PhD: Nature-based solutions for water resilience in drylands

About the award

Supervisors

Dr Diego Panici, Department of Geography / Centre for Resilience in Environment, Water & Waste, University of Exeter

Professor Rod Fensham, School of Environment, University of Queensland

Additional Supervisors:

Dr Jennifer Silcock, School of Environment, University of Queensland

Professor Richard Brazier, CREWW / Department of Geography, University of Exeter

Dr Alan Puttock, CREWW / Department of Georgraphy, University of Exeter

Join a world-leading, cross-continental research team

The University of Exeter and the University of Queensland are seeking exceptional students to join a world-leading, cross-continental research team tackling major challenges facing the world’s population in global sustainability and wellbeing as part of the QUEX Institute. The joint PhD programme provides a fantastic opportunity for the most talented doctoral students to work closely with world-class research groups and benefit from the combined expertise and facilities offered at the two institutions, with a lead supervisor within each university. This prestigious programme provides full tuition fees, stipend, travel funds and research training support grants to the successful applicants.  The studentship provides funding for up to 42 months (3.5 years).

Eight generous, fully-funded studentships are available for the best applicants, four offered by the University of Exeter and four by the University of Queensland. This select group will spend at least one year at each University and will graduate with a joint degree from the University of Exeter and the University of Queensland.

Find out more about the PhD studentships click here

Successful applicants will have a strong academic background and track record to undertake research projects based in one of the three themes of:  Healthy Living, Global Environmental Futures and Digital Worlds and Disruptive Technologies.

The closing date for applications is mid-day Friday June 28th 2024 (BST), with interview to be w/c 29th July 2024 (tbc). The start date is expected to be Monday January 6th 2025.

Please note that of the eight Exeter led projects advertised, we expect that up to four studentships will be awarded to Exeter based students.

Supervisors

Exeter Academic Lead: Dr Diego Panici

Queensland Academic Lead: Professor Rod Fensham

THEME – Global Environmental Futures

Project Description

Arid, semi-arid and hyper-arid regions cover around 25% of the earth surface, and are characterised by lack of available water, extremely high evapotranspirative gradients and sparse or ephemeral surface water bodies. Climate change threatens to dramatically expand arid areas, whereby 30% of the earth could become at least semi-arid by 2100, severely impacting available water resources for more than 1 billion people. This will have devastating consequences such as loss of vegetation and major shifts in biodiversity, causing reduced agricultural production, soil degradation, ecosystem changes, all of which will drive outward migration from an increasingly larger land mass. Therefore, it is imperative to find solutions for adaptation and to restore the availability of water resources in drylands globally.

Nature-based solutions (NbS) offer affordable, highly effective measures that utilise natural materials and processes to restore ecosystem functioning. NbS in hydrological processes are particularly effective, by attenuating hydrological extremes. For example, our  research  into beaver wetland creation in Europe and North America has shown enhanced drought and flood resilience, whilst localised change to land use and cover (e.g., Upstream Thinking measures including reforestation, drain and ditch-blocking in the uplands) or retaining structures (such as leaky dams and storage ponds) enhance soil water infiltration, benefitting groundwater recharge and reducing pluvial flooding. However, most NbS research focuses on temperate climates, where annual precipitation is abundant, water deficit is rare (though is becoming an issue), targeting flooding (e.g., Natural Flood Management) or habitat degradation (e.g., river restoration). Thus, research on NbS applied to drylands to improve water resource (especially in the form of shallow groundwater aquifers) remains largely unexplored.  

This project will develop a framework to identify optimal NbS for shallow groundwater aquifer recharge in dryland environments. The PhD will initially review the existing hydrological NbS in the literature, to understand how solutions developed for flood-prone areas are transferrable to dryland environments. Utilising GIS and remote sensing, optimal areas for groundwater recharge zones will be mapped. This will include geomorphic, geological, and hydrogeological features descriptive of the hydrological processes above and below ground and will be focused on both ephemeral and perennial drylands hydrological features, such as wadis and oases. Finally, a novel numerical modelling framework to integrate NbS will be developed, and it will optimise NbS to establish which solutions function well where.  Finally, the PhD will synthesise understanding of optimal NbS and build an evidence-base for decision-making around NbS deployment.

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in hydrological sciences manage water in the landscape to reduce flood risk, enhance drought resilience, restore ecosystem functioning and improve water quality. Over 90% of NbS research concentrates in temperate regions like Europe, North America, and China, leaving many drylands under-explored and under-researched (Alikhanova and Bull, 2023; Dunlop et al., 2024). Drylands rely on shallow groundwater aquifers, have distinct hydrogeological processes, and unique features (e.g., wadis and oases) making them vulnerable to water scarcity, habitat loss, and biodiversity shifts (Fensham et al., 2023). Archaeological evidence shows substantial climate-change driven water depletion (Wang et al., 2021), compared with relative water stability in the pre-Anthropocene era. Key questions are ‘where’ and ‘what’ NbS can be used (Alikhanova and Bull, 2023), since conventional, engineering solutions may be unsuitable due to costs, ephemeral flow regimes, and the intensity/duration/frequency of hydrological cycles. 
This PhD aims to develop a framework for identifying, evaluating, and implementing effective hydrological NbS for shallow groundwater aquifers in arid and hyper-arid environments.

Objectives are:

O1. Systematic review of the scientific literature on NbS for water resource management. The PhD will evaluate the transferability to dryland, considering effectiveness of groundwater recharge of theoretical (e.g., Budyko curves) and empirical (e.g., field monitoring) frameworks.

O2. Identify and map optimal NbS deployment areas using remote sensing (e.g., topography, Land-use-land-change, multi-spectral) on an open-source cloud-based platform (e.g., Google Earth Engine). Analyse satellite-derived indicators (e.g., elevation, slope, soil characteristics, NDVI) utilising machine learning approaches to pinpoint areas suitable for NbS deployment in dryland globally. Deliverable will be interactive open-source web application for global NbS feasibility.

O3. Create a novel numerical model framework, testing case studies (identified in O2 and informed by fieldwork at Queensland). Open-source/open-access models (e.g., MODFLOW and HEC-RAS) will be used while pioneering modelling analogues to simulate NbS hydrology. Simulations will inform NbS selection for effective groundwater recharge. Deliverable will include development of a MODFLOW extension for dryland NbS.

O4. Formulate a decision-support approach evaluating NbS efficacy and informing deployment in arid areas that will be applied to case studies to validate the approach. Deliverables will include a handbook and an open-access webinar.

The University of Exeter and CREWW, global leader for NbS in hydrology, have shaped environmental policies, including land management and hydrological restoration. Collaborating with a plethora of stakeholders, CREWW boasts state-of-the-art facilities, and over £41m in funding, directing world-leading NbS-based projects such as Upstream Thinking and South West Peatland Partnership. The University of Queensland brings expertise in hydrogeology and ecology conservation in arid environments, focusing on dryland water management. The combined strengths of CREWW and the Queensland School of Environment offer a robust foundation for this project. At Exeter, the student will explore NbS (O1) and hydrological modelling (O3). Both universities will support dryland mapping techniques (O2) and policy change (O4). Work in Queensland will enrich the student’s ability to characterise eco-hydro-morphological features for case-studies (O3 and O4).

Entry requirements

Applicants should be highly motivated and have, or expect to obtain, either a first or upper-second class BA or BSc (or equivalent) in a Physical Geography, Civil Engineering, Environmental Sciences or any relevant discipline.  Ideal candidates will be able to work with GIS and remote sensing, and will have experience (or be highly interested in learning) in hydrological modelling.

If English is not your first language you will need to meet the English language requirements and provide proof of proficiency. Click here for more information and a list of acceptable alternative tests.

How to apply

Apply now

You will be asked to submit some personal details and upload a full CV, supporting statement, academic transcripts and details of two academic referees. Your supporting statement should outline your academic interests, prior research experience and reasons for wishing to undertake this project, with particular reference to the collaborative nature of the partnership with the University of Queensland, and how this will enhance your training and research.

Interview notifications date TBC

Please quote reference 5155 on your application and in any correspondence about this studentship.

Summary