Dr Natalie Hicks
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Email
natalie.hicks@essex.ac.uk -
Telephone
+44 (0) 1206 873308
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Location
3SW.3.08, Colchester Campus
Research and professional activities
Research interests
Marine Benthic Biogeochemistry
Carbon and oxygen dynamics in marine sediments (coastal and shelf) - includes carbon stocks and sequestration, 'blue carbon' and nature based solutions, and carbon cycling
Carbon cycling
Blue carbon
Carbon sequestration
Climate change in marine ecosystems
Teaching and supervision
Current teaching responsibilities
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Transferable Skills in Life Sciences (BS143)
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Professional skills for Ecological and Marine Scientists (BS257)
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Estuarine and Coastal Ecology Field Module (BS303)
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Climate Change and Pollution (BS345)
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Estuarine and Coastal Ecology Field Module (Assessed in Following Year) (BS417)
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Professional Skills in Tropical Marine Biology (BS708)
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Research Project: MSc Tropical Marine Biology (BS782)
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Research Project in Life Sciences (BS832)
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Employability Skills for the Biosciences (BS211)
Publications
Journal articles (18)
Fox, C., Webb, C., Grant, J., Brain, S., Fraser, S., Abell, R. and Hicks, N., (2023). Measuring and modelling the dispersal of salmon farm organic waste over sandy sediments. Aquaculture Environment Interactions. 15, 251-269
McLean, DL., Ferreira, LC., Benthuysen, JA., Miller, KJ., Schläppy, M-L., Ajemian, MJ., Berry, O., Birchenough, SNR., Bond, T., Boschetti, F., Bull, AS., Claisse, JT., Condie, SA., Consoli, P., Coolen, JWP., Elliott, M., Fortune, IS., Fowler, AM., Gillanders, BM., Harrison, HB., Hart, KM., Henry, L-A., Hewitt, CL., Hicks, N., Hock, K., Hyder, K., Love, M., Macreadie, PI., Miller, RJ., Montevecchi, WA., Nishimoto, MM., Page, HM., Paterson, DM., Pattiaratchi, CB., Pecl, GT., Porter, JS., Reeves, DB., Riginos, C., Rouse, S., Russell, DJF., Sherman, CDH., Teilmann, J., Todd, VLG., Treml, EA., Williamson, DH. and Thums, M., (2022). Influence of offshore oil and gas structures on seascape ecological connectivity.. Global Change Biology. 28 (11), 3515-3536
Lérida-Toro, V., Abascal, U., Villa-Alfageme, M., Klar, J., Hicks, N. and López-Gutiérrez, JM., (2022). ¹²⁹I in sediment cores from the Celtic Sea by AMS through a microwave digestion process. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms. 529, 61-67
Graves, CA., Benson, L., Aldridge, J., Austin, WEN., Dal Molin, F., Fonseca, VG., Hicks, N., Hynes, C., Kröger, S., Lamb, PD., Mason, C., Powell, C., Smeaton, C., Wexler, SK., Woulds, C. and Parker, R., (2022). Sedimentary carbon on the continental shelf: Emerging capabilities and research priorities for Blue Carbon. Frontiers in Marine Science. 9
Legge, O., Johnson, M., Hicks, N., Jickells, T., Diesing, M., Aldridge, J., Andrews, J., Artioli, Y., Bakker, DCE., Burrows, MT., Carr, N., Cripps, G., Felgate, SL., Fernand, L., Greenwood, N., Hartman, S., Kröger, S., Lessin, G., Mahaffey, C., Mayor, DJ., Parker, R., Queirós, AM., Shutler, JD., Silva, T., Stahl, H., Tinker, J., Underwood, GJC., Van Der Molen, J., Wakelin, S., Weston, K. and Williamson, P., (2020). Carbon on the Northwest European Shelf: Contemporary Budget and Future Influences. Frontiers in Marine Science. 7
Guamán-Guevara, F., Austin, H., Hicks, N., Streeter, R. and Austin, WEN., (2019). Impacts of ocean acidification on intertidal benthic foraminiferal growth and calcification. PLoS ONE. 14 (8), e0220046-e0220046
Ingels, J., dos Santos, G., Hicks, N., Vazquez, YV., Neres, PF., Pontes, LP., Amorim, MN., Román, S., Du, Y., Stahl, H., Somerfield, PJ. and Widdicombe, S., (2018). Short-term CO₂ exposure and temperature rise effects on metazoan meiofauna and free-living nematodes in sandy and muddy sediments: Results from a flume experiment. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. 502, 211-226
Hicks, N., Liu, X., Gregory, R., Kenny, J., Lucaci, A., Lenzi, L., Paterson, DM. and Duncan, KR., (2018). Temperature Driven Changes in Benthic Bacterial Diversity Influences Biogeochemical Cycling in Coastal Sediments. Frontiers in Microbiology. 9 (AUG), 1730-
Hicks, N., Ubbara, GR., Silburn, B., Smith, HEK., Kröger, S., Parker, ER., Sivyer, D., Kitidis, V., Hatton, A., Mayor, DJ. and Stahl, H., (2017). Oxygen dynamics in shelf seas sediments incorporating seasonal variability. Biogeochemistry. 135 (1-2), 35-47
Thompson, CEL., Silburn, B., Williams, ME., Hull, T., Sivyer, D., Amoudry, LO., Widdicombe, S., Ingels, J., Carnovale, G., McNeill, CL., Hale, R., Marchais, CL., Hicks, N., Smith, HEK., Klar, JK., Hiddink, JG., Kowalik, J., Kitidis, V., Reynolds, S., Woodward, EMS., Tait, K., Homoky, WB., Kröger, S., Bolam, S., Godbold, JA., Aldridge, J., Mayor, DJ., Benoist, NMA., Bett, BJ., Morris, KJ., Parker, ER., Ruhl, HA., Statham, PJ. and Solan, M., (2017). An approach for the identification of exemplar sites for scaling up targeted field observations of benthic biogeochemistry in heterogeneous environments. Biogeochemistry. 135 (1-2), 1-34
Silburn, B., Kröger, S., Parker, ER., Sivyer, DB., Hicks, N., Powell, CF., Johnson, M. and Greenwood, N., (2017). Benthic pH gradients across a range of shelf sea sediment types linked to sediment characteristics and seasonal variability. Biogeochemistry. 135 (1-2), 69-88
Currie, AR., Tait, K., Parry, H., de Francisco-Mora, B., Hicks, N., Osborn, AM., Widdicombe, S. and Stahl, H., (2017). Marine Microbial Gene Abundance and Community Composition in Response to Ocean Acidification and Elevated Temperature in Two Contrasting Coastal Marine Sediments. Frontiers in Microbiology. 8 (AUG), 1599-
Aldridge, JN., Lessin, G., Amoudry, LO., Hicks, N., Hull, T., Klar, JK., Kitidis, V., McNeill, CL., Ingels, J., Parker, ER., Silburn, B., Silva, T., Sivyer, DB., Smith, HEK., Widdicombe, S., Woodward, EMS., van der Molen, J., Garcia, L. and Kröger, S., (2017). Comparing benthic biogeochemistry at a sandy and a muddy site in the Celtic Sea using a model and observations. Biogeochemistry. 135 (1-2), 155-182
Hicks, N., Ubbara, GR., Silburn, B., Smith, HEK., Kröger, S., Parker, ER., Sivyer, D., Kitidis, V., Hatton, A., Mayor, DJ. and Stahl, H., (2017). Oxygen dynamics in shelf seas sediments incorporating seasonal variability.. Biogeochemistry. 135 (1), 35-47
Hicks, N., Vik, U., Taylor, P., Ladoukakis, E., Park, J., Kolisis, F. and Jakobsen, KS., (2017). Using Prokaryotes for Carbon Capture Storage. Trends in Biotechnology. 35 (1), 22-32
Hicks, N., Vik, U., Taylor, P., Ladoukakis, E., Park, J., Kolisis, F., Stahl, H. and Jakobsen, KS., (2015). Reviews and synthesis: Carbon capture and storage monitoring – an integrated biological, biophysical and chemical approach. Biogeosciences Discussions. 12 (12), 8909-8937
Hicks, N., Bulling, MT., Solan, M., Raffaelli, D., White, PCL. and Paterson, DM., (2011). Impact of biodiversity-climate futures on primary production and metabolism in a model benthic estuarine system.. BMC Ecology. 11 (1), 7-7
Bulling, MT., Hicks, N., Murray, L., Paterson, DM., Raffaelli, D., White, PCL. and Solan, M., (2010). Marine biodiversity–ecosystem functions under uncertain environmental futures. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 365 (1549), 2107-2116
Book chapters (1)
Stafford, R., Ashley, M., Clavey, L., Esteves, LS., Hicks, N., Jones, A., Leonard, P., Luisetti, T., Martin, A., Parker, R., Rees, S., Schratzberger, M. and Unsworth, R., (2021). Coastal and Marine Systems. In: Nature-based Solutions for Climate Change in the UK: A Report by the British Ecological Society. Editors: Stafford, R., Chamberlain, B., Clavey, L., Gillingham, P., McKain, S., Morecroft, M., Morrison-Bell, C. and Watts, O., . British Ecological Society. 107- 120
Reports and Papers (1)
Clive, F., Hicks, N., Webb, C., Grant, J., Brain, S., Fraser, S. and Abell, R., Improving understanding of fish farm organic waste dispersal in higher energy environments
Grants and funding
2022
ORBIT: Offshore Renewables: winds of change for Benthic communities?
Natural Environment Research Council
PhD Studentship Intertidal seagrass dynamics, recovery and role in nature based solutions
Harwich Haven Authority
2020
Functionality and Ecological Connectivity of Man-Made Structures (FuECoMMS)
Natural Environment Research Council
EPStromNet - Extant Peritidal Stromatolite Network
Natural Environment Research Council
Ecosystem Management: Building Resilience and Adaptability to Coastal Climate Change Effects
Economic and Social Research Council
