, A.B., Kennedy, E.M., 2005, The Sensitivity of CLAMP to Taphonomic loss of Foliar Physiognomic Characters. Palaios, 20:429-438.
Cripps, J.A., Widdowson, M., Spicer, R.A., Jolley, D.W., 2005, Coastal Ecosystem responses to late stage Deccan Trap Volcanism: the post K-T boundary (Danian) palynofacies of Mumbai (Bombay), west India. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 216: 303-332.
Stainforth, D.A., Aina, T., Christensen, C., Collins, M., Faull, N., Frame, D.J., Kettleborough, J.A., Knight, S., Murphy, J.M., Piani, C., Sexton, D., Smith, L.A., Spicer, R.A., Thorpe, A.J., Allen, M.R., 2005, Uncertainty in predictions of the climate response to rising levels of greenhouse gases, Nature, 433: 403-406.
Spicer, R.A., Herman, A.B., and Kennedy, E.M., 2004, The Foliar Physiognomic Record of Climatic Conditions During Dormancy: CLAMP and the Cold Month Mean Temperature. Journal of Geology, 112: 685-702.
Spicer, R.A., Harris, N.B.W., Widdowson, M., Herman, A.B., Guo, S., Valdes, P.J., Wolfe, J.A., and Kelley, S.P., 2003. Constant elevation of Southern Tibet over the past 15 million years. Nature. 412: 622-624.
Kennedy, E.M., Spicer, R.A., and Rees, P.M., 2002, Quantitative palaeoclimate estimates from Late Cretaceous and Paleocene leaf floras in the northwest of the South Island, New Zealand. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 184: 321-345
Spicer, R.A., Herman, A.B., Ahlberg, A.T., Raikevich, M.I., Rees, P.M.A., 2002, Mid-Cretaceous Grebenka flora of North-eastern Russia: stratigraphy, palaeobotany, taphonomy and palaeoenvironment. . Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 184: 65-105
Spicer, R.A., Herman, A.B., 2001, The Albian-Cenomanian flora of the Kukpowruk River, western North Slope, Alaska: stratigraphy, palaeofloristics, and plant communities, Cretaceous Research 22: 1-40.
Morgans, H.S., Hesselbo, S.P. and Spicer, R.A., 1999, The Seasonal Climate of the Early-Middle Jurassic, Cleveland Basin, England. Palaios, 14: 261 – 272.
Kelley, S., Spicer, R.A., Herman, A.B., 1999, New 40Ar/39Ar dates for Cretaceous Chauna Group tephra, North-Eastern Russia, and their implications for the geologic history and floral evolution of the North Pacific region. Cretaceous Research, 20: 97-106.
Parrish, J.T., Daniel, I.L., Kennedy, E.M., and Spicer, R.A., 1998, Paleoclimatic Significance of Mid-Cretaceous Floras from the Middle Clarence Valley, New Zealand. Palaios 13: 146-156.