Supervisors: Anna Murgatroyd (NU), Caspar Hewett (NU)
Contact email: anna.murgatroyd@newcastle.ac.uk
Location: Newcastle
Project Rational:
- Planning for flooding, drought, and water resources (supply) often occur independently.
- Nature based solutions can work to reduce exposure to flood risk and the impacts of climate change but might introduce trade-offs in risk to water supplies in the catchment.
- Few modelling frameworks exist to assess the interactions between nature-based solutions, flooding, and water supply. Furthermore, there is a limited understanding of how these interactions may evolve in the future under climate change and changing water demands.
- Understanding and managing evolving flood and water supply risks requires adoption of a more holistic approach to adaptation which considers multiple interacting aspects of the water system
Methodology:
- Develop a multi-model framework to investigate potential interactions between nature-based flood solutions and security of water supply to public and non-public water users.
- Identify and quantify important system dynamics under present-day conditions and future conditions driven my climate and socio-economic change.
- Case-study application of the methodology to a UK based catchment and water supply system.
- Investigate emerging trade-offs and evaluate adaptation solutions that may provide a dual benefit to reduce flood risk and improve security of water supplies.
- Models in the framework will include a physical based hydrological model (e.g. Shetran), water resources simulation model (e.g. Pywr, Wathnet), and water demand model. The project will also use climate model outputs to assess climate change impacts to the water system (e.g. from UKCP18).
Background Reading:
UN Environment-DHI, UN Environment and IUCN 2018. Nature-Based Solutions for Water Management: A Primer.
Seddon, N., Chausson, A., Berry, P., Girardin, C.A.J., Smith, A. and Turner, B. (2020). Understanding the Value and Limits of Nature-Based Solutions to Climate Change and Other Global Challenges. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, [online] 375(1794), p.20190120. doi:https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2019.0120.
FLOOD-CDT
This PhD is being advertised as part of the Centre for Doctoral Training for Resilient Flood Futures (FLOOD-CDT). Further details about FLOOD-CDT can be seen here https://flood-cdt.ac.uk. Please note, that your application will be assessed upon: (1) Motivation and Career Aspirations; (2) Potential & Intellectual Excellence; (3) Suitability for specific project and (4) Fit to FLOOD-CDT. So please familiarise yourselves with FLOOD-CDT before applying. During the application process candidates will need to upload:
• a 1 page statement of your research interests in flooding and FLOOD-CDT and your rationale for your choice of project;
• a curriculum vitae giving details of your academic record and stating your research interests;
• name two current academic referees together with an institutional email addresses; on submission of your online application your referees will be automatically emailed requesting they send a reference to us directly by email;
• academic transcripts and degree certificates (translated if not in English) - if you have completed both a BSc & an MSc, we require both; and
• a IELTS/TOEFL certificate, if applicable.
Please upload all documents in PDF format. You are encouraged to contact potential supervisors by email to discuss project-specific aspects of the proposed prior to submitting your application. If you have any general questions please contact floodcdt@soton.ac.uk.
Apply
Apply for this PhD here: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/postgraduate/fees-funding/search-funding/?code=FLO...
