However, our models are not yet robust enough to predict too far into the future. In addition, we need to improve how we use our understanding of modern environments to reconstruct paleo-environments – significant assumptions have been made in the way in which we interpret ancient rocks and the conditions on Earth when they were deposited.

One reason our models and interpretations are lacking is that they assume that these riverine, estuarine and coastal systems are composed of non-cohesive sands – that nothing sticky exists. However, sticky mud is the most common sediment on Earth and many of these systems are dominated by biologically active muds and complex sediment mixtures that are inherently sticky.

Professor Parson’s lecture will illustrate just how important such abiotic-biotic interactions are, and present a concept of “peak stickiness” – before exploring what happens during biodiversity crises and mass extinction events in earth's geological history.