Professor John Marshall, a paleontologist from the University of Southampton, has been awarded the Polar Medal by King Charles III as part of the 2026 New Year's Honours. The award recognizes his three decades of research and fieldwork conducted in the polar regions, which have contributed to understanding ancient geological formations, early life forms, and past climate events.
Polar Medal Recognition
The Polar Medal, instituted in 1857 as the Arctic Medal and renamed in 1904, is granted to individuals for notable achievements in polar research, particularly those who have conducted extensive work in challenging polar environments. Previous recipients include Sir Ernest Shackleton and Sir Edmund Hillary.
Three Decades of Arctic Fieldwork
Over a period of 30 years, Professor Marshall has completed fieldwork totaling more than one year in remote polar regions. His expeditions include 10 trips to East Greenland and 9 to Spitsbergen. These expeditions utilized inflatable boats, helicopters, and light aircraft capable of landing on Arctic tundra. Fieldwork often involved camping in conditions characterized by snow, ice, rain, and storms at various altitudes. During these expeditions, wildlife such as narwhal, muskoxen, and polar bears were observed.
Key Research and Discoveries
Professor Marshall's research primarily focuses on the Devonian Old Red Sandstone Continent, an ancient landmass that existed approximately 380 million years ago. This continent encompassed regions now identified as parts of Scotland, East Greenland, and Norway's Spitsbergen, and is significant for containing fossils of the earliest known four-legged animals, which evolved from fish, and evidence of some of the Earth's first forests.
His specific contributions include:
- East Greenland:
- Studies of microscopic pollen and spores led to the identification of the earliest known seed plant.
- Determined the geological ages for the earliest four-legged animals.
- His work indicated that the End Devonian mass extinction, occurring 360 million years ago, was initially attributed to an ultraviolet atmospheric burst, with volcanic eruptions also identified as a later cause.
- Spitsbergen:
- Identified a previously uncharacterized palaeo-equatorial forest dating back 384 million years.
- Analysis of rock samples indicated that a global warming event from 55 million years ago extended its effects from the equator to the Arctic region.
Collaborative Efforts and Family Connection
Professor Marshall has acknowledged that his scientific expeditions involved collaborative efforts with British and international colleagues, and he received support from numerous geologists, paleontologists, and his family. He also noted that his great uncle, John Warnock, was a previous recipient of the Polar Medal as an officer on the RRS William Scoresby.