Who are you?
I am currently studying within the Department of Geography and the Institute of Hazard, Risk and Resilience at Durham University for a Masters by Research.
What is your role in the project?
Within the Eden Demonstration Test Catchment project, I am producing a report on diffuse pollution within the catchment. This piece of work aims to bring together published reports from DEFRA and the Environment Agency with academic research papers on diffuse pollution within the Eden. Furthermore, it aims to highlight diffuse pollution on a wider scale by comparing the Eden with hydrologically similar catchments around the UK and with other catchments across the North West of England.
What is your background?
Throughout my undergraduate degree my interests have focused around water quality management and the effects that changing land use and climate change may have on flood risk, low flows and diffuse pollution. My undergraduate dissertation used SCIMAP, a risk based modelling framework, to highlight areas within the Upper Dove Catchment that are most at risk of becoming critical source areas of diffusive fine sediment pollution both at present and in the future. By using data released by DEFRA as part of their Future Foresight Land Use project likely future land use changes were simulated and the possible effects that these may have on fine sediment pollution risk modelled.
This background has given me an in depth knowledge of surface hydrological and water quality processes and I am now using this as part of my research towards my masters degree within the IHRR at Durham. Data obtained from the UKCP09 Weather Generator and Network Index Modelling can be used to predict changing patterns of hydrological connectivity as a result of climate change and thus likely future critical source areas of diffuse pollution can be highlighted. This work will focus mainly on the River Eden Catchment.
How do I contact you?
Department of Geography, Durham University, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
Email: [email protected]