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2015

Plant-climate interactive feedbacks to peatland methane dynamics

Plant-climate interactive feedbacks to peatland methane dynamics 400 x 400 px

After remaining stable for almost a decade, methane (CH4) concentrations in the atmosphere have started to rise again since 2007. Increasing emissions from the warming high northern latitude wetlands are probably responsible for this observed rise in CH4. This is important since methane is a potent greenhouse gas, having a potential impact at least 25 […]

January 16, 2017 2015

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Optimal exploitation of multiple marine renewable energy resources

Optimal exploitation of multiple marine renewable energy resources 400 x 400 px

To reduce greenhouse gas emissions and aid sustainable development, there is an urgent need to support our electricity generating capacity through the development of low carbon technologies, particularly those generated from renewable sources. The ocean represents a vast and largely untapped energy resource, which could be exploited as a form of low carbon electricity generation. […]

January 16, 2017 2015

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New geophysical approaches for monitoring landslides in safety-critical slopes

New geophysical approaches for monitoring landslides in safety-critical slopes 400 x 400 px

The spatial and temporal dynamics of soil moisture content can have a critical effect on slope stability in landslides and engineered earthworks. But measurement of soil moisture over large areas is not achievable using conventional soil physics techniques. Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) is the most widely applied geophysical technique used to investigate landslides. Due to […]

January 16, 2017 2015

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Measuring and modelling the effects of climate change on cyanobacteria in lakes

Measuring and Modelling the Effects of Climate Change on Cyanobacteria in Lakes 400 x 400 px

Toxic cyanobacterial blooms have a damaging effect on water quality in lakes. Hot summers typically enable formation of a shallow mixed layer at the surface of stratified lakes, providing a warm and light environment ideal for cyanobacterial growth. Future predictions are for such conditions to increase as climate changes, leading to the associated likely increase […]

January 16, 2017 2015

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Mapping the drivers of geomagnetically induced currents

Mapping the drivers of geomagnetically induced currents 400 x 400 px

Variability in the magnetic field generated by dynamic processes outside the solid Earth can occur over a variety of timescales. As well as limiting the accuracy of geomagnetic field models, this external magnetic field can pose a natural hazard for large-scale electrically conducting systems such as power grids, oil pipelines, and railway signals. The risk […]

January 16, 2017 2015

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Logging impacts on forest soil biodiversity and function in Borneo

Logging impacts on forest soil biodiversity and function in Borneo 400 x 400 px

Global change including population driven land use change is putting tropical forests under pressure. Changes in forest plant and soil biodiversity as a result of logging and clearance for oil palm cultivation are altering nutrient cycling, greenhouse gas emissions and consequent feedbacks to climate. It is uncertain how these changes will affect key ecosystem functions […]

January 16, 2017 2015

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Linking landscape-scale atmospheric ammonia concentrations with farm management practices

Linking landscape-scale atmospheric ammonia concentrations with farm management practices 400 x 400 px

This studentship explores the relationship between atmospheric ammonia concentrations at the landscape scale and agricultural management practices at the field and farm scale for predominantly grassland-based agricultural systems. Ammonia is a significant contributor to nitrogen deposition, damaging sensitive ecosystems, and largely arises from agricultural sources. There is a drive for sustainable intensification within the agricultural […]

January 16, 2017 2015

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Linking functional diversity with soil carbon dynamics in secondary tropical forests

Linking functional diversity with soil carbon dynamics in secondary tropical forests 400 x 400 px

Tropical forests contain more carbon (C) than any other terrestrial ecosystem, at least half of which is stored belowground. Roughly 50% of the world’s tropical forests are now degraded, making them crucial for C sequestration. The regeneration of tropical forests following disturbance involves substantial changes in tree species composition, growth, and soil properties over time. […]

January 16, 2017 2015

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Investigating the role of soil microbes and rhizodeposition in carbon cycling and long-term C sequestration of forest ecosystems

Investigating the role of soil microbes and rhizodeposition in carbon cycling and long-term C sequestration of forest ecosystems 400 x 400 px

Forests’ ecosystems and their soils represent the largest reservoir of organic carbon (C) in terrestrial ecosystems. The belowground processes of forests mediate many key biogeochemical processes, have an important role in climate regulation, and are major hotspots of biodiversity. Understanding the mechanisms controlling soil carbon sequestration and stability are essential in maximizing soil C sequestration […]

January 16, 2017 2015

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Investigating Bering Sea oceanographic controls on the Milankovitch orbital cycle climatic shift during the middle Pleistocene

Investigating Bering Sea oceanographic controls on the Milankovitch orbital cycle climatic shift during the middle Pleistocene 400 x 400 px

Collaborative Awards in Science and Engineering (CASE) sponsorship secured with BGS. “The transition of Earth’s glacial-interglacial cycles from 40 kyr to 100 kyr periodicity during the middle Pleistocene (the Mid-Pleistocene Transition, MPT, ~1.2–0.6 Ma) marks one of the largest climate events of the Cenozoic, but the causes of this cooling transition remain unclear. This is […]

January 16, 2017 2015

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