Supervisory Team:
Dr Ian Pattison – Heriot-Watt University
Dr Kelly Redeker – University of York
Prof. Chris Spray – Tweed Forum
The agricultural landscape is a patchwork of different land covers. Fields are often separated by artificial drainage ditches, dug historically to make land more productive. However, as we move to more balanced multi-functional landscapes, with a greater emphasis on ecosystem services, the role these ditches play is crucial at a network and catchment scale. Management and maintenance e.g. vegetation cutting, ditch blocking, can provide flood and water quality control. This project brings together expertise in relevant topics in an experienced and supportive supervisor team to investigate the problems/stressors, hydrological functioning, and management solutions that ditches can provide in agricultural landscapes.
The project will provide opportunity for the student to gain knowledge and skills relating to agricultural and ditch systems. Fieldwork skills will be developed to collect a range of hydrological and chemical related data, including experimental design, fieldwork campaign planning and sensor technology aspects. There is also opportunity for the student to develop numerical modelling skills e.g. hydrological/hydraulic models, to upscale from local ditches to ditch networks and catchment scale impacts. Most importantly, the project will provide the relaxed environment for the student to be creative, show initiative and build confidence in their ability to lead a research project.
Most hydrological studies on ditches focus on local scale processes and impacts. The novelty of this PhD is the focus on ditches as a network and system rather than isolated features. Questions such as (1) how water propagates through the network, in terms of lag times and flow volumes, are important in understanding how they function; (2) how ditches contribute water to main watercourses, where, when and what relative proportions? will allow greater understanding of the system; and (3) how ditches can be used as Nature-based Solutions, and how their design, management and maintenance can optimise these functions.
Flood Risk and watercourse pollution are growing challenges in the 21st century due to climate change, agricultural intensification and urbanisation stressors. Ditches may look small, minor components of a river network, but dynamic expansion during storms results in them acting as rapid conveyors of large amounts of water, pollutants and sediment from over a wide proportion of catchments into main rivers causing flooding and related problems downstream. Flooding damages alone are up to £1.1billion per year on average in the UK. Nature-based Solutions, such as managing ditches, can help mitigate these challenges and work with nature to develop sustainable solutions.
Essential Skills: Field-based skills, Modelling, Communication skills across a broad range of stakeholders
It is noted that you don’t need experience of all three of these skills as the project is flexible to work with the successful student to tailor it to their experience, current skills and interests, providing training opportunities to address any needs.