Overview
My initial career path took a broad route, over twenty years, through the media, television and music industries. Following a successful career, where I managed large national and international media and music projects through my own, Bristol-based, production company, The Vision Factory, my love of the countryside and rivers in particular, drew me into a major reappraisal of my goals and ambitions in life. Consequently, in 2001, I moved to Cornwall and began my environmental and academic research career, at The Duchy College. Over the last seventeen years, I have acquired various academic and practical qualifications, combined with a wide variety of environmental research and project management experience, spanning work for commercial consultancies, government agencies and academia.
I am interested in sustainable environmental water management, through improved understanding of the relationship between catchment-scale agricultural land use practices and water quality. I currently balance my management responsibilities for the delivery of Technical Services to Geography, in the College of Life and Environmental Sciences and to Archaeology, in the College of Humanities, at The University of Exeter, with my own scientific research interests, which are designed to inform the evidence base to support the practical management of river catchments.
Qualifications
I completed my PhD in Physical Geography at the University of Exeter in 2010. My thesis utilised the sediment source fingerprinting technique to examine recent historic fine sediment source response to changes in agricultural land use in UK river catchments. During this research, I developed refinements to key aspects of the established technique for apportioning relative sediment contributions from diffuse sources to river floodplains. I have an MSc in Environmental Water Management, from Cranfield University, a First Class Honours BSc in Environmental Science, from the University of Plymouth and a FdSc in Rural Environmental Management, from the Duchy College in Cornwall.
Research group links
Research
Research interests
I am interested in sustainable environmental water management through improved understanding of the relationship between catchment scale agricultural land use practises and water quality. My current role balances responsibility for the efficient and effective delivery of UOE Geography and Archaeology laboratory and field services, with scientific research to inform the evidence base for the practical management of river catchments.
Research projects
I returned to Exeter in 2013, after working as a Catchment Sensitive Farming Officer, on the River Wensum, Norfolk,for Natural England. This work centred around delivering evidence based management advice and training to farmers, in order to mitigate against the risks of diffuse water pollution from agriculture. The role also involved partnership research work in conjunction with the Environment Agency, Norfolk County Council, the Highways Agency and the Wensum Demonstration Catchment project based at the University of East Anglia.
I have recently provided expert radio-isotope analytical advice and field support in China, for the international partnership project, SPECTRA, examining soil processes and ecological services in the Karst Critical Zone of Southwest China, led at UOE, by Prof Tim Quine. This work involved equipment support for the utilization of portable gamma specrometry to analyse in-field sediment fluxes through the detected variation of Cs-137 activity in eroding soils across terraced agricultural landscapes.
In recent years, I have been centrally involved with significant research projects for Natural England, in conjunction with academic colleagues at the University of Plymouth and practitioners from the environmental consultancy APEM. These projects have included; Examination of contemporary sediment sources in the River Mease catchment, Leicestershire, UK; Development of mitigation measures and communication stratagies for the engagement of catchment stake holders in the River Mease catchment, Leicestershire, UK; Determining the sources and effects of sediment ingress on fresh water pearl mussel beds in the River Culn, Herefordshire, UK.
I have previously delivered various research work for ADAS (UK) Ltd, both directly and through the University of Exeter, including an important component of a major sediment sourcing module within the Defra / Environment Agency Demonstration Test Catchment (DTC) programme. The sediment sourcing module was designed on the basis of using control and manipulated target sub-catchments within a Before-After, Control-Impact (BACI) experimental design for assessing the impact of on-farm mitigation measures on particulate matter (inorganic and organic) emissions to streams. The sourcing work combined revised geochemical sediment fingerprinting for inorganic particulate matter with a range of methods for tracing particulate organic matter, including the use of biomarkers, compound-specific stable isotopes and bulk stable isotopes (analysed at North Wyke Research) as well as excitation emission fluorescence spectroscopy and near infrared reflectance (NIR) (analysed at the University of Southampton).
I also provided expert technical support in radio-isotope dating of floodplain cores for a NERC funded research project at Exeter, lead by Prof Andrew Nicholas and Prof Rolf Aalto. The project aimed to improve understanding of how rivers and floodplains interact to construct, preserve and recycle sediments and associated stratigraphy on the Rio Beni, in the Bolivian Amazon.
I previously worked as PDRA with a team from Plymouth University on a novel research project, which considered the effects of land use and riparian management on coarse sediment supply and the consequent impacts on river channel morphology and ecological habitats in the River Avon, Devon.
Publications
Key publications | Publications by category | Publications by year
Publications by category
Journal articles
Collins AL, Zhang Y, McChesney D, Walling DE, Haley SM, Smith P (2012). Sediment source tracing in a lowland agricultural catchment in southern England using a modified procedure combining statistical analysis and numerical modelling.
Science of the Total Environment - SCI TOTAL ENVIR,
414, 301-317.
Abstract:
Sediment source tracing in a lowland agricultural catchment in southern England using a modified procedure combining statistical analysis and numerical modelling
Catchment erosion, soil losses and resulting sediment pressures continue to represent cause for concern with respect to the ecological vitality and amenity value of riverine systems, including those in the agricultural catchments of southern England. Given that the sources of fine-grained sediment are typically diffuse in nature, it is essential to adopt a catchment-wide perspective to corresponding management strategies and sediment source tracing procedures have proved useful in assisting such planning. There remains, however, scope for further refining sediment sourcing procedures and on that basis, a recent study in the upper River Kennet (~214km2) catchment in southern England, provided an opportunity for designing and testing a refined statistical procedure for sediment source discrimination with composite fingerprints using Genetic Algorithm (GA)-driven Discriminant Function Analysis, the Kruskal–Wallis H-test and Principal Components Analysis. The revised statistical verification of composite signatures was combined with numerical mass balance modelling using recent refinements including a range of tracer weightings and both local and GA optimisation. Comparison of the local and global optimisation increased confidence in the outputs of local optimisation and the goodness-of-fit for the predicted source contributions using the optimum composite signatures selected from the revised statistical testing ranged from 0.914 to 0.965. Overall relative frequency-weighted average median source type contributions were estimated to be 4% (agricultural topsoils; predicted deviate median inputs 1–19%), 55% (unmetalled farm track surfaces; predicted deviate median inputs 9–91%), 6% (damaged road verges; predicted deviate median inputs 4–42%), 31% (channel banks/subsurface sources; predicted deviate median inputs 5–41%) and 4% (urban street dust; predicted deviate median inputs 0–20%). The study provides further evidence of the importance of eroding farm tacks as a catchment scale sediment source and confirms the utility of tracing for assembling information on sediment inputs from both the agricultural and urban sectors
Abstract.
Author URL.
Haley SM, Tappin AD, Bond PR, Fitzsimons MF (2006). A comparison of SEM-EDS with ICP-AES for the quantitative elemental determination of estuarine particles.
Environmental Chemistry Letters - ENVIRON CHEM LETT,
4(4), 235-238.
Abstract:
A comparison of SEM-EDS with ICP-AES for the quantitative elemental determination of estuarine particles
Suspended particulate matter (SPM) is a key component regulating the biogeochemistry of natural and contaminant moieties in estuaries. Individual particle analyses can complement conventional bulk analyses of SPM, but are rarely undertaken. This study used scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM-EDS) of particles to quantify a range of elements in the reference estuarine sediment PACS-2. This approach was compared with a bulk SPM analysis based on inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). The median concentrations of Al, Fe, Mg, and Ca for the two approaches were similar, and accuracy for both methods was good. SEM-EDS analysis was also satisfactory for K. Agreement was poorer for Mn and Ti, which were present at trace concentrations. Increasing the number of particles examined by SEM-EDS should improve the analysis. SEM-EDS analysis of SPM from the Tamar Estuary, UK, revealed marked geochemical differences between particle sub-populations.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Publications by year
2012
Collins AL, Zhang Y, McChesney D, Walling DE, Haley SM, Smith P (2012). Sediment source tracing in a lowland agricultural catchment in southern England using a modified procedure combining statistical analysis and numerical modelling.
Science of the Total Environment - SCI TOTAL ENVIR,
414, 301-317.
Abstract:
Sediment source tracing in a lowland agricultural catchment in southern England using a modified procedure combining statistical analysis and numerical modelling
Catchment erosion, soil losses and resulting sediment pressures continue to represent cause for concern with respect to the ecological vitality and amenity value of riverine systems, including those in the agricultural catchments of southern England. Given that the sources of fine-grained sediment are typically diffuse in nature, it is essential to adopt a catchment-wide perspective to corresponding management strategies and sediment source tracing procedures have proved useful in assisting such planning. There remains, however, scope for further refining sediment sourcing procedures and on that basis, a recent study in the upper River Kennet (~214km2) catchment in southern England, provided an opportunity for designing and testing a refined statistical procedure for sediment source discrimination with composite fingerprints using Genetic Algorithm (GA)-driven Discriminant Function Analysis, the Kruskal–Wallis H-test and Principal Components Analysis. The revised statistical verification of composite signatures was combined with numerical mass balance modelling using recent refinements including a range of tracer weightings and both local and GA optimisation. Comparison of the local and global optimisation increased confidence in the outputs of local optimisation and the goodness-of-fit for the predicted source contributions using the optimum composite signatures selected from the revised statistical testing ranged from 0.914 to 0.965. Overall relative frequency-weighted average median source type contributions were estimated to be 4% (agricultural topsoils; predicted deviate median inputs 1–19%), 55% (unmetalled farm track surfaces; predicted deviate median inputs 9–91%), 6% (damaged road verges; predicted deviate median inputs 4–42%), 31% (channel banks/subsurface sources; predicted deviate median inputs 5–41%) and 4% (urban street dust; predicted deviate median inputs 0–20%). The study provides further evidence of the importance of eroding farm tacks as a catchment scale sediment source and confirms the utility of tracing for assembling information on sediment inputs from both the agricultural and urban sectors
Abstract.
Author URL.
2006
Haley SM, Tappin AD, Bond PR, Fitzsimons MF (2006). A comparison of SEM-EDS with ICP-AES for the quantitative elemental determination of estuarine particles.
Environmental Chemistry Letters - ENVIRON CHEM LETT,
4(4), 235-238.
Abstract:
A comparison of SEM-EDS with ICP-AES for the quantitative elemental determination of estuarine particles
Suspended particulate matter (SPM) is a key component regulating the biogeochemistry of natural and contaminant moieties in estuaries. Individual particle analyses can complement conventional bulk analyses of SPM, but are rarely undertaken. This study used scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM-EDS) of particles to quantify a range of elements in the reference estuarine sediment PACS-2. This approach was compared with a bulk SPM analysis based on inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). The median concentrations of Al, Fe, Mg, and Ca for the two approaches were similar, and accuracy for both methods was good. SEM-EDS analysis was also satisfactory for K. Agreement was poorer for Mn and Ti, which were present at trace concentrations. Increasing the number of particles examined by SEM-EDS should improve the analysis. SEM-EDS analysis of SPM from the Tamar Estuary, UK, revealed marked geochemical differences between particle sub-populations.
Abstract.
Author URL.
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