Mitigating agricultural pollution - Mattie Biddulph (PhD Student)

Last week I embarked on my 25th and final fieldwork trip, 30 months after beginning my PhD. I have been saying that it will be my final outing for the last four, but it really was this time… probably.

 

My PhD is based around mitigation measures that can reduce agricultural pollution (sediment and contaminants). With 70% of the UK being agricultural land, this is a big issue to tackle. I have been working on two tributaries on the Hampshire Avon, on the borders of Dorset and Wiltshire. These upper reaches of the Hampshire Avon are part of a government-funded project, whereby three river catchments in England have been designated as ‘Demonstration Test Catchments’. Research is carried out in these catchments to find cheap, sustainable ways to reduce agricultural pollution of sediment and contaminants.

Such mitigation measures could be simply fencing along a riverbank or planting riparian vegetation. More specific, targeted measures can include: repairing degraded farm infrastructure, wetland creation, installation of settling systems, or changing farming practice. 

But are these measures actually working? Are they worth all the money and maintenance? I am collating the best methods that can test the effectiveness of these measures and monitor them over time. They need to be cheap, sustainable and replicable; in other words, they need to be easy to carry out and require minimal labour, so that these can be used on a larger scale for the long term. 

One method that I am using is to measure the amount of sediment stored on the riverbed, by carrying out “disturbance sampling”. To do this, a seal is created on the bed using a cylinder of known diameter and depth; any fine sediment in the top 5 cm of the bed is suspended by stirring it with a stick. The water is then collected and dried, and the weight of the remaining sediment will give you the amount of sediment stored on the bed per unit area. Looking at the changes to the riverbed over time, along with the properties of the sediment (geochemistry, particle size, organic matter etc.), will give an indication of the effectiveness of mitigation measures.

Disturbance sampling

One of my sites is on a dairy farm. When I started in December 2012, the main farm track was in extremely poor condition; huge amounts of sediment were being eroded, both from farm machinery, and the 270 strong herd of cattle that would trample along it to get to and from the fields each day. During and after rainfall, animal waste would also flow from the yard onto the track. This track then acted effectively as a terrestrial river, channelling runoff into the river, carrying with it huge amounts of sediment and contaminants. 

Farm track after a long period of rainfall, AKA, mud bath. 

Eight months into my research, the farm track was completely replaced, and a settling system was put in place to catch anything running off it. The settling system included a culvert, which was dug along the side of the track to collect runoff; this culvert was then connected to a pond, which in turn was connected to a ditch that eventually flows into the river. The aim of this was to allow as much sediment to settling on the bed of the pond and ditch as possible, before it reached the river. Almost two years of monitoring later, I will be able to analyse whether this mitigation option has had any positive effect on the quality of the river.

The farm track after resurfacing. The track has been cambered to 

direct  runoff into the vegetative culvert to the right of the track.

The ditch that runs between the settling pond and the river now
contains “v-notch weirs”, which are useful for trapping sediment

A clear difference in the colour of the water 

entering the river from the settling system.

To some of you this may seem very boring and of little consequence, which is fine, but to me it’s exciting, and I can’t wait to find out what’s been happening! This is just one of my sites, with a very specific mitigation measure, so feel free to ask me about the others if you want to know more (matilda.biddulph@northampton.ac.uk).

Science and Technology Fair Wednesday 29th April 2015

The Science and Technology Fair will take place in Newton Grand Hall between 10am and 3.30pm on Wednesday 29th April 2015.   Below are the names of the organisations attending:

Atomic Science, BINDT, Booker Ltd, British Army CGI, Dimension Data, E-Filing, Fujitsu, Jumar Solutions Limited, Kypera Ltd, Royal Air Force, Skills2Learn, Step, Travis Perkins, Unitemps, University STEM Programme, Worksmart Ltd.

A PhD student’s tale by Jennine Evans: Part 2 – The first two milestones

I began my postgrad journey in May 2014 working on sediment accumulation into the River Rother (South Downs, UK), where I was given the best start to a PhD that I could ask for by getting straight into the field! I’m now just past my first major milestone, the Advanced Post Graduate (APG) registration process. The APG process requires that you complete an induction to the University and put forward a project proposal to the Research Degrees Board (RDB) to prove you have a workable project to the standard expected for a PhD. After a lot of hard work it would seem the RDB are confident that my project is worthy of a PhD, and I have been awarded APG status, phew! 

I’m roughly eight months into my PhD and the project is now well established. I’ve got a steady rhythm going with my fieldwork and lab work over a two month routine. I go out to collect samples from my sites along the River Rother once every two months and then process and analyse those samples before my next trip. This doesn’t always work out perfectly as of course I have other work to be getting on with, however we are beginning to get some interesting results which I am keen to present at conferences. As my PhD is joint funded by the South Downs National Park Authority, I am required to attend their conferences and events to publically discuss my project, findings and join in discussions with locals about problems they are facing and possible solutions to the sedimentation of the river. I have so far attended the Arun and Rother Rivers Trust (ARRT) workshop on soil erosion in December 2014 and I will attend the conference ‘Embracing the Future’ in July 2015.  This conference is for students studying land use in the South Downs. 

ARRT workshop field visit
(Photo from ARRT Trust) 

I have all this work going on whilst also working towards the milestones that need to be passed to achieve a PhD at the University.   My next big milestone will be the transfer from APG student to PhD. For the transfer you are required to have two chapters written up, deliver a presentation and take part in a mock viva. Although this seems way off into the future, I am trying to get a comfortable amount of this work done to ease the inevitable stress closer to the deadline! So wish me luck, I’m going to need it! 

First year Geographers learn about heritage tourism at 78 Derngate

In order to learn more about heritage tourism, our first year Geography students paid a visit to 78 Derngate.  78 Derngate  is located in Northampton town centre, and is a key tourist attraction in the town.  The house was designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh in 1916.  It was Mackintosh’s final major commission, and the only house in England to be designed by him.

Students outside 78 Derngate

Distinctive Charles Rennie Mackintosh design

78 Derngate is now an award-winning tourist attraction.  Students went on a tour of the house and talked with staff to find out more about the house, the visitors, and how the site has been restored.  This field visit ties in with issues explored in class about heritage tourism and tourism management.

Former student talks about health and development in Malaysia and Nepal

Past Northampton student Sonia Coates joined first and second year Geography undergraduates last week to talk to them about her field work in Malaysia and Nepal undertaken as a part of her MSc studies. She covered a range of contemporary issues including migrant health in Kuala Lumpur and child health in a Nepali village. 

Former student, Sonia Coates

Sonia is now working for the Sheffield charity 'The Long Well Walk' and is busy raising funds for water and sanitation projects across Africa. Find out more about her work at http://thelongwellwalk.org/

Students give the classes

Second year Geography students have taken on the role of teaching staff!  They have prepared and delivered seminar classes to their peers as part of the USA Field Module.  The module comprises a series of seminars, followed by a two-week trip to SW USA.

To help the students gain a better understanding of the places and issues that will be explored in the field, the lecturers asked them to prepare some classes.  Guidance and support was provided by the lecturers to ensure that appropriate research and preparation was carried out, but students were given the freedom to determine how the materials should be presented.  Topics covered included: the geology of the Colorado Plateau; stratigraphy at the Grand Canyon, volcanism in SW USA; film-making at Monument Valley; the Navajo Nation; geotourism in Utah, and resource management in national parks.  The classes took many forms, making use of lectures, videos, handouts, and even a ‘Pointless’ quiz.

Students will be visiting the Grand Canyon.

Tourism related to film-making at Monument Valley will also be explored during the trip.

Students will visit a number of National Parks, including this one - Bryce Canyon.

The field trip will take place in May.  This optional module (available to both Single Honours and Joint Honours Geography students) explores tourism, physical geography and resource management in SW USA.  This ‘road trip’ covers parts of Nevada, Arizona and Utah, and includes visits to five National Parks, the Navajo Nation, and Las Vegas.

Students raise money for Wells for India

First year geographers have organised a range of events to raise funds for Wells for India.  This charity (of which our very own Dr Kevin Cook is a trustee) works in some of the poorest rural communities in the drylands of India, providing water harvesting technology and supporting a variety of community programmes.  The students’ fundraising activities were inspired by a guest lecture given by the India Director, Om Prakesh Sharma, who visited the University earlier in the year.

Om Prakesh Sharma and Dr Kevin Cook

Activities included a cake sale, a sponsored silence, bag-packing at the local ASDA supermarket, and a tournament held at Game.

A successful Christmas-themed cake sale was held

A total of £654 was raised.  This money will be used to provide bio-sand filters to some of the poorest households in Rajasthan.  These simple, eco-friendly tools purify water, helping to prevent water-borne illnesses.