Ancient waters expand search for ‘deep life’

The proportion of the Earth’s crust that may be capable of supporting life could be much greater than previously thought, according to new research published in the journal Nature.

Researchers from the University of Toronto, Oxford University and Princeton have mapped the ancient hydrogen-rich waters trapped in rock fractures kilometres below the Earth’s surface.

Read the Oxford Science blog by Pete Wilton

Learning to live with floods and droughts

A panel discussion on Living with Floods and Droughts: Adapting to Hydro-Climatic Extremes was held at the School of Geography and the Environment on 1 December 2014, and brought together a number of water and climate experts in the field.

Dr Simon Dadson, School of Geography and the Environment, chaired the event and highlighted the huge impacts that floods and droughts can have in both developed and developing countries. Examples include the 2013/14 floods in the UK and the 2011 floods in Thailand which caused an estimated $43 billion in economic losses.

At the other end of the hydrological spectrum, a severe drought in 2008 led the city of Barcelona to import water in tankers from France. East African droughts in 2010/11 brought about a devastating humanitarian crisis which counted 260,000 deaths and 1 million refugees.

Dr Dadson invited the panel to reflect on how flood and drought risks might change under future scenarios of climate change, and what actions could be taken to adapt to these changes.

Professor Jim Hall, Director of the Environmental Change Institute, said that we have tended to cope with floods and droughts reactively in the past, with extreme events triggering policy action only after they have occurred.

However, he said that a transition is underway to a risk-based approach which bases decision making on a much broader range of possible events and consequences that might occur in the future. This “quiet revolution of thinking and methodology” in risk analysis means that we are better than ever equipped to live with floods and droughts, he said.

“The single most important asset we have to manage present and future risks from extreme floods and droughts is the long-term observational record” said Professor Rob Wilby from Loughborough University. He stressed the value of using historic records and information from climate models to understand the processes driving extreme events and how risks change through time.

Climate models can be used to predict future risks. However as Dr Richard Betts, Head of Climate Impacts at the Met Office pointed out, different models can produce widely varying results and it is impossible to test their accuracy. There is work to be done both in improving the science, and in improving the communication of uncertainties, he said.

Drawing on expertise in climate change adaptation in developing countries, Professor Declan Conway from the London School of Economics and Political Science reminded the audience that the adaptation process has many steps and the production of climate scenarios is just one step.

Professor Conway reflected on what lessons from climate change adaptation in the UK might be relevant for developing countries. In this country, legislation has played an important role in forcing institutions to assess and act on risks facing society. He also mentioned the importance of monitoring – of changes that are occurring now, the consequences of those changes, and the effect of adaptation policies.

Professor Mike Acreman of the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology said that natural ecosystems are completely adapted to floods and droughts as these events are all part of the natural cycle. Floods or droughts can only been seen as ‘good or ‘bad’ when considering how they impact human uses of the environment.

The natural environment can play a role in influencing the hydrological cycle, Professor Acreman said, but only on a small scale and to a limited degree. For example, restoring wetlands can help store floodwater and release it slowly during drier periods. Payments for ecosystem services may provide a mechanism to fund conservation and restoration of the natural environment to help combat future floods.

Research Assistant in the Water Programme

School of Geography and the Environment, Oxford

Grade 6: £27,057 – £29,552 p.a

We are seeking a Research Assistant (RA) to work in the Water Programme at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment working across a portfolio of projects globally.

The RA will be expected to be an active and enthusiastic member of the team undertaking primary research in extended field campaigns, lead administrative duties and be member of wider activities, including grant applications. The postholder will be an early career researcher with applied field experience in developing countries, leadership in achieving results, and a strong academic background.

You will have an MSc or equivalent experience in the areas of environmental science, development economics or engineering science. You must have significant field experience in developing countries and be willing to spend 3 – 6 months abroad. The successful applicant must have the ability to write high-quality research outputs in English to tight deadlines and be able to present at conferences as required.

This post is fixed-term for 1 year in the first instance.

Applications for this vacancy are to be made online. You will be required to upload a CV and supporting statement as part of your online application.

The closing date for applications is 12.00 noon on Friday 16 January 2015. Interviews will be taking place on Wednesday 21 January 2015.

For more information and how to apply, please see the job details on the Oxford University Recruitment website.

Stopping floods on the cheap: A success story from Yorkshire

A team of researchers led by Professor Sarah Whatmore at the School of Geography and the Environment ran a pilot project in Pickering, North Yorkshire to study the effectiveness of a new methodology for flood management decision making.

The outcome was much more than academic, and the town is safer for it.

The research was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, the Natural Environmental Research Council and the Biotechnology and Biosciences Research Council.