Dr Rob Bryant
PhD
School of Geography and Planning
Reader in Dryland Processes
+44 114 222 7966
Full contact details
School of Geography and Planning
F6
Geography and Planning Building
Winter Street
Sheffield
S3 7ND
- Profile
-
Rob gained his BSc (hons) in Geology from the University of Reading in 1989. This was followed by a PhD at PRIS/Department of Geography, University of Reading investigating the "sedimentology and hydrochemistry of the Chott el Djerid, Tunisia using remote sensing" which was completed in 1993. He has been a Research Assistant at Reading (1993) working on the pre-processing of AVHRR data, and then spent a summer in Iceland assisting Jukka Käyhkö on a project focused on monitoring aeolian processes.
He then went on to take up a Postdoctoral Fellowship (1993-1995) and Lectureship (1995-1998) at the Department of Environmental Science, University of Stirling where his research broadened into the use of airborne remote sensing and field spectroradiometry. He was appointed Lecturer in Applied Remote Sensing at Sheffield in 1999 and in doing so returned to lecturing and researching drylands. He was subsequently promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2004, and Reader in Dryland Processes in 2007.
- Research interests
-
I'm interested in the global dust cycle, with particular emphasis on geomorphological and hydrological processes that occur within "dry" arid basins. As part of this, I've also worked on aspects of the remote sensing sources of dust in the climate system.
As a side line, I've also worked on projects involving airborne remote sensing and field spectroscopy of a range of environments (rivers, wetlands, coasts).
As part of my Dust research, I have recently been currently part of the RCUK-funded DO4 Models programme, involving collaboration with Oxford, Imperial and UCT. The overall aim of this research was to collect the first dust source-area process data tailored to climate model grid-box resolution from targeted remote sensing and fieldwork in order to develop a new generation of model dust emission schemes. Recent work was featured on the BBC News.
Current research
My current work falls within the following three themes:
Ephemeral Lakes and Dust Emissions
Development and evaluation of remote sensing techniques to understand land/climate interactions, and controls on mineral aerosol emissions dryland regions.
Atmospheric mineral aerosols impact global climate through the absorption and scattering of incoming solar radiation and outgoing planetary radiation, as well as affecting ocean and terrestrial biogeochemistry. Due to the prevalence of arid surfaces with reduced vegetation cover and high velocity winds, much of the observed atmospheric dust is derived from susceptible surfaces within dryland regions.
Work has shown that topographic lows are the predominant sources of atmospheric desert dust within drylands. However, there are no general theories of why some basins are more active dust sources than other regions. Gross changes in the hydrology of an ephemeral lake system can lead to extreme changes in regional dust emissions (eg Owens Lake). It is possible, therefore, that changes in the frequency and extent of natural inundation occurring on large ephemeral lake systems may lead to significant fluctuations in regional dust loadings on a seasonal and inter-annual basis.
Research here focuses on using a range of remote sensing approaches (eg TOMS, POLDER, AVHRR) to constrain the affect of inundation on dust emissions from ephemeral lake systems in Africa.
Including Collaboration with: Natalie Mahowold (UCSB/NCAR), Giles Wiggs (Oxford), Frank Eckhardt (UCT) and Richard Washington (Oxford). Funding from NERC and the Royal Society.
Monitoring Ephemeral Lakes
The use of global time-series of moderate resolution EO data (e.g. MODIS, SPOT-VGT, AVHRR) to determine inundation frequency and groundwater levels for large un-gauged ephemeral systems. Monitoring of the geochemistry and surface morphology of ephemeral lake systems
In drylands past fluctuations in climate have resulted in relatively extreme changes in regional precipitation regimes. However, within most drylands contemporary changes in regional rainfall patterns are difficult to assess by direct measurement, and are best indicated and preserved by studying changes in the level and chemistry of closed or "non-outlet" lakes. However, many of these basins are un-gauged, and relatively little is known about their hydrologic response to climate inputs.
Research here focuses on the use of time-series EO data to determine inundation frequency and groundwater levels for large ephemeral systems. These data are used to estimate regional hydrologic inputs, and generate simple hydrological models.
Including collaboration with: Dr Charon Birkett (GSFC), NERC Dundee Satellite Receiving Station, NASA Surface Water Working Group. Funding from NERC and the Royal Society.
Applied Remote Sensing
Use of airborne remote sensing and deployment of field spectroradiometry to constrain simple radiative transfer models for use in monitoring/evaluation of surface vegetation, sediments and soils.
Research here has focused on the innovative application of airborne remote sensing (principally CASI, CASI SWIR and Daedalus ATM) to estuaries, rivers, and wetlands, and a range of other environments. These dynamic and important environments require both progressive and innovative use of remote sensing techniques.
The work has included collaboration with Andrew Tyler and Dave Gilvear (Stirling), Andrew Baird and Angela Harris (Sheffield), Graham Ferrier (Hull). Data from NERC ARSF and FSF facilities.
- Publications
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Journal articles
- Climate drivers of phytoplankton production along the Chilean coast. Journal of Marine Systems, 104013-104013.
- Quantifying the effects of climate and environmental changes on evapotranspiration variability in the Sahel. Journal of Hydrology, 131874-131874.
- Global threats of extractive industries to vertebrate biodiversity. Current Biology.
- Monitoring lianas from space: Using Sentinel-2 imagery to observe liana removal in logged tropical forests. Forest Ecology and Management, 554, 121648-121648.
- Understanding Links Between Water Scarcity and Violent Conflicts in the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin Using the Water Footprint Concept. Earth's Future, 12(2).
- Physical mechanisms affecting phytoplankton variability along the Chilean coast. Journal of Marine Systems, 103934-103934.
- The (mis)identification of high-latitude dust events using remote sensing methods in the Yukon, Canada: a sub-daily variability analysis. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 23, 6299-6318.
- A quantitative understanding of the state and determinants of water-energy-food security in Africa. Environmental Science & Policy, 140, 250-260.
- Evaluating the accuracy of gridded water resources reanalysis and evapotranspiration products for assessing water security in poorly gauged basins. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 26(22), 5899-5916.
- Proglacial lake expansion and glacier retreat in Arctic Sweden. Geografiska Annaler: Series A, Physical Geography. View this article in WRRO
- Getting the right age? Testing luminescence dating of both quartz and feldspars against independent age controls. Quaternary Geochronology.
- Meteorological effects and impacts of the 10 June 2021 solar eclipse over the British Isles, Iceland and Greenland. Weather.
- Warm Arctic proglacial lakes in the ASTER surface temperature product. Remote Sensing, 13(15).
- Detecting tropical selective logging with C-band SAR data may require a time series approach. Remote Sensing of Environment, 259, 112411-112411. View this article in WRRO
- Understanding dust sources through remote sensing: making a case for CubeSats. Journal of Arid Environments, 184.
- Optimisation of UAVs‐SfM data collection in aeolian landform morphodynamics : a case study from the Gonghe Basin, China. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. View this article in WRRO
- Mapping pervasive selective logging in the south-west Brazilian Amazon 2000-2019. Environmental Research Letters, 15(9). View this article in WRRO
- Where are mines located in sub‐Saharan Africa and how have they expanded overtime?. Land Degradation & Development. View this article in WRRO
- Glacier algae accelerate melt rates on the south-western Greenland Ice Sheet. The Cryosphere, 14(1), 309-330. View this article in WRRO
- The PiSpec: A Low-Cost, 3D-Printed Spectrometer for Measuring Volcanic SO2 Emission Rates. Frontiers in Earth Science, 7. View this article in WRRO
- A Rapidly Convecting Lava Lake at Masaya Volcano, Nicaragua. Frontiers in Earth Science, 6, 241. View this article in WRRO
- Fifty years of Area: Taking stock, looking forward. Area, 50(4), 434-439. View this article in WRRO
- Quantifying bioalbedo: A new physically based model and discussion of empirical methods for characterising biological influence on ice and snow albedo. Cryosphere, 11(6), 2611-2632. View this article in WRRO
- Evaporative sodium salt crust development and its wind tunnel derived transport dynamics under variable climatic conditions. Aeolian Research, 23, 51-62. View this article in WRRO
- Editorial. Area, 48(4), 398-400. View this article in WRRO
- Ultraviolet imaging with low cost smartphone sensors: Development and application of a raspberry pi-based UV camera. Sensors (Switzerland), 16(10). View this article in WRRO
- Meteorological effects of the solar eclipse of 20 March 2015: Analysis of UK Met Office automatic weather station data and comparison with automatic weather station data from the Faroes and Iceland. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 374(2077). View this article in WRRO
- Enhancing weak transient signals in SEVIRI false color imagery: Application to dust source detection in southern Africa. Journal of Geophysical Research, 121(17), 10-219. View this article in WRRO
- Pre-melt-season sediment plume variability at Jökulsárlón, Iceland, a preliminary evaluation using in-situ spectroradiometry and satellite imagery. Annals of Glaciology, 57(73), 39-46. View this article in WRRO
- Climate-surface-pore-water interactions on a salt crusted playa: implications for crust pattern and surface roughness development measured using terrestrial laser scanning. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 41(6), 738-753. View this article in WRRO
- Application of spatial interpolation method for estimating the spatial variability of rainfall in Semiarid New Mexico, USA. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 6(4S3), 108-116. View this article in WRRO
- Testing the performance of state-of-the-art dust emission schemes using DO4Models field data. Geoscientific Model Development, 8(2), 341-362. View this article in WRRO
- The dynamism of salt crust patterns on playas. Geology, 43(1), 31-34. View this article in WRRO
- A prospectus for future geomorphological investigation of the Namib Sand Sea. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa, 69(3), 151-156.
- Synoptic climatology of cold air drainage in the Derwent Valley, Peak District, UK. Meteorological Applications, 21(2), 161-170.
- Estimating aerodynamic roughness over complex surface terrain. Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres, 118(23), 12-961. View this article in WRRO
- Environmental controls at multiple scales for the western Pacific: An Okinawan case study. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 128, 52-63. View this article in WRRO
- Recent advances in our understanding of dust source emission processes. Progress in Physical Geography, 37(3), 397-421. View this article in WRRO
- A sub-basin scale dust plume source frequency inventory for southern Africa, 2005-2008. Geophysical Research Letters, 40(19), 5274-5279. View this article in WRRO
- UVolc: A software platform for measuring volcanic SO
2 fluxes. Computers and Geosciences, 40, 194-199. View this article in WRRO - On the formation of sand ramps: A case study from the Mojave Desert. Geomorphology, 161-162, 93-109. View this article in WRRO
- The evolution of coastal barrier systems: A case study of the Middle-Late Pleistocene Wilderness barriers, South Africa. Quaternary Science Reviews, 30(1-2), 63-81.
- Increasing rain intensity over Okinawa, 1982-2005, and the link to changes in characteristics of northwest Pacific typhoons. Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres, 115(24).
- Protocols for UV camera volcanic SO2 measurements. J VOLCANOL GEOTH RES, 194(1-3), 55-60.
- Deserts and Desert Environments. GEOGRAPHICAL JOURNAL, 176, 119-119.
- The Namib Sand Sea digital database of aeolian dunes and key forcing variables. Aeolian Research, 2(2-3), 93-104.
- Dust source identification using MODIS: A comparison of techniques applied to the Lake Eyre Basin, Australia. Remote Sensing of Environment, 113(7), 1511-1528.
- A multi-scale remote sensing approach for monitoring northern peatland hydrology: Present possibilities and future challenges. Journal of Environmental Management, 90(7), 2178-2188.
- Comparison of Low Cost Miniature Spectrometers for Volcanic SO2 Emission Measurements. SENSORS-BASEL, 9(5), 3256-3268. View this article in WRRO
- Northern peatland vegetation and the carbon cycle: A remote sensing approach. Geophysical Monograph Series, 184, 79-98.
- The hydrochemistry of a semi-arid pan basin case study: Sua Pan, Makgadikgadi, Botswana. APPL GEOCHEM, 23(6), 1563-1580.
- Hydrochemical fluctuations and crustacean community composition in an ephemeral saline lake (Sua Pan, Makgadikgadi Botswana). HYDROBIOLOGIA, 596, 31-46.
- Dust emission response to climate in southern Africa. J GEOPHYS RES-ATMOS, 112(D9).
- Detecting near-surface moisture stress in Sphagnum spp. COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY A-MOLECULAR & INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY, 143(4), S147-S147.
- Mapping the effects of water stress on Sphagnum: Preliminary observations using airborne remote sensing. REMOTE SENS ENVIRON, 100(3), 363-378.
- Remote sensing of Sphagnum stress: A proxy for near-surface wetness conditions in northern peatlands?. European Space Agency, (Special Publication) ESA SP(SP-634).
- Detecting near-surface moisture stress in Sphagnum spp.. REMOTE SENS ENVIRON, 97(3), 371-381.
- Mapping intertidal estuarine sediment grain size distributions through airborne remote sensing. Remote Sensing of Environment, 86(4), 480-490.
- Monitoring hydrological controls on dust emissions: Preliminary observations from Etosha Pan, Namibia. Geographical Journal(2), 131-141. View this article in WRRO
- The spectral behaviour of Sphagnum canopies under varying hydrological conditions. Geophysical Research Letters, 30(3).
- Ephemeral lakes and desert dust sources. Geophysical Research Letters, 30(2).
- Investigation of flood inundation on playas within the Zone of Chotts, using a time-series of AVHRR. REMOTE SENS ENVIRON, 82(2-3), 360-375.
- The mapping of hydrothermal alteration zones on the island of Lesvos, Greece using an integrated remote sensing dataset (vol. 23, pg. 341, 2002). INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF REMOTE SENSING, 23(5), 1009-1009.
- The mapping of hydrothermal alteration zones on the island of Lesvos, Greece using an integrated remote sensing dataset. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 23(2), 341-356.
- Modelling landscape-scale habitat use using GIS and remote sensing: A case study with great bustards. Journal of Applied Ecology, 38(2), 458-471.
- The influence of surface and interstitial moisture on the spectral characteristics of intertidal sediments: implications for airborne image acquisition and processing. INT J REMOTE SENS, 21(16), 3025-3038.
- Quantifying geomorphic and riparian land cover changes either side of a large flood event using airborne remote sensing: River Tay, Scotland. GEOMORPHOLOGY, 29(3-4), 307-321.
- Application of AVHRR to monitoring a climatically sensitive playa. Case study: Chott el Djerid, southern Tunisia.. EARTH SURF PROC LAND, 24(4), 283-302.
- Remote sensing of channel morphology and in-stream fluvial processes. Progress in Environmental Science, 1, 257-284.
- Remote sensing of channel morphology and in-stream fluvial processes. Progress in Environmental Science, 1, 257-284.
- Techniques for measuring rock weathering: Application to a dated fan segment sequence in southern Tunisia. EARTH SURF PROC LAND, 23(11), 1031-1043.
- Relict soils and early arable land management in Lofoten, Norway. Journal of Archaeological Science, 25(12), 1185-1198.
- Validated linear mixture modelling of Landsat TM data for mapping evaporite minerals on a playa surface: Methods and applications. INT J REMOTE SENS, 17(2), 315-330.
- A preliminary investigation into the spectral characteristics of inter-tidal estuarine sediments. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 17(2), 405-412.
- The use of image analysis in the micromorphological study of old cultivated soils: An evaluation based on soils from the Island of Papa Stour, Shetland. Journal of Archaeological Science, 23(6), 811-822.
- SALT RAMPS - WIND-INDUCED DEPOSITIONAL FEATURES ON TUNISIAN PLAYAS. EARTH SURF PROCESSES, 20(2), 105-113.
- HYDROCHEMICAL AND WATER SOURCE VARIATIONS ACROSS A FLOODPLAIN MIRE, INSH MARSHES, SCOTLAND. HYDROL PROCESS, 9(1), 99-110.
- MARINE-LIKE POTASH EVAPORITE FORMATION ON A CONTINENTAL PLAYA - CASE-STUDY FROM CHOTT-EL-DJERID, SOUTHERN TUNISIA. SEDIMENT GEOL, 90(3-4), 269-291.
- Playa sedimentology and geomorphology: mixture modelling applied to Landsat Thematic Mapper data of Chott el Djerid, Tunisia. Sedimentology and geochemistry of modern and ancient saline lakes, 125-131.
- The chemical evolution of the brines of Chott el Djerid, southern Tunisia, after an exceptional rainfall event in January 1990. Sedimentology and geochemistry of modern and ancient saline lakes, 50, 3-12.
- Quantifying Sahel Runoff Sensitivity to Climate Variability, Soil Moisture and Vegetation Changes Using Analytical Methods. Earth Systems and Environment.
- Satellite observations of Arctic blowing dust events >82°N. Weather.
- UAV‐SfM‐based field quantification of barchan dune celerity and morphodynamics in Gonghe Basin. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms.
- Quantifying mechanisms of aeolian dust emission field measurements at Etosha Pan, Namibia.. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface. View this article in WRRO
- The hydrology of glacier-bed overdeepenings: sediment transport mechanics, drainage system morphology, and geomorphological implications. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms.
- Supplementary material to "Glacier algae accelerate melt rates on the western Greenland Ice Sheet".
- Glacier algae accelerate melt rates on the western Greenland Ice Sheet. View this article in WRRO
- A Machine Learning Approach to Map Tropical Selective Logging. Remote Sensing of Environment.
- Blowout Morphometrics and Mass Balances. Frontiers in Earth Science.
- Water security in sub‐Saharan Africa: Understanding the status of sustainable development goal 6. WIREs Water.
- Combining Sentinel-1 and Landsat 8 Does Not Improve Classification Accuracy of Tropical Selective Logging. Remote Sensing, 14(1), 179-179.
Chapters
- Remote Sensing of Aeolian Processes, Treatise on Geomorphology (pp. 84-119). Elsevier
- Analysis of remotely sensed data for fluvial geomorphology and river science (pp. 103-132). Wiley View this article in WRRO
- Patterns of Aerosol Over Malaysia from Multiple Satellite-Borne Sensors, From Sources to Solution (pp. 579-583). Springer Singapore View this article in WRRO
- Pans, Playas and Salt Lakes, Arid Zone Geomorphology: Process, Form and Change in Drylands (pp. 373-401).
- Analysis of aerial photography and other remotely sensed data In Kondolf GM & Piégay H (Ed.), Tools in Fluvial Geomorphology (pp. 135-170). Wiley
- Monitoring the flooding ratios of Tunisian Playas using AVHRR data In Millington AC & Pye K (Ed.), Environmental change in drylands John Wiley & Son Ltd
Conference proceedings papers
- THE PROMISE OF HYPERSPATIAL REMOTE SENSING FOR UNDERSTANDING AEOLIAN PROCESSES: AN EXAMPLE USING PLANETSCOPE AT “THE DUSTIEST PLACE ON EARTH”. GSA Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, USA - 2019
- Remote sensing of Sphagnum stress: A proxy for near-surface wetness conditions in northern peatlands?. European Space Agency, (Special Publication) ESA SP(SP-634)
- MONITORING THE FLOODING RATIO OF TUNISIAN PLAYAS USING ADVANCED VERY HIGH-RESOLUTION RADIOMETER (AVHRR) IMAGERY. ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE IN DRYLANDS: BIOGEOGRAPHICAL AND GEOMORPHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES (pp 347-364)
Reports
Other
- Supplementary material to "Warm proglacial lake temperatures and thermal undercutting drives rapid retreat of an Arctic glacier".
- Modelling water fluxes from urban trees using ECOSTRESS and sap-flow data.
- Surface geochemistry controls 'hot-spots' of dust emission at Etosha Pan, Namibia.
- Supplementary material to "The importance of detection thresholds for the quantification of source and timing of high-latitude dust emission using remote sensing".
- Structurally controlled englacial origin of supraglacial debris cover and relief at a debris-covered Alpine glacier.
- Supplementary material to "How useful are gridded water resources reanalysis and evapotranspiration products for assessing water security in ungauged basins?".
- Why is the atmosphere becoming drier? - An investigation of the role of dynamical drivers on recent trends in relative humidity.
Preprints
- Warm proglacial lake temperatures and thermal undercutting drives rapid retreat of an Arctic glacier.
- The importance of detection thresholds for the quantification of source and timing of high-latitude dust emission using remote sensing, Copernicus GmbH.
- How useful are gridded water resources reanalysis and evapotranspiration products for assessing water security in ungauged basins?, EGUsphere.
- A Machine Learning Approach to Map Tropical Selective Logging, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- Detecting tropical selective logging with SAR data requires a time series approach, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- Teaching interests
-
I have almost 20 years of teaching experience in a range of universities in the UK and other countries (eg Finland, Zambia and Namibia), and have taught classes of all levels and sizes. I currently teach a range of modules at the undergraduate and postgraduate level based on topics that I find to be both exciting and enabling. The major themes of my teaching are driven by my research interests and experience and encompass aspects of dryland geomorphology and the use/exploitation of a range of earth observation approaches. At all levels I encourage learning through inquiry, seek to expose students to the most up to date technological advances in geographical research, and aim to include both field and laboratory components wherever possible.
- Professional activities and memberships
-
Editorial responsibilities
- Co-Editor of the Journal AREA for the Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers)
- Journal Reviewer for >20 International, peer-reviewed journals
Committee/panel activities
- NERC Peer-Review College (2007-2011).
- NERC EO Mission Support Scheme Moderating Panel (2007).
- NERC Services Review Group (2008).
- NERC steering committee for the Dundee Satellite Receiving Station (DSRS) and the NERC -Remote Sensing Data Analysis Service (RSDAS) (2001 - 2006).
- Council Member of the British Society for Geomorphology (BSG: 2006-2008)
- Council Member of the Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Society (RSPSoc: 2000-2002).
- Advisor to USGS Dust Source Monitoring Workgroup (2007)
External Examiner roles
- University of West Indies (Degrees in Geography) 2007-2011
- Kings College London (Masters Programmes in Geography) 2012-2015
- I have undertaken 27 PhD Examinations (12 external and 15 internal) - including overseas
Invited Lectures and Visiting Positions
I have given 26 departmental lectures/seminars at a range of locations
Invited research visits to USDA, Texas, ICESS, University of California Santa Barbara,
Invited Visiting Lectureships at the University of Zambia, University of Turku, Finland, and the University of Namibia (via a DAAD Humboldt Fellowship).Press and Media
- 02/04/2014 Featured in a Live Blog on air pollution. Quoted in The Guardian
- 02/04/2014 Weather Alert. Quoted in the Belfast Telegraph and other local newspapers via the Press Association
- 03/04/2014 Sheffield air pollution rise caused by Sahara dust. Quoted in the Sheffield Star
- 03/04/2014 The hazy shade of Spring. Quoted in the Yorkshire Post
- 03/04/2014 Warning to cut outdoor activity - Quoted in the Belfast Telegraph
- 03/04/2014 Discussion of Saharan dust which was blown over to parts of the UK resulting in a layer of smog covering some towns and cities. Interview with the Independent
- 03/04/2014 Discussion of Saharan dust which was blown over to parts of the UK resulting in a layer of smog covering some towns and cities. Interview with the BBC (National News)
- 03/04/2014 Discussion of Saharan dust which was blown over to parts of the UK resulting in a layer of smog covering some towns and cities. Interview on BBC Radio Sheffield
- 03/04/2014 Discussion of Saharan dust which was blown over to parts of the UK resulting in a layer of smog covering some towns and cities. Interview with Sheffield Star
- 03/04/2014 Discussion of Saharan dust which was blown over to parts of the UK resulting in a layer of smog covering some towns and cities Discussion with the Guardian
- 03/04/2014 South Yorks smog explained and YOUR photos. Sheffield Telegraph
- 03/04/2014 “Smog expert: Worsening Saharan dust storms to become an annual” ...Large Feature (I’m the expert) in the Independent
- 03/04/2014 Featured on the Nationalheadlines.co.uk web site “Smog expert: Worsening Saharan dust storms to become an annual Spring fixture as climate changes” Nationalheadlines.co.uk
- 03/04/2014 Above story also features on worldnews.com, and news24.com - along with a quote from me. “The toxic smog that smothered most of Britain this week will become more frequent in coming years, experts warned last night.”
- 04/04/2014 “999 calls soar as vulnerable choke on smog” – Quoted in The Scotsman
- 04/04/2014 Is Saharan dust cloud just a load of hot air? Experts divided as even PM gives up his morning jog because of 'poor air quality' – Quoted in the Daily Mail
- 04/04/2014 Further discussion with the Daily Mail about camel hair found in dust on a car in London!! – Daily Mail
- 04/04/2014 Further discussion with the Times about the frequency of Saharan dust events, and a subsequent mention in the Sunday Times – The Times
- 04/04/2014 ….the above "Dust from the Sahara - and more is UK bound“ story was also picked up by the New Zealand Herald and the Sheffield Star “Sheffield air quality 'will get worse'”. New Zealand Herald and Sheffield Star
- 05/04/2014 “Sahara disease threat: Britain faces potential foot-and-mouth outbreak from smog” Quoted in this article in the Daily Star
- 06/04/2014 Mentioned prominently in two articles discussing dust and foot and mouth and dust and climate change in general “Climate change to bring years of toxic smog” and “Britain's toxic smog leaves millions of people at risk of heart disease”. The Daily/Sunday Express
- 06/04/2014 The above story was also picked up by the Star - Star/Star on Sunday
- 06/04/2014 My outputs were featured on the RGS #geogtoday news feed. Royal Geographical Society
- 18/3/2015 Daily Mirror quotes me in “Toxic smog hits UK: Air pollution health alert is set trigger asthma attacks and ...”
- 19/3/2015 Birmingham Mail – Quoted my stance on air pollution complexity and the import of air masses and pollution from Africa from 2014.
- 19/3/2014 The Daily Record also runs with my suggestions from 2014 in relation to the Smog event in March 2015.
- 19/3/2015 The Daily Mirror [Toxic smog hits UK: Live updates] also picks up on the same story – and quotes me in a range of contexts.
- 19/3/2015 Belfast Live picked up on the same story as above….
- 19/3/2015 The Loughborough Echo does the same….as does the Cheddar Valley Gazette.
- 8/12/2015 BBC News at 10 Coverage by David Schukman from Etosha Pan regarding the DO4Models project. Lengthy segment which highlighted the global importance of the research programme.
- 9/12/2015 BBC Science and Environment Editorial about the RCUK funded DO4Models project. This was picked up by a range of other news outlets
- Additional research projects
-
Ephemeral Lakes and Dust Emissions
-
Atmospheric mineral aerosols impact global climate through the absorption and scattering of incoming solar radiation and outgoing planetary radiation, as well as affecting ocean and terrestrial biogeochemistry. Due to the prevalence of arid surfaces with reduced vegetation cover and high velocity winds, much of the observed atmospheric dust is derived from susceptible surfaces within dryland regions.
Work has shown that topographic lows are the predominant sources of atmospheric desert dust within drylands. However, there are no general theories of why some basins are more active dust sources than other regions. Gross changes in the hydrology of an ephemeral lake system can lead to extreme changes in regional dust emissions (eg Owens Lake). It is possible, therefore, that changes in the frequency and extent of natural inundation occurring on large ephemeral lake systems may lead to significant fluctuations in regional dust loadings on a seasonal and inter-annual basis.
Research here focuses on using a range of remote sensing approaches (eg TOMS, POLDER, AVHRR) to constrain the affect of inundation on dust emissions from ephemeral lake systems in Africa.
Including Collaboration with: Natalie Mahowold (UCSB/NCAR), Giles Wiggs (Oxford), Frank Eckhardt (UCT) and Richard Washington (Oxford). Funding from NERC and the Royal Society.
(A) MODIS Visible (250m – Channel-1) image of dust plumes which seem to emanate from the southern part of Sua Pan (B) SeaWIFS (Channel-2) image of a similar dust plume 10 days later. Here the dust plume also seems to emanate from parts of Ntetwe Pan (C) Near Infra-Red (Landsat ETM-Channel 4) Image showing the extent of standing water on Sua and Ntetwe Pan following heavy rainfall associated with Tropical Cyclone Eline.
Landsat ETM+ image of the Northern edge of Sua pan after the flood event of 2000.
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Monitoring Ephemeral Lakes
-
In drylands past fluctuations in climate have resulted in relatively extreme changes in regional precipitation regimes. However, within most drylands contemporary changes in regional rainfall patterns are difficult to assess by direct measurement, and are best indicated and preserved by studying changes in the level and chemistry of closed or "non-outlet" lakes. However, many of these basins are un-gauged, and relatively little is known about their hydrologic response to climate inputs.
Research here focuses on the use of time-series EO data to determine inundation frequency and groundwater levels for large ephemeral systems. These data are used to estimate regional hydrologic inputs, and generate simple hydrological models.
Including collaboration with: Dr Charon Birkett (GSFC), NERC Dundee Satellite Receiving Station, NASA Surface Water Working Group. Funding from NERC and the Royal Society
Time series of observations for the Magkadigkadi Basin, (A) Lake inundation data at Sua Pan derived from AVHRR and MODIS data; a time series of NIR reflectance and the percent of the lake area covered by surface water. Key flood events are highlighted, (B) rainfall within the Nata River Catchment derived from gridded climate data (0.5 degree) and flow on the Nata River, (C) Average and anomalies in FASIR FAPAR data for the Makgadikgadi Basin, (D) monthly normalized anomalies (monthly mean minus the mean of the monthly means normalized to one standard deviation) for TOMS AAI v8 (NIMBUS7 and Earth Probe) 1980 through 2005 and wind speed data derived from the ECMWF ERA-40 gridded climate product (1 degree); (E) Sea Surface Temperature anomalies for the Dipole Mode Index (DMI) and Pacific (ENSO3.4) regions. The landfall of Tropical Cyclones on the Eastern Coast of southern Africa are also noted [L]
- Applied Remote Sensing
-
Research here has focused on the innovative application of airborne remote sensing (principally CASI, CASI SWIR and Daedalus ATM) to estuaries, rivers, and wetlands, and a range of other environments. These dynamic and important environments require both progressive and innovative use of remote sensing techniques.
The work has included collaboration with Andrew Tyler and Dave Gilvear (Stirling), Andrew Baird and Angela Harris (Sheffield), Graham Ferrier (Hull). Data from NERC ARSF and FSF facilities.
Daedalus ATM Image of Cors Fochno (Borth Bog) collected in May 2002 as part of a project targeted at understanding and mapping the effects of water stress on Sphagnum spp - and thereby derive proxy measures of seasonal and sub-seasonal water table fluctuations
Co-ordinated Fieldwork at Cors Fochno in May 2002 : (a) Location of the study area, (b) Comparison of monthly rainfall totals for 2002 and mean total rainfall throughout 1981-2003, (c-d) A map of the locations of field sampling sites, and a photograph of typical primary and sub sampling stations
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Field and Laboratory Spectroscopy
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Reflectance spectroscopy is the study of light as a function of wavelength that has been reflected or scattered from a solid, liquid, or gas. Spectroscopy is therefore a field and laboratory research tool that can be used to identify and map specific materials by detecting specific chemical bonds. As a result it is an excellent tool for environmental assessments, mineral mapping and exploration, vegetation communities/species and health studies, and general land management studies.
Field/Lab Spectrometers
Within the Department of Geography, Sheffield we have a laboratory facility with associated dark room, lights sources and controller PC. We have one ASD Fieldspec-3JR (0.4 - 2.5 micron) spectrometer and one ASD HH (0.1-1.1 micron) spectrometer to measure samples and provide in situ calibration of surface directional reflectance/radiance for terrestrial imaging spectroscopy studies. They also serve as laboratory spectrometers when rapid spectra are needed. We have a series ASD attachments and software to that enable us to analyse a wide range of soil, sediment, rock and vegetation samples.
ASD Fieldspec HH being used to characterise soil reflectance at field sites in Southern Tunisia
NERC FSF ASD Fieldspec Pro being used to characterise a kaeolinite target reflectance at field sites on the island of Milos, Greece as part of an airborne remote sensing campaign
Typical field spectral signatures for S. pulchrum collected in May and September 2002 as part of a laboratory and field campaign targeted at understanding and mapping the Effects of Water Stress on Sphagnum.
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