Civil Engineering and Geosciences

"Crayola are our big rivals with many in the team having friends playing opposite them. Engines dominated throughout the match however, our pack was simply outstanding and fullback Jack Payne has to be commended for his speed around the pitch, his nickname of roadrunner is well deserved."

Final Score: Engines 21 - Crayola 13

The new kit looks fantastic and is worn proudly by all the members of the Engines. Thanks again to both the Mechanical and Civil Engineering and Geomatics Departments for their support and also to Maria at Parsons Brinckerhoff and Davey at Players Bar in the Gate for their continued sponsorship.

Mark Semple
Captain, Engines RFC

ordnance survey’s northern lights

Sarah Smith-Voysey

Ordnance Survey’s Research Labs have often promoted new and exciting ways of working. Now they have decided to sponsor one member of the research staff to work away from the head quarters in Southampton, basing them instead in the midst of academics at Newcastle University. This is a completely new way for Ordnance Survey to employ one of their research staff, who is effectively acting as a satellite, being directed by and feeding in to research at HQ at regular intervals.

The satellite in question is Dr Sarah Smith-Voysey who moved to Newcastle University in April 2006 to join the School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences. Sarah is fully employed by Ordnance Survey as a research fellow, but joins the team geomatics team, working directly with Prof Jon Mills in the photogrammetry and laser scanning research group.

The principle of the research fellowship is to test a new way of working which can potentially produce research results faster and more efficiently for the dynamic GI market within which Ordnance Survey now operates. Sarah joins a leading team of experts at Newcastle who specialise in laser scanning, bringing her own expertise to the group whilst also drawing on their knowledge to progress the national mapping agency’s research.

Sarah’s research will directly answer some of Ordnance Survey’s long term research questions, but will also feed into the data collection and management teams’ short term strategies. The focus of the fellowship is on laser scanning, which is a remote sensing technique for acquiring three dimensional spatial information. These data are of interest to Ordnance Survey who is keen to investigate the potential of the technique for enhancing current processes, and potentially creating new three dimensional products. The laser data can be used to create high resolution terrain models, building and vegetation models, and for additional information for 3D city models.

This is an exciting new way of working, through which the links between research at Ordnance Survey and academia will be strengthened. Newcastle University gains an experienced industrial researcher and team member, whilst Ordnance Survey achieves its research objectives more efficiently.
It is anticipated that the fellowship will run for a number of years, during which Ordnance Survey’s research team will continue to provide direction for Sarah’s research, whilst they also explore the new possibilities and opportunities the satellite scheme offers.

Darwin’s dilemma

Simon Poulton

One of the major controversies concerning evolutionary theory relates to the sudden appearance of large animal fossils around 575 million years ago. This problem has perplexed scientists since the days of Charles Darwin and is commonly known as Darwin’s Dilemma. The oldest known complex life forms are the Ediacara biota, which occur shortly after the final large-scale glaciation in the Precambrian. In a new paper, Don Canfield (University of Southern Denmark), Simon Poulton (Newcastle University) and Guy Narbonne (Queen’s University, Canada) report geochemical data from deep-sea sediments preserved on the Avalon Peninsula, Newfoundland. These sediments represent around 15 million years of Earth’s history and include the final glaciation of the Neoproterozoic (the Gaskiers glaciation around 580 million years ago) and the first known appearance of the Ediacara biota.

All animals have an absolute requirement for oxygen, and an increase in late Neoproterozoic oxygen concentrations has been forwarded as a stimulus for their evolution. Evidence in support of this theory has, however, remained elusive. New geochemical data based on iron and sulphur speciation suggest that the deep ocean was anoxic and ferruginous (containing dissolved Fe) prior to and during the Gaskiers glaciation. Oxic deep-sea conditions are found immediately after the glaciation, implying a major oxygenation event at this time and a causal link between this oxygenation event and the evolution of the Ediacara biota. The driving force for this oxygenation event may have been a huge influx of nutrients to the ocean during the melting of the glaciers, leading to fertilization of the ocean and the production of oxygen through photosynthesis. The evidence from Newfoundland suggests a prolonged stable oxic environment at this time, which began an evolutionary radiation which ultimately resulted in the Cambrian explosion of skeletal animals around 540 million years ago.

Canfield, D.E., Poulton, S.W., Narbonne, G.M. (2007) Late-Neoproterozoic deep-ocean oxygenation and the rise of animal life. Science, 315, 92-95.

engineering adaptation to climate change

Jim Hall and Enda O'Connell
Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, Newcastle University

december 06
Ingenia 29 Letters

Scott Steedman’s editorial (‘Engineering adaptation’, Ingenia 28) called for engineers to take a lead in the process of adaptation to climate change. The same issue of Ingenia included two letters on carbon capture and storage (CCS). These articles reflect different facets of the role engineers have in managing coupled human and natural systems on an ever more anthropogenic planet. Be it in anticipating and responding to the effects of climate change or in purposefully engineering the carbon cycle (through CCS and other technologies), engineers are intervening in the Earth system with a view to the effects at an unprecedented range of scales, up to the planetary scale.

It is now time to establish a clear identity for this process of consciously and rationally engineering the coupled human and natural systems that constitute the Earth system – this is Earth Systems Engineering, a term first used in 1998 by Brad Allenby, then Vice President for Environment, Health and Safety at AT&T. The field of Earth Systems Science is already well established, and indeed our scientific colleagues have occupied most of the high ground in debates about climate change. But, as Scott Steedman has suggested, it is of course engineers who will be at the forefront of delivering adaptation technologies and strategies.

The task of Earth Systems Engineering is one of designing and implementing at system scale sets of technological interventions, possibly implemented in tandem with socio-economic and policy instruments, and monitoring and managing them over extended timescales. When operating at these scales, engineering interventions cannot be separated from their social, ethical and governance contexts, hence the need to harmonise technological interventions with their socio-economic settings. In the face of considerable scientific uncertainty about the future evolution of the Earth system, as predicted by Earth Systems Science, methods of robust options analysis are required to identify strategies that perform acceptably well under a range of plausible futures. Information and communication technologies are necessary not only to manage the complexity of the analysis, design and monitoring processes but also to empower stakeholders to participate in assessment, decision making and implementation.

In October 2000 the US National Academy of Engineering held its first workshop on Earth Systems Engineering and is seeking to foster international dialogue among experts in Earth Systems Engineering’s constituent disciplines. The Royal Academy of Engineering can occupy a pivotal role in this debate. Furthermore, the state of a nation’s technical institutions is one determinant of our capacity to propose feasible adaptation options that are robust to future uncertainties, and to implement them in a timely way.

In that sense the Academy also has the potential to be a crucial
component of the UK’s adaptive capacity.

IRES researchers are a 'force' to be reckoned with

James Bathurst

A new research project, EPIC-FORCE, which is being led by researchers from the School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences and IRES including Dr James Bathurst and Dr Jaime Amezaga, is investigating the ways in which deforestation and forest logging exacerbate the devastation caused by floods.

The interdisciplinary project, which brings together physical and social scientists, also aims to improve the integrated management of forest and water resources at the river basin scale through the development of policies based on sound scientific principles.

The project focuses on areas in four countries along the Andean Cordillera and into Central America (Costa Rica, Ecuador, Chile and Argentina).

ground-breaking book published

Paul Younger

A new book by Professor Paul Younger, head of the HERO group within IRES, has been published by Blackwell Publishing.

The book, entitled Groundwater in the Environment: An Introduction represents the culmination of Professor Younger's sabbatical study, funded by HSBC Bank plc as part of his Chair in Environmental Technologies and Geothermal Energy and provides a 'thorough introduction to all aspects of groundwater systems and their management'.

Through the book, Professor Younger seeks to:

provide a robust, practical introduction to groundwater quality, and a succinct summary of modern remedial technologies for polluted groundwaters
explore how groundwater fits into the wider natural environment, especially in relation to freshwater ecosystems
consider the vulnerability of groundwater systems and the effects of pollution, climate change, land-use change, and overexploitation
examine human dependence on water and the effect that this has on groundwater systems
present vivid examples of geohazards associated with groundwaters
explain the whys and wherefores of groundwater modeling
examine competing philosophies of groundwater management, making the case for approaches which take social, economic, and ecological issues into account

Copies of the book are available now from all good bookshops.

IRES researchers aim to capture solution to CO2

Andrew Aplin

Landmark Carbon Capture and Storage Workshop, Beijing, July 2006

Andrew Aplin and Irma Gorton from the Institute for Research on Environment and Sustainability were among 100 Chinese and 80 European experts who convened in Beijing to consider the potential for carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) in the Chinese power generation sector.

The two day meeting brought together the main Chinese and European Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) research communities, in support of the EU/China and the UK/China Near Zero Emissions Coal (NZEC) initiatives.

The workshop was a follow-up of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Chinese government on near-zero emissions power generation technology. The MoU will encourage the development of technology allowing the capture and underground storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted from coal-fired power stations.

The workshop developed ideas for a demonstration CCS project to be carried out over the next five years using funds committed by DEFRA. The longer term aim is to ‘develop and demonstrate in the EU advanced, near-zero emissions coal technology through carbon capture and storage’ by 2020.

The dual context of the workshop is that will soon overtake the as the main contributor to atmospheric CO2 and that it is difficult to see how CO2 levels can be stabilised at acceptable levels without CCS.

Geological CO2 storage is currently being proven in Statoil’s Sleipner oilfield in and BP’s In Salah oilfield in . BP are also negotiating with the government over the details of a project which will convert methane (CH4) to CO2 and hydrogen (H2) at an onshore power plant, using the H2 for power generation and pumping the CO2 into the North Sea ’s Miller field.
Despite the additional costs of CCS compared to conventional power generation, it seems inevitable that more projects will come on stream in the near and medium future, as the costs associated with climate change are factored in.

One current proposal is to build a coal-fired power station with carbon capture on Teeside, converting coal to H2 and CO2 and storing the CO2 in depleted North Sea oil reservoirs.

Newcastle University is part of the NERC-funded UK Carbon Capture and Storage Consortium, working on aspects of seal integrity (Andrew Aplin and Kuncho Kurtev) and CO2 transport (Martin Downie, Atilla Incecik and Julia Race).

HERO group receive royal visit

Adam Jarvis and Emma Gozzard

Members of the HERO group received a special visit from Prince Charles to stand at the recent Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate.

His Royal Highness, who was attending the show with wife Camilla, had specifically requested that the HERO exhibit be on his itinerary as he was particularly interested in the work of the group which had been awarded the Queen's Anniversary Prize earlier this year.

During the visit, Prince Charles had the opportunity to look at information about the work and to talk with group representatives
Dr Adam Jarvis and Emma Gozzard.

13th ITS World Congress, London 8 - 12 October 2006

Phil Blythe

october 06
October saw the annual Intelligent Transport Systems conference come to London. The event was extremely successful, with exhibitors, speakers and over 8,000 visitors from all over the world. The actual exhibits were particularly spectacular with an emphasis on vehicle safety, including Toyota’s pre-crash seatbelt retraction and Bosch’s Electronic Stability Program, both demonstrated using simulators. There were also extravagant stands from both the DfT and TfL. A highly memorable finale to the 2nd day was a party hosted by Q-Free, to launch their newest On Board Unit design. Glossy models strutted on the catwalk wearing clothes designed to match these new concept On Board Units.

TORG had a particularly large presence this year with several academics, 4 researchers and 2 PhD students attending the event and manning the UTSG exhibition stand. In addition all the current MSc students who are taking the ITS Masters Module at Newcastle visited the exhibition for the day, courtesy of funding secured by UTSG through the EPSRC research council.

knowledge transfer project in line for major award

Paul Younger

An innovative proposal to develop a 'fourth career track' in knowledge transfer and enterprise for young researchers has earned the University a place in the final of a national competition – and the chance to walk off with a prize of up to £500,000 to invest in bringing the proposal to fruition.
To reach the final of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Knowledge Transfer Challenge, universities had to convince a panel of judges of their strong record of transforming research into a business venture, and demonstrate innovative ideas for knowledge transfer activity in the future.

'Future success in knowledge transfer is critically dependent on inspiring, re-orienting and developing career-hungry young researchers', says Pro-Vice-Chancellor for External Affairs and Research, Professor Trevor Page.
Describing the University's proposal as 'knowledge transfer on legs', Director of Business Development, Dr Douglas Robertson, said: 'There are over 30,000 contract researchers in the UK, with 18,000 in Science and Engineering. Newcastle University is committed to actively targeting this human resource, which is a powerful and constantly-replenishing potential engine room of knowledge transfer'.

The University supported its proposal with evidence from a project to combat mine water pollution, carried out by Professor Paul Younger and the Hydrogeochemical Research and Outreach Group. Findings from research which began as a small-scale community project in County Durham are now being built into the long-term management plans of mining companies around the world.

At the final, which takes place in London on 21 November, a four-strong delegation, led by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Christopher Edwards, will have one last opportunity to convince the judges – Dragon’s Den style - that they are offering the best investment for the prize money.
Chief Executive of EPSRC, Professor John O'Reilly, said: 'Today’s research provides the basis for tomorrow's products and services and for the economic impact that flows there from'.

'The key to turning knowledge into real benefits is providing a route to exploitation. The EPSRC KT Challenge Awards provide one such route and hopefully the inspiration for other researchers to follow suit and realise the full potential of their work in years to come', he added.

The University will be competing against proposals from the Universities of Aston, Edinburgh, Leeds and Manchester. The winner will receive £500,000 and an EPSRC CASE award worth more than £60,000 to fund a student to work in partnership with industry for three and a half years. Four runners-up will each receive £100,000 to pursue the knowledge transfer activity proposal they submitted for the competition.

CeG features in BBC series - coast

Tom Bramald

october 06
The School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences is set to feature in the second series of the BBC series Coast. The geomatics group within the school has been developing integrated surveying and mapping techniques to improve the accuracy of coastal erosion monitoring and modelling since 1998. Filming took place in June this year at Filey Bay, North Yorkshire, which has been the group’s primary study site for the work since 2000.

Tom Bramald, project manager for the School’s work with the BBC, said “We’re delighted to be able to introduce the science of geomatics to the audience of a series as exciting and popular as BBC Coast.” In programme six of the new series, Research Associate Dr David Barber and PhD researcher Pauline Miller show Coast presenter Mark Horton how geomatics techniques such as laser scanning can be used to monitor coastal erosion.

The episode featuring the School - Thursday 30 November, 8pm, BBC Two.

natural woodlands and water

Ian Calder

With increasing concerns about climate change and water scarcity the management of forests and woodlands in relation to the water environment is becoming an ever higher priority.

The Woodlands Trust has commissioned CLUWRR and the Forest Research Commission to produce a report to aid the management of UK native woodlands which takes account of the water interactions.

Ian Calder and Jen Harrison (CLUWRR) and Tom Nisbet (Forest Research) will produce the report based on a worldwide review of research findings of forest impacts on:

water quantity, covering effects on soil infiltration and runoff pathways, base/low flows, peak/flood flows, surface water yield, and groundwater recharge
water quality, covering effects on acidification, eutrophication, erosion/siltation, water colour/dissolved organic carbon, and pesticides
hydromorphology, covering effects on bankside stability, water temperature and general habitat structure

It will also consider the impacts of woodland design and management, including the effects of restoring non-native conifer plantations on ancient woodland sites, converting non-native conifer plantations to native woodland, new planting of native woodland on arable land, floodplain and riparian woodland restoration, and the planting of short rotation coppice and short rotation forestry. The importance of scale issues, the impacts of climate change and the needs for research and monitoring will also be considered.

forests and water - from Beijing to Bilbao

Ian Calder

Throughout the world forestry programmes are being promoted for their environmental, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, bio-fuel, timber production, amenity and social benefits. Not always are the water resource costs taken into account.

The challenge of maximising benefits from the world’s natural and planted forests have been addressed at two recent conferences on the topics of ‘Forest and Water in a Changing Environment’ in Beijing and ‘Ecosystem Goods and Services from Planted Forests' in Bilbao. Ian Calder from CLUWRR was asked to present keynotes at both meetings on ‘Forests and Water – Ensuring Benefits Outweigh Water Costs’ outlining CLUWRR’s research findings in China, India, Panama, UK, Japan and Costa Rica and presenting new tools and approaches that are being developed to ensure the sustainable management of land and water.

In a world of rocketing costs for fossil fuels and increasing concerns over global warming the topic of bio-fuel plantations is shooting to the top of the agenda for many countries in both the developing and developed world. This is leading to requests to CLUWRR for information on how to best manage woodlands in relation to water interests, for research on both the biophysical and societal impacts of energy plantations, and requests for an international task force to consider these issues

work on spatially analysing smartcard data

Hannah Bryan

october 06
The DfT funded research carried out by one of our recent graduates, Hannah Bryan, for her dissertation is currently generating a lot of interest. The purpose of the study, using real, anonymous, public transport data provided by Nottinghamshire County council, was to determine if transport planners could use smartcard data to learn more about their customer and create a more user-oriented service.

She has given a number of presentations at key smartcard events. These events include the Smartex Transport Card Forum, in London in September, and the Cartes a Puce Conference held in Paris in early October. She has also presented a technical paper, written with Professor Phil Blythe, which expands on the work in the dissertation, to an audience of wider interests at the ITS World Congress, a large conference held annually around the world. This year it was in London, 8 - 12 October 2006.

Through her involvement with DfT and the presentations she has given, interest for publications has also sprung. An Article was published in August issue of the ITSO newsletter. ITSO is the national specification for integrated public transport smartcard schemes. This article was followed by one in the Surveyor magazine in October. Further articles are to appear shortly in Smart Card News and, once translated to French, in Le Rail magazine.

new book on road user charging launched at world congress

Phil Blythe

A new book on ‘Road User Charging and Electronic Tolling’ was launched at the ITS World Congress on the 9th October. The book written by Professor Phil Blythe, Director of the Transport Operations Research Group, at Newcastle University and his friend and colleague Andrew Pickford – bridges the gap between the technical options and trade-off of scheme design and the policy and traffic-orientated issues of road charging. Phil Blythe said ‘The aim of the book was to provide a useful reference source and how-to guide to current and future road user charging and tolling schemes. The book will be of use to practitioners and to students alike’.

The book can be ordered from Artech House Books:
ISBN: 1-58053-858-4
Promo Code: PH99
email: artech-uk@artechhouse.com
web: www.artechhouse.com

minister of state for transport to visit newcastle university

Phil Blythe

october 06
Dr Stephen Ladyand, Minister of State for Transport will be visiting Newcastle University on the 29th November 2006. During the afternoon, Dr Ladyman will be visiting the Transport Operations Research Group to view demonstrations of various ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems) research projects, including wireless sensor networks, the ASK-IT assistive info-mobility suite and the virtual reality cave.

In addition to his visit to the Transport Group, Dr Ladyman will deliver the Henry Royce memorial lecture which is jointly sponsored by the IET (Institution of Engineering and Technology and Newcastle University. Dr Ladyman will consider the social and environmental impacts of transport, particularly in the light of increasing demand for vehicles and road space which raise concerns over congestion, safety and the environment. He will also consider the long term strategies that are in place to ensure the future sustainability of the transport network.

Picture from right to left: Dr Stephen Ladyman, Sir David King, Professor Will Stewart and Professor Phil Blythe (at the launch of the Foresight Intelligent Infrastructure Project earlier this year)

Details on how to obtain a ticket to the lecture and the accompanying dinner (optional) can be found at IET

three RCUK fellowships awarded in CeG

The RCUK (Research Councils UK) fellowships recognise excellence in research in individuals who are currently funded largely on contract monies. The award is for £25k for each of five years for them to invest in further developing their research and building a research group around themselves.

The fellowships are won by competitive bidding though the university. Newcastle were awarded a total of 6 this year and these candidates have taken three of them for CeG!

Dr Neil Gray: RCUK Fellow in Biodiversity-function relationships in Earth Systems
Dr Matt King: RCUK Fellow in The Global Water Mass Balance
Dr Russell Davenport: RCUK Fellow in Pollution fate and control

Many congratulations

engineering the future of water

Geoff Parkin

Water is the new battleground of the Middle East. A team from the postgraduate department of hydrology at the University of Newcastle in Britain has just completed a five-year project in partnership with the Palestinian Water Authority to help resolve an issue that divides Israel and the Palestinians.

The West Bank aquifer is a valuable resource, greening the arid desert for growing crops. Seventy per cent of the aquifer lies beneath Palestinian land, yet Israel extracts 70% of the water. Any lasting peace in the region has to recognise a joint responsibility to manage the water more equitably.Article continues

Dr Geoff Parkin, senior lecturer in hydrology at the university, says: "We have left the Palestinians with groundwater computer modelling tools to assess the impact of extraction and the recharge of the aquifer. And we have helped them set up an NGO, House of Water and the Environment, whose mission is to establish an integrated water resource management system between the two countries. A successful outcome to negotiations over the management of the water will form a key part of any future peace deal."

It has often been said that future wars will be fought over access to water rather than any religious or territorial disputes. Water is a crucial resource in many parts of the world, and hydrologists are playing an important role in helping resolve arguments over the management and allocation of scarce water resources before they turn into full-blown conflict.

Full article in Guardian Weekly

Environment Agency collaboration with CeG

The Environment Agency of England and Wales make a long term commitment to collaborating with CeG.

The Proactive Initiative is a new joint research project looking at the future of land and water management on UK farms.

Dr Sean Burke of the Environment Agency of England and Wales has now become a guest member of staff under the Proactive Initiative and will be working 1 day per week in the school. Collaborating with Paul Quinn, David Rimmer and Jennine Jonczyk , they are seeking to establish new approaches to rural land management, diffuse pollution control and flood risk reduction from UK farms. Nafferton farm, which was fully instrumented under the Earth Systems Laboratory Initiative, is the key focus of the research and a second site in Essex is also being studied. The BBC recently made a film at Nafferton and this provides a good intro to the Proactive Initiative.

The EA have also funded a 4 year research programme to study and maintain the field sites and to evaluate the potential to upscale the findings of the project to the UK. The project is entitled
“ Proactive agricultural runoff management and mitigation strategies to protect surface and groundwater systems”

This is just one in a series of “proactive” projects taking place at Nafferton farm.