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Strengthening Resilience in Volcanic Areas (STREVA)
more...STREVA was an innovative interdisciplinary project that worked collaboratively across disciplines. The aim was to analyse different aspects of volcanic risk and to communicate and apply that new knowledge. So, our overall goal is to reduce the negative consequences of risk on people and their assets. Our overall goal was to reduce the negative consequences of volcanic activity on people and their assets. We worked in Ecuador, St. Vincent, Colombia, Montserrat and Peru. This project was funded by the NERC and ESRC. Jenni Barclay and collaborators
Shear-wave splitting At Kilauea (STAK)
In April 2018, volcanic activity at Kilauea volcano in Hawai`i significantly shifted, creating large fissure eruptions in the residential region of Puna. Members of the GeoHazards group responded by deploying earthquake sensors in the area to detect shaking from the eruption. They recorded over 50,000 earthquakes ranging from very small (magnitude 1) to very large (magnitude 7). The earthquake waves are being used to image the way the stress changed underground as the magma moved. This project was funded by a NERC Urgency grant. Jessica Johnson, Ricky Herd and Jade Eyles
Ascension Island
more...The main aim of the Leverhulme funded project working on Ascension Island was to understand the style and timing of volcanic activity on the island, and how it linked to subsurface magmatic storage. We examined this by looking at the deposits on the islands and analysing the rocks in the laboratory. Bridie Davies' PhD is doing some follow-on work looking at the shallow subsurface controls on styles of volcanism. Jenni Barclay, Jane Scarrow, Bridie Davies, and collaborators
Storm Surge Project
The interdisciplinary Storm Surge project investigated environmental and social impacts of the December 2013 UK storm surge. We used a Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) to take aerial photos for high resolution mapping of changes to coastal habitats; undertook a survey of the sediment in the overwash fans; a soil survey to determine impacts on soil microbial community ecosystem functioning, carbon and nitrogen cycles and the extent of soil salinization; assessed impacts on and changes in biota; and investigated the social responses to extremes and how to respond in the future. There was some resilience and ‘recovery’ in the biota after initial mortality, and this event provided the opportunity for innovation in management and mitigation, e.g. the new gentler slope design of the Blakeney Freshes earth embankment sea defences. This project was funded by a NERC Urgency grant. Trevor Tolhurst and collaborators
Flash Floods
The arrivals of flash floods with high sediment and debris load may cause catastrophic damage and risk to life. These floods are associated with very rapid changes in conditions. The transience partly explains their impact and also makes them difficult to study. We are particularly interested in understanding how sediment is moved in fast and rapidly changing flows and the character of event deposits. Jan Alexander and collaborators