environmental sciences research institute - University of Ulster

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES 

RESEARCH INSTITUTE 

ANNUAL REPORT 

1 AUGUST 2006 - 31 JULY 2007



ANNUAL REPORT 

1 August 2006 – 31 July 2007



ANNUAL REPORT 

(1 AUGUST 2006 - 31 JULY 2007) 

CONTENTS 

Page No 

1. Foreword from the Pro Vice Chancellor (Research and Innovation) 2 

2. Foreword from the Director of the Research Institute 3 

3. Research Institute Members 6 

4. Research Projects in Environmental Science. 8 

4.1. Centre for Maritime Archaeology 8 

4.2. Quaternary Research 11 

4.3. Freshwater Science 13 

4.4. Landscape and Natural Sciences Group 20 

4.5. Geophysics Research Group. 21 

5. Research Students 25 

6. Research Publications 33 

7. Visiting Scholars 38 

8. Seminars and Conferences 39 

9. External Research Funding 40 

10. Indicators of Esteem 43

1. Foreword by the Pro Vice Chancellor 

(Research and Innovation) 

I am delighted to welcome readers to our annual 

reports from University of Ulster Research Institutes. 

We have had an excellent year marked by great 

achievements in recruiting superb researchers to 

academic and research posts, attracting external 

income and completing work that has led to highly 

prestigious papers, books and other outputs. There 

has been a very strong flow of research findings as 

new disclosures to our Office of Innovation. These 

are being managed as promising new intellectual 

property and that Office also ensures that the 

expertise of our staff is accessed by external 

organisations through consultancy contracts. Overall our Institutes provide high 

quality research environments that are strongly supportive of research. Our 

achievements point to improved research capacity and capability amongst the 

University’s staff – the best possible training environments for our increasing 

number of research students. We are very proud of every student who graduates 

with a doctoral degree and delighted that our statistics for successful completion 

rank very highly in UK national comparisons. 

This past year was marked by final preparations for the forthcoming UK Research 

Assessment Exercise (RAE). The work to be submitted for RAE has been underway 

since 2001, so some of it is detailed in the current Annual Reports. The University 

is proud of the quality of its RAE submission and looks forward confidently to the 

announcement of outcomes at the end of 2008. 

The enhanced research performance of recent years is in line with that planned 

for in our Strategy and Action Plan for Research, Research Training and Innovation, 

entitled SUPPORTIVe 1 . Developed through comprehensive, university-wide 

consultation, SUPPORTIVe articulates our commitment to ensuring that research 

at the University of Ulster fully supports our goals summarized as ‘excellence, 

innovation and regional engagement’. 

I commend this report to you as a demonstration that University of Ulster 

research ranks proudly amongst UK institutions; documents, analyses and shapes 

the modern Northern Ireland and attracts international recognition and awards. 

Professor Bernie Hannigan 

Pro Vice Chancellor (Research & Innovation) 

1 

http://research.ulster.ac.uk/office/supportive.pdf

2. Foreword by the 

Research Institute Director 

The Environmental Sciences Research Institute at Coleraine 

The Environmental Sciences Research Institute at Ulster is one of a number 

of Institutes established to ensure support to those areas capable of research 

performance of the highest quality. The Institute is responsible for seeing that our 

best scholars are given the time and resources necessary for their work and that 

talented younger staff are given every opportunity to fulfil their potential. There 

are many complementary activities expected of staff in a modern university, 

but such responsibilities inevitably compete for time. To undertake the best 

research requires a high level of intellectual ability, but also a great deal of hard 

work, negotiation, organisation, team building, staff supervision, and outreach. It 

is extremely difficult to carry out internationally significant research effectively. 

One of our greatest challenges is to enable this work against a background of 

competing demands. 

It is therefore a source of great pride in the Institute that there is evidence of so 

much successful research being delivered. Over 30 papers are published in peerreviewed 

journals each year, plus many other outputs including books; numerous 

conference presentations, more than a third of which are invited or keynote 

papers. Our staff also organised conferences or specialised sessions throughout 

the world. We have been keen to involve less-experienced researchers in this 

activity. PhD researchers presented at conferences sponsored by the American 

Geophysical Union, San Francisco; the European Geophysical Union, Vienna; the 

International Association of Landscape Ecologists, Wageningen; as well as the 

International Coastal Symposium, Gold Coast, Australia, and the 5th International 

Workshop on Statistical Seismology, Erice, Italy. A research student, Louise 

Vaughan, won the prize for best presentation “Trophic modelling of the Lough 

Neagh ecosystem, using Ecopath” at the International Society of Limnology 

triennial meeting in Montreal. 

For the second consecutive year of this report, the work of the Geophysics 

group has made the most significant international impact. Following its leadership 

of an international multidisciplinary consortium on tsunamigenesis from possible 

future earthquakes on the Sunda Trench, the group has identified unexpected 

relationships between deformation, tsunami energy and travel time. This was 

published in Geophysical Research Letters and is likely to be a landmark paper on 

the science underlying tsunami warning and preparedness. Work on the Sumatran 

earthquake sequence was exhibited to the public at the Royal Society Summer 

Exhibition in Glasgow, at Techfest, Mumbai, and was featured in NERC’s Planet 

Earth magazine. At the end of the year the group was also granted a Griffiths 

Geoscience award of €1.2M with UCD to support future research on the 

geological potential for Irish CO2 sequestration. Joan Gomberg (USGS Seattle) 

was one of a number of visiting scholars with the group.

In Freshwater Science, the EU-INTERREG Blackwater TRACE project 

revealed the sources and magnitudes of low flow phosphorus transfers 

using an integrated series of methods and, for the first time, characterised 

phosphorus transfers in rivers using unique, automated high resolution 

monitoring. As a visiting scholar, Professor Tom Sims of the University of 

Delaware participated in an important publication from the project in Science 

of the Total Environment. Further sponsored research on river and lake 

ecology has centred on species-environment relationships. The influence of 

the environment on species at scales from single species in one lake to largescale 

biotic patterns was investigated and a new bioassessment methodology 

for rivers and lakes proposed (Freshwater Biology). Dr Hans Jurgen Hahn 

(Koblenz Landau) spent four weeks working with us as a visiting scholar in 

2006 on a pilot study of Irish groundwater ecology. The successful outcome 

eventually led to a substantial grant from the Irish Environmental Protection 

Agency to take the work further. 

In Coastal and Marine Research work has been carried out on ice-ocean 

atmosphere interactions, coastal and shelf dynamics, seabed environments, 

and coastal management to interpret environmental change and inform 

public policy. The research on seabed environments has taken a wholeecosystem 

approach and cuts across numerous marine research disciplines 

(i.e. ecology, geophysics and geology). Novel methods are currently being 

applied for predictive mapping of seabed habitat over large spatial areas for 

the assessment of potential anthropogenic impacts on seabed ecosystems. 

The group welcomed Professor Andrew Short from the University of 

Sydney as a visiting scholar. Andrew Cooper became Chair of the Northern 

Ireland Coastal and Marine Forum. In Quaternary Science a new NERC UK 

collaboration (Oxford, British Antarctic Survey, Sheffield and Durham) was 

initiated, developing theories of subglacial bedform generation. 

In the Centre for Maritime Archaeology, a special issue of the journal 

Historical Archaeology on ‘Maritime Archaeology in Ireland’ was published in 

2007. This resulted from a session on Irish maritime archaeology at the SHA 

conference in Quebec in 2000, and includes seven full-length papers from the 

CMA. Also in 2007, the Journal of Archaeological Science released a series of 

three virtual issues which brought together articles from ‘hot topics’ in the 

area (DNA/Environmental History/Shipwrecks and Harbours). The special 

issues on ‘Shipwrecks and Harbours’ contains 24 feature articles from the 

mid-1980s to present, with three full length papers from the CMA. A team 

from the CMA were invited participants in the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, 

Washington DC, demonstrating the impact of Northern Irish archaeology to 

international heritage. The CMA highlighted pioneering studies on shipwrecks 

and coastal sites, including the discovery of the earliest known tidal mill in 

the world at Strangford, and Northern Ireland’s rich shipping legacy from 

the Girona to the Titanic. Over one million people visited the Smithsonian 

Festival over the Independence Day holiday on the 4th of July. 

In Landscape Ecology, work was started on the Northern Ireland Countryside 

Survey 2007 funded by more than £1M from DoENI-EHS. NICS 2007 is the 

third in a series of competitively commissioned research projects which are 

enabling EHS to set science-based targets for the Northern Ireland Biodiversity 

Strategy and guide the development of agri-environment schemes. In Human 

Geography, this year saw the final phase of the AHRC Border/lands project, 

which has been one of the largest sustained investigations in Ireland of social, 

economic and political change in everyday lives. Two new lecturers, Sara 

McDowell and Frances Fahy, have been appointed to develop research on 

socio-environment interactions.

Recognition in various forms has been given to Research Institute staff during 

the course of the year. John McCloskey became Chair of the NERC Geophysics 

Equipment Pool while Sandy Steacy was invited to join the NERC Peer Review 

College. Brian Graham was nominated by the Royal Geographical Society to the 

AHRC Peer Review College. Colin Breen and Tom McErlean were admitted as 

Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries (FSA) of London, while Rory Quinn became 

Coracle Research Fellow 2007-09 at the Memorial University of Newfoundland, 

Canada. Derek Jackson was Visiting Professor at Université du Littoral Côte 

d’Opale, France. Craig Brown used his Leverhulme Fellowship to collaborate 

further with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Canada. 

Little would be possible in our Institute without skilled technical support, and 

high performance facilities and infrastructure; for this we are very grateful. Six 

full-time Research Institute technical staff support research including terrestrial 

and hydrographic survey, water and sediment analysis, environmental monitoring, 

digital data processing and spatial mapping and manage the Institute’s fleet of 

vehicles and boats. The Faculty maintains dedicated electronics and mechanical 

engineering workshops with 8 full-time specialist staff. These facilities have allowed 

the development of customised experimental equipment for the research groups, 

combining purposely machined components with complex electronic circuitry. 

Exciting initiatives beyond the Research Institute are certain to stimulate much 

new work within it over the coming year. The all-Ireland Irish Seabed Survey has 

produced terabytes of marine acoustic data (multi-beam bathymetric, backscatter 

and seismic reflection data). When combined with high-resolution remote sensed 

data and digital terrain models, this will allow us for the first time to examine 

processes across the land-sea boundary at scales from tens of meters to hundreds 

of kilometres. The Geological Survey of Northern Ireland and the Geological 

Survey of Ireland have undertaken a high-resolution geophysical and geochemical 

survey of the island. The first phase, TELLUS, was completed in 2006 and all the 

digital data are now available to our researchers. 

Our location offers enviable access to high-quality natural laboratories with late 

glacial sedimentary deposits, active coastal and shallow marine environments and 

extensive networks of rivers and lakes, presenting globally significant research 

opportunities. We were pleased that the International Ocean Drilling Program 

chose to host their “Large Igneous Provinces” Workshop here in 2007; easy access 

to our splendid coastline and the geological interest of the Giant’s Causeway was 

a clear “convincer” for a large, enthusiastic and truly international gathering. 

It has undoubtedly been a year of high achievement and significant international 

recognition. We are grateful for the support given by our research sponsors, 

whose take-up of our research results is a vital link in the application of knowledge. 

None of this is possible without high calibre staff, and it is a great pleasure to 

work with dedicated and talented colleagues whose focus on research underpins 

all those achievements. 

Director 

Environmental Sciences Research Institute

3. Research Institute Members 

Surname Forename TITLE Position 

Antonioli Andrea Dr EU Marie Curie Fellow in Geophysics 

Arnscheidt Joerg Dr Research Associate in Freshwater Science 

Breen Colin Dr Senior Lecturer – Maritime Archaeology 

Brown Craig Dr Lecturer in Marine Biology 

Cassidy Rachel Dr Lecturer in Geophysics 

Cooper Alan Dr Reader in Landscape Science 

Cooper Andrew Prof Professor of Coastal Studies 

Day Keith Prof Director of Research Institute 

Dodkins Ian Dr Research Associate in Freshwater Science 

Douglas Richard Dr Lecturer in Freshwater Science 

Dunlop Paul Dr Lecturer in Geographical Information Systems 

Forsythe Wes Dr Research Fellow in Maritime Archaeology 

Gass Susan Dr Research Associate in Maritime Archaeology 

Graham Brian Prof Professor of Human Geography 

Griffiths David Dr Reader in Freshwater Science 

Herron Ciara Dr Research Associate in Maritime Archaeology 

Jackson Derek Dr Senior Lecturer in Coastal Sciences 

Jordan Philip Dr Head of School 

Lafferty Bernadette Dr Research Associate in Maritime Archaeology 

McCabe Marshall Prof Professor of Quaternary Science 

McCann Thomas Mr Research Associate in Landscape Science 

McCloskey John Prof Professor of Geophysics 

McConkey Rosemary Ms Research Associate in Maritime Archaeology 

McCormick Suzanne Dr Research Associate in Freshwater Science 

McDowell Sara Dr Lecturer in Human Geography 

McErlean Tom Mr Research Fellow in Maritime Archaeology 

McKenna John Dr Lecturer / Research Fellow in Coastal Science 

McMullan Amanda Ms Research Associate in Human Geography

Surname Forename TITLE Position 

McQuillan Colin Mr Research Associate in Freshwater Science 

Nalbant Suleyman Dr Lecturer in Geophysics 

Poole Mark Mr Research Associate in Freshwater Sciences 

Quinn Rory Dr Senior Lecturer in Marine Archaeological 

Geophysics 

Reid Bryonie Dr Research Associate in Human Geography 

Rippey Brian Prof Professor of Freshwater Science 

Rogers David Mr Research Associate 

Stanev Emil Dr Lecturer in Physical Oceanography 

Steacy Sandy Prof Professor of Earthquake Physics 

Wilson Peter Dr Reader in Quaternary Science

4. Research Projects in Environmental Science 

4.1 CENTRE FOR MARITIME ARCHAEOLOGY (CMA) 

RESEARCH FOCUS 

CMA research is focused on maritime cultural landscapes, directed under three themes – coastal and freshwater 

landscapes, historical archaeology and marine geoarchaeology. Over the past 12 months, we have continued to 

develop landscape models concentrating on aspects of settlement, exploitation, defence and communication within 

coastal environments of Ireland, Britain and East Africa. Historical archaeology research has primarily focused on 

the Later-Medieval and Post-Medieval periods of Ireland and Scotland, examining issues relating to Gaelic Lordship 

and coastal economies. Research in marine geoarchaeology has focused on physical processes of shipwreck site 

formation, geophysical signatures of submerged and buried archaeological materials and past human responses to 

significant sea-level change. 

RESEARCH OUTPUT 

Research Monographs 

Harnessing the Tides: The Early Medieval Tide Mills at Nendrum 

Monastery, Strangford Lough (The Stationery Office, 2007) authored by 

Thomas McErlean and Norman Crothers. This monograph details the excavation of 

two Early Medieval monastic tide mills, one of which is the earliest recorded in the 

world. The publication contextualises the history and archaeology of the important 

Early Medieval monastery of Nendrum, located on an island in Strangford Lough, 

Co. Down. 

An Archaeology of Southwest Ireland, 1570–1670 (Four Courts Press, 

2007) authored by Colin Breen. The 17th century was a period of significant political 

and religious upheavals and was also a formative period in terms of landscape and 

settlement development throughout Ireland. This book examines Munster from an 

historical archaeology perspective. In particular the study sets the archaeological 

context of these developments against the historical background of plantation, 

Cromwellian intervention and economic expansion. 

Maritime Ireland: An Archaeology of Coastal Communities (Tempus, 

2007) authored by Colin Breen and Aidan O’ Sullivan from University College 

Dublin. Ireland is an island in the Atlantic Ocean yet, while archaeologists, historians 

and historical geographers have commonly accepted this island status, they have 

rarely explored the role of the sea in the development of the cultures and societies 

of this land. The authors explore the material evidence for maritime life and 

traditions of Ireland from 7000 BC to the present day.

OVERSEAS COLLABORATION 

2007 East Africa Fieldwork 

Field research in East Africa continued over 2006 and 2007, with Colin Breen and Wes Forsythe leading research projects 

in Tanzania, Zanzibar and Sudan. International collaborators include the British Institute in Eastern Africa, the University 

of Dar-es-Salam, and the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research (Cambridge University). 

2007 Smithsonian Folklife Festival 

The CMA represented Northern Ireland in the heart of the US capital with an exhibition demonstrating the impact of 

Northern Irish archaeology to international heritage. The UU team, comprising Colin Breen, Rosemary McConkey, Wes 

Forsythe and Thomas McErlean highlighted pioneering studies on shipwrecks and coastal sites, including the discovery of 

the earliest known tidal mill in the world at Strangford Lough. Over one million people visited the Smithsonian Festival 

over the Independence Day holiday on July 4th. 

http://folklife.si.edu/festival/2007/Northern_Ireland/index.html 

2006 Submerged Landscapes Archaeological Network launched 

The Submerged Landscapes Archaeological Network (SLAN) is an international consortium of researchers exploring 

past human responses to significant sea-level changes in Ireland and Newfoundland. CMA researchers, together with 

universities and government agencies in Ireland and Newfoundland launched the research network with the aim of 

providing an understanding of Ireland’s and Newfoundland’s submerged archaeological landscapes. Recent coastal,

archaeological and palaeogeographical studies have established that, since the last Ice Age, significant sea-level rise 

has submerged ancient European and North American coastlines. Important technological developments in marine 

geophysics and geodynamic modelling have, for the first time, created an opportunity to predict, locate and precisely 

map the locations of these ancient coastlines. 

http://www.science.ulster.ac.uk/cma/slan/ 

FURTHER HIGHLIGHTS 

• Colin Breen and Thomas McErlean have been admitted as Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries (FSA) of London. 

The Society’s 2,500 Fellows include many distinguished archaeologists and art and architectural historians holding 

positions of responsibility across the cultural heritage. The Fellowship is international in its reach and its interests are 

inclusive of all aspects of the material past. 

• Rory Quinn was awarded a two-year Coracle Fellowship with Memorial University of Newfoundland (Canada) 

to enhance and share technological knowledge about mapping and interpreting submerged archaeological sites off the 

coasts of Newfoundland and Ireland. 

• A special issue of the journal Historical Archaeology on ‘Maritime Archaeology in Ireland’ edited by Brian 

Williams was published in 2007. The 2007 fall issue (Volume 43, No. 3) is resultant from a session on Irish maritime 

archaeology at the SHA conference in Quebec in 2000, and includes seven full-length papers from the CMA. 

• In 2007, the Journal of Archaeological Science released a series of three virtual issues which bring together 

articles from ‘hot topics’ in the area (DNA/Environmental History/Shipwrecks and Harbours). The special issues on 

‘Shipwrecks and Harbours’ contains 24 feature articles from the mid-1980s to present, with three full length papers 

from the CMA. 

 

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4.2 QUATERNARY SCIENCE 

Stone run (block stream) formation in the Falkland Islands over several cold stages, deduced 

from cosmogenic isotope (10Be and 26Al) surface exposure dating 

Cosmogenic isotope (10Be and 26Al) surface exposure dating has been applied to valley-axis and hillslope stone runs 

(relict periglacial block streams) and their source outcrops in the Falkland Islands, South Atlantic. The data indicate that 

stone runs are considerably older landforms than previously envisaged and afford no evidence that they are a product 

of the Last Glacial Maximum; the samples range in apparent 10Be age from 42 ka to 731 ka BP, but some of these are 

minima. The results indicate that valley-axis stone runs may be up to 700-800 ka old, have simple exposure histories and 

are composite landforms that developed over several cold stages. Analyses of some hillslope and outcrop samples also 

demonstrate simple exposure histories with 10Be ages from 42 ka to 658 ka BP. In contrast, isotopic ratios from other 

hillslope and outcrop samples reveal they have had a complex exposure history involving periods of burial or shielding; 

the samples range in 10Be age from 59 ka to 569 ka BP and these are regarded as minimum age estimates. Larger stone 

runs may be older than smaller runs and there is a possibility that stone runs older than 800 ka exist in other parts of 

the Falklands. The assertion that glaciation in the Falklands was restricted to the highest uplands is supported by the 

data. The potential for age determination of other boulder-strewn and bedrock landforms, using cosmogenic isotope 

analysis, in order to extend the geochronology of Quaternary events and processes in this climatically sensitive area of 

the South Atlantic Ocean is apparent. 

Figure 1. View across the upper part of Prince’s Street stone run, East Falkland. Components of stone run 

terrain (outcrops, hillslopes and valley-axis), sampled for cosmogenic dating are indicated and the arrow 

points downvalley. 

Peter Wilson, in collaboration with 

Michael J. Bentley, Department of Geography, University of Durham 

Christoph Schnabel, NERC Cosmogenic Isotope Facility 

Richard Clark, Penrith, Cumbria 

Sheng Xu, Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre 

 

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Geomorphological characteristics and significance of Late Quaternary paraglacial rock-slope 

failures on Skiddaw Group terrain, Lake District, northwest England 

Figure 2. Rock slope failure on Crag Fell, Lake District 

Eight relict rock-slope failures have been investigated on Skiddaw Group terrain in the Lake District, northwest England. 

Five of the failures are rockslides, one is a product of slope deformation, and two are compound features with evidence 

for sliding and deformation in different sectors. Because none of the failures appear to have been overrun and modified 

by glacier ice it is inferred that they all post-date the Last Glacial Maximum (c. 21,000 years Before Present). Slope stress 

readjustments resulting from glacial and deglacial influences are considered to have weakened the slopes, and application 

of the term paraglacial is appropriate. Permafrost aggradation and degradation, seismic activity and fluvial erosion are 

among processes that may have contributed to failure at certain sites. The failures are significant as potential debris 

sources during future ice advances, contributing to valley widening and cirque enlargement and, possibly, for acting as 

sites of cirque initiation. Previously, Skiddaw Group rocks have been regarded as homogeneous and of limited resistance 

to the weathering and erosion associated with Quaternary glacial, periglacial and fluvial processes. These characteristics 

and processes have been used to explain the steep smooth slopes and rounded hills that dominate Skiddaw Group 

terrain. Rock-slope failure has also helped shape this terrain and should be incorporated in future interpretations of 

landscape development. 

Peter Wilson 

 

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4.3 FRESHWATER SCIENCE 

Toxic metals in the aquatic food chain 

Figure 1. The pristine environment of Loch Coire nan Arr in the 

north Scottish Highlands (one of the study lakes) where the 

aquatic life are subject to toxic metal burden. 

The growth of the global economy since the early 20th 

Century has been mirrored by atmospheric trace metal 

burden. Consequently, toxic metals such as lead (Pb), 

cadmium (Cd) and mercury (Hg) have entered freshwater 

lakes. This has posed a threat to ecosystems and humans 

as these metals are accumulated by the primary producers 

(the 

phytoplankton) and subsequently transferred through 

the aquatic food chain. Therefore the United Nations 

Economic Commission for Europe adopted the Heavy 

Metals Protocol to encourage modelling, research and descriptions of metal pathways. However, accurate modelling of 

these pathways in freshwater lakes has been inhibited by a lack of knowledge on metal uptake by the phytoplankton. This 

is particularly due to the temporal and spatial variations in phytoplankton biomass that stems from their photosynthetic 

nature and variations in their growth limiting nutrient, phosphorus. 

This project has focused on quantifying the short-term changes in the uptake of Pb, Cd and Hg by the phytoplankton in 

lakes of varying nutrient status. Three remote Scottish lakes that have received high, medium or low metal contamination 

from the atmosphere were selected for analysis. Phytoplankton specimens were collected and the behaviour of metals in 

the sediment was investigated with continuous sediment traps and sediment cores. The technique of diffusive gradients 

in thin film was employed to assess the distribution of dissolved metals. Concentrations of Pb, Cd and Hg in the 

phytoplankton and sediment were analysed with Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry. 

A redox sensitive release of metals from the sediment was found during the early spring as dissolved oxygen in the lakes 

declined due to higher community respiration rates. The concentration of metals then accumulated by the phytoplankton 

varied between the taxonomic groups and their metabolic demand or sensitivity of each metal. Furthermore, the 

phytoplankton were more concentrated with Pb, Cd and Hg in poor nutrient status waters that receive low metal 

contamination from the atmosphere than in nutrient rich (eutrophic) waters receiving high metal contamination. 

Considering the possibility of these metals transferring through the aquatic food chain, the ecosystems in nutrient poor 

waters may be under a greater threat of toxicity. 

DEL Funded PhD Studentship, Supervisor: Dr Richard Douglas, Student: Áine Gormley 

References. 

Gormley, A. M., The Impact of Algae Growth on the Transport of Toxic Metals in Lakes, in Proceedings of the Thermo 

Scientific ICP-MS Users Meeting, The UK National Space Centre, England, 2007 

Gormley, A. M., The Impact of Phytoplankton Growth on the Biogeochemical Cycling of Metals in Lakes, in Proceedings 

of the 30th Congress of the International Association of Theoretical and Applied Limnology in Montreal, Canada, 2007 

 

13

The effects of transboundary air pollution 

The deposition of chemicals from the atmosphere on to the surface of the earth is less obvious than the emission of 

chemicals in waste water, solid waste or as a result of accidents. We can see emissions from chimney stacks in power 

stations and smelters and from the spraying of agrochemicals but the chemicals are deposited onto land and water many 

tens to hundreds of kilometres away and this is less noticeable. When these emissions cross national boundaries, this is 

called transboundary air pollution and the chemicals involved are carbon, sulphur, nitrogen, heavy metals and persistent 

organic pollutants (POPs). 

The heavy metals that are subject to transboundary air pollution are mercury, cadmium, lead, arsenic and zinc and the 

groups of POPs are the organochlorine pesticides (OCs), polychlorinated biphyenyls (PCBs) and polycyclic aromatic 

hydrocarbons (PAHs) and because emissions in one country can affect the quality of the environment in another these 

chemicals are regulated by international treaty. The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe has five such 

treaties and the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution is the main way that emissions and effects of 

transboundary air pollutants are managed; the 1998 Protocol on Heavy Metals and 1998 Protocol on Persistent Organic 

Pollutants (POPs) are concerned with heavy metals and POPs. 

The Department for the Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is responsible for implementing the Convention on 

Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution in the United Kingdom and they funded an investigation into the risks to lakes 

from heavy metals and POPs deposited from the atmosphere. As most of these pollutants are concentrated in lake 

sediments, they were the focus of the investigation. The work was published in 2007 (Rippey et al. 2007). The PhD 

of Sarah Travers increased the reliability of the assessment, by doubling the number of lakes involved, and providing 

independent evidence on the relevance of one of the toxicity tests used. 

The Tier I risk assessment was completed as follows. Eighteen lakes that covered the range of contamination by heavy 

metals and POPs deposited from the atmosphere in the United Kingdom and Ireland were selected (Fig. 1, previous page) 

and samples of the sediment retrieved. The concentrations of seven heavy metals and three groups of POPs, OCs, PCBs 

and PAHs, were determined and three sediment toxicity tests completed. The toxicity tests were reproduction and 

survival with Daphnia magna, growth and emergence with Chironomus riparius and growth and survival with Gammarus 

pulex (Fig. 2). The first two species are well established in sediment toxicity tests, but the latter much less so. Although 

there was evidence that Gammarus should be particularly sensitive to heavy metals, Sarah showed that this is not the 

case and that the Chironomus riparius test is the most relevant and efficient way of establishing sediment toxicity. 

Figure 2. Sediment 

toxicity tests. 

 

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A comparison of the sediment toxicity tests results with the concentrations of the chemicals showed that only the heavy 

metals are a risk to the animals that live in and around the sediment in lakes and not the OCs, PCBs or PAHs. This was 

an unexpected finding, given the widespread concern about POPs. Further analysis showed that it is lead and arsenic 

amongst the heavy metals that pose the greatest risk. 

This work also produced a chemical risk index for DEFRA and others to use to identify the lakes at risk from heavy 

metals deposited from the atmosphere and a map of the general risk is shown below. 

Figure 3. Three sub-regions of high, medium and low risk of biological effects in lake sediment due to the deposition of heavy metals 

from the atmosphere. The lakes are identified by a lake number. 

Not all lakes in the high risk region would be expected to have toxic sediments as a result of the deposition of metals from 

the atmosphere. This happens because lakes with a high accumulation rate of sediment will dilute the metals deposited 

from the atmosphere and so the concentrations would not be as high and the sediment not as toxic as expected. On 

the other hand, some lakes in the medium risk region would have toxic sediments, if they had low sediment accumulation 

rates; in this case, the metals would not be diluted much by the sediment and so the concentrations would be higher and 

the sediment more toxic than expected. 

This investigation is a good example of where sponsored research and research completed as part of a PhD can come 

together and make the overall contribution greater than the sum of the parts. 

 

15

References. 

Rippey, B., Rose, N., Yang, H., Harrad, S., Robson, M., and Travers, S., An assessment of toxicity in profundal lake sediment 

due to deposition of heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants from the atmosphere, Environment International, 

doi:10.1016/j.envint.2007.03.06, 2007 

Sarah Travers, Toxicity of lake sediments. Unpublished PhD of the University of Ulster, March 2007. 

The chemical record in lake sediment 

The chemical record in the sediment of lakes has been used since the late 1960s to provide valuable information about 

lakes, their environment and environmental change from the local to the global scale. Often this is the only source of 

information on chemical pollutants and their effects, as environmental monitoring only really began fifty years ago and 

only in certain parts of the world. 

When many sediment cores from a lake are used, the archive does produce quantitative results on, for example: the 

deposition rate of heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants onto land from the atmosphere, which can cause 

toxicity or eutrophication; the loss of phosphorus from land to water, which can cause eutrophication of rivers, lakes 

and coastal waters; and the storage of organic carbon in lakes, which may reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the 

atmosphere. This method is very labour intensive and so when an opportunity to make it more efficient was offered by 

the conditions in a lake in Northern Sweden, it was important to take it. 

Kassjön (63°55’ N, 20°01’ E) has an area of 21 hectares and maximum depth of 12.2 metres and it lies in a catchment 

of about 1,300 hectares. Seventy-five percent of the catchment is boreal forest and the remaining part was converted 

to agriculture between 1900 and 1902 by felling the forest and cutting drains into the land. This caused erosion which 

deposited a clear clay marker horizon in sediment across the whole lake and so very cheap dating of sediment cores was 

possible! Forty-three sediment cores were taken from Kassjön during ice cover and so the spatial accuracy was very 

good. We measured the concentration of organic carbon, major cations, phosphorus and heavy metals in the sediment 

and used the results to estimate the accumulation rate of these chemicals in the lake very accurately. The variation of 

the accumulation rate of phosphorus and organic carbon is shown below and this level of detail had not been produced 

before. 

 

16

Figure 4. The variation of the accumulation rate of phosphorus on the left and organic carbon on the right over the lake basin of 

Kassjon. The units are g m-2 yr-1. 

As we knew the accumulation rate of organic carbon, major cations, phosphorus and heavy metals in the lake very 

accurately, we could then estimate the accuracy when fewer sediment cores were used. We estimated the accuracy 

when ten, five and one sediment core was used and were able to provide advice on the trade off between effort and 

accuracy. 

These findings allow more accurate and efficient estimates to be made of heavy metal deposition from the atmosphere, 

phosphorus loss from land and storage of organic carbon in lakes at the regional and world scale and so help to describe 

and model regional and global environmental change. 

 

17

Brian Rippey 

References 

Rippey, B., N., Anderson, N. J., Renberg, I., and Tom Korsman, T., Estimating the whole-lake accumulation rate of organic 

carbon, major cations, phosphorus and heavy metals in sediment, Journal of Paleolimnology, DOI 10.1007/s109330-007- 

9080-x, 2007 

Research into phosphorus transfers from land to water 

Managing the eutrophication of fresh, transitional and coastal waters caused by excessive transfers of nutrients from land 

to water remains one of the key water quality challenges of the 21st Century. In Ireland and the rest of the EU, managing 

eutrophication will form part of (International) River Basin District Management Plans and Programmes of Measures 

under the Water Framework Directive with a view to attaining at least ‘good’ ecological status by 2015. 

The drivers of cultural eutrophication are largely excessive inputs of phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) from a multiplicity 

of sources and each having importance according to water-body type, hydrological regime (and connectivity) and sourcemagnitude 

in any given catchment or watershed. 

Phosphorus is generally considered to be the greater threat to the ecological status of freshwaters, altering macrophyte 

diversity and eventually oxygen regimes, macro-invertebrate and fish ecology. Nitrogen is considered to be the limiting 

nutrient in transitional and coastal waters for similar reasons with the extra implications for human health impacts 

resulting from excessive nitrate-nitrogen concentrations in drinking water supplies. Both nutrients have inorganic and 

organic origins; the added implication of organically sourced N and P is the risk of faecal (and bacterial pathogen) 

contamination in drinking water source supplies and recreational waters. The major sources can therefore be summarised 

as those originating from human and animal faecal and industrial wastes and those originating from inorganic fertilisers. 

These can be further categorised as originating from diffuse (non-point) or point sources in the landscape; or being 

dependent on hydrological processes for transfer, or independent, respectively. 

Research published by ESRI in 2007 in this area of water quality science were formed from an interlinked series of 

scientific investigations centred on the NERC JIF funded Oona Water catchment hydrometeorological infrastructure, in 

Co. Tyrone, under the Catchment Hydrology and Sustainable Management (CHASM) initiative. 

Linking this CHASM infrastructure in projects funded by the Irish Environmental Protection Agency, Douglas et al. (2007) 

investigated the spatial patterns of phosphorus and sediment transfers. The work delineated phases of non-storm and 

storm transfers and highlighted the role of sediment as an influential vector of transfer from catchment soils, despite the 

catchment being wholly under grassland. Results also showed the dominant role that iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) is 

likely to have in controlling particulate P transfer at the scale from 1st to nth order channels and that increasing soluble 

losses with increasing catchment scale were more likely to be contributed from other, non-soil, sources – a theme that 

is discussed below. 

Datasets and conceptualisations of catchment processes from this work were also used in a modelling effort using 

three physically distributed hydrochemistry models (SHETRAN, SWAT and HSPF). Nasr et al (2007) (University College 

Dublin collaborators) showed that the partitioning of hydrometeorological processes and hydrochemical processes 

within complex models could not provide a generic model structure for use in multiple catchments when validated with 

extensive time-series data. Instead it was shown that HSPF provided an optimum modelling solution for hydrological 

processes and SWAT a similar optimum solution for P transfers. A combination model using elements of several models 

may the most effective and this work is ongoing. 

Two of the several conclusions of the EPA/CHASM linked projects were firstly to work towards monitoring P transfers 

at a higher resolution and secondly to identify the causes of high, ambient P concentrations during non-storm periods. 

Higher resolution monitoring recognises that most nutrient transfers occur in very short time-scales – often called 

the 80:20 rule – linked to high energy storm events that are difficult to monitor. Phosphorus monitoring by ion specific 

probes is not technologically possible and so Jordan et al. (2007) applied a wet chemistry continuous total P (TP) 

 

18

analyser at the outlet of three small hydrometric stations in the Oona Water and neighbouring tributaries. This ongoing 

work is part of the INTERREG IIIa funded Blackwater TRACE (www.science.ulster.ac.uk/freshwater/trace.htm), part 

of which was to define the patterns of TP transfer before and after focused mitigation measures in each catchment. 

This monitoring equipment extracts, processes and analyses a water sample for TP on 10min time-step, providing an 

unsurpassed data coverage and complete since 2005 (Figure 1). All storm events have been captured as well as the 

patterns of non-storm transfers that indicate an inverse relationship with baseflow (influence of rural-point sources 

– in the absence of WWTW) and also diurnal patterns that are linked to processes which are only partially understood. 

Singular pollution episodes unrelated to hydrological process were also captured. The data-series provide the most 

complete and robust means of checking whether catchment strategies to mitigate P transfers have been successful and 

also a means of validating developments of catchment models. 

The causes of high, ambient TP concentrations in the TRACE catchments were investigated by Arnscheidt et al. (2007a; 

2007b). Here, a series of integrated methods included high-resolution monitoring, stream-walk surveys (to investigate 

stepped changes in water quality), low flow weekly catchment audits of nutrients, bacterial pathogens and bio-chemical 

fingerprints of water and sediment to elucidate the contributions of P, and especially those from animal and human 

effluents. This was combined with an independent catchment audit of all septic system infrastructure. Results showed 

that in catchments with simple hydraulics, the number and state of septic systems, collated on a reach by reach basis, 

correlated with changes in ambient water quality at low flow. The results from bio-chemical fingerprinting also concurred 

with these findings. 

The TRACE findings have provided the most complete series of data for assessing the effectiveness of catchment 

mitigation measures designed to manage high flow and low flow nutrient transfers (from soils, septic systems, farmyards 

and cattle access to rivers). This post-mitigation monitoring is on-going until 2010. 

Figure 1. In-situ, continuous TP analyser and ancillary equipment on the Oona Water in Co. Tyrone and part of the linked INTERREG 

funded Blackwater TRACE project 

 

19

Phil Jordan, Joerg Arnscheidt and Hugo McGrogan 

References 

Arnscheidt, J., Jordan, P., Leeming, R., Li, S., McCormick, S., McFaul, R., McGrogan, H., Neal, 

M., Sims, J.T., Defining the sources of low flow phosphorus transfers in complex catchments, 

Science of the Total Environment, 382, pp 1 -13, 2007a 

Arnscheidt, J., Jordan, P., McGrogan H., McCormick, S. and Ward, C., High resolution 

monitoring to characterise phosphorus transfers in complex catchments, in Heckrath, G., Rubæk, 

G.H. and Kronvang, B. (Eds.), Diffuse phosphorus loss – risk assessment, mitigation options and 

ecological effects in river basins (IPW5), University of Aarhus, Denmark, pp 149-151, 2007b 

Douglas, R.W., Menary, W. and Jordan, P., Phosphorus and sedimenttransfers in a grassland 

river catchment, Nutrient Cycling in Agro-ecosystrems, 77, pp 199-212, 2007 

Jordan P., Arnscheidt J., McGrogan H., and McCormick S., Characterising phosphorus 

transfers in rural catchments using a continuous bank-side analyser, Hydrology and Earth Systems 

Science, 11, pp 372-381, 2007a 

Jordan, P., Arnscheidt, J. and McGrogan, H., High Resolution Water Quality Monitoring: 

New Equipment, New Data, New Insights, Eos Trans. AGU, 88(52), Fall Meet. Supl. Abstract H51N-07 

INVITED, 2007b 

Nasr, A., Bruen, M., Jordan, P., Kiely, G., Moles, R., Byrne, P., A comparison of SWAT, HSPF 

and SHETRAN/GOPC for modelling phosphorus export from three catchments in Ireland, Water 

Research, 41, pp 1065-1073, 2007 

4.4 LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY 

Northern Ireland Countryside Survey 

During the Summer of 2007, as part of the Northern Ireland Countryside Survey research project, a team of six 

field surveyors mapped the distribution of habitats in 287 quarter kilometre sample grid squares.The field sampling 

programme was devised and organised by Thomas McCann (Research Associate). Field surveyors were: 

Angella Curelli, Dries Elst, Kathryn O’Callaghan, Lynne Peoples, Neil Thurgate and Geraldine Fox. David Rogers (Research 

Associate) was responsible for setting up a GIS system linking field maps and data recorded on a PDA/GPS system, to 

OSNI digital maps and colour aerial photographs of the sample grid squares. 

The two web sites below give context to the project, which is a four-year EHS-funded project (2007-2010) to assess 

ecological change. 

http://www.ehsni.gov.uk/biodiversity/nh-research/nicountrysidesurvey-2.htm 

http://www.science.ulster.ac.uk/nics/ 

Analysis of the 2007 field data has started, with the aim of quantifying habitat change as part of a time-series of similar 

sample records extending from a baseline in the late 1980s and a resurvey in 1998. The research has applications 

for informing biodiversity management in NI, for example linked to reporting government progress on the European 

Habitats Directive and in guiding the development of agri-environment schemes. 

Alan Cooper 

 

20

4.5 GEOPHYSICS RESEARCH 

A major focus of geophysics research this year has been our NERC funded project to model the next likely earthquake 

and tsunami to affect Sumatra. As details of the next earthquake are unknowable, in practice we model a suite of possible 

earthquakes and their consequent tsunamis. 

Our starting point is illustrated in Figure 1 where we show the regions that ruptured in the 2004 and 2005 earthquakes, 

the stress changes caused by these events, and the approximate rupture areas of previous large earthquakes. The area 

of greatest concern for the occurrence of a tsunamigenic earthquake is near Siberut Island as it has experienced a 

significant stress increase and hence we assume that the next large earthquake will initiate somewhere in this region 

and propagate primarily to the south. 

Figure 1: Previous earthquake history on the subduction zone off the coast of Sumatra. Blue patches to the north represent a 

portion of the area that slipped in the great 2004 earthquake as well as the rupture zone of the 2005 event. Purple rectangle 

immediately south indicates a portion of the trench under the Batu Islands that is believed to be slipping aseismically (i.e. without 

experiencing large earthquakes) and hence is unlikely to participate in the next large event. Dotted ovals outline the portions of 

the subduction zone that experienced large earthquakes in 1797 and 1833. 

 

21

As it is impossible to know in advance the magnitude, or rupture length, of the next earthquake, we simulate 4 

possibilities: 

1. The rupture terminates at the northern edge of the 1833 event, total length 210 km. 

2. The earthquake re-ruptures the area that failed in 1797, length 330 km. 

3. The event re-ruptures the regions that slipped in 1797 and 1833, length 630 km. 

4. In a worst case scenario, the rupture propagates south past Enggano Island for a total length of 840 km. 

A further unknown is the slip distribution of the future event and hence for each rupture length we model about 25 

different distributions. In total, then, we simulate about 100 possible earthquakes. For each simulated event, we calculate 

the sea-floor displacement and resultant tsunami. An example of the seafloor displacement and tsunami resulting from 

one simulated 630 km long earthquake is shown in Figure 2. 

Figure 2: Seafloor displacement (left) and tsunami along the coast of Sumatra (right) for one modelled earthquake. Note that 

the outer islands (e.g. Siberut) experience uplift in the event whereas the west coast of Sumatra drops by up to a meter. In this 

scenario, the maximum wave height is about 5 m with Padang, a city of 840,000 people, experiencing a 3 m high tsunami. The 

large variability in tsunami height along the coast line is largely controlled by local bathymetry. 

Our 100 simulations led to some remarkable results. The first is that initial peak of the tsunami comes ashore on the 

west coast of Sumatra approximately 33 minutes after the earthquake; regardless of the size of the earthquake. This is 

illustrated in Figure 3 where we show two very different simulated events yet the time series of the tsunamis are very 

similar. 

Our second major result is that, in the near-field, there is a one-to-one correspondence between the coastal displacement 

resulting from a particular earthquake and the maximum height of the tsunami triggered by it. This is shown in Figure 

4 where we plot the wave height vs. coastal displacement at 3 locations. This result suggests that single measure of, for 

example, the displacement of a seawall in an earthquake could be used to predict the height of the tsunami peak that 

will arrive 33 minutes later. 

 

22

Figure 3: A) Two of our 100 modelled earthquakes, one 330 km long the other 630 km. B) Tsunami height as a function of time 

at Padang. The vertical line on each diagram is the average arrival time of the first peak over all 100 simulations. 

Figure 4: Tsunami wave height vs. coastal displacement for 3 different locations in Sumatra. The correlation between the two is 

location specific and related to local bathymetry. 

 

23

We were also involved in a number of science outreach projects during the year. We took our “Forecasting the 

Unpredictable” exhibit on the research described above to the Royal Society exhibition in Glasgow which attracted 

about 1750 visitors and to the Techfest show in Mumbai which was attended by approximately 30000 people. We 

also participated in the Buckingham Palace Science Day that attracted around 850 students, teachers, and scientists. 

Additionally, members of the group gave a seminar in the French Embassy Anglo-French scientific discussion series and 

did an online interview for the Stimulating Physics project sponsored by the Institute of Physics. More information about 

our research and science outreach is available through our website http://www.science.ulster.ac.uk/geophys/. 

 

24

5. Research Students 

Name 

Title of Project 

Grant Source 

Country of Origin 

backstrom, Joni 

Real-time coastal forecasting of process-response mechanisms 

Vice Chancellor’s Research Studentship 

USA 

Name 


Grant Source 


bladon, Freia 

Impact of defoliating insects in a changing forest environment 

DEL Cast 

England 

Name 


Grant Source 


Callaway, Alexander 

Investigating monitoring methods for assessing change in seabed habits 

(MRes Completed Sept 07) 

European Social Fund (ESF) 

England 

Name 


Grant Source 


Clark, Jorie 

New constraints on the deglaciation of the Irish ice sheet from 10Be and 36C1 dating 

Self-funded 

USA 

Name 


Grant Source 


Daly, Colin 

Error estimation in freshwater macrophyte ecological assessment 


European Social Fund (ESF) 

Northern Ireland 

 

25

Name 


Grant Source 


Delanty, Karen 

Ecology of fish in the Lough Derg catchment 

Self-funded 

Republic of Ireland 

Name 


Grant Source 


dennis, Lorraine 

Historical accounts of life in the Ulster border/lands after Partition: cultural geographies 

of division, interconnection and diversity 

AHRC 


Name 


Grant Source 


devlin, Hugh 

Modelling wetland ecological restoration (in collaboration with Bulrush Horticulture) 

Department of Employment & Learning (CAST) 


Name 


Grant Source 


Evren, Emre 

Re-evaluation of the seismic hazard in the Marmara Sea area 


Turkey 

Name 


Grant Source 


gault, Ivan 

Urban morphological metrics: pinpointing building configuration from second-order 

remotely sensed data and address-point information 

VCRS 


 

26

Name 


Grant Source 


gibson, Diane 

Phosphorus, algal and zooplankton relationships across a lake productivity gradient 



Name 


Grant Source 


Gilroy, Ciara 

Environmental change and the ecology of Mysis in Lough Neagh 


ESF 


Name 


Grant Source 


gore, Shannon 

Spatial and temporal changes in the coastal morphology of small Caribbean Islands 

Self-funded 

USA 

Name 


Grant Source 


Gormley, Aine 

Metal interactions with sediment and trophic levels in lakes 

Department of Employment & Learning 


Name 


Grant Source 


Hetherington, Alison 

Does the occurrence of a large earthquake preclude the near-future occurrence of a 

subsequent large event on the same fault 


England 

 

27

Name 


Grant Source 


Kane, Dellwyn 

Storm and non-storm hydrological flowpaths in the Oona water catchment using endmember 

mixing analysis with uncertainty estimation 



Name 


Grant Source 


Li, Shiji 

Phosphorus retention and release from agricultural ditch networks 


China 

Name 


Grant Source 


Lynch, Kevin 

Microscale to mesoscale controls on aeolian sediment transport from beach to 

foredunes (Completed 2007) 



Name 


Grant Source 


Macintosh, Katrina Ann 

Distribution and dynamics of iron deposition in streams and its effects on 

aquatic organisms 

Department of Employment and Learning 


Name 


Grant Source 


McCann, Thomas 

Plant species diversity of hedges in relation to structure and management 

Staff 


 

28

Name 


Grant Source 


McDowell, Sara 

Commemorating the troubles: unravelling the representation of the contestation of 

memory in Northern Ireland since 1994 (Completed) 



Name 


Grant Source 


McGonigle, Chris 

Predictive mapping of benthic habitats using acoustic remote sensing techniques 



Name 


Grant Source 


McGurn, Patrick 

Hay meadow management systems in Fermanagh 

Self-funded 


Name 


Grant Source 


McKenzie, Paul 

Landscape metrics of land cover remote sensing 

DARD FT/Self PT 


Name 


Grant Source 


McMullan, Amanda 

Examining the potential for GIS as a methological tool in cultural research 

Staff 


 

29

Name 


Grant Source 


Millar, Keith 

Biodiversity and land use change 



Name 


Grant Source 


O’Connor, Marianne 

Coastal erosion and management, County Donegal 

Donegal County Council 


Name 


Grant Source 


O’Keefe, John 

The management and protection of the archaeological resource in Northern Ireland 

Self-funded 


Name 


Grant Source 


Pazar, Natalia 

Investigating monitoring methods for assessing change in sea bed habitats 

Environment and Heritage Services 

Hungary 

Name 


Grant Source 


Pollard, Edward 

An archaeology of Tanzanian coastal landscapes in the middle iron age 6th to 

15th centuries AD (Completed) 



 

30

Name 


Grant Source 


Rea, Ashleigh 

Tracing the Holocene variability of trace metals and nutrients recorded in 

8m sediment cores from Lough Neagh (Completed) 

ESF 


Name 


Grant Source 


Rhodes, Daniel 

Expressions of power and ideologies within the indigenous and non-indigenous historic 

archaeologies and built environments of Colonial East Africa 

Self-funded 

England 

Name 


Grant Source 


Sabido Silva, Marta 

Approaches to coastal modelling in Europe 


ESF 

Spain 

Name 


Grant Source 


Serra, Ana 

Contemporary approaches to applied coastal modelling in Europe 


ESF 

Portugal 

Name 


Grant Source 


Shannon, Rachel 

Uptake of earthquake hazard estimates by governments in South East Asia 



 

31

Name 


Grant Source 


Smyth, Jennifer 

Monitoring methods for assessing change in sea bed habitats (MRes Completed 

September 2007) 

ESF 


Name 


Grant Source 


Southall, David 

Sedimentological characteristics and origin of coarse debris flow lobes on Muckish, 

Co Donegal (MRes Completed September 2007) 

ESF 


Name 


Grant Source 


Taylor, Laura 

Application of ground penetrating radar to the coastal dunes/rock-slope failure 

complex at White Park Bay (MRes Completed September 2007) 

ESF 

England 

Name 


Grant Source 


Vaughan, Louise 

Trophic modelling of the Lough Neagh ecosystem 



Name 


Grant Source 


watson, Michelle 

Investigating models to predict lake trophic states from basic lake morphology 



 

32

6. Research Publications 

Alonso, I. and Cooper, J.A.G., (eds) Coastal geomorphology in Spain, Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue, 48, 2006 

Arnscheidt, J., Jordan, P., Leeming, R., Li, S., McCormick, S., McFaul, R., McGrogan, H., Neal, M., Sims, J.T., Defining the 

sources of low flow phosphorus transfers in complex catchments, Science of the Total Environment, 382, pp1-13, 2007 

Ashworth, G.J., Graham, B. and Tunbridge, J.E., Pluralising Pasts: Heritage, Identity and Place in Multucultural Societies, 

Pluto Press, pp 236, 2007 

Backstrom, J., Cooper, J.A.G. and Jackson, D.W.T., Shoreface dynamics on the high energy coast of Northern Ireland, 

Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue, 50, pp 594-598, 2007 

Beaumont, J.C., Brown, C.J. and Sayer, M.D.J., An evaluation of techniques used in assessing subtidal epifaunal assemblages 

on artificial reefs, Biofouling, 23(5), pp 343-356, 2007 

Breen, C., An Archaeology of south-west Ireland, 1570-1670, Four Courts Press, Dublin, 2007 

Breen, C. and Forsythe, W., The French Shipwreck La Surveillante, Lost in Bantry Bay, Ireland, in 1797, Journal of Historical 

Archaeology, 41(3), pp 39-50, 2007 

Breen, C., International Development, Advocacy and World Heritage Sites in Sub-Saharan Africa, World Archaeology, 39 

(3), pp 355-370, 2007 

Breen, C., Quinn, R. and Forsythe, W., A Preliminary Analysis of Historic Shipwrecks in Northern Ireland, Historical 


Callaghan, C., Breen, C. and Ni Liongsigh, M., Investigations of The Taymouth Castle, a 19th Century Composite Ship Lost 

off the Coast of Northern Ireland, Journal of Historical Archaeology, 41(3), pp 25-38, 2007 

Clark, J., McCabe, A. M., Schnabel, C., Freeman, S., Maden, C. and Xu, S., New constaints on the deglaciation of the western 

margin of the British-Irish ice sheet, Ireland, from 10Be dating, Geophysical Research Abstracts, 8, 10272, 2006 

Cooper, J.A.G and Pilkey, O.H., Rejoinder to Cowell and Thom, 2006. Management of uncertainty in predicting climatechange 

impacts on beaches, Journal of Coastal Research, 22(1) pp 232-245, 2006 

Cooper, J.A.G. and Alonso, I., Natural and anthropic coasts: challenges for coastal management in Spain, Journal of Coastal 

Research, Special Issue 48, pp 1-7, 2006 

Cooper, J.A.G. and McKenna, J., Social Justice in coastal erosion management: the temporal and spatial dimensions, 

Geoforum, doi. 10.1016/jgeoforum.2007.06.007, 2007 

Cooper, J.A.G. and Pilkey, O.H., Quantification and measurement of longshore sediment transport: an unattainable goal, 

in Balson, P. and Collins., M. (eds) Coastal and Shelf Sediment Transport, Geological Society, London, Special Publication, 

274, pp 37-43, 2007 

Cooper, J.A.G., Geomorphology of Irish Estuaries: inherited and dynamic controls, Journal of Coastal Research, Special 

Issue, 39, pp 176-180, 2006 

Cooper, J.A.G., McKenna, J., Jackson, D.W.T., O’Connor, M., Mesoscale coastal behavior related to morphological selfadjustment, 

Geology, 35 (1), pp 187-190, 2007 

Cooper, J.A.G., Pilkey, O.H. and Lewis, D., Fetch-limited barrier islands a new coastal landform category, GSA Today, March 

2007, 17 (3), pp 4-9, 2006. 

 

33

Cooper, J.A.G., Pilkey, O.H. and Lewis, D.A., Islands behind islands: An unappreciated coastal landform, Journal of Coastal 

Research, Special Issue, 50, pp 907-911, 2007 

Cooper, J.A.G., Sedimentary Indicators of sea level change: high energy coasts, in: Elias, S.A. (ed) Encyclopedia of 

Quaternary Science. Elsevier, 2006 

Cooper, J.A.G., Temperate Coasts, in Perry, C.M. and Taylor, K., (eds), Applied Sedimentology, Blackwell, pp 263-301, 

2007 

Douglas, R.W., Menary, W. and Jordan, P., Phosphorus and sediment transfers in a grassland river catchment, Nutrient 

Cycling in Agro-ecosystrems, 77, pp199-212, 2007 

Forsythe, W., Bantry Bay, County Cork, a Fortified Maritime Landscape, Historical Archaeology, 41(3), pp 51-62, 2007 

Forsythe, W., On the Edge of Improvement: Rathlin Island and the Modern World, The International Journal of Historical 


Gemein, N., Stanev, E., Brink-Spalink, G., Wolff, J-O. and Reuter, R., Patterns of suspended matter concentrations in the 

East Frisian Wadden Sea: Comparison of numerical simulations with MERIS Data, EARSeL eProceedings, 5(2), pp 180- 

198, ISSN 1729-3782, 2006 

Georgievski, G., and Stanev, E. V., Paleoevolution of Euroasian watersheds: Water transport through the Bosporus Straits 

as an indicator of the Lateglacial-Holocene transition, Climate Dynamics, 26 (6), pp 631-644, 2006 

Goodwin C. E., Griffiths, D., Dick, J. T. A. and Elwood, R. W., A freshwater-feeding Lampetra fluviatilis L. population in Lough 

Neagh, Northern Ireland, Journal of Fish Biology, 68, pp 628-633, 2006 

Graham, B. and McDowell, S., Meaning in the Maze: the future past of Long Kesh, Cultural Geographies, 14, pp 343-368, 

2007 

Graham, B. and Whelan, Y., The legacies of the dead: commemorating the Troubles in Northern Ireland, Environment and 

Planning D: Society and Space, 25, pp 476-495, 2007 

Graham, B., ‘The past and present of the Great Irish Famine’, (review article), 

Journal of Historical Geography, 33, pp 200-206, 2007 

Graham, B., Heritage as knowledge: capital or culture Urban Studies, 39 (5-6), pp1003-1017, 2002, reprinted in Laurajane 

Smith (ed.), Cultural Heritage: Critical Concepts in Media and Cultural Studies, Routledge, London, 2006 

Graham, B., Heritage, culture and economy: the urban nexus, in Sebastian Schröder-Esch (ed.), Practical Aspects of 

Cultural heritage - Presentation, Revaluation, Development, HERMES project, volume 1, Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, pp 

21-38, 2006 

Graham, B., The meaning of Northern Ireland, in B. Bartley and R. Kitchin (eds), Understanding Contemporary Ireland, 

Pluto Press, London, pp 221-231, 2007 

Griffiths, D. and Harrod, C., Natural mortality, growth parameters and environmental temperature in fishes revisited, 

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 64, pp 249-255, 2007 

Griffiths, D., The direct contribution of fish to lake phosphorus cycles, Ecology of Freshwater Fish, 15, pp 86-95, 2006 

Hammond, M. E. R. and Cooper, A., Spartina anglica survivorship in Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland, Environment and 

Heritage Service Research and Development Series, No. 06/08, Belfast, 2006 

Hammond, M. E. R., Cooper, A., et al., Development of Spartina anglica niche models: using wave parameters to predict 

the potential distribution of Spartina anglica in Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland, Environment and Heritage Service 

Research and Development Series, No. 06/08, Belfast, 2006 

 

34

Hetherington, A., and Steacy, S., Fault heterogeneity and earthquake scaling, Geophysical Research Letters, 34, L16310, 

doi:10.1029/2007GL030365, 2007 

Jackson D.W.T., Anfuso, G. and Lynch, K., Swash bar dynamics on a high-energy mesotidal beach, Journal of Coastal 

Research, SI 50, pp 738 - 745, 2007 

Jordan P., Arnscheidt J., McGrogan H., and McCormick S., Characterising phosphorus transfers in rural catchments using 

a continuous bank-side analyser, Hydrology and Earth Systems Science, 11, pp 372-381, 2007 

Lewis, D.A., Cooper, J.A.G. and Pilkey, O.H., Fetch-limited barrier islands of Spencer Gulf, South Australia, Journal of 

Coastal Research, Special Issue, 50, pp 912-916, 2007 

Lionello, P., Malanotte-Rizzoli, V., Artale, A., Theocharis, E., Tragou, and Oguz, T., Changes in the Oceanography of the 

Mediterranean Sea and their Link to Climate Variability, in Lionelo et al., (eds), Mediterranean Climate Variability, Elsevier, 

pp 217-272, , ISBN-13: 978-0-444-52170-5, ISBN-10: 0-444-52170-4, 2006 

Lynch, K., Jackson, D.W.T. and Cooper, J.A.G., A remote-sensing technique for the identification of aeolian fetch distance, 

Sedimentology, 53, (6), pp 1381-1390, 2006 

McCabe, A. M. Clark, P. U., Clark, J. and Dunlop. P., Radiocarbon constraints on readvances of the British-Irish ice sheet in 

the northern Irish Sea Basin during the last deglaciation, Quaternary Science Reviews, 26 (9-10), pp 1204-1211, 2007 

McCabe, A. M., Clark, P. U. and Clark, J., Radiocarbon constraints on the history of the western Irish ice sheet prior to 

the last glacial maximum, Geology, 35, pp 147-150, 2007 

McCabe, A. M., Clark, P. U., Smith, D. E. and Dunlop, P., (SPECIAL). A revised model for the last deglaciation of eastern 

Scotland, Journal of the Geological Society of London, 164, pp 313-316, 2007 

McCabe, A. M., Cooper, J.A.G., and Kelley, J., Relative sea level changes from northeastern Ireland during the last glacial 

termination, Journal of the Geological Society of London, 164(5), pp 1059-1063, 2007 

McCabe, A.M., Clark, P.U., Smith, D.E., Dunlop, P., Discussion on a revised model for the last deglaciation of eastern 

Scotland, Journal of the Geological Society, London, Vol 164, pp13, 2007 

McCabe, AM. and Dunlop P.,The Last Glacial Termination in Northern Ireland, Geological Survey of Northern Ireland, 

Belfast, pp 93, 2007, ISBN, 085272529-9 

McCloskey J, Antonioli A., Piatanesi, A., Sieh, K., Steacy, S., Nalbant, S., Cocco, M., Guinchi, C., Huang, J. and Dunlop, P., Nearfield 

Propagation of Tsunamis from Megathrust Earthquakes, Geophysical Research Letters, 34, L14316, doi:10.1029/ 

2007GL030494, 2007 

McConkey, R. and McErlean, T., Mombasa Island: A Maritime Perspective, International Journal of Historical Archaeology, 

11(2), pp 99-121, 2007 

McDowell, J.L., Knight, J. and Quinn, R., Mesoscale changes in present-day nearshore surface sediments and bedform 

dynamics off the north coast of Ireland, In Balson, P.S. and Collins, M.B., Coastal and Shelf Sediment Transport, Geological 

Society of London, Special Publications, 274, pp 103–116, 2007 

McDowell, S., Renegotiating the past in “post-conflict” Northern Ireland: consolidating a Republican place for a Republican 

past, in G. Ashworth, P. Groote and T. Haartsen (eds), Public Places, Public pasts, Nederlandse Geografische Studies 348, 

Utrecht/Groningen, pp 49-60, 2006 

McErlean, T. and Crothers, N., Harnessing the Tides; the Monastic Tides Mills at Nendrum Monastery, Northern Ireland 

Archaeological Monographs No 7, The Stationary Office, UK, 2007 

McErlean, T., The Archaeology of the 18th and Early 19th Century Kelp Industry in Strangford Lough, Historical 


 

35

McErlean, T., Earwood, C., Moore, D. and Murphy , E., The Sequence of Early Christian Period Horizontal Tide Mills at 

Nendrum Monastery; An Interim Statement, Historical Archaeology, 41(3), pp 63-75, 2007 

McKenna, J. and Cooper, J.A.G., Sacred Cows in Coastal management: the need for a cheap and transitory model, Area, 

38 (4), pp 421-431, 2006 

McKenna, J., MacLeod, M., Cooper, J.A.G., O’Hagan, A.M. and Power, J., Coastal dune conservation on an Irish commonage: 

community-based management or Tragedy of the Commons, Geographical Journal, 173 (2), pp157-169, 2007 

Nalbant, S.S., Steacy, S. and McCloskey, J., Stress Transfer Relations Among the Earthquakes that Occurred in Kerman 

Province, Southern Iran Since 1981, Geophysical Journal International, 167, pp 309-318, 2006 

Nasr, A., Bruen, M., Jordan, P., Kiely, G., Moles, R., Byrne, P., A comparison of SWAT, HSPF and SHETRAN/GOPC for 

modelling phosphorus export from three catchments in Ireland, Water Research, 41, pp 1065-1073, 2007 

Neale, M. W., and Rippey, B., A comparison of environmental and biological site classifications for the prediction of 

macroinvertebrate communities of lakes in Northern Ireland, Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 

doi: 10.1002/aqc.858, 2007 

O’Sullivan, A., and Breen, C., Maritime Ireland: Coastal Archaeology of an Island People, Tempus Publishing, Stroud, UK, 

2007 

O’Connor, M., Cooper, J.A.G. and Jackson, D.W.T., Inlet-associated beach dynamics, northwest Ireland, Journal of Coastal 

Research, Special Issue, 50, pp 626-630, 2007 

O’Connor, M., Cooper, J.A.G., Jackson, D.W.T., Morphological behaviour of headland-embayment and inlet -associated 

beaches, northwest Ireland, Journal of Coastal Research, SI 50, pp 626 - 630, 2007 

Pilkey, O.H and Cooper, J.A.G., Discussion of Cowell et al., 2006, Management of uncertainty in predicting climate-change 

impacts on beaches, Journal of Coastal Research, 22(1) pp 232-245, 2006 

Pilkey, O.H. and Cooper, J.A.G., Lifting the flap or why coastal models don’t work, Journal of Coastal Research, Special 

Issue, 50, pp 585-587, 2007 

Quinn, R., Forsythe, W., Breen, C., Boland, D., Lane, P. and Lali Omar, A., Process-based models for port evolution and 

wreck site formation at Mombasa, Kenya, Journal of Archaeological Science, 34 (9), pp 1449-1460, 2007 

Quinn, R., The assimilation of marine geophysical data into the maritime sites and monuments record, Historical 

Archaeology, 41 (3), pp 9-24, 2007 

Rippey, B., Anderson, N.J., Remberg, I. and Korsman, T., The accuracy of methods used to estimate the whole-lake 

accumulation rate of organic carbon, major cations, phosphorus and heavy metals in sediment, Journal of Paleolimnology 

doi: 10.1007/s10933-007-9098-x, 2007 

Rippey, B., Rose, N.L., Yang, H., Harrad, S., Robson, M. and Travers, S., An assessment of toxicity in profundal lake sediment 

due to deposition of heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants from the atmosphere, Environment International, 

doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2007.03.06, 2007 

Shirlow, P., Graham, B., McMullan, A., Murtagh, B., Robinson, G. and Southern, N., Population change and social inclusion 

study, Derry/Londonderry, Shared Space, 3, pp 59-72, 2006 

Stanev, E. V., Brink-Spalink, G. and Wolff, J.-O., Sediment dynamics in tidally dominated environments controlled by 

transport and turbulence: A case study for the East Frisian Wadden Sea, Journal of Geophysical Research, 112, C04018, 

2007, doi:10.1029/2005JC003045. 

Stanev, E. V., Wolff, J. O. and Brink-Spalink, G., On the sensitivity of sedimentary system in the East Frisian Wadden Sea to 

sea level rise and magnitude of wind waves, Ocean Dynamics, 56(3-4), pp 266-283, 2006, ISSN 1616-7341 

 

36

Tsimplis, M., Zervakis, V., Josey, S., Peeneva, E., Struglia, M.V., Stanev, E., Stanev, P., Stanev, E.V., Flemming, B., Bartholomae, A., 

Staneva, J. and Wolff, J.-O., Vertical circulation in shallow tidal inlets and back barrier basins, Continental Shelf Research, 

v. 27 (6), pp 798-831, 2006. 

Wilson, P. and Smith, A., Geomorphological characteristics and significance of Late Quaternary paraglacial rock-slope 

failures on Skiddaw Group terrain, Lake District, northwest England, Geografiska Annaler, 88A, pp 237-252, 2006 

Wilson, P., The Kirkby Fell rock-slope failure, Malham, Yorkshire Dales, North West Geography, 7, pp 1-9, 2007 

Wilson, P., Vincent, P.J., Telfer, M.W. and Lord, T.C., A preliminary dating study of loessic deposits in northwest England and 

the implications for Holocene soil erosion, Quaternary International, 167-168, pp 451, 2007 

Wilson. P., Block/rock streams, in Elias, S. (ed.), Encyclopedia of Quaternary Science, Elsevier, Oxford, pp 2218-2225, 

2007 

 

37

7. Visiting Scholars Programme 

The following scientists have been contributing to our visiting scholars programme during the course of the year: 

Professor Peter Clark 

Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA 

Research Institute Host: Professor Marshall McCabe 

AMS 14C dating of deglacial events in the ISB and other sectors of the BIIS 

Dr Massimo Cocco 

Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV), Rome, Italy 

Research Institute Host: Professor John McCloskey and Dr Sandy Steacy 

Seismic hazard in a fault network model 

Professor Tom Sims 

Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Delaware, USA 

Research Institute Host: Dr Phil Jordan 

Soil Phosphorus Saturation: A Rapid Method to Assess the Risk of Phosphorus Loss to Water 

Dr Joan Gomberg 

Central & Eastern US Earthquake Hazards Program, US Geological Survey, Memphis, Tennessee, USA 

Research Institute Hosts: Dr S Steacy & Prof J McCloskey 

Application of earthquake interaction and triggering to the rapid calculation of time dependent seismic hazard 

Dr Hans Jurgen Hahn 

University of Koblenz Landau, Germany 

Research Institute Hosts: Dr J Arnscheidt & Dr P Jordan 

Investigation and evaluation of faunal communities in groundwater 

Professor Andrew Short 

School of Geosciences, University of Sydney, Australia 

Research Institute Host: Dr D Jackson 

Coastal morphodynamics 

 

38

8. Seminars and Conferences 

Environmental Sciences Research Institute Seminar Series 2006/07 

Dr. Subimal Sinha-Roy, Birla Institute of Scientific Research, India, “Tectonic, Geomorphology and Quaternary Indentation 

Deformation Kinematics in Himalayan Foreland Terrain”, 11 October 2006 

Dr Sandy Steacy, Geophysics Research Group, University of Ulster, “Modelling the next likely earthquake and tsunami in 

the Indian Ocean”, 11 October 2006 

Dr Joanna Staneva, University of Oldenberg, Germany, “Towards a combined use of models and observations for marine 

environmental studies”, 31 January 2007 

Dr Keith Lilly, Queen’s University, Belfast, “GIS and Mapping Medieval Britain”, 15 February 2007 

Dr David Griffiths, University of Ulster, Coleraine, “Climate change & eutrophication in Lough Neagh: a double whammy”, 

28 February 2007 

Dr Satish Kumar, Queen’s University, Belfast, “Neoliberal Spaces and Sustaining Communities: Some Global Perspectives”, 

8 March 2007 

Sarah Coulthard, Amsterdam Institute for Metropolitan and International Development Studies, “Living with environmental 

change in a South Indian fishery – insights from an interdisciplinary research approach”, 21 March 2007 

Prof Stephen Boyd, University of Ulster, Portrush, “Experiencing tourism: the contribution of trails as part of visitor 

experience”, 28 March 2007 

Dr Joerg Arnscheidt, University of Ulster, Coleraine, “Phosphorus in streams of rural Ireland: Pollution, patterns and 

processes”, 4 April 2007 

Dr Emil Stanev, University of Ulster, Coleraine, “Synergy between coastal forecasting and newly available data and 

methodologies (a step towards next generation forecasting systems)”, 18 April 2007 

David Storey, University of Worcester, Dept of Applied Sciences, Geography and Archaeology, “Territory, place and 

national identity”, 26 April 2007 

Joan Gomberg, US Geological Survey, Seattle, Washington, “Sleuthing Earthquake Mysteries while Assessing Seismic 

Hazard”, 1 May 2007 

Ian Dodkins, University of Ulster, Coleraine, “Ecological Monitoring for the European Water Framework Directive – 

Problems and Future Research”, 2 May 2007 

Conferences based at the Research Institute 2006/7 

Irish Geological Research Meeting, 23-25 February 2007 

IIODP International Workshop, 21-26 July 2007 

 

39

9. Research Funding 

Staff Name(s) Title of Award Funding Body Value 

Breen, Dr CP Early Medieval linkages between The British Academy £7,350 

Ireland and the Faroe Islands 

Breen, Dr CP Maritime Archaeology Environment & Heritage £151, 881 

Service 

Brown, Dr CJ MESH Project Scottish Association for £56,897 

Marine Science 

Brown, Dr CJ Monitoring methods for assessing Environment & Heritage £80,537 

Quinn, Dr RJ change in benthic habitats Service 

Brown, Dr CJ Seabed mapping in the The Leverhulme Trust £6,330 

Gulf of Maine, Canada 

Brown, Dr CJ Mapping seabed habitats using The Nuffield Foundation £5,000 

remote acoustic techniques: 

Evaluating the link between 

backscatter and biology 

Cooper, Dr A CAST/CASE – Modelling wetland Bulrush Horticulture £45,000 

ecological restoration 

Cooper, Dr A Northern Ireland Countryside Environment & Heritage £21,222 

Survey 2007 Lead-in Research 

Service 


Survey 2007 Lead-in Research 

Service 


Survey 2007 

Service 

Cooper, Prof JAG Creating a Sustainable Framework C.E.C. - Interreg IIIB £175,255 

Jackson, Dr DWT for ICN Corepoint 

Cooper, Prof JAG Maritime Archaeology Environment & Heritage £151, 881 

Breen, Dr Cp 

Service 

Quinn, Dr RJ 

Cooper, Prof JAG International Coastal Symposium The Royal Society £1,879 

(ICS2007) 

Cooper, Prof JAG Maritime Archaeology Services Environment & Heritage £23,563 

Service 

Cooper, Prof JAG Studentship: Managing Coastal Donegal County Council £50,518 

Erosion in County Donegal 

 

40


Day, Prof K CAST/CASE – Dispersal and Forest Research £13,400 

reproductive maturation in the 

pine weevil 

Dunlop, Dr P Testing the instability theory of N.E.R.C. £4,450 

subglacial bedform production 

Graham, Prof BJ Irish Borderlands: Cultural A.H.R.B. £243,828 

Crooke, Dr EM Geographies of Division, 

Nash, Dr C 

Iterconnection and Diversity 

Whelan, Dr YF 

Graham, Prof BJ Pilot Dissemination Award A.H.R.C. £10,500 

Jackson, Dr DWT Marine Irish Digital Atlas Environment & Heritage £61,510 

Cooper, Prof JAG (MIDA) Northern Ireland Service 

Jordan Dr P Past, current and future interactions ERTDI EPA – National £12,710 

between pressures, chemical status Development Plan 

and biological quality element for lakes 

in two contrasting instrumented 

catchment in Ireland 

Jordan, Dr P Definition and mitigation of C.E.C. - Interreg III A £1,457,999 

McCloskey, Prof J excessive multi-source 

Rippey, Prof BHRT nutrient loss of freshwater 

Jordan, Dr P Travel Grant for National Environment & Heritage £9,000 

Infrastructure for Catchment 

Service 

Hydrology experimentation Project 

McCloskey, Prof J An investigation of the time N.E.R.C. - Small Grant £28,833 

Bjourson, Dr AJ dependency of concentration 

Cassidy, Dr R of naked and armoured DNA 

tracers under environmental 

conditions 

Nalbant, Dr SS The influence of the viscoelastic N.E.R.C. - Small Grant £26,924 

McCloskey, Prof J relaxation on the effective duration 

Steacy, Prof S of Coulomb Stress Pertubations 

Quinn, Dr RJ Marine geophysical signatures of Memorial University £4,121 

submerged archaeological sites off 

Newfoundland and Ireland 

Rippey, Prof BHRT NS- SHARE Donegal County Council £696,661 

Steacy, Prof S Assessing tsunami hazard in Sumatra: E.P.S.R.C. £7,864 

A Royal Society Summer Science 

Exhibition 

Steacy, Prof S 2006 Royal Society Exhibition The Royal Society £1,200 

 

41


Steacy, Prof S First European Conference on The Royal Society £717 

Earthquake Engineering and Seismology 

Steacy, Prof S Stress Interaction, Rate-State Friction, N.E.R.C. £33,526 

and Earthquake Triggering 

Steacy, Prof S Constrained heterogeneous loading C.E.C. - Framework 6 Marie £105,69 

McCloskey, Prof J of complex fault networks Curie Intra EU Fellow 

Wilson, Dr P OSL dating of loess in Northwest British Geomorphological £400 

England - towards a deglacial 

Research Group 

chronology Quaternary Research Assoc £350 

Manchester Geographical 

Society £500 

 

42

10. Indicators of Esteem 

Antonioli 

• Intra-European Marie Curie Fellowship, 2005 

• Reviewer for Annals of Geophysics, Journal of Geophysical Research, Tectonophysics, and Journal 

of Seismology 

• Exhibitor at Royal Society’s Summer Science Exhibition, London and Glasgow, 2006 

Breen 

• Official advisor and research collaborator, Government of Tanzania and the University of 

Dar-es-Salaam 

• Advisory panels, DCMS 

• Visiting lecturer, Irish American Cultural Institute, 2003 

• Ralph Brown Expedition Award (Royal Geographical Society), 2005 

• Elected Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, 2006 

• Organising committee, WAC-6, Ireland, 2008 

Brown 

• Leverhulme Fellowship 2006 

• Member: ICES Working Group on Marine Habitat Mapping; ICES Study Group on Acoustic Seabed 

Classification, and lead author on a chapter for an ICES Co-operative Research Report 

• Invited presentation, 2nd International Conference on Underwater Acoustic Measurements, 

Crete 2007 

• Guest Editor, Special Issue Applied Acoustics, 2007 

• Organiser and chair: International acoustic backscatter workshop, UU, 2006; National seabed 

mapping workshop, Scottish Association for Marine Science, Oban, 2003 

• Session chair, Geohab conference, Galway, 2004 

Cassidy 

• Organiser, 2001 and 2007 Irish Geological Research Meetings 

• Invited presentation, University of Rome, 2004 

• Reviewer, Earth and Planetary Science Letters 

• Exhibitor, Buckingham Palace Science Day, 2006 

Cooper A 

• Member: multinational planning group on European rural development and its effects on biodiversity 

at the landscape-scale, Wageningen University, Netherlands; cross-government department 

(DoENI/DARD) Northern Ireland Native Woodland Group; statutory DoENI Council for Nature 

Conservation and the Countryside, NI 

• Adviser to DoENI Spartina control group committee 

• Editorial board member, Landscape Research 

 

43

Cooper JAG 

• Keynote presentations: IGCP International Conference, Maine, 2004; National Geomorphology 

Congress, Spain, 2005 

• Invited presentations: GSA, Seattle, 2003; Geocongress South Africa, 2005; RGS Coastal and Marine 

Conference, 2007; CZM CPD Irish Planning Institute, 2007 

• Chair: Northern Ireland Coastal and Marine Forum 

• Referee: National Science Foundation, South Africa, ERSS, Germany, Woods Hole Oceanographic 

Institution, USA 

• Organising/scientific committee: International Coastal Symposium (ICS) 2002, OCSEE 2005, 

Australia, ICCCM 2005, Portugal, The Littoral 2008, France 

• Authored 4 invited contributions to three encyclopaedias 

• Book review editor, Journal of Coastal Research 

Day 

• Chair: International Union of Forest Research Organisations Working Party S7-03-03 Insects of 

Reforestation,1996-2005 

• Vice Chair and National Representative: Forest Sector COST action E16,“Bark and wood boring 

insects in living trees”, 1998-2003 

• Editor: IUFRO World Series Vol. 11 Protection of World Forests from Insect Pests: Advances in 

Research 

• Editorial Board and Guest Editor: Agricultural and Forest Entomology 

• Expert Evaluator: EC FPV R&D proposals in Quality of Life Key Action 5 Sustainable Agriculture, 

Forestry, 2001 

• Reviewer: Agence National de la Recherche France 2006 

• Conference Organiser: Advances in research on the large pine weevil. Galway, Ireland, COFORD & 

IUFRO, 2002 

Douglas 

• Presenter: 28th and 29th Congress of the International Association of Theoretical and Applied 

Limnology, Melbourne, 2001, Lahti, 2004 and the American Society of Limnology & Oceanography, 

Savannah, 2004 

• NERC New Investigators Grant 2003 

Dunlop 

• Invited presentations: European Geophysical Union, 2007; Irish National Seabed Survey/ INFOMAR 

Seminar, 2007 

• Committee member: Irish Quaternary Association (IQUA) 

• Referee: Earth Surface Process and Landforms and Journal of Maps 

• Exhibitor: Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition in London, 2006 

• Co-leader: Northern Irish glacial landscape field trip, Geological Survey for NI, 2006 

 

44

Forsythe 

• Co-recipient: Keith Muckleroy Award (British Archaeological Awards) for maritime archaeology in 

2004 for ‘Strangford Lough: an archaeological survey of the maritime cultural landscape’ 

• Committee member: Institute of Archaeologists of Ireland (Ulster branch); Irish Post-Medieval 

Archaeology Group 

• Organising committees: IPMAG conferences in Derry, 2004 and Rathmullan, 2007 

• Invited presentations: Oxford, Virginia. 

• Advisor; NI government, maritime archaeology policy and protection issues 

Graham 

• Nominated by RGS to AHRC Peer Review College, 2007 

• Delivered 23 keynote lectures in Ireland, UK, Germany, Poland, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, 

Argentina, Belgium, and Croatia 

• Editor: two Ashgate series ‘Heritage, Culture and Identity’ and ‘Transport and Mobility’ with R.D. 

Knowles 

• Section editor: International Encyclopaedia of Human Geography, Elsevier, 2008 

• Editorial Board Member: Transport Reviews; Journal of Transport Geography; International Journal 

of Heritage Studies 

• Reviewer: AHRC; Australian Research Council; British Academy; ESRC; Netherlands Organisation 

for Scientific Research 

• Royal Geographical Society Chartered Geographer 

• Director: Air Route Development (NI) Ltd 

Griffiths 

• Member: Freshwater & Wetlands Biodiversity Delivery Group in the Environment & Heritage 

Service, DoENI 

• Editorial board/review committee member: Functional Ecology 

Jackson 

• Member: Steering Committee, IGU Commission on Coastal Systems 

• Visiting Professor: Université du Littoral Côte d’Opale, France, 2007 

• Expert Evaluator: Marie Curie Individual Fellowships 2006; FP7 Environment (Theme 6 Environment 

including climate change) 2007 

• Reviewer: IPCC Fourth Assessment Report: Climate Change 2007, Impacts, Adaptation and 

Vulnerability; NERC 

• Associate Editor: Journal of Coastal Research 

• Co-organiser: 7th International Coastal Symposium, 2002 

• Member and Session Chair: Scientific Advisory Committee, 9th ICS, Australia 

Jordan 

• Invited speaker: American Association of Limnology and Oceanography special session on 

palaeolimnology, Salt Lake City, 2003; SAC/SEPA conference on diffuse pollution, Edinburgh, 2006; 

UK Adapt workshop on diffuse pollution, London, 2006; (sponsored by UNESCO) 

“Groundwater-surface water interactions” workshop, Oxford, 2005; Pilot Basin workshop Varska, 

Estonia, 2004 

 

45

• Associate Editor: Journal of Environmental Quality 

• Review panel member: Science Foundation Ireland 2005 

• Current Head of UUSES 

McCabe 

• Member: Royal Irish Academy, March, 2004 

• Assessor: Easterbrook 2007 Award for the Quaternary Geology Prize, North America 

• 33 citations for McCabe #4 

• Co-leader: Northern Irish glacial landscape field trip, Geological survey for NI, 2006 

McCloskey 

• Chair: NERC-GEFSC, 2006; CHES Research Sub-committee, 2003 

• Member: NERC Services Review Group, 2006; NERCGEFSC 2002; Consultative Committee, 

GSNI, 2004; British Geophysical Association Committee, 2003; RIA Geodesy and 

Geophysics Committee; Geosciences Council of Ireland 

• Invited talks: AGU 2004; 2007; EGU 2006(2); International meeting on Indian Ocean tsunami Risk, 

Kuala Lumpur, 2006; EGU von Humboldt Conference, Lima, 2007 

• Senior Distinguished Research Fellowship: UU, 2005 

• 36 citations for McCloskey #3 since 2005 

• Convenor: GeolSoc Discussion meeting ‘Scaling in structure and dynamics’ 2006; Bicentennial 

Meeting 2007 

• Exhibitor: Royal Society Summer Exhibition,2006; Techfest Mumbai 

• Head of UUSES 2002-2006 

McErlean 

• Principal author of ‘Strangford Lough’ and winner of the Keith Muckleroy Award (British 

Archaeological Awards) for maritime archaeology, 2004 

• Consultant, DOENI on the maritime archaeology aspects of DEFRA’s draft Marine Bill, 2006 

• Invited lecturer on foreshore archaeology at Flinders University International Summer School in 

Tasmania, 2005 

• Elected Fellow, Society of Antiquaries, 2006 

• Partner in the Europa Cultura 2000 ‘The Tide Mills of Western Europe Project’, 2004-2005 

McKenna 

• Member: ICZM National Advisory Body which advises the Irish Government 

• Coastal management advisor: Local authorities, N Ireland and Ireland; Northern Ireland Tourist Board 

• Steering Group: EC-funded Vital Signs project 

• Invited presentation to North-South Ministerial Council, 2006 

• Organiser: EC-funded Corepoint Conference, 2006 

• Session Chair: International Coastal Symposium, 2002 

Nalbant 

• Invited presentation: 4th International Workshop on Statistical Seismology, Japan, 2006 

• Awarded title of Associate Professorship by Turkish inter-universities committee after a nationwide 

competitive examination 

 

46

• Co-convenor: special session of European Geophysical Union meeting, Vienna, 2006 

• Exhibitor: Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition, Glasgow, 2006 

Quinn 

• Coracle Research Fellow 2007-09 (Memorial University, Canada) 

• Co-ordinating committee: Submerged Landscapes Archaeological Network 

• Editorial board: Journal of the North Atlantic 

• Peer reviewer: Nuffield, Science Foundation of Ireland; US SeaGrant Program 

Rippey 

• Member: North-South Technical Advisory Group on the Water Framework Directive, rivers 

subgroup and lakes subgroup 

• Joint Scientific co-ordinator: NS SHARE (North-South SHared Aquatic Resource) project 

• Session Chair: International Sediment Water Interactions Symposium, Banff, 2003 and 2004 

Stanev 

• ONRIFO scholarship, NRL-Stennis Space Centre, 2004 

• Editor: Ocean Modelling (1999-present) 

• Guest Editor: Journal of Marine Systems, 2001 

• Member: IAPSO-IAHS Joint Commission on Groundwater-Seawater Interactions; MEDCLIVAR 

• Bulgarian IGBP Committee Member and National representative in IGBP 

• Co-ordinator: WG-11 in IGCP-521 project 

Steacy 

• Member: NERC Peer Review College, 2007 

• Invited presentations: Fifth International Workshop on Statistical Seismology, Erice, 2007; French 

Embassy, London, 2006; First European Conference on Earthquake Engineering and Seismology, 

Geneva, 2006; International Geological Congress, Florence, 2004; International School of 

Geophysics, Erice, 2002 

• Associate Editor: Journal of Geophysical Research 

• Reviewer: NERC, NSF, FWF, Science Foundation Ireland 

• Convener: ESF-FWF funded conference, Obergurgl, 2008 

• Special session convener: ECEES, Geneva, 2006; AGU, San Francisco, 2003, 2007 

• Featured geophysicist: IOP e-mentoring website. 

• Exhibitor: Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition, 2006; Buckingham Palace Science Day, 2006 

Wilson 

• DSc by published research, University of Salford, 2001 

• Contributed an invited chapter for the 4 volume Encyclopedia of Quaternary Science (Elsevier) 

• Reviewer: National Research Foundation of South Africa, 2002 

• Session Chair: Annual Meeting of Irish Quaternary Association, March 2006 

 

47

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