Cross Disciplinary Research for Discovery Science at Lancaster University
Lead Research Organisation:
Lancaster University
Department Name: Lancaster Environment Centre
Abstract
This award supports the development of new collaborations across traditional disciplinary boundaries, to help us push the boundaries of our understanding of the environment and capacity to manage it for a better future. We aim to facilitate the development of diverse collaborative teams that, through development of shared understanding and exchange of perspectives and methods, can create truly adventurous, ambitious curiosity-driven, high-risk and high-reward projects.
To achieve this we will respond to the needs of our growing interdisciplinary community at Lancaster University and support activities such as:
* Cross-disciplinary workshops and networking
* Pump-priming activities that develop preliminary data or prototypes
* Exchange of research staff to support interdisciplinary learning
* Training and learning of new skills and techniques
To achieve this we will respond to the needs of our growing interdisciplinary community at Lancaster University and support activities such as:
* Cross-disciplinary workshops and networking
* Pump-priming activities that develop preliminary data or prototypes
* Exchange of research staff to support interdisciplinary learning
* Training and learning of new skills and techniques
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Jessica Davies (Principal Investigator) |
| Description | This award was used to support seven new interdisciplinary partnerships across our institution and a number of networking workshops. Within each partnership, environmental scientists teamed up with academics from other disciplines such as accounting and finance, astro-physics, statistics and data science, organisational management, marketing, biological sciences, engineering and material sciences to tackle an environmental understanding challenge. Each team worked together over a period of 6 months on a pump priming project that developed shared understanding, preliminary data and partnerships with a view to developing longer term research partnerships that push the frontiers of environmental understanding. The projects supported are summarised below: 1. Montserrat: where a volcano, soils, water, ecology, and reefs meet The challenge Montserrat is a Caribbean island with huge challenges related to population loss, sustainability, and resilience following a devastating volcanic eruption. The volcano destroyed livelihoods, agricultural land, coral reefs, and fisheries. How can effective management help the community and ecosystems recover in a sustainable way? The key questions How do Montserrat's diverse ecosystems, environments, and societal needs intersect and interact (volcano, soils, agriculture, coast, sediments, reef, and fisheries)? Which solutions best support a sustainable environment and society? 2. Detecting icebergs like stars The challenge Climate change affects the creation and movement of icebergs. Climate change is also altering shipping lanes, creating an increase in routes through the Arctic region and consequently a rise in the risk of iceberg-related accidents. Reliable, real-time identification of icebergs is a challenge due to the vast areas they cover, and the difficulty in distinguishing them from water, shadows and other ice floes. But as climate change continues, demand will increase for safety systems that alert vessels to icebergs that are likely to be encountered. Key Question: Is it possible to use artificial intelligence (AI) techniques first pioneered in astrophysics to examine satellite imaging and detect and track icebergs? 3. Time is running out to understand supraglacial lakes in Greenland The challenge Ice caps are melting. Surface meltwater on the Greenland ice sheet is a seasonal response to summer temperatures creating supraglacial lakes, but the amount of meltwater could be drastically changing. We need better ways to monitor lakes created by meltwater as they feed back into changes in the ice sheet - lake water can drain through cracks in the ice and affect the flow speed of the ice. Whilst we have data on the outlines of surface lakes from satellite imagery this doesn't give us enough depth of understanding. The key question Can we make better use of statistical advances to increase understanding of the fate of our supraglacial lakes in space and time? 4. Finding a solution to plastic waste through a circular economy The challenge We must address the plastic problem. The UK generates 3.5 million tonnes of plastic waste per annum, half of which is plastic packaging (House of Commons, 2022) and only a fifth gets recycled (WRAP, 2020). Plastics pollute our Earth and are a health risk if ingested by humans and animals alike. The UK government is committed to action, but we will need innovative approaches to meet the target of eliminating avoidable plastics by 2042. A circular economy aims to ensure products are designed to be more regenerative, durable, reusable, repairable, recyclable and repurpose-able so that we use less of Earth's natural resources and create less pollution in the longer term. So developing circular economy solutions for plastics in the UK is crucial. The Key Question How can we create an inclusive circular economy solution for plastics? 5. Can a bee's gut environment help it survive climate change? The challenge Climate change and human activities are impacting our ecosystems and the insects that inhabit them. This includes pollinators like bees that are key to the sustainability of our food supplies. Pollinator populations are suffering from changes like facing new predators, pathogens, invasive plant species, pollutants, and temperature rises. The key question Can we improve pollinator resilience by 'boosting' their gut microbiota? 6. Insights into volcanic ash generation from material sciences The challenge Volcanic ash particles damage, disrupt, and destroy. Ash causes respiratory problems, environmental damage, and disruption to air travel. Understanding how volcanic ash is generated will help us to address these problems. The key question How are volcanic ash particles generated and can we better forecast their dispersal in the environment and their impacts? 7. Data science interrogates the energy and economic potential for floating solar photovoltaics The challenge Our quest to decarbonise our energy system is driving us to find new ways of generating renewable energy from our environment. The successful growth of solar photovoltaics has led to their deployment not only on land, but increasingly on water bodies. Yet we have little knowledge of the effects these have on water ecosystems, how the electricity generated from them may differ from land-based installations, and the economic implications and opportunities. For example, does it make sense to combine floating solar and hydropower installations? The key question What is the global potential for adding floating solar panels to hydropower plant reservoirs? If it makes sense, where shall we put them? |
| Exploitation Route | Each team supported are taking forward initial research supported by this grant and are seeking ways to publish initial results and to develop these areas. The resultant outcomes have a broad range of potential uses in policy and practice as well as in research communities. As outcomes develop over time, we will be able to give a fuller report on outcomes and impacts. |
| Sectors | Agriculture Food and Drink Environment Financial Services and Management Consultancy Government Democracy and Justice |
| URL | https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/media/lancaster-university/content-assets/documents/fst/research/NERCbrochure.pdf |
| Description | AI for forecasting ice shelf change - AI4IS |
| Amount | £114,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | European Space Agency |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | France |
| Start | 02/2024 |
| End | 01/2026 |
| Description | ICECOMM : Commercialising a system to improve maritime safety with artificially intelligent iceberg and sea ice detection |
| Amount | £378,823 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 11/2023 |
| End | 10/2025 |