Geography, Geology and the Environment

I completed my undergraduate degree here at Keele, graduating with a BA in Economics and Geography in 2010. During these years, I developed my interests in hydrology, hydrogeology and the sustainability of water resources. I then began a PhD in September 2010, investigating the effect of glacier fluctuations on groundwater systems in an Icelandic glacial outwash plain (sandur). Apart from my research I also greatly enjoy the outdoors, mainly walking, cycling and skiing.

Glaciated basins contain unique hydrological characteristics, with glacier melt “buffering” stream discharge during dry seasons. A large portion of the world’s population lives within such basins, in which glacier melt water is used for agriculture, industry, energy generation, ecosystems, and an array of other uses. However, glaciers are threatened by climate change, which causes rapid glacier retreat in various regions. Although a substantial amount of research has been done on the effects of glacial retreat on surface streams, the effect of glacier retreat on groundwater systems still suffers from a paucity of research.

My project investigates the short-term dynamics of shallow groundwater and surface streams within a large proglacial outwash plain. Situated in Skeiðarásandur, southeast Iceland, the world’s largest glacial outwash plain, my research aims to investigate the implications of glacial retreat on the short term dynamics of the sandur’s groundwater and surface water. The project will involve both fieldwork and numerical modelling. It will map the changes in surface drainage due to glacial retreat, identify hydrogeologic characteristics, and sources of groundwater recharge. Along with that, it will model groundwater flow under various glaciation conditions and the effect of these conditions on the physiochemical parameters of surface streams. 

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