Craig Smeaton

@st-andrews.ac.uk

School of Geography and Sustainable Development
University of St Andrews

Craig Smeaton


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https://researchid.co/csmeaton1987

RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS

Environmental Science, Earth-Surface Processes, General Earth and Planetary Sciences, Environmental Chemistry
40

Scopus Publications

1493

Scholar Citations

24

Scholar h-index

36

Scholar i10-index

Scopus Publications

  • Long-term nitrogen burial exceeds denitrification in global fjords
    Henry L. S. Cheung, Lubrina S. Levin, Craig Smeaton, Tobia Politi, Bo Thamdrup, Isaac R. Santos, Stefano Bonaglia
    Nature Communications, 2026
    Nitrogen (N) availability regulates primary productivity and hence directly affects global oceanic carbon sequestration. Global fjords account for up to 11% of marine carbon burial. However, N loss via sediment burial remains largely unquantified. Here, we show that global fjords are hotspots of N burial, accounting for up to 18% of oceanic N burial despite only covering 0.1% of the ocean area. Burial is the dominant N loss mechanism, exceeding microbial N loss via denitrification and anammox, which are generally considered the major N loss mechanisms. Microbial N loss dominates in anoxic fjords and appears to be a function of temperature and nutrient availability. Overall, fjords efficiently sequester excess N in sediments over long time scales. Accelerated warming will promote both N burial from increased primary production and microbial N loss from warmer temperatures, affecting N budgets in fjords and in the ocean in general.
  • Spatial heterogeneity of sedimentary organic carbon in fjords around Stavanger, Norway - implications for upscaling
    Markus Diesing, Reidulv Bøe, Sigrid Elvenes, Jochen Knies, Craig Smeaton
    Biogeosciences, 2026
    Fjords are steep sided glacially carved troughs that have been inundated by the sea. Several global assessments have aimed to establish the role of fjords in the carbon cycle. According to these studies, fjords bury 18 Tg of organic carbon per year, and 55 % to 62 % of that organic carbon is terrestrially sourced. Such quantitative estimates, while important for understanding the role of fjords in the global carbon cycle, often rest on data compilations that might not be representative for fjord environments as a whole due to unaccounted spatial heterogeneity in terms of substrate types, depositional environments and characteristics of sedimentary organic carbon. Here, we present a local case study from fjords around Stavanger (Norway). Based on detailed investigations, we show that the seabed is heterogeneous in terms of substrate types covering the full grain-size spectrum from mud to boulders. Seabed areas where fine-grained sediment, and hence organic carbon, accumulates account for 50 % of the area while the remainder is characterised by coarse-grained sediment indicating erosion and transport. In depositional areas, rates of organic carbon accumulation vary between 18.7 and 82.6 gm-2yr-1 and stocks from 0.1 and 1.37 kg m−2. The fraction of labile organic matter varies between 19 % and 44 %, while δ13C-values of the organic carbon fraction range from −27.44 ‰ to −21.23 ‰, indicating a strong variability of the sources of organic carbon over a comparatively small area. Taken together, these results attest to high environmental variability and spatial heterogeneity in the study site, putting several assumptions used in global assessments into question. We suggest steps to achieve more realistic results when upscaling from local studies to a higher level. Using available data on organic carbon accumulation rates from Norwegian coastal areas, we demonstrate how local results could be upscaled in a more robust way. We arrive at a tentative estimate of 0.41–3.68 Tg yr−1 of organic carbon accumulating in surface sediments (upper 10 cm) of fjords in mainland Norway.
  • From Fjord to Shelf: Drivers of Organic Carbon Transformation and Storage Across Connected Marine Sedimentary Systems
    C. Smeaton, W. Hiles, P. Gulliver, W. E. N. Austin
    Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 2026
    Continental shelf sediments play a key role in the global carbon cycle through the long‐term storage of organic carbon (OC). However, outside of a few continental shelves dominated by large rivers our understanding of the mechanisms that drive the remineralization, burial and storage of OC across these sedimentary systems is underdeveloped. In the mid‐ to high‐latitudes, fjords are a common feature of many coastlines. Here, we focus on the fjords and adjacent continental shelf of the West coast of Scotland, where we have complied a new data set including OC content, bulk isotopic composition (δ 13 C org , δ 15 N and Δ 14 C), organic matter (OM) reactivity, particle size and mineral surface area of surficial sediments to investigate the dominant processes driving OC storage across the fjord continental shelf transition. This new data combined with spatial modeling identifies five geographically distinct sedimentary depositional regions, each with contrasting region‐dependent drivers of OC dynamics and composition. In the outer shelf regions, the sediments are characterized by low quantities of unreactive OC, derived from aged marine sources, while in the fjords, the sediments are characterized by high quantities of reactive OC, derived from modern terrestrial sources of OM. The results demonstrate that fjord–continental shelf transitions impose strong, spatially structured controls on the drivers of OC reactivity and preservation, shaping long‐term OC storage potential within these contrasting depositional zones.
  • Heterogenous Thermochemical Stability of Sedimentary Organic Carbon in High-Arctic Svalbard Fjords
    Xiaowen Zhang, Katarzyna Koziorowska, Huiyuan Yang, Songfan He, Kuan Hao, Maojun Yan, Craig Smeaton, Thomas S. Bianchi, Xingqian Cui
    Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 2026
    The modern carbon cycle in Arctic fjords is being disrupted by Arctic warming as permafrost thaw and glacier retreat intensify. Consequently, the erosion and export of terrestrial organic carbon (OC) to the ocean have accelerated. However, it is still largely unknown how this carbon cycle perturbation impacts the fate of mobilized OC in sediments. Here, we applied the ramped‐temperature pyrolysis oxidation (RPO) technique to investigate the thermochemical decomposition potential of sedimentary OC in Svalbard fjords. The thermochemically labile, moderate, and refractory OCs are classified by specific energy thresholds. Our results show that sedimentary OC in Svalbard fjords exhibits overall high thermochemical heterogeneity. Fractions of refractory OC, as defined thermochemically, increase on a per‐fjord basis from northern to southern fjords and are generally higher near the head of each fjord. The spatial pattern of refractory OC is most likely attributed to the delivery and sorting of petrogenic OC derived from bedrock erosion. By compiling published data sets with our results, we estimate an OC burial rate of 7.3 ± 6.2 × 10 11 gC yr −1 in Svalbard fjords, with 1.2 ± 1.1 × 10 11 gC yr −1 and 2.7 ± 2.4 × 10 11 gC yr −1 attributed to labile and refractory components, respectively. Although a thermochemical moderate fraction still dominates the sediment OC pool, this work highlights that Svalbard fjords also serve as significant reservoirs of both labile and refractory sedimentary OC.
  • Efficient Burial of Labile Organic Carbon in Sediments of Oxygenated Icelandic Fjords
    Emily G. Watts, Kira Zautcke, Isaac Santos, Craig Smeaton, Wilma Ljungberg, Henry L. S. Cheung, Stefano Bonaglia, Tobia Politi, Zhanfei Liu, Thomas S. Bianchi
    Estuaries and Coasts, 2025
    Fjords are hotspots of organic carbon (OC) burial, making them key components in the global carbon cycle. Recent research shows high marine OC burial even under oxic fjord water columns, broadening the scope of key drivers of OC burial therein. Here, we investigate the fate of marine OC in fjord sediments underlying oxic bottom waters in East Iceland. We estimate OC sources using stable isotopes, degradation using chemical biomarkers, and burial using 210Pb and 137Cs profiles. The average OC accumulation rates in East Iceland fjords were ~ 15 g OC m−2 year−1, lower than the fjord global average of 54 g OC m−2 year−1. Marine OC was the overwhelming source of OC to sediments and accounted for 91% of the OC buried in Iceland. The gradient in OC source from the head-to-mouth of the fjords was minimal, due to limited terrestrial vegetation and soil cover, low riverine inputs, and effective exchange with coastal waters. Lignin and total hydrolyzable amino acid biomarkers suggest negligible degradation of terrestrial OC and minor degradation of marine OC. Although a portion of marine OC was prone to remineralization in sediments, it represented only a small fraction of the total OC resulting in high OC transfer (burial) efficiencies of 68–96% within the top 25 cm of sediments. Overall, Icelandic fjords efficiently bury labile marine OC despite oxic water columns.
  • Hotspots and coldspots of seabed organic carbon on the Norwegian continental margin
    Markus Diesing, Craig Smeaton, Lilja Rún Bjarnadóttir, Terje Thorsnes
    Environmental Research Communications, 2025
    Continental margin sediments are important sinks for organic carbon, thus providing valuable climate regulating functions. Human activities such as mobile bottom fishing might, however, compromise the effectiveness of the seabed in accumulating and storing organic carbon through a net increase of organic carbon remineralisation. While there currently is no consensus on the magnitude of this effect, it can be postulated that seabed areas characterised by high rates of organic carbon accumulation, high organic carbon stocks and a large fraction of labile organic matter might be most vulnerable to mobile bottom fishing. Conversely, areas characterised by low or no organic carbon accumulation, low stocks and a small fraction of labile organic matter might be of least concern. Based on reactivity measurements we spatially predict the thermal reactivity of sedimentary organic matter on the Norwegian continental margin. Surface sediments contain between 13% and 34% labile organic matter, with the highest values attained in the central Barents Sea. Using these results and previously developed maps of organic carbon stocks and accumulation rates, we then carry out a regionalisation using unsupervised classification with the aim to identify distinct seabed areas. We identify hotspots with regard to accumulation, storage and lability in the Skagerrak and the central Barents Sea and coldspots on the North Sea plateau, shelf banks in the Norwegian and southern Barents Seas and along the continental shelf break. Our results have the potential to be used in the ecosystem-based management of marine areas in Norway, and our methodology provides a template for similar analyses in other sea areas.
  • Shellfish carbonate in sediments: assessing historical baselines, dissolution dynamics, and carbon storage beneath shellfish farms, Marlborough, New Zealand
    Sean J. Handley, Rachel Hale, Craig Smeaton, Andrew Swales, Ollie Kerr-Hislop
    Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science, 2025
  • A marine and salt marsh sediment organic carbon database for European regional seas (EURO-CARBON)
    Anna Elizabeth Løvgren Graversen, Christian Lønborg, Anna Maria Addamo, Sidsel Gurholt Pedersen, Silvia Chemello, Irene Alejo, Eugenia T. Apostolaki, Maria E. Asplund, William E.N. Austin, Dimitar Berov, Daniela Berto, Mats Björk, Kirsty Black, Nikola Bobchev, Stefano Bonaglia, Gunhild Borgersen, Tjeerd Bouma, Mark J. Costello, Martin Dahl, Elena Diaz-Almela, Panagiotis D. Dimitriou, Carlos M. Duarte, Carmen Leiva Dueñas, Pavlos T. Efthymiadis, Ines Mazarrasa Elosegui, Maria Recio Espinosa, Helena L. Filipsson, Marcos Fontela, Stein Fredriksen, Helene Frigstad, Karine Gagnon, Catalina A. Garcia-Escudero, Michele Giani, Anne Grouhel-Pellouin, Roberta Guerra, Martin Gullström, Hege Gundersen, Kasper Hancke, Claudia Majtényi-Hill, Corallie Hunt, Karina Inostroza, Ioannis Karakassis, Ventzislav Karamfilov, Stefania Klayn, Katarzyna Koziorowska, Karol Kuliński, Paul Lavery, Wytze K. Lenstra, Ana I. Lillebø, Ella Logemann, Paolo Magni, Núria Marbà, Candela Marco-Mendez, Marcio Martins, Miguel Angel Mateo, Briac Monnier, Peter Mueller, Joao M. Neto, Nafsika Papageorgiou, Carlos Eduardo de Rezende, Juan Carlos Farias Pardo, Jose Antonio Juanes De La Peña, Gérard Pergent, Nerea Piñeiro-Juncal, Joanne Preston, Federico Rampazzo, Gloria Reithmaier, Thorsten B.H. Reusch, Sarah Reynolds, Aurora M. Ricart, Rui Santos, Carmen B. de los Santos, Isaac R. Santos, Eduard Serrano, Oscar Serrano, Caroline P. Slomp, Craig Smeaton, Montserrar Soler, Ana I. Sousa, Timo Spiegel, Angela Stevenson, Jonas Thormar, Hilde Cecilie Trannum, Niels A.G.M. van Helmond, Sarah Paradis, Salvatrice Vizzini, Emma A. Ward, Yvonne Y.Y. Yau, Rym Zakhama-Sraieb, Imen Zribi, Olga M. Zygadlowska, Dorte Krause Jensen
    Data in Brief, 2025
    Marine and salt marsh sediments contain large amounts of organic carbon (OC) and are therefore important in the global carbon cycle. Here, we collated previously published and unpublished measurements of sediment OC in marine and salt marsh sediments in European regional seas (EURO-CARBON; available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14905489). To the extent possible the OC data were complemented by variables such as sediment porosity and dry bulk density. The EURO-CARBON dataset holds 61306 individual data entries of sediment OC content from different regions of European regional seas. Around three quarters (76%) were collected in coastal and deep sea bare sediments, 18% from salt marshes, 7% from seagrass habitats, and 0.03% from macroalgal habitats. For all habitats and sediment depth layers the OC content varied between <0.1 and 41.56 % (avg.: 2.47 ± 3.37 %; median: 1.39 %), with the content generally decreasing in the following sequence: salt marsh (5.01 ± 5.96 %; 3.03 %) > seagrass (2.37 ± 5.96 %; 3.03 %) > bare sediment (1.88 ± 2.03 %; 1.20 %). The EURO-CARBON dataset will serve as a basis for future work, and it will be an important resource for researchers, managers, and policymakers working towards protecting sediment OC pools.
  • Palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of a fjord catchment NW Scotland, UK since the Last Glacial Maximum: A multi-geochemical approach
    Jennifer Taylor, David Selby, Jeremy M. Lloyd, Craig Smeaton, James Bendle, Mathew Allison, Yuan Ling, Luca Podrecca, Bradley B. Sageman, William Austin, Sönke Szidat
    Quaternary Science Reviews, 2025
    Loch Sunart, a fjord in NW Scotland, UK, records Late Glacial to Holocene sedimentation preserving palaeoenvironmental changes associated with the deglaciation of the British-Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS). This study combines a multi-proxy approach (osmium isotope analysis, carbon, sulphur and nitrogen elemental and isotopic analysis together with X-ray fluorescence, alkenone biomarkers and benthic foraminifera) to contribute to our understanding of the regional nature of BIIS deglaciation and enable the reconstruction of palaeoclimate variations since the last glacial. The observed patterns in the applied proxies collectively suggest that between ∼18 and 12.9 cal ka BP as the BIIS retreated, Loch Sunart experienced increased glacial meltwater discharge. Throughout this period, 187 Os/ 188 Os values are more radiogenic than the contemporaneous open ocean waters (∼1.04–1.06), which are interpreted to reflect an increase in glacially eroded sediment flux directly associated with glacial retreat following the Last Glacial Maximum. During the Younger Dryas, the fjord experienced a pause in glacially derived sediment reflected by a minimum in 187 Os/ 188 Os (∼1.1), which was followed by an increase in 187 Os/ 188 Os to more radiogenic values (∼1.3) at the end of the Younger Dryas. Coincident with changes in 187 Os/ 188 Os values, alkenone-based %C 37:4 values increase (40–60%), δ 13 C org values decrease (−24‰) and foraminifera species indicative of restricted water renewal increased in abundance, suggesting a period of water stratification. A rapid shift in 187 Os/ 188 Os values toward a marine signature of ∼1 indicates that the basin experienced a breakdown in water stratification and renewed mixing from 5 cal ka BP. This interpretation is further supported by a coincident decrease in %C 37:4 to <15%, and by distinct increases in wt% C, wt% N and δ 13 C org . This multi-proxy approach, specifically integrating Os, provides additional insight to the BIIS in NW Scotland, in particular how such fjords can respond to glacial readvance during the Younger Dryas, which was not captured by previous studies. • A multiproxy palaeoclimate reconstruction of a fjord utilising the Os isotope system. • Between ∼18 and 12.9 cal ka BP proxies show increased meltwater input during BIIS retreat delivering radiogenic material. • Between 12.9 and 5 cal ka BP proxies indicate shift in basin dynamics with the intensification of water stratification. • From 5 cal ka BP a drop in 187 Os/ 188 Os and %C 37:4 values mark renewed water mixing.
  • Anaerobic decomposition dynamics of three kelp species from the North-east Atlantic: implications for blue carbon storage
    AR O’Dell, JM Baxter, PJ Moore, DA Smale, C Smeaton, IM Davies, MT Burrows
    Marine Ecology Progress Series, 2025
    Decomposition pathways of detritus are key processes in the contribution of macroalgal habitats to natural carbon sequestration of ‘blue carbon’. The anaerobic decomposition of 3 North-east Atlantic canopy-forming kelp species was investigated using ex situ decomposition chambers. Thallus parts (stipes, holdfasts and blades) of Laminaria hyperborea, Saccharina latissima and L. digitata were incubated in still seawater in temperature-controlled dark conditions. Refractory potential (Rp), first-order decomposition rate (k) and associated half-life (t1/2) were calculated. Dissolved organic and inorganic carbon (DOC and DIC, respectively) were measured in the incubation water at 0, 7, 14 and 21 d, and thermal gravimetric profiles were determined at each decomposition stage. Oxygen depletion occurred within 24 h. Approximately 5 times as much DOC was released than DIC. Holdfast material produced the most DIC, while blade material released the greatest amounts of DOC. S. latissima released less DOC than L. hyperborea and L. digitata. The mean (SD) Rp of fragments increased from 0.46 ± 0.05 to 0.50 ± 0.04 throughout the 21 d incubations. S. latissima had the highest Rp throughout. First-order decomposition rates, averaged across the 3 kelp species, gave half-lives (t1/2) for blade fragments of 27.8 ± 2.9 d, (k = 0.025 ± 0.002) and stipes as 113.2 ± 21.1 d (k = 0.006 ± 0.001). This experiment clarifies the fate of macroalgal carbon during early decomposition and thus the processes that govern blue carbon pathways of macroalgae, highlighting the differences in breakdown among different species and thallus parts.
  • Investigating the effects of mobile bottom fishing on benthic carbon processing and storage: a systematic review protocol
    Stacey L. Felgate, John Aldridge, Stefan G. Bolam, Sarah Breimann, Emil de Borger, Jolien Claes, Jochen Depestele, Graham Epstein, Clement Garcia, Natalie Hicks, Michel Kaiser, Jack H. Laverick, Gennadi Lessin, Finbarr G. O’Neill, Sarah Paradis, Ruth Parker, Ryan Pereira, Alex J. Poulton, Claire Powell, Craig Smeaton, Paul Snelgrove, Justin Tiano, Johan van der Molen, Sebastiaan van de Velde, Marija Sciberras
    Environmental Evidence, 2024
  • Soil carbon in the world’s tidal marshes
    Tania L. Maxwell, Mark D. Spalding, Daniel A. Friess, Nicholas J. Murray, Kerrylee Rogers, Andre S. Rovai, Lindsey S. Smart, Lukas Weilguny, Maria Fernanda Adame, Janine B. Adams, William E. N. Austin, Margareth S. Copertino, Grace M. Cott, Micheli Duarte de Paula Costa, James R. Holmquist, Cai J. T. Ladd, Catherine E. Lovelock, Marvin Ludwig, Monica M. Moritsch, Alejandro Navarro, Jacqueline L. Raw, Ana-Carolina Ruiz-Fernández, Oscar Serrano, Craig Smeaton, Marijn Van de Broek, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, Emily Landis, Thomas A. Worthington
    Nature Communications, 2024
  • Organic carbon accumulation in British saltmarshes
    Craig Smeaton, Ed Garrett, Martha B. Koot, Cai J.T. Ladd, Lucy C. Miller, Lucy McMahon, Bradley Foster, Natasha L.M. Barlow, William Blake, W. Roland Gehrels, Martin W. Skov, William E.N. Austin
    Science of the Total Environment, 2024
  • Saltmarsh blue carbon accumulation rates and their relationship with sea-level rise on a multi-decadal timescale in northern England
    Catrina Gore, W. Roland Gehrels, Craig Smeaton, Luke Andrews, Lucy McMahon, Fiona Hibbert, William E.N. Austin, Stefanie Nolte, Ed Garrett
    Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science, 2024
  • UAV approaches for improved mapping of vegetation cover and estimation of carbon storage of small saltmarshes: examples from Loch Fleet, northeast Scotland
    William Hiles, Lucy C. Miller, Craig Smeaton, William E. N. Austin
    Biogeosciences, 2024
  • Global dataset of soil organic carbon in tidal marshes
    Tania L. Maxwell, André S. Rovai, Maria Fernanda Adame, Janine B. Adams, José Álvarez-Rogel, William E. N. Austin, Kim Beasy, Francesco Boscutti, Michael E. Böttcher, Tjeerd J. Bouma, Richard H. Bulmer, Annette Burden, Shannon A. Burke, Saritta Camacho, Doongar R. Chaudhary, Gail L. Chmura, Margareth Copertino, Grace M. Cott, Christopher Craft, John Day, Carmen B. de los Santos, Lionel Denis, Weixin Ding, Joanna C. Ellison, Carolyn J. Ewers Lewis, Luise Giani, Maria Gispert, Swanne Gontharet, José A. González-Pérez, M. Nazaret González-Alcaraz, Connor Gorham, Anna Elizabeth L. Graversen, Anthony Grey, Roberta Guerra, Qiang He, James R. Holmquist, Alice R. Jones, José A. Juanes, Brian P. Kelleher, Karen E. Kohfeld, Dorte Krause-Jensen, Anna Lafratta, Paul S. Lavery, Edward A. Laws, Carmen Leiva-Dueñas, Pei Sun Loh, Catherine E. Lovelock, Carolyn J. Lundquist, Peter I. Macreadie, Inés Mazarrasa, J. Patrick Megonigal, Joao M. Neto, Juliana Nogueira, Michael J. Osland, Jordi F. Pagès, Nipuni Perera, Eva-Maria Pfeiffer, Thomas Pollmann, Jacqueline L. Raw, María Recio, Ana Carolina Ruiz-Fernández, Sophie K. Russell, John M. Rybczyk, Marek Sammul, Christian Sanders, Rui Santos, Oscar Serrano, Matthias Siewert, Craig Smeaton, Zhaoliang Song, Carmen Trasar-Cepeda, Robert R. Twilley, Marijn Van de Broek, Stefano Vitti, Livia Vittori Antisari, Baptiste Voltz, Christy N. Wails, Raymond D. Ward, Melissa Ward, Jaxine Wolfe, Renmin Yang, Sebastian Zubrzycki, Emily Landis, Lindsey Smart, Mark Spalding, Thomas A. Worthington
    Scientific Data, 2023
  • Carbon accumulation and storage across contrasting saltmarshes of Scotland
    Lucy C. Miller, Craig Smeaton, Handong Yang, William E.N. Austin
    Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science, 2023
  • Organic carbon stocks of Great British saltmarshes
    Craig Smeaton, Cai J. T. Ladd, Lucy C. Miller, Lucy McMahon, Ed Garrett, Natasha L. M. Barlow, W. Roland Gehrels, Martin W. Skov, William E. N. Austin
    Frontiers in Marine Science, 2023
  • Best practice for upscaling soil organic carbon stocks in salt marshes
    Cai J.T. Ladd, Craig Smeaton, Martin W. Skov, William E.N. Austin
    Geoderma, 2022
  • Global fjords as transitory reservoirs of labile organic carbon modulated by organo-mineral interactions
    Xingqian Cui, Alfonso Mucci, Thomas S. Bianchi, Ding He, Derrick Vaughn, Elizabeth K. Williams, Chuning Wang, Craig Smeaton, Katarzyna Koziorowska-Makuch, Johan C. Faust, Alain F. Plante, Brad E. Rosenheim
    Science Advances, 2022
  • Understanding the Role of Terrestrial and Marine Carbon in the Mid-Latitude Fjords of Scotland
    C. Smeaton, W. E. N. Austin
    Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 2022
  • Sedimentary carbon on the continental shelf: Emerging capabilities and research priorities for Blue Carbon
    Carolyn A. Graves, Lisa Benson, John Aldridge, William E. N. Austin, Franck Dal Molin, Vera G. Fonseca, Natalie Hicks, Clare Hynes, Silke Kröger, Philip D. Lamb, Claire Mason, Claire Powell, Craig Smeaton, Sarah K. Wexler, Clare Woulds, Ruth Parker
    Frontiers in Marine Science, 2022
  • Distribution of particulate and dissolved organic carbon in surface waters of northern scottish fjords
    Craig Smeaton, William E.N. Austin
    Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science, 2022
  • Using citizen science to estimate surficial soil Blue Carbon stocks in Great British saltmarshes
    Craig Smeaton, Annette Burden, Paulina Ruranska, Cai J. T. Ladd, Angus Garbutt, Laurence Jones, Lucy McMahon, Lucy C. Miller, Martin W. Skov, William E. N. Austin
    Frontiers in Marine Science, 2022
  • Assessing the potential vulnerability of sedimentary carbon stores to bottom trawling disturbance within the UK EEZ
    Kirsty E. Black, Craig Smeaton, William R. Turrell, William E. N. Austin
    Frontiers in Marine Science, 2022
  • Quality Not Quantity: Prioritizing the Management of Sedimentary Organic Matter Across Continental Shelf Seas
    C. Smeaton, W. E. N. Austin
    Geophysical Research Letters, 2022
  • Carbon burial in the mid-latitude fjords of Scotland
    Craig Smeaton, Handong Yang, William E.N. Austin
    Marine Geology, 2021
  • The evolution of a coastal carbon store over the last millennium
    Craig Smeaton, Xingqian Cui, Thomas S. Bianchi, Alix G. Cage, John A. Howe, William E.N. Austin
    Quaternary Science Reviews, 2021
  • Augmentation of global marine sedimentary carbon storage in the age of plastic
    Craig Smeaton
    Limnology and Oceanography Letters, 2021
  • Marine Sedimentary Carbon Stocks of the United Kingdom’s Exclusive Economic Zone
    Craig Smeaton, Corallie A. Hunt, William R. Turrell, William E. N. Austin
    Frontiers in Earth Science, 2021
  • Quantifying Marine Sedimentary Carbon: A New Spatial Analysis Approach Using Seafloor Acoustics, Imagery, and Ground-Truthing Data in Scotland
    Corallie Hunt, Urška Demšar, Dayton Dove, Craig Smeaton, Rhys Cooper, William E. N. Austin
    Frontiers in Marine Science, 2020
  • Falkland Island peatland development processes and the pervasive presence of fire
    Dmitri Mauquoy, Richard J. Payne, Kirill V. Babeshko, Rebecca Bartlett, Ian Boomer, Hannah Bowey, Chris D. Evans, Fin Ring-Hrubesh, David Muirhead, Matthew O’Callaghan, Natalia Piotrowska, Graham Rush, Thomas Sloan, Craig Smeaton, Andrey N. Tsyganov, Yuri A. Mazei
    Quaternary Science Reviews, 2020
  • Coring and compaction: Best practice in blue carbon stock and burial estimations
    Craig Smeaton, Natasha L.M. Barlow, William E.N. Austin
    Geoderma, 2020
  • Fjords as Aquatic Critical Zones (ACZs)
    Thomas S. Bianchi, Sandra Arndt, William E.N. Austin, Douglas I. Benn, Sebastien Bertrand, Xingqian Cui, Johan C. Faust, Katarzyna Koziorowska-Makuch, Christopher M. Moy, Candida Savage, Craig Smeaton, Richard W. Smith, Jaia Syvitski
    Earth Science Reviews, 2020
  • Organic-carbon-rich sediments: Benthic foraminifera as bio-indicators of depositional environments
    Elena Lo Giudice Cappelli, Jessica Louise Clarke, Craig Smeaton, Keith Davidson, William Edward Newns Austin
    Biogeosciences, 2019
  • Where’s the Carbon: Exploring the Spatial Heterogeneity of Sedimentary Carbon in Mid-Latitude Fjords
    Craig Smeaton, William E. N. Austin
    Frontiers in Earth Science, 2019
  • An Assessment of the Tea Bag Index Method as a Proxy for Organic Matter Decomposition in Intertidal Environments
    AnnaClaire R.G. Marley, Craig Smeaton, William E.N. Austin
    Journal of Geophysical Research Biogeosciences, 2019
  • Scotland's forgotten carbon: A national assessment of mid-latitude fjord sedimentary carbon stocks
    Craig Smeaton, William E. N. Austin, Althea L. Davies, Agnes Baltzer, John A. Howe, John M. Baxter
    Biogeosciences, 2017
  • Sources, Sinks, and Subsidies: Terrestrial Carbon Storage in Mid-latitude Fjords
    Craig Smeaton, William E. N. Austin
    Journal of Geophysical Research Biogeosciences, 2017
  • Substantial stores of sedimentary carbon held in mid-latitude fjords
    Craig Smeaton, William E. N. Austin, Althea L. Davies, Agnès Baltzer, Richard E. Abell, John A. Howe
    Biogeosciences, 2016

RECENT SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

  • Spatial heterogeneity of sedimentary organic carbon in fjords around Stavanger, Norway–implications for upscaling
    M Diesing, R Bøe, S Elvenes, J Knies, C Smeaton
    Biogeosciences 23 (9), 3005-3022 , 2026
    2026
  • From fjord to shelf: Drivers of organic carbon transformation and storage across connected marine sedimentary systems
    C Smeaton, W Hiles, P Gulliver, WEN Austin
    Global Biogeochemical Cycles 40 (5), e2025GB008738 , 2026
    2026
  • Long-term nitrogen burial exceeds denitrification in global fjords
    HLS Cheung, LS Levin, C Smeaton, T Politi, B Thamdrup, IR Santos, ...
    Nature Communications 17 (1), 3148 , 2026
    2026
  • Heterogenous thermochemical stability of sedimentary organic carbon in high‐Arctic Svalbard fjords
    X Zhang, K Koziorowska, H Yang, S He, K Hao, M Yan, C Smeaton, ...
    Global Biogeochemical Cycles 40 (4), e2025GB008788 , 2026
    2026
    Citations: 1
  • The role of English seabed sediments in carbon storage, impact of human activities, environmental pressures and potential management options: Evidence review
    R Parker, C Graves, J Aldridge, R Heal, D Hughes, C Mason, C Powell, ...
    Centre for Environment Fisheries & Aquaculture Science , 2026
    2026
  • Soil Organic Carbon Storage in Coastal Golf Courses: Understanding Carbon Storage for Climate Positive Action in Golf Course Landscapes
    WB Austin, C Smeaton, A Flynn, A Macdonald
    Royal and Ancient , 2025
    2025
  • Efficient burial of labile organic carbon in sediments of oxygenated Icelandic fjords
    EG Watts, K Zautcke, I Santos, C Smeaton, W Ljungberg, HLS Cheung, ...
    Estuaries and coasts 48 (6), 167 , 2025
    2025
    Citations: 6
  • Hotspots and coldspots of seabed organic carbon on the Norwegian continental margin
    M Diesing, C Smeaton, LR Bjarnadóttir, T Thorsnes
    Environmental Research Communications 7 (10), 105030 , 2025
    2025
  • Shellfish carbonate in sediments: assessing historical baselines, dissolution dynamics, and carbon storage beneath shellfish farms, Marlborough, New Zealand
    SJ Handley, R Hale, C Smeaton, A Swales, O Kerr-Hislop
    Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 323, 109396 , 2025
    2025
    Citations: 1
  • A marine and salt marsh sediment organic carbon database for European regional seas (EURO-CARBON)
    AEL Graversen, C Lønborg, AM Addamo, SG Pedersen, S Chemello, ...
    Data in brief 60, 111595 , 2025
    2025
    Citations: 5
  • Palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of a fjord catchment NW Scotland, UK since the Last Glacial Maximum: A multi-geochemical approach
    J Taylor, D Selby, JM Lloyd, C Smeaton, J Bendle, M Allison, Y Ling, ...
    Quaternary Science Reviews 356, 109311 , 2025
    2025
    Citations: 4
  • Anaerobic decomposition dynamics of three kelp species from the North-east Atlantic: implications for blue carbon storage
    ARO Dell, JM Baxter, PJ Moore, DA Smale, C Smeaton, IM Davies, ...
    Marine Ecology Progress Series 755, 63-77 , 2025
    2025
    Citations: 3
  • Blue nitrogen follows the fate of tidal wetlands
    A Langley, S Chapman, L Wang, T Maxwell, P Rivera, F Adame, ...
    2025
    Citations: 1
  • Soil carbon in the world’s tidal marshes
    TL Maxwell, MD Spalding, DA Friess, NJ Murray, K Rogers, AS Rovai, ...
    Nature Communications 15 (1), 10265 , 2024
    2024
    Citations: 58
  • Investigating the effects of mobile bottom fishing on benthic carbon processing and storage: a systematic review protocol
    SL Felgate, J Aldridge, SG Bolam, S Breimann, E De Borger, J Claes, ...
    Environmental Evidence 13 (1), 24 , 2024
    2024
    Citations: 2
  • The United Kingdom’s blue carbon inventory: assessment of marine carbon storage and sequestration potential in the Irish Sea and Welsh Coast Region (including within marine …
    M Burrows, C Smeaton, H Tillin, S Grundy, H Sugden, P Moore, ...
    Scottish Association for Marine Science , 2024
    2024
    Citations: 2
  • The United Kingdom’s Blue Carbon Inventory: Assessment of Marine Carbon Storage and Sequestration Potential in the English Channel and Western Approaches Region (Including …
    M Burrows, H Tillin, S Grundy, C Smeaton, W Austin, A O'Dell
    Scottish Association for Marine Science , 2024
    2024
    Citations: 10
  • Fjords as globally significant hotspots for carbon burial and storage
    W Austin, C Smeaton
    10.5281/zenodo.10732285 , 2024
    2024
    Citations: 1
  • Organic carbon accumulation in British saltmarshes
    C Smeaton, E Garrett, MB Koot, CJT Ladd, LC Miller, L McMahon, ...
    Science of the Total Environment 926, 172104 , 2024
    2024
    Citations: 23
  • Saltmarsh blue carbon accumulation rates and their relationship with sea-level rise on a multi-decadal timescale in northern England
    C Gore, WR Gehrels, C Smeaton, L Andrews, L McMahon, F Hibbert, ...
    Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 299, 108665 , 2024
    2024
    Citations: 24

MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

  • Fjords as aquatic critical zones (ACZs)
    TS Bianchi, S Arndt, WEN Austin, DI Benn, S Bertrand, X Cui, JC Faust, ...
    Earth-Science Reviews 203, 103145 , 2020
    2020
    Citations: 239
  • Marine sedimentary carbon stocks of the United Kingdom’s exclusive economic zone
    C Smeaton, CA Hunt, WR Turrell, WEN Austin
    Frontiers in Earth Science 9, 593324 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 74
  • Quality not quantity: prioritizing the management of sedimentary organic matter across continental shelf seas
    C Smeaton, WEN Austin
    Geophysical Research Letters 49 (5), e2021GL097481 , 2022
    2022
    Citations: 62
  • Soil carbon in the world’s tidal marshes
    TL Maxwell, MD Spalding, DA Friess, NJ Murray, K Rogers, AS Rovai, ...
    Nature Communications 15 (1), 10265 , 2024
    2024
    Citations: 58
  • Global dataset of soil organic carbon in tidal marshes
    TL Maxwell, AS Rovai, MF Adame, JB Adams, J Álvarez-Rogel, ...
    Scientific data 10 (1), 797 , 2023
    2023
    Citations: 55
  • Impacts of climate change on coastal habitats, relevant to the coastal and marine environment around the UK
    A Burden, C Smeaton, S Angus, L Garbutt, Angus: Jones, H Lewis, ...
    MCCIP Science Review 2020, 228-255 , 2020
    2020
    Citations: 54
  • An assessment of the tea bag index method as a proxy for organic matter decomposition in intertidal environments
    ACRG Marley, C Smeaton, WEN Austin
    Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences 124 (10), 2991-3004 , 2019
    2019
    Citations: 53
  • Global fjords as transitory reservoirs of labile organic carbon modulated by organo-mineral interactions
    X Cui, A Mucci, TS Bianchi, D He, D Vaughn, EK Williams, C Wang, ...
    Science Advances 8 (46), eadd0610 , 2022
    2022
    Citations: 52
  • Assessment of Blue Carbon Resources in Scotland's Inshore Marine Protected Area Network: Commissioned Report No 957
    M Burrows, D Hughes, WEN Austin, C Smeaton, N Hicks, J Howe, C Allen, ...
    Scottish Natural Heritage , 2017
    2017
    Citations: 46
  • Coring and compaction: Best practice in blue carbon stock and burial estimations
    C Smeaton, NLM Barlow, WEN Austin
    Geoderma 364, 114180 , 2020
    2020
    Citations: 45
  • Sources, sinks, and subsidies: Terrestrial carbon storage in mid‐latitude fjords
    C Smeaton, WEN Austin
    Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences 122 (11), 2754-2768 , 2017
    2017
    Citations: 44
  • Scotland's forgotten carbon: a national assessment of mid-latitude fjord sedimentary carbon stocks
    C Smeaton, WEN Austin, AL Davies, A Baltzer, JA Howe, JM Baxter
    Biogeosciences 14 (24), 5663-5674 , 2017
    2017
    Citations: 43
  • Sedimentary carbon on the continental shelf: Emerging capabilities and research priorities for Blue Carbon
    CA Graves, L Benson, J Aldridge, WEN Austin, F Dal Molin, VG Fonseca, ...
    Frontiers in Marine Science 9, 926215 , 2022
    2022
    Citations: 41
  • Augmentation of global marine sedimentary carbon storage in the age of plastic
    C Smeaton
    Limnology and Oceanography Letters 6 (3), 113-118 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 39
  • Where’s the carbon: Exploring the spatial heterogeneity of sedimentary carbon in mid-latitude fjords
    C Smeaton, WEN Austin
    Frontiers in Earth Science 7, 269 , 2019
    2019
    Citations: 39
  • Substantial stores of sedimentary carbon held in mid-latitude fjords
    C Smeaton, WEN Austin, AL Davies, A Baltzer, RE Abell, JA Howe
    Biogeosciences 13 (20), 5771-5787 , 2016
    2016
    Citations: 37
  • Quantifying marine sedimentary carbon: A new spatial analysis approach using seafloor acoustics, imagery, and ground-truthing data in Scotland
    C Hunt, U Demšar, D Dove, C Smeaton, R Cooper, WEN Austin
    Frontiers in Marine Science 7, 507415 , 2020
    2020
    Citations: 35
  • Using citizen science to estimate surficial soil Blue Carbon stocks in Great British saltmarshes
    C Smeaton, A Burden, P Ruranska, CJT Ladd, A Garbutt, L Jones, ...
    Frontiers in Marine Science 9, 959459 , 2022
    2022
    Citations: 34
  • Organic-carbon-rich sediments: benthic foraminifera as bio-indicators of depositional environments
    E Lo Giudice Cappelli, JL Clarke, C Smeaton, K Davidson, WEN Austin
    Biogeosciences 16 (21), 4183-4199 , 2019
    2019
    Citations: 32
  • Assessing the potential vulnerability of sedimentary carbon stores to bottom trawling disturbance within the UK EEZ
    KE Black, C Smeaton, WR Turrell, WEN Austin
    Frontiers in Marine Science 9, 892892 , 2022
    2022
    Citations: 31