Overview
I am interested in how alterations to hydrological connectivity and vegetation communities can mitigate land degradation issues, with a primary focus on understanding how restoring natural habitat function can reduce soil erosion and associated processes. I take an interdisciplinary approach to monitoring structural and functional change, combining fieldwork and laboratory analysis with proximal and remote sensing technologies, and geospatial analysis, delivering both a spatial and temporal understanding of environmental change.
I am currently conducting research in support of the SWW funded ‘Mires Restoration Project’ in a maternity cover role for Dr Naomi Gatis. I will be combining field measurements of vegetation diversity and carbon fluxes with remote and proximally sensing data, to build an understanding of a degraded and actively eroding peatland. Immediately prior to this I spent the summer of 2018 establishing monitoring sites for a Sphagnum reintroduction trial on Exmoor. For more information on this and my previous research, please see my 'Research' tab.
Broad research specialisms:
Soil Erosion; Structure-from-Motion Photogrammetry; Environmental change detection; Understanding the environmental effects of landscape restoration.
Qualifications
PhD Physical Geography (University of Exeter)
BSc (Hons) Environmental Science (Griffith University, Australia)
BSc Environmental Science with year abroad (Griffith University, University of East Anglia)
Research
Research projects
Current research projects
Mires Project (2015-2020)
The peatlands of Exmoor and Dartmoor are heavily degraded as a result of erosion and drainage for agricultural improvement. This research provides an evidence base for the effectiveness of moorland restoration, for the Exmoor and Dartmoor Mires restoration projects. Through monitoring vegetation, carbon fluxes and patterns of erosion I contribute to the scientific understanding of habitat function and restoration responses.
Sphagnum Reintroduction Project
Despite hydrological success, the physical restoration works carried out on Exmoor have resulted in limited vegetation change, to-date. This project is investigating the viability of sphagnum reintroduction as program to the existing restoration work. I supported the design, establishment and monitoring of the study prior to the commencement of a PhD researcher, and provide ongoing informal PhD supervision
Previous research projects
Piloting a cost-effective framework for monitoring soil erosion in England and Wales
Attempts to quantify soil erosion nationally have illustrated that soil erosion can occur in the UK, however, understanding whether or not the UK has a soil erosion problem still remains a question to be answered. This Defra-funded project established a framework to monitor soil erosion at a national scale, and compared the cost-effectiveness of different monitoring approaches. My contributions included the review and construction of interactive geodatabase and web-map of existing UK-based soil erosion work. I also critically explored the application of novel proximal sensing technologies and tracers for the quantification of soil loss.
Impacts of Moorland Restoration on Nutscale Reservoir
Nutscale Reservoir has suffered negative changes in water quality, increasing the cost to both the supplier (Wessex Water) and consumer. This project sought to understand if there was a link between moorland restoration and the water quality issues.
Australian Alternative Covers Assessment Program (AACAP)
Landfill phytocovers are thought to be a sustainable alternative to conventional barrier-based covers, utilising soil water storage, surface evaporation and plant transpiration to reduce water ingress to decommissioned landfill areas. I studied vegetation performance and soil properties within full-scale test phytocovers, describing responses in four different bioclimatic conditions.
Publications
Key publications | Publications by category | Publications by year
Key publications
Luscombe DJ, Anderson K, Grand-Clement E, Gatis N, Ashe J, Benaud P, Smith D, Brazier RE (2016). How does drainage alter the hydrology of shallow degraded peatlands across multiple spatial scales?.
Journal of Hydrology,
541, 1329-1339.
Abstract:
How does drainage alter the hydrology of shallow degraded peatlands across multiple spatial scales?
© 2016 the Authors Shallow, degraded peatlands differ in both their structure and function from deeper, peatland ecosystems. Previous work has shown that shallow, drained peatlands demonstrate rapid storm runoff that is only minimally controlled by antecedent hydrological conditions. However, such peatlands are also known to exhibit significant variation in ecohydrological organisation and structure across different spatial scales. In addition, predictions of hydrological response using spatially distributed numerical models of rainfall-runoff may be flawed unless they are evaluated with datasets describing the spatial variability of hydrological responses. This paper evaluates to what extent, flow generation and water storage within shallow, degraded peatland catchments may be controlled by the spatial attributes of the contributing area of the peatland, the drainage ditch size, morphology and geometry. Results from an experiment conducted over multiple spatial scales and multi-annual timescales highlights that subtle variations in the local slope and topography account for the long-term spatial patterns of water table depth. Neither the local scale of the drainage feature or the topographic contributing area is shown to be a definitive predictor of runoff in the studied catchments. Results also highlight the importance of using spatially distributed observations to ensure that estimates of water storage and runoff are representative of the fine scale spatial variability that occurs in such damaged and shallow peatlands.
Abstract.
Grand-Clement E, Luscombe DJ, Anderson K, Gatis N, Benaud P, Brazier RE (2014). Antecedent conditions control carbon loss and downstream water quality from shallow, damaged peatlands.
Science of the Total Environment,
493, 961-973.
Abstract:
Antecedent conditions control carbon loss and downstream water quality from shallow, damaged peatlands
© 2014. Losses of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from drained peatlands are of concern, due to the effects this has on the delivery of ecosystem services, and especially on the long-term store of carbon and the provision of drinking water. Most studies have looked at the effect of drainage in deep peat; comparatively, little is known about the behaviour of shallow, climatically marginal peatlands. This study examines water quality (DOC, Abs400, pH, E4/E6 and C/C) during rainfall events from such environments in the south west UK, in order to both quantify DOC losses, and understand their potential for restoration. Water samples were taken over a 19month period from a range of drains within two different experimental catchments in Exmoor National Park; data were analysed on an event basis. DOC concentrations ranging between 4 and 21mgL-1 are substantially lower than measurements in deep peat, but remain problematic for the water treatment process. Dryness plays a critical role in controlling DOC concentrations and water quality, as observed through spatial and seasonal differences. Long-term changes in depth to water table (30days before the event) are likely to impact on DOC production, whereas discharge becomes the main control over DOC transport at the time scale of the rainfall/runoff event. The role of temperature during events is attributed to an increase in the diffusion of DOC, and therefore its transport. Humification ratios (E4/E6) consistently below 5 indicate a predominance of complex humic acids, but increased decomposition during warmer summer months leads to a comparatively higher losses of fulvic acids. This work represents a significant contribution to the scientific understanding of the behaviour and functioning of shallow damaged peatlands in climatically marginal locations. The findings also provide a sound baseline knowledge to support research into the effects of landscape restoration in the future.
Abstract.
Full text.
Publications by category
Journal articles
Glendell M, Macshane G, Farrow L, Quinton J, Anderson K, Evans M, Benaud P, Rawlins B, Morgan D, Jones L, et al (In Press). Testing the utility of structure from motion photogrammetry reconstructions using small unmanned aerial vehicles and ground photography to estimate the extent of upland soil erosion.
Earth Surface Processes and Landforms Full text.
Gatis N, Benaud P, Ashe J, Luscombe D, Grand-Clement E, Hartley I, Anderson K, Brazier R (2019). ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF PEAT EROSION ON GROWING SEASON CO2 FLUXES BY COMPARING EROSIONAL PEAT PANS AND SURROUNDING VEGETATED HAGGS.
Wetlands Ecology and Management, 1-19.
Abstract:
ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF PEAT EROSION ON GROWING SEASON CO2 FLUXES BY COMPARING EROSIONAL PEAT PANS AND SURROUNDING VEGETATED HAGGS
Peatlands are recognised as an important but vulnerable ecological resource. Understanding the effects of existing damage, in this case erosion, enables more informed land management decisions to be made. Over the growing seasons of 2013 and 2014 photosynthesis and ecosystem respiration were measured using closed chamber techniques within vegetated haggs and erosional peat pans in Dartmoor National Park, southwest England. Below-ground total and heterotrophic respiration were measured and autotrophic respiration estimated from the vegetated haggs.
The mean water table was significantly higher in the peat pans than in the vegetated haggs; because of this, and the switching from submerged to dry peat, there were differences in vegetation composition, photosynthesis and ecosystem respiration. In the peat pans photosynthetic CO2 uptake and ecosystem respiration were greater than in the vegetated haggs and strongly dependent on the depth to water table (r2>0.78, p
Abstract.
Full text.
Fawcett D, Blanco-Sacristán J, Benaud P (2019). Two decades of digital photogrammetry: Revisiting Chandler’s 1999 paper on “Effective application of automated digital photogrammetry for geomorphological research” – a synthesis.
Progress in Physical Geography,
43(2), 299-312.
Abstract:
Two decades of digital photogrammetry: Revisiting Chandler’s 1999 paper on “Effective application of automated digital photogrammetry for geomorphological research” – a synthesis
© the Author(s) 2019. Digital photogrammetry has experienced rapid development regarding the technology involved and its ease of use over the past two decades. We revisit the work of Jim Chandler who in 1999 published a technical communication seeking to familiarise novice users of photogrammetric methods with important theoretical concepts and practical considerations. In doing so, we assess considerations such as camera calibration and the need for photo-control and check points, as they apply to modern software and workflows, in particular for structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry. We also highlight the implications of lightweight drones being the new platform of choice for many photogrammetry-based studies in the geosciences. Finally, we present three examples based on our own work, showing the opportunities that SfM photogrammetry offers at different scales and systems: at the micro-scale for monitoring geomorphological change, and at the meso-scale for hydrological modelling and the reconstruction of vegetation canopies. Our examples showcase developments and applications of photogrammetry which go beyond what was considered feasible 20 years ago and indicate future directions that applications may take. Nevertheless, we demonstrate that, in-line with Chandler’s recommendations, the pre-calibration of consumer-grade cameras, instead of relying entirely on self-calibration by software, can yield palpable benefits in micro-scale applications and that measurements of sufficient control points are still central to generating reproducible, high-accuracy products. With the unprecedented ease of use and wide areas of application, scientists applying photogrammetric methods would do well to remember basic considerations and seek methods for the validation of generated products.
Abstract.
Full text.
Luscombe DJ, Anderson K, Grand-Clement E, Gatis N, Ashe J, Benaud P, Smith D, Brazier RE (2016). How does drainage alter the hydrology of shallow degraded peatlands across multiple spatial scales?.
Journal of Hydrology,
541, 1329-1339.
Abstract:
How does drainage alter the hydrology of shallow degraded peatlands across multiple spatial scales?
© 2016 the Authors Shallow, degraded peatlands differ in both their structure and function from deeper, peatland ecosystems. Previous work has shown that shallow, drained peatlands demonstrate rapid storm runoff that is only minimally controlled by antecedent hydrological conditions. However, such peatlands are also known to exhibit significant variation in ecohydrological organisation and structure across different spatial scales. In addition, predictions of hydrological response using spatially distributed numerical models of rainfall-runoff may be flawed unless they are evaluated with datasets describing the spatial variability of hydrological responses. This paper evaluates to what extent, flow generation and water storage within shallow, degraded peatland catchments may be controlled by the spatial attributes of the contributing area of the peatland, the drainage ditch size, morphology and geometry. Results from an experiment conducted over multiple spatial scales and multi-annual timescales highlights that subtle variations in the local slope and topography account for the long-term spatial patterns of water table depth. Neither the local scale of the drainage feature or the topographic contributing area is shown to be a definitive predictor of runoff in the studied catchments. Results also highlight the importance of using spatially distributed observations to ensure that estimates of water storage and runoff are representative of the fine scale spatial variability that occurs in such damaged and shallow peatlands.
Abstract.
Grand-Clement E, Luscombe DJ, Anderson K, Gatis N, Benaud P, Brazier RE (2014). Antecedent conditions control carbon loss and downstream water quality from shallow, damaged peatlands.
Science of the Total Environment,
493, 961-973.
Abstract:
Antecedent conditions control carbon loss and downstream water quality from shallow, damaged peatlands
© 2014. Losses of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from drained peatlands are of concern, due to the effects this has on the delivery of ecosystem services, and especially on the long-term store of carbon and the provision of drinking water. Most studies have looked at the effect of drainage in deep peat; comparatively, little is known about the behaviour of shallow, climatically marginal peatlands. This study examines water quality (DOC, Abs400, pH, E4/E6 and C/C) during rainfall events from such environments in the south west UK, in order to both quantify DOC losses, and understand their potential for restoration. Water samples were taken over a 19month period from a range of drains within two different experimental catchments in Exmoor National Park; data were analysed on an event basis. DOC concentrations ranging between 4 and 21mgL-1 are substantially lower than measurements in deep peat, but remain problematic for the water treatment process. Dryness plays a critical role in controlling DOC concentrations and water quality, as observed through spatial and seasonal differences. Long-term changes in depth to water table (30days before the event) are likely to impact on DOC production, whereas discharge becomes the main control over DOC transport at the time scale of the rainfall/runoff event. The role of temperature during events is attributed to an increase in the diffusion of DOC, and therefore its transport. Humification ratios (E4/E6) consistently below 5 indicate a predominance of complex humic acids, but increased decomposition during warmer summer months leads to a comparatively higher losses of fulvic acids. This work represents a significant contribution to the scientific understanding of the behaviour and functioning of shallow damaged peatlands in climatically marginal locations. The findings also provide a sound baseline knowledge to support research into the effects of landscape restoration in the future.
Abstract.
Full text.
Publications by year
In Press
Glendell M, Macshane G, Farrow L, Quinton J, Anderson K, Evans M, Benaud P, Rawlins B, Morgan D, Jones L, et al (In Press). Testing the utility of structure from motion photogrammetry reconstructions using small unmanned aerial vehicles and ground photography to estimate the extent of upland soil erosion.
Earth Surface Processes and Landforms Full text.
2019
Gatis N, Benaud P, Ashe J, Luscombe D, Grand-Clement E, Hartley I, Anderson K, Brazier R (2019). ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF PEAT EROSION ON GROWING SEASON CO2 FLUXES BY COMPARING EROSIONAL PEAT PANS AND SURROUNDING VEGETATED HAGGS.
Wetlands Ecology and Management, 1-19.
Abstract:
ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF PEAT EROSION ON GROWING SEASON CO2 FLUXES BY COMPARING EROSIONAL PEAT PANS AND SURROUNDING VEGETATED HAGGS
Peatlands are recognised as an important but vulnerable ecological resource. Understanding the effects of existing damage, in this case erosion, enables more informed land management decisions to be made. Over the growing seasons of 2013 and 2014 photosynthesis and ecosystem respiration were measured using closed chamber techniques within vegetated haggs and erosional peat pans in Dartmoor National Park, southwest England. Below-ground total and heterotrophic respiration were measured and autotrophic respiration estimated from the vegetated haggs.
The mean water table was significantly higher in the peat pans than in the vegetated haggs; because of this, and the switching from submerged to dry peat, there were differences in vegetation composition, photosynthesis and ecosystem respiration. In the peat pans photosynthetic CO2 uptake and ecosystem respiration were greater than in the vegetated haggs and strongly dependent on the depth to water table (r2>0.78, p
Abstract.
Full text.
Gatis NL, Benaud P, Ashe J, Luscombe D, Grand-Clement E, Hartley I, Anderson K, Brazier R (2019). Assessing the impact of peat erosion on growing season CO2 fluxes by comparing erosional peat pans and surrounding vegetated haggs (dataset).
Full text.
Fawcett D, Blanco-Sacristán J, Benaud P (2019). Two decades of digital photogrammetry: Revisiting Chandler’s 1999 paper on “Effective application of automated digital photogrammetry for geomorphological research” – a synthesis.
Progress in Physical Geography,
43(2), 299-312.
Abstract:
Two decades of digital photogrammetry: Revisiting Chandler’s 1999 paper on “Effective application of automated digital photogrammetry for geomorphological research” – a synthesis
© the Author(s) 2019. Digital photogrammetry has experienced rapid development regarding the technology involved and its ease of use over the past two decades. We revisit the work of Jim Chandler who in 1999 published a technical communication seeking to familiarise novice users of photogrammetric methods with important theoretical concepts and practical considerations. In doing so, we assess considerations such as camera calibration and the need for photo-control and check points, as they apply to modern software and workflows, in particular for structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry. We also highlight the implications of lightweight drones being the new platform of choice for many photogrammetry-based studies in the geosciences. Finally, we present three examples based on our own work, showing the opportunities that SfM photogrammetry offers at different scales and systems: at the micro-scale for monitoring geomorphological change, and at the meso-scale for hydrological modelling and the reconstruction of vegetation canopies. Our examples showcase developments and applications of photogrammetry which go beyond what was considered feasible 20 years ago and indicate future directions that applications may take. Nevertheless, we demonstrate that, in-line with Chandler’s recommendations, the pre-calibration of consumer-grade cameras, instead of relying entirely on self-calibration by software, can yield palpable benefits in micro-scale applications and that measurements of sufficient control points are still central to generating reproducible, high-accuracy products. With the unprecedented ease of use and wide areas of application, scientists applying photogrammetric methods would do well to remember basic considerations and seek methods for the validation of generated products.
Abstract.
Full text.
2016
Luscombe DJ, Anderson K, Grand-Clement E, Gatis N, Ashe J, Benaud P, Smith D, Brazier RE (2016). How does drainage alter the hydrology of shallow degraded peatlands across multiple spatial scales?.
Journal of Hydrology,
541, 1329-1339.
Abstract:
How does drainage alter the hydrology of shallow degraded peatlands across multiple spatial scales?
© 2016 the Authors Shallow, degraded peatlands differ in both their structure and function from deeper, peatland ecosystems. Previous work has shown that shallow, drained peatlands demonstrate rapid storm runoff that is only minimally controlled by antecedent hydrological conditions. However, such peatlands are also known to exhibit significant variation in ecohydrological organisation and structure across different spatial scales. In addition, predictions of hydrological response using spatially distributed numerical models of rainfall-runoff may be flawed unless they are evaluated with datasets describing the spatial variability of hydrological responses. This paper evaluates to what extent, flow generation and water storage within shallow, degraded peatland catchments may be controlled by the spatial attributes of the contributing area of the peatland, the drainage ditch size, morphology and geometry. Results from an experiment conducted over multiple spatial scales and multi-annual timescales highlights that subtle variations in the local slope and topography account for the long-term spatial patterns of water table depth. Neither the local scale of the drainage feature or the topographic contributing area is shown to be a definitive predictor of runoff in the studied catchments. Results also highlight the importance of using spatially distributed observations to ensure that estimates of water storage and runoff are representative of the fine scale spatial variability that occurs in such damaged and shallow peatlands.
Abstract.
2014
Grand-Clement E, Luscombe DJ, Anderson K, Gatis N, Benaud P, Brazier RE (2014). Antecedent conditions control carbon loss and downstream water quality from shallow, damaged peatlands.
Science of the Total Environment,
493, 961-973.
Abstract:
Antecedent conditions control carbon loss and downstream water quality from shallow, damaged peatlands
© 2014. Losses of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from drained peatlands are of concern, due to the effects this has on the delivery of ecosystem services, and especially on the long-term store of carbon and the provision of drinking water. Most studies have looked at the effect of drainage in deep peat; comparatively, little is known about the behaviour of shallow, climatically marginal peatlands. This study examines water quality (DOC, Abs400, pH, E4/E6 and C/C) during rainfall events from such environments in the south west UK, in order to both quantify DOC losses, and understand their potential for restoration. Water samples were taken over a 19month period from a range of drains within two different experimental catchments in Exmoor National Park; data were analysed on an event basis. DOC concentrations ranging between 4 and 21mgL-1 are substantially lower than measurements in deep peat, but remain problematic for the water treatment process. Dryness plays a critical role in controlling DOC concentrations and water quality, as observed through spatial and seasonal differences. Long-term changes in depth to water table (30days before the event) are likely to impact on DOC production, whereas discharge becomes the main control over DOC transport at the time scale of the rainfall/runoff event. The role of temperature during events is attributed to an increase in the diffusion of DOC, and therefore its transport. Humification ratios (E4/E6) consistently below 5 indicate a predominance of complex humic acids, but increased decomposition during warmer summer months leads to a comparatively higher losses of fulvic acids. This work represents a significant contribution to the scientific understanding of the behaviour and functioning of shallow damaged peatlands in climatically marginal locations. The findings also provide a sound baseline knowledge to support research into the effects of landscape restoration in the future.
Abstract.
Full text.
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