Environmental Change

Cammy Acosta Ramirez

'The use of networks of sensors to understand urban air pollution from meso- to local scale' 
Supervisors: Dr. Jonathan Higham & Dr. Mark Green
Description: My PhD focuses on the study of the urban environment using monitoring networks at local and regional scales. My research analyses air pollution patterns and their response to human activities, including mobility changes during the Covid pandemic. Moreover, I’m interested in finding out how particulate matter moves around Liverpool City Area, using low-cost sensors to track near-real-time air pollution levels.
Prior to my PhD, I completed an MSc in Environment & Climate Change from the University of Liverpool and a BSc in Biotechnology from the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (Mexico). I also worked in environmental projects in Mexico, analysing GHG emissions, which fully raised my interest in this field.

Email: c.j.acosta-ramirez@liverpool.ac.uk

Louisa Bacon-Hall

'Transport of radioactive waste along the Sellafield shoreline: climate change impact and mitigation strategies through nature-based solutions' 
Supervisors: Prof. Nicoletta Leonardi, Prof. Andy Plater
Description: Numerical modelling with Delft3D will be applied to examine coastal erosion and sediment transport for the wider Sellafield shoreline and adjacent waters. The fate of sediments labelled with Sellafield radionuclides will also be investigated to assess the effects of remobilized legacy waste on the environment. The numerical modelling environment will provide a tool for assessing the effectiveness of ‘nature-based’ interventions at the coast that aim to mitigate erosion and flood risk.

Delft3D is a numerical model composed of a number of integrated modules. Delft3D allows the simulation of hydrodynamic flow, sediment transport and related bed evolution, and the modelling of water quality parameters. The Delft3D-FLOW module is able to solve the unsteady shallow-water equations in two and three dimensions. The sediment transport and morphology modules account for bed and suspended load transport of cohesive and non-cohesive sediments and for the exchange of sediments between the bed and the flow

Email: l.bacon-hall@liverpool.ac.uk

Thomas Fitter

'Multiscale analysis of intermittent rivers'
Supervisors: Prof. Andy Player, Prof. James Cooper and Dr. Jonny Higham 
Description: My interests lie within the field of hydrology; specifically, applying a non-intrusive flow measuring technique, called ‘Flowonthego’, to capture and analyse fluvial hydrodynamics. Having previously worked with Flowonthego at undergraduate level during the Geography (BSc) course at the University of Liverpool, I wished to pursue this further at a more research-focussed level. Now, I am using this software to explore the linkage between riverbed structure and surface flow characteristics on two intermittent rivers located in the Peak District and Derbyshire Dales.

Email: sgtfitte@liverpool.ac.uk

James Forrester

'ENARM - Engineering with Nature: combining Artificial intelligence, Remote sensing and computer Models for the optimum design of coastal protection schemes' 
Supervisors: Prof. Nicoletta Leonardi, Prof. James Cooper
Description: James completed his undergraduate degree in biological science, developing an interest in marine conservation and environmental management. During his degree, he spent a year working with an environmental NGO in Mauritius, conducting surveys in the Blue Bay marine park and Mahebourg-Grand Port fishing reserve. Looking to develop further skills and knowledge in environmental management, he started a masters in environmental science at the University of Liverpool. This further developed an interest in coastal environmental management, particularly in creative nature-based solutions to flood and coastal erosion risk management. Following his masters degree, James began a PhD, using computer models to research the optimal design of nature-based coastal protection schemes. He is currently assessing the application of seagrass transplantation as a method of flood and coastal erosion risk management.

Email: sgjforre@liverpool.ac.uk

Chloe Gray

'Identifying and tracking the chemical and morphological fingerprints of particulate matter (PM) from the maritime industry in Liverpool' 
Supervisors: Dr. Jonny Higham, Prof. Andy Plater, Prof. Andy Morse, Dr. Fabienne Marret-Davies
Description: I started my PhD in January 2022, after finishing my undergraduate in Chemistry (also at Liverpool) and spending time as an R&D chemist. My PhD focuses on characterising maritime derived particulate matter pollution in Liverpool. To do this, I use a network of wireless pollution sensors to collect size distribution and concentration information, and filter-based PM sampling followed by morphological and chemical analyses (GCMS, ICP and SEM-EDS). The hope is to identify various combinations of morphology, chemistry and size distribution that are unique to individual sources,  which will then be used to track the movement of the pollution from specific sources around the city.

Email: c.gray4@liverpool.ac.uk

James Murphy

'Building resilient coastal cities using remote sensing data' 
Supervisors: Prof. Daniel Arribas-Bel, Prof. Andy Plater
Description: James Murphy is a PhD student at the University of Liverpool and is a member of the data analytics and society CDT programme. His research primarily focuses on human-coast interactions using remote sensing data. To date James has utilised multispectral optical imagery, radar (marine and SAR), and LiDAR in his work, with a predominant interest in observing spatio-temporal changes in beach morphology and the subsequent impacts on human systems.

Email: James.murphy@liverpool.ac.uk

Natascia Pannozzo

'An integrated numerical and field investigation of sediment transport and sedimentation dynamics in estuarine settings' 
Supervisors: Prof. Nicoletta Leonardi (University of Liverpool), Dr. Rachel Smedley (University of Liverpool), Iacopo Carnacina (Liverpool John Moores University)
Description: I am a hybrid coastal scientist with an academic background in Environmental Science and work experience in the coastal management and environmental consultancy sectors. My research aims to understand the response of coastal areas to escalating climate hazards and anthropogenic pressure, with particular attention to lowland regions (e.g., estuaries). Coastlines are becoming increasingly vulnerable to climate and anthropogenic stressors and, since a tenth of the world population is concentrated in lowland coastal areas, understanding how to protect these ecosystems is a crucial challenge for future worldwide socio-economic development. My project entails combining a variety of paleoenvironmental reconstruction, monitoring and numerical modelling techniques to investigate sediment transport and sedimentation dynamics at the land-sea interface at multiple temporal and spatial scales, thus providing an assessment on the long-term resilience of such regions. I also cooperate with several stakeholders (e.g., RSPB and National Trust) to ensure that my research goals align with practical societal needs.

Email: sgnpanno@liverpool.ac.uk

Molly Spater

'Disentangling Environmental Change in the Amazon: Vegetation responses to Holocene drivers in the Yasuní National Park, Ecuador' 
Supervisors: Dr. Encarni Montoya, Dr. Rachel Smedley, Prof. George Wolff, Robert Marchant
Description: I am a second year PhD student from California. My project focuses on understanding long-term vegetation dynamics and drivers of change within the western Amazon using pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, charcoal, XRF, biomarker, and OSL analyses.

Email: molly.spater@liverpool.ac.uk