Close

2018

What lies beneath: biofilm fingerprints for nutrient inputs to rivers

What lies beneath: biofilm fingerprints for nutrient inputs to rivers

The project: Changes in the availability of nitrogen and carbon within rivers, for example associated with anthropogenic inputs from sources such as fertilisers or wastewater, have profound effects on these ecosystems across the globe. Accurate identification of the sources and impacts of nitrogen and carbon reaching riverine ecosystems provides the basis for developing future policy and practice to improve […]

Read More

Taking the P in the future: new technologies for phosphorus capture from wastewater

Taking the P in the future: new technologies for phosphorus capture from wastewater

The project: Phosphorus is central to globally-significant challenges, including the need for sustainable approaches to reduce nutrient enrichment within aquatic ecosystems. This project will develop new technologies that reduce the financial and environmental costs associated with removing phosphorus from wastewater. Using a range of materials that are by-products from other industrial sectors, alongside existing commercial products, you will evaluate the […]

Read More

Liquid water and Antarctic ice sheet stability

Liquid water and Antarctic ice sheet stability

Our current best estimates suggest that enough ice could be lost from Antarctica by the end of this century to contribute over a metre to global sea level if current rates of climate change are not curbed (de Conto and Pollard, 2016). This estimate however, omits the potential contribution of instabilities introduced by the interaction […]

Read More

Change in arctic and alpine plant communities: the roles of climate and geodiversity

Change in arctic and alpine plant communities: the roles of climate and geodiversity

Understanding variation and change in biodiversity as a consequence of changing environments is one of today’s main scientific challenges. One problem is that recent climate change has tended to be much smaller in magnitude (~1°C) than the change expected over the rest of this century (~5°C), which limits the ability to predict future biodiversity change. Also, much of the […]

Read More

From Rivers to Reservoirs: reconstructing downstream sediment transport to the Red River Delta, Vietnam

From Rivers to Reservoirs: reconstructing downstream sediment transport to the Red River Delta, Vietnam

The Red River in Vietnam supports 20 million inhabitants, includes a major rice-growing region, the mega-city of Hanoi and a range of industries each of which have expanded in recent decades. The Red River Delta (RRD) delta area of the river is the agricultural heartland of the region and provides crucial ecosystem services, including the retention and removal of […]

Read More

The influence of extreme events in the long-term evolution of mixed gravel/sand barrier beaches

The influence of extreme events in the long-term evolution of mixed gravel/sand barrier beaches

Applications are invited for a PhD studentship within the NERC-ENVISION Doctoral Training Partnership with a project entitled: “The influence of extreme events in the longterm evolution of mixed gravel/sand barrier beaches”. Barrier beaches are common features along the coastline of England, and elsewhere in the world. These barrier features are important for the geomorphology and equilibrium of the beach. […]

Read More

Predicting Sediment Dynamics in Rivers Infested with Invasive Crayfish

Predicting Sediment Dynamics in Rivers Infested with Invasive Crayfish

Predicting when sediment will move in a river is fundamental to successful management of that river, which includes coping with floods, maintaining navigation, and preventing loss of banks through erosion. However, after over 100 years of research our models of sediment transport still do not perform well when applied to natural channels. Growing evidence suggests this may be at […]

Read More

Ancient DNA for palaeoecology and freshwater conservation

Ancient DNA for palaeoecology and freshwater conservation

We require a versatile student who is comfortable working with “mud and molecules” for a project that aims to develop and apply the use of ancient DNA in lake sediments (sedDNA). Traces of DNA preserved in lake sediments can potentially be used to reconstruct the composition of biological communities over timespans of hundreds to thousands of years. The application […]

Read More

Being behind the times? Assessing the liana-induced impact on forest phenology using a multispectral Unmanned Aerial System (UAS)

Being behind the times? Assessing the liana-induced impact on forest phenology using a multispectral Unmanned Aerial System (UAS)

Tropical forests are a major global carbon sink and account for a third of the carbon fixed globally by photosynthesis. Recent research shows that these forests are changing, including increases in abundance and biomass of lianas (woody vines), which may be a result of changing climatic conditions. Lianas reduce growth and increase mortality of their host trees, thereby reducing […]

Read More

The Impact of Trace Metal Contaminants on Environmental and Animal Health: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach

The Impact of Trace Metal Contaminants on Environmental and Animal Health: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach

This project will explore the mobilisation and bioaccumulation of heavy metal contaminants from historic mine waste from old mine sites in Wales, and their impact on wildlife health. This is a unique, interdisciplinary project involving environmental geochemistry, ecology, plant science and animal health, involving colleagues at the University of Nottingham, the Natural History Museum, and Natural Resources Wales, to explore […]

Read More