Supervisors: Mihai Cimpoiasu (BGS), Oliver Kuras (BGS), Ross Stirling (NU), Jessica Holmes (NU), Colin Davie (NU), Adrian White (NU), Jim Whiteley (Atkins Realis)
Contact email: mcim@bgs.ac.uk
Location: Newcastle/ BGS
Project Rational: The Environment Agency operates ~78,000 flood and coast defence assets in England with a value of £26bn. This includes 7,000 km of linear river and coast defences (flood walls, embankments, channels and culverts). Proactive maintenance of this vast network is increasingly difficult and costly due to deterioration under the pressures of environmental change.
Near-surface geophysical methods provide a non-invasive and comparatively rapid approach to ground investigation (GI) by imaging the subsurface. Localised geophysical characterisation and monitoring have proven highly effective in identifying areas of vulnerability in engineered earthworks (Holmes et al., 2022, Boyd et al., 2024). These studies suggest that intrusive GI and remedial work are best targeted using the outputs from geophysical and geodetic surveys. Furthermore, combining different data sources (geodetic, geotechnical, geophysical) with long-term monitoring significantly increases the understanding of an asset and reduces the uncertainty about its current condition (White et al., 2024).
This project will attempt to translate our understanding at the local asset scale to larger network scales. It will investigate optimal strategies of combining rapid screening of defences at the catchment scale with targeted localised non-invasive investigation, making use of novel geophysical methodologies (mobile sensor arrays, UAVs and advanced 3D imaging techniques) and geotechnical sampling.
Methodology: The project will review current state-of-the-art methodology for detecting vulnerable areas in flood defences in the UK and overseas, with a particular focus on proximal and remote sensing techniques suitable for this task. It is envisaged that local information from targeted invasive and non-invasive investigations, combined with larger-scale datasets of geological, hydrological and other risks will inform rapid screening of flood defences at the catchment scale. Upscaling approaches will be based on spatial distribution models of vulnerabilities and classifications of surface and landform types (e.g. analogous to Mathys et al., 2022). Relevant type sites with flood defences susceptible to failure will be selected around the UK through liaison with the EA and the geotechnical and insurance industries. Using novel geophysical imaging technology actively developed by BGS, the student will conduct field trials at such sites, aiming to resolve vulnerable areas at high resolution. Intrusive samples will be collected from key locations and analysed for their geotechnical properties. Geophysical and geotechnical data combined will help build a robust classification system of vulnerable areas, to which upscaling will be applied. Good practice guidance will be developed for asset owners and insurers to enable improved quantification of flood risk at larger scales.
Background Reading:
- Boyd, J., Cimpoiasu, M., Kuras, O., Meldrum, P., Butler, S., Chambers, J. (2024). 4D geoelectrical imaging of hydrogeological pathways in a reservoir earth dam. 6th Asia Pacific Meeting on Near Surface Geoscience and Engineering.
- Holmes, J., Chambers, J., Wilkinson, P., Dashwood, B., Gunn, D., Cimpoiaşu, M., Kirkham, M., Uhlemann, S., Meldrum, P., Kuras, O., Huntley, D., Abbott, S., Sivakumar, V., & Donohue, S. (2022). 4D electrical resistivity tomography for assessing the influence of vegetation and subsurface moisture on railway cutting condition. Engineering Geology, 307. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2022.106790.
- Mathys, T., Hilbich, C., Arenson, L. U., Wainstein, P. A., and Hauck, C. (2022). Towards accurate quantification of ice content in permafrost of the Central Andes – Part 2: An upscaling strategy of geophysical measurements to the catchment scale at two study sites, The Cryosphere, 16, 2595–2615, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2595-2022.
- White, A., Chambers, J., Whiteley, J., Wilkinson, P., Boyd, J., Briggs, K., Blake, A., Smethurst, J., Glendinning, S., Stirling, R., Uhlemann, S. (2024). Rapid condition assessment of earthwork assets, Ground Engineering.
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...
