Supervisory Team:
Dr Leo Peskett – Heriot-Watt University
Mr Nick Everard – UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
Ms Sarah Collins – British Geological Survey, Edinburgh
This project will investigate how land use and climate change pressures on upland wetland and floodplain systems, alter their role in modulating floods and droughts. You’ll develop innovative field-based and modelling methods, collaborating with a network of partners in Scotland’s wild and beautiful Southern Uplands, and working with leading research institutions as part of the UK’s new strategic Floods and Droughts Research Infrastructure (FDRI) Programme.
You’ll apply novel paired hydrometric and water tracer methods to this challenge. These approaches offer potential for a step change in how we conceptualise eco-hydrological processes and develop hydrological models that give the ‘right results for the right reasons’. However, they are still rarely used and have not been applied widely in the assessment of wetland systems and ecosystem service provision. The project will provide scope for innovation in how these methods can be mainstreamed and delivered at lower cost.
You’ll develop extensive field and modelling skills putting you at the forefront of global catchment hydrology research, wetland and water management policy, and the science of nature-based solutions. You’ll develop field skills in establishing hydrometric monitoring systems such as groundwater and soil water assessment through boreholes, time-domain, and potentially geophysical methods; river flow measurement using traditional and remote sensing (e.g. drone) techniques; and precipitation measurement. You’ll also develop skills in collecting and analysing water tracer data, such as stable isotopes (2H and 18O) and geochemistry used to identify water sources and flow paths. You’ll use these data to develop novel tracer-aided hydrological models (e.g. based on Dynamic Top model) exploring different scenarios and scaling questions.
Globally there is now huge awareness of the risks of increased floods and droughts due to climate and land use change. This is driving new interest among policy makers, civil society and the private sector, in the role of landscapes in storing water, and how humans influence this through nature-based solutions. But there remain huge uncertainties in quantifying these links, which is stifling investment and action. This project will test new approaches to this challenge, support local practitioners in the planning and implementation of practical actions in upland wetland systems, and contribute to wider societal impact by contributing to a major UK-wide strategic investment in flood and drought research that will inform future government policy.
Essential Skills, Field based skills, Data analysis
An interest in learning modelling methods and ability to drive (for visiting remote fieldwork locations) are highly desirable for this project.
