Harry Elderfield facts for kids

Professor Henry "Harry" Elderfield FRS (born April 25, 1943 – died April 19, 2016) was a famous British scientist. He taught about ocean chemistry and ancient ocean chemistry at the University of Cambridge. He was known for studying how oceans change over time. He looked at tiny clues in ancient sea creatures to understand Earth's past climate.

Early Life and Education

Harry Elderfield was born in Lazenby, a village in North Yorkshire, England. He had a twin brother named John Elderfield. Harry went to Eston Grammar School. After school, he studied at the University of Liverpool. In 1965, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry, focusing on oceanography.

From 1968 to 1969, he worked as a researcher at Imperial College London. During this time, he also finished his PhD degree at the University of Liverpool in 1970. A PhD is a very high university degree that shows someone is an expert in their field.

Career and Research in Ocean Science

In 1969, Professor Elderfield became a teacher at the University of Leeds. He worked there until 1982. Then, he moved to the University of Cambridge. From 1982 to 1989, he was an assistant director of research in the Earth Sciences Department.

In 1989, he earned another high degree called a Doctor of Science (ScD). In the same year, he became a "reader" in geochemistry at Cambridge. A reader is a senior academic position. Finally, in 1999, he became a full Professor of Ocean Geochemistry and Palaeochemistry.

Studying Ocean Metals and Water Flow

Early in his career, Professor Elderfield focused on how tiny amounts of metals, called trace metals, move around in oceans and their sediments (the stuff that settles at the bottom). He also studied how water flows through the oceanic crust (the Earth's outer layer under the ocean).

He was one of the first scientists to use special atoms called radiogenic isotopes to solve problems in marine chemistry. He helped create a timeline using strontium isotopes in seawater. This timeline showed how ocean water changed over the last 65 million years.

He also studied iodine in seawater and how cerium separates from other rare earth elements. He developed a very precise way to measure 10 rare earth elements in the ocean. Today, these rare earth elements are used widely to track changes in ocean sediments and ancient oceans.

Later Discoveries About Ancient Oceans

Later in his career, Professor Elderfield focused on understanding the chemistry of oceans from long ago. His work greatly impacted the study of geochemistry. He made important discoveries about how metals behave near hot vents on the seafloor and how manganese nodules form. He also studied how elements like iodine and strontium move through the ocean in what are called biogeochemical cycles.

He also worked on finding "chemical proxies" from ancient sea creatures. These proxies are like chemical clues that help scientists understand what the ocean was like in the past. He was a leader in developing a method using magnesium in tiny fossils called foraminifera. This method helps scientists figure out how warm the ancient oceans were.

Important Publications

Professor Elderfield wrote many important scientific papers and books, including:

• Treatise on geochemistry (2003)
• Carbonate Mysteries
• The rare-earth elements in rivers, estuaries, and coastal seas and their significance to the composition of ocean waters
• Application of the Cerium anomaly as a palaeoredox indicator: the ground rules
• Sr isotope composition of sea water over the past 75 Myr
• Interstitial water iodine enrichments in sediments from the eastern Pacific
• The rare-earth elements in sea-water
• Rare-earth element geochemistry of oceanic ferromanganese nodules and associated sediments

Awards and Honours

Professor Elderfield received many awards for his important work:

• Fulbright Scholar, 1988
• Prestwich Medal from the Geological Society of London, 1993
• Fellow of the European Association of Geochemistry, 2000
• Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS), 2001 (This is a very high honour for scientists in the UK)
• Lyell Medal from the Geological Society of London, 2003
• Urey Medal from the European Association of Geochemistry, 2007
• V. M. Goldschmidt Award from the Geochemical Society, 2013