Biography
An early interest in landscape and landscape evolution was fostered by family holidays in Wales and Scotland and honed at school (Eastbourne Grammar School 1966-1973) by A-Level geography and in particular a field trip to Charnwood Forest and a fascination in the contents of G.H.Dury's book "The Face of the Earth". After A-levels I went to Sussex to study Geography in the School of Biological Sciences (1973-1976) where I developed interests in plant physiology and biochemistry but managed to pull back at the last minute and headed into Quaternary geomorphology. After graduating from Sussex I went to the Sub-Department of Quaternary Research in the Botany School at Cambridge to work under Professor R.G.West FRS on the 'Pleistocene environmental history of east Anglia' (1976-1979). It was at Cambridge that I trained as a palynologist and sedimentologist. A lectureship at TCD advertised in 1979 seemed like a good plan. .../
Publications and Further Research Outputs
Peer-Reviewed Publications
Coxon, P., Mitchell, F.J.G. and Wyse Jackson, P.N. , Wicklow in the Grip of an Ice Age. Second Edition, Second Edition, Dublin, Irish Quaternary Association (IQUA)., 2019, 1 - 62pp
Coxon, P., Bennett,K.D.B., Dalton, C., Mitchell, F.J.G. and McCarron, S., THE XXTH INQUA CONGRESS Dublin Ireland, 25th-31st July 2019, Quaternary Newsletter, 149, 2019, p39 - 46
Coxon, P. and Hennessy, M. , The Quaternary of Clare Island: Field Guide, Dublin, IQUA, 2019, 1-173pp
Coxon, P., The Quaternary of western Ireland Field Guide, Dublin, IQUA, 2019, 1 - 237pp
Introduction: Advances in Irish Quaternary Studies in, editor(s)Coxon, P., McCarron, S. Mitchell, F.J.G. , Advances in Irish Quaternary Studies, Paris, Atlantis Press, 2017, pp1 - 17, [Coxon, P., McCarron, S. Mitchell, F.J.G.]
Peter Coxon, Stephen McCarron, Fraser Mitchell, Advances in Irish Quaternary Studies, 1, Paris, Atlantis Press, 2017, 1 - 316pp
The Pre-Quaternary Landscape of Ireland in, editor(s)Coxon, P., McCarron, S. Mitchell, F.J.G. , Advances in Irish Quaternary Studies, Paris, Atlantis Press, 2017, pp19 - 42, [Michael J. Simms and Peter Coxon]
Interglacial Sequences in, editor(s)Coxon, P., McCarron, S. Mitchell, F.J.G. , Advances in Irish Quaternary Studies , Paris, Atlantis Press, 2017, pp43 - 66, [Coxon, P., Mitchell, F.J.G., von Engelbrechten, S., Vaughan, L.]
The type locality of the Gortian Interglacial: Boleyneendorrish River, Co. Galway. A site of significant importance to Irish Quaternary geology. in, editor(s)Joanne Nolan and Chris Randolph , The Burren, County Clare. Field guide Number 33, Dublin, IQUA, 2016, pp10 - 17, [Coxon, P]
Relict (fossil) pingos. Camaross, County Wexford. in, editor(s)McGlynn, G. and Stefanini, B. , The Quaternary of South East Ireland., London and Dublin, Quaternary Research Association and Irish Quaternary Association, 2015, pp100 - 105, [Coxon, P.]
Daniel Praeg; Stephen McCarron; Dayton Dove; Colm Ó Cofaigh; Gill Scott; Xavier Monteys; Lorenzo Facchin; Roberto Romeo; Peter Coxon, Ice sheet extension to the Celtic Sea shelf edge at the Last Glacial Maximum, Quaternary Science Reviews, 111, 2015, p107 - 112
Interglacial deposits in Cork Harbour. in, editor(s)McGlynn, G. and Stefanini, B. , The Quaternary of South East Ireland, London and Dublin, Quaternary Research Association and Irish Quaternary Association, 2015, pp147 - 157, [Coxon, P. and Dowling, L.]
Glacial sediments on Scattery Island and their deformation in, editor(s)Dalton, C. and O'Carroll,E. , Limerick and Shannon Estuary Region., Dublin, Field Guide Number 32. Irish Association for Quaternary Studies (IQUA), 2014, pp53 - 62, [Philcox, M. and Coxon, P.]
A Holocene pollen diagram from Lough Avullin, Clare Island, western Ireland in, editor(s)Donal Synnott , New Survey of Clare Island. Volume 7: Plants and Fungi, Dublin, Royal Irish Academy, 2013, pp1 - 27, [Coxon, P., Corcoran, R., Gibson, P. and McCarron, S. ]
Ceiridwen J. Edwards, Simon Y.W. Ho, Ross Barnett, Peter Coxon, Daniel G. Bradley, Tom C. Lord, Terry O'Connor, Continuity of brown bear maternal lineages in northern England through the Last-glacial period, Quaternary Science Reviews, 2013
Ireland under Ice in, editor(s)Matthew Jebb and Colm Crowley , Secrets of the Irish Landscape, Cork, Cork University Press, 2013, pp20 - 27, [Peter Coxon]
Coxon, P., Mitchell, F.J.G. and Wyse Jackson, P.N., Wicklow in the Grip of an Ice Age, 1, Dublin, Irish Quaternary Association, 2012, i - 48pp
Ceiridwen J. Edwards, Marc A. Suchard, Philippe Lemey, John J. Welch, Ian Barnes, Tara L. Fulton, Ross Barnett, Tamsin C. O'Connell, Peter Coxon, Nigel Monaghan, Cristina E. Valdiosera, Eline D. Lorenzen, Eske Willerslev, Gennady F. Baryshnikov, Andrew Rambaut, Mark G. Thomas, Daniel G. Bradley and Beth Shapiro, Ancient Hybridization and an Irish Origin for the Modern Polar Bear Matriline, Current Biology, 21, (15), 2011, p1251 - 1258
Journal of Quaternary Science, 25, 4, (2010), 395 - 603p, Rose, J and Coxon, P., [Editor]
Rose, J and Coxon, P., The Quaternary of the British Isles and adjoining seas, Journal of Quaternary Science, 25, (4), 2010, p395 - 398
Cenozoic: Tertiary and Quaternary (until 11,700 years before 2000) in, editor(s)Charles H. Holland & Ian S. Sanders , The Geology of Ireland (2nd Edition), Edinburgh, Dunedin Academic Press, 2009, pp355 - 396, [Coxon, P. and McCarron, S.G.]
Coxon, P, Landscapes and environments of the last glacial-interglacial transition: a time of amazingly rapid change in Ireland. , Special Supplement to The Irish Naturalists' Journal 2008, Special Issue, 2008, p45 - 61
Journal of Quaternary Science, 23, 4, (2008), 311 - 400p, Leng,M.J., Street-Perrott, F.A. and Barker,P.A., [Special Issues Editor]
Journal of Quaternary Science, 21, 5, (2006), 421 - 584p, Nick Ashton, Simon G. Lewis, Chris Stringer , [Special Issue Editor]
Phytogeography of Ireland, past & present in, editor(s)SJ Leach CN Page Y Peytoureau MN Sanford , Botanical Links in the Atlantic Arc, London, Botanical Society of the British Isles, 2006, pp31 - 39, [Waldren, S, Coxon, P. & Kingston, N.]
Journal of Quaternary Science, 21, 7, (2006), 679 - 801p, Turney,C. Kershaw, P and Lynch,A., [Special Issue editor]
Journal of Quaternary Science. Special Issue: Glacial Geology and Palaeoclimate Records, 20, 7-8, (2005), 621 - 843p, Coxon,P. and Rodbell,D., [eds.]
Site 2.4. Turloughs in south-east Mayo: Quaternary deposits and palaeohydrological implications in, editor(s)Coxon,P. , The Quaternary of Central Western Ireland: Field Guide, London, Quaternary Research Association, 2005, pp101 - 111, [Coxon, C.E. and Coxon,P. ]
Coxon, P., The late Tertiary landscapes of western Ireland, Irish Geography, 38, (2), 2005, p111 - 127
Palynology, Selley, R.C., Cocks, L.R.M. and Plimer, I.R., Encyclopedia of Geology, Elsevier, 2005, pp464 - 469, [Coxon, P. and Clayton, G. ]
Spore and pollen biostratigraphy in, editor(s)Jones, T.P. and Rowe, N.P. , Fossil Plants and Spores: modern techniques, Hefei, China, University of Science and Technology of China Press, 2005, pp248 - 253, [CLAYTON, G. and COXON, P.]
Coxon, P., Quaternary studies in Ireland and the Irish Quaternary Association (IQUA), Quaternary Perspectives, 15, (1), 2005, p229 - 231
A2. Introduction: The Quaternary Geology of Central Western Ireland in, editor(s)Coxon,P. , The Quaternary of Central Western Ireland: Field Guide, London, Quaternary Research Association, 2005, pp7 - 24, [Farrell, A., McCarron, S. and Coxon, P. 2005. ]
Light microscopy of fossil pollen and spores in, editor(s)Jones, T.P and Rowe, N.P. , Fossil Plants and Spores: modern techniques, Hefei, China, University of Science and Technology of China Press, 2005, pp51 - 54, [COXON, P. and CLAYTON, G.]
Site 3.2. Quarry 1. Bóthar na Scrathóg. A Neogene palaeosurface in, editor(s)Coxon,P. , The Quaternary of Central Western Ireland: Field Guide, London, Quaternary Research Association, 2005, pp113 - 124, [Coxon,P.]
Site 2.3. Pollnahallia: A Tertiary palaeosurface and a glimpse of Ireland's pre-Pleistocene landscape in, editor(s)Coxon,P. , The Quaternary of Central Western Ireland: Field Guide, London, Quaternary Research Association, 2005, pp79 - 100, [Coxon, P., McMorrow, S., Coxon, C.E. and Nolan,T. ]
Coxon,P. (ed), The Quaternary of Central Western Ireland: Field Guide, London, Quaternary Research Association, 2005, 1 - 220pp
Chapman, M., Graham,J.R., Goodhue, R and Coxon, P., Prehistoric drainage diversion in the Monavullagh Mountains, Co.Cork, Decies. Journal of the Waterford Archaeological and Historical Society, 61, 2005, p1 - 12
Clague, J., Coxon, P., Avery, M., Chivas, A., Piotrowski, J., Rousseau, D.-D., Zisheng, A., , Revision of the geological time scale; Implications for the 'Quaternary', Quaternary Perspectives , 14, 2004, p124 - 125
Vaughan,A.P.M., Dowling,L.A., Mitchell,F.J.G., Lauritzen, S-E., McCabe,A.M. and Coxon,P. , Depositional and post-depositional history of warm stage deposits at Knocknacran, Co.Monaghan, Ireland: implications for preservation of Irish last interglacial deposits., Journal of Quaternary Science, 19, (6), 2004, p577 - 590
Pleistocene glaciations in Ireland in, editor(s)Ehlers, J. and Gibbard, P.L. , Quaternary Glaciations - Extent and Chronology, Holland, Elsevier, B.V., 2004, pp183 - 191, [Knight, J., Coxon, P., McCabe, A.M. and McCarron, S.G.]
The making of the landscape. in, editor(s)Quirke,B. , Killarney National Park. A place to treasure, Cork, The Collins Press, 2001, pp15 - 30, [Thorn,R. and Coxon,P. ]
Cenozoic: Tertiary and Quaternary (until 10,000 years before present.) in, editor(s)Holland,C.H. , The Geology of Ireland, Edinburgh, Dunedin Academic Press, 2001, pp387 - 427, [Coxon,P.]
The Quaternary history of Clare Island. in, editor(s)Graham, J.R. , New Survey of Clare Island. Volume 2: Geology, Dublin, Royal Irish Academy, 2001, pp87 - 112, [Coxon,P.]
Dowling, L.A. and Coxon,P., Current understanding of Pleistocene temperate stages in Ireland., Quaternary Science Reviews, 20, 2001, p1631 - 1642
Coxon,P., Understanding Irish landscape evolution: Pollen assemblages from Neogene and Pleistocene palaeosurfaces in western Ireland., Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, 101B, (1-2), 2001, p85 - 97
Mitchell,W.A. and Coxon,P. , Observations on the Quaternary geology of the Ladakh Range, Northwest Indian Himalaya., Earth Science Frontiers (China University of Beijing), 7, 2000, p49-
Spore and pollen biostratigraphy in, editor(s)Jones, T.P. and Rowe, N.P. , Fossil plants and spores: modern techniques, London, The Geological Society, 1999, pp225 - 229, [Clayton, G. and Coxon, P.]
Light microscopy of fossil pollen and spores in, editor(s)Jones, T.P. and Rowe, N.P. ( , Fossil plants and spores: modern techniques, London, Geological Society, 1999, pp47 - 51, [Coxon, P. and Clayton, G. ]
Dowling, L.A., Sejrup, H.P., Coxon, P. and Heijnis, H., Palynology, aminostratigraphy, and U-series dating of marine Gortian Interglacial sediments in Cork Harbour, southern Ireland, Quaternary Science Reviews, 17, 1998, p945 - 962
A pre-Pliocene or Pliocene land surface in County Galway, Ireland in, editor(s)Widdowson, M. , Palaeosurfaces: Recognition, Reconstruction and Palaeoenvironmental Interpretation, London, Geological Society Special Publication No. 120, 1997, pp37 - 55, [Coxon, P. & Coxon, C.]
Coxon, C.E. & Coxon, P., Carbonate deposition in turloughs (seasonal lakes) on the western limestone lowlands of Ireland, II: The sedimentary record, Irish Geography, 27, (1), 1994, p28 - 35
The Yellow River (County Leitrim, Ireland) flash flood of June 1986 in, editor(s)Beven, K. & Carling, P. , Floods - Hydrological, Sedimentological and Geomorphological Implications, Wiley, 1989, pp199 - 217, [Coxon, P., Coxon, C.E. & Thorn, R.H.]
Non-Peer-Reviewed Publications
Coxon, P., Clew Bay, Clare Island and Climate: the making of an ice age landscape, Evening Lecture, Westport Coast Hotel, 15 November, 2016, Westport Civic Trust
Coxon, P., Rapid and dramatic climate changes in the Quaternary: glacial-interglacial cycles in the last 2.6 million years, Climate change through geological time, Collins Barracks, Benburb Street, Dublin 7, 3rd December, 2016, Ireland Branch: The Open University Geological Society
INQUA, XVIII INQUA-Congress, July 21st-27th 2011, In:Quaternary sciences - the view from the mountains, 2011, Bern, Switzerland, Peter Coxon (Chair), Flavio Anselmetti, Cecile Baeteman, Zhongli Ding, Hubertus Fischer, Gary Haynes, Sandy Harrison, Thorsten Kiefer, John Lowe, Ebbe Nielsen, Brad Pillans, Frank Preusser, Ashok Singhvi, Jim Teller and Willy Tinner
Mc Carron, S.G., O'Loinsigh, T., and Coxon, P., Preliminary investigations into the Remote Sensing of Landslides in upland Ireland, 15th Irish Environmental Researchers Colloquium, Sligo IT, 2005
Coxon, P., Mountain Geomorphology, Review of Mountain Geomorphology, by Philip N. Owens and Olav Slaymaker (eds) , The Holocene, 15, (4), 2005, p637-638
Farrell, A. and Coxon,P., N25 Waterford By-pass: Sedimentological and Palaeoenvironmental Investigation of Wetland Area adjacent to Woodstown., Dublin, NRA, 2004
Research Expertise
Description
Primarily my research interests are critical aspects of Quaternary geomorphology including the use of geomorphological mapping (glacial geology), mass-movements and failures in Quaternary sediments, reconstructing flood events, environmental archaeology, palynological techniques and geomorphology to analyse landscape change and to solve stratigraphical problems in Quaternary and Tertiary deposits. Much of this work has been published and I have an active research profile with projects under way. I have wide experience in the field of geomorphology, in particular glacial and periglacial geomorphology and landforms and sediments using field mapping, sedimentological and remote sensing techniques.Projects
- Title
- Flood/bog flow/landslide mass-movement reconstruction
- Summary
- Analysing high-magnitude/ low-frequency events such as flows in order to mitigate and plan for future occurrences. Has included work in Ireland and the Himalaya (see publications)
- Funding Agency
- numerous
- Date From
- 1984
- Date To
- ongoing
- Title
- Pleistocene biostratigraphy in Ireland
- Summary
- Elucidating organic sequences of Late- and Middle Pleistocene age using palaeoecology, dating and sedimentological analyses
- Funding Agency
- EU, TCD, FORBAIRT...
- Date From
- 1979
- Date To
- ongoing
Recognition
Awards and Honours
IQUA Frank Mitchell Award for excellence in research and teaching
Member Royal Irish Academy (MRIA)
Fellow Trinity College Dublin (FTCD)
Memberships
Member of the Quaternary Research Association (QRA)
Member of the Irish Quaternary Association (IQUA)