Water Sciences - University of Birmingham

We seek to develop understanding of how anthropogenic perturbations and climate extremes are degrading the integrity of freshwater ecosystems. With an international reputation in water pollution, global change ecology, biogeochemistry, environmental sensor technologies, and water resource management we are providing new solutions to wicked water problems.

Much of our work seeks to make advances by linking research that has traditionally been viewed as separate, so creating artificial boundaries between systems. We seek to challenge these conventions by identifying key ‘interfaces’ and developing interdisciplinary teams to improve understanding and develop solutions. Our research investigates the response of river morphodynamics, ground/surface water flows and ecosystems to droughts, floods and other anthropogenic disturbances, using empirical observations of natural events and experimentation in mesocosms, to develop new theory and numerical models. We are also developing new methods and tools for pollution events.