Department of Geography

Geomorphology

This research group focuses on modelling and monitoring of sensitive earth-surface and atmospheric systems

The study of sensitive earth-surface systems such as mountains, deserts, coasts, oceans, the Arctic and the atmosphere is a critical issue to society as they pose hazards and constraints to existing and future development in response to environmental change. The science that links environmental change to physical responses in geomorphological processes and landforms is a complex area and one that is of interest to policy makers and academic research. Our research investigates sensitive systems by field monitoring, physical and numerical modelling, description and analysis of sediments, soils and rocks, and reconstruction of Quaternary environments.

Midnight sun over the Canadian Arctic tundraMidnight sun over the Canadian Arctic tundra

Our expertise concerns:

 

Key achievements

Recognition for the high quality of our research has led to the following achievements:

Permafrost structures: sand and ice wedgesPermafrost structures: sand and ice wedges

  • Papers in Nature, Science, Geology, QJEGH and Geophysical Research Letters
  • Grants >£3.5m (e.g. EU, INTERREG, Defra, NERC, Royal Society, Env. Agency)
  • Beaches At Risk project - a showcase Franco-British project
  • Chair of NERC Grant awarding panel
  • Chair of the British Society for Geomorphology
  • Fellowship of the Geological Society ofLondon
  • Fellowship of the Institution of Civil Engineers
  • Associate Editor of Journal of Geophysical Research - Earth Surface
  • Editor of Permafrost and Periglacial Processes (from 2012)
  • Dorothy Hodgkins Royal Society Research Fellowship to a former DPhil student

People

Living on the coastLiving on the coast

John Barlow: Landslide detection; digital remote sensing; cosmogenic dating; modelling

Tim Cane: Quaternary palaeoceanography; physical modelling; experiment design

Mick Frogley: Quaternary palaeoecology, climatic history of lake basins

Dominic Kniveton: Climate systems; hydrological cycle in Southern Africa

Roger Moore:  Coastal instability and erosion; slopes and landslides; geohazard risk; subsea geomorphology

Cherith Moses: Rock weathering; coastal processes; karst landforms in the British Isles, the Mediterranean Basin and Australia

Julian Murton: Permafrost; physical modelling; Quaternary environments in Arctic Canada and UK

David Robinson: Rock weathering; coastal processes; soil erosion and conservation; landform evolution

Martin Todd: Climate change; satellite monitoring; rainfall estimation; dust modelling; water resources

Yi Wang: Climate change; global climate modelling; fully coupled Holocene climate model

 

Facilities

Research is supported by laboratory facilities dedicated to:

  • Cold core storage & sample archive
  • Microfossil analysis
  • Permafrost experiments
  • Rock cutting & regional geology archive
  • Rock weathering & abrasion
  • Sediment analysis
  • Sediment preparation
  Equipment for research includes:
  • Climate cabinet (for rock weathering experiments)
  • Dedicated field vehicles (Landrover & van)
  • Horiba LA950 Particle Sizer
  • Livingstone, Russian & gouge coring equipment
  • National Instruments 128 channel LabVIEW laboratory data logger
  • Field based environmental dataloggers (Gemini & Grant)
  • Regional Climate Model (PRECIS)
  • Scanning electron microscope
  • Tacheometer & RTK-GPS (for high-precision field surveying)
  • Marine Wave recorders (S4DW) Valeport & Dobie Systems
  • Atomic Absorbsion Spectrometer
  • Micro Erosion Laser Scanner
  • Digimap

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Technical support is supplied by a dedicated Experimental Officer and Computing and Information Systems Officer. The Global Studies Resource Centre has an extensive map library and aerial photographic collection.