Project Background
Water quality in the United Kingdom is an extremely pressing concern. Reports of raw sewage being dumped into the sea, fatbergs in urban rivers, and weeds filling canals suggest all is not well. Changes in water quality are caused by the complex relationship between human activity and the water that flows through our landscapes at varying scales. Understanding this variability and how it can affect water management decisions remains a major global knowledge gap. Recent large-sample datasets on water quantity have shed new light on the impacts of humans and environmental change on river flows (see Coxon et al., 2020). However, very few national-scale datasets exist for water quality. Water quality data is challenging to work with: it is generated by multiple entities and in different forms. There is a major opportunity to unify this data in a consistent database so we can develop new understanding of the key drivers of water quality across the UK (e.g., Ebeling et al., 2022). This will enable us to determine the most effective management and policy decisions to improve water quality at the regional to national-scale (e.g., Yu et al., 2019).
Project Aims and Methods
The project’s core aim is to develop new understanding water quality variability by developing and analysing novel databases at regional to national-scales. This will encompass the following objectives:
Build a database of water quality for all catchments across UK. Collate national-scale water quality data and drivers of water quality (e.g. land use, soils, geology, human influences)
Modelling and process-based research based on the dataset. This depends on the focus chosen by the student and could include, but is not limited to, questions such as “how do floods and droughts impact water quality nationally?”, “Can we use long water quality time series to inform better water quality modelling?” “How will water quality in the UK and internationally be impacted by management and policy changes?”
Explore international comparisons of water quality management and policy effectiveness.
Work with Wessex Water to conduct a regional case study application that assesses the adequacy of the data for water quality monitoring.
Candidate requirements
Experience with data analysis, coding (in R, python or matlab), statistics and hydrology are important for success in this project. Experience in water quality data, water chemistry, water management and stakeholder engagement would be beneficial. We welcome and encourage student applications from under-represented groups. We value a diverse research environment.
Project partners
Wessex Water will bring additional expertise in water resources systems modelling, access to high-resolution water quality data and insight into how these data can be analysed to determine current monitoring gaps and key drivers of changes in water quality. The student will gain understanding of the complexities of water quality monitoring, working with multiple stakeholders, and provides the student with the opportunity to deliver real impact with their research to a leading UK water company.
Training
The student will benefit from training in database building and management, data analysis and visualisation and hydrological modelling. The student will benefit from training provided by the Bristol Doctoral College (http://www.bristol.ac.uk/doctoral-college/) including computer coding, the numerical evaluation of complex datasets and high impact scientific writing. The student will have opportunities to interact with scientific networks through the GW4’s Water Security Alliance, and through projects run by the supervisors, including training, conferences and networking across Europe, the USA, Australia and New Zealand.
Background reading and references
Ebeling, P., et al.: QUADICA: water QUAlity, DIscharge and Catchment Attributes for large-sample studies in Germany, Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 3715–3741, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-3715-2022, 2022.
Coxon, G., et al.: CAMELS-GB: hydrometeorological time series and landscape attributes for 671 catchments in Great Britain, Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 12, 2459–2483, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-2459-2020, 2020.
Yu, C., et al.: Managing nitrogen to restore water quality in China, Nature, 567, 516-520, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1001-1, 2019.
Useful links
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/geography/courses/postgraduate/
Bristol NERC GW4+ DTP Prospectus:
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/2023/doctoral/phd-great-western-four-dtp/
How to apply to the University of Bristol:
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/apply/
Please note: If you wish to apply for more than one project please contact the Bristol NERC GW4+ DTP Administrator to find out the process for doing this.
The application deadline is Monday 9 January 2023 at 2359 GMT.
Interviews will take place during the period 22 February – 8 March 2023.
NERC GW4+ DTP Website:
For more information about the NERC GW4+ Doctoral Training Partnership please visit https://www.nercgw4plus.ac.uk.
General Enquiries:
Bristol NERC GW4+ DTP Administrator
Email: [Email Address Removed]
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