BGS Environmental Modelling
Lead Research Organisation:
British Geological Survey
Department Name: UNLISTED
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Organisations
Publications
Armstrong R;
(2016)
User guide for the BGS Geology : 50k dataset (V8).
Barkwith A
(2014)
Coastal vulnerability of a pinned, soft-cliff coastline - Part I: Assessing the natural sensitivity to wave climate
in Earth Surface Dynamics
Barkwith A
(2015)
Simulating the influences of groundwater on regional geomorphology using a distributed, dynamic, landscape evolution modelling platform
in Environmental Modelling & Software
Barkwith A
(2014)
Coastal vulnerability of a pinned, soft-cliff coastline, II: assessing the influence of sea walls on future morphology
in Earth Surface Dynamics
Bearcock, Jenny
(2015)
BGSs 250,000 shovels of mud : why each one counts and what it means
Beriro DJ
(2016)
A review of the current state of the art of physiologically-based tests for measuring human dermal in vitro bioavailability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in soil.
in Journal of hazardous materials
Bianchi M
(2016)
Combining multiple lower-fidelity models for emulating complex model responses for CCS environmental risk assessment
in International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control
Cave M
(2015)
Measuring the solid-phase fractionation of lead in urban and rural soils using a combination of geochemical survey data and chemical extractions.
in Environmental geochemistry and health
| Description | Simulating landscape morphology and dynamics: The CLiDE environmental modelling platform has been further developed and is now being used within a range of research projects, and PhD and MSc studies. The model now includes functionality to simulate debris flows and their triggering as a function of changes in soil moisture. The platform is being used to undertake a suite of joint BGS-Ghent University research into land management and climate change impacts on soil erosion, as well as joint research into river geomorphology and sediment transport in the Ganges basin as part of a NERC Changing Water Cycle project. AquiMod and BGS-GISGroundwater software released: We have released two pieces of new modelling software for free through the BGS web site. AquiMod is a lumped, conceptual model which simulates groundwater level time-series. It underpins the Hydrological Outlook1 and is being used to reconstruct the pre-observational groundwater level record. An associated paper2 was published in the journal Environmental Modelling and Software. BGS-GISGroundwater is an Addin to ArcGIS that allows users to undertake groundwater modelling within a GIS environment. It has been downloaded more than 200 times since its release and is being used by those learning groundwater modelling from Chile, to China, to Australia. Calculating subsurface "in-situ" stress: The opportunities for, and objections to, hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") of shale rocks in the UK are well known. Understanding subsurface processes around these boreholes is essential for evaluating safe operations. Subsurface "in-situ" stress is caused by global tectonic processes placing the earth's crust under pressure. Hydraulic fractures are induced parallel to the plane of maximum stress. Minimising the energy used to fracture rocks requires an understanding of the in-situ stress orientation. These are identified by breakouts, zones of borehole wall failure perpendicular to maximum stress orientations. We have developed a method to determine in-situ stress orientation using on borehole imaging tools. Imaging can identify breakouts as small as 20-30 cm, compared with other techniques needing breakouts several metres in length. The work shows that whilst previous work produced the approximately correct maximum stress orientation the scatter is now radically reduced and also the rocks deformation responses to the stress regime alters between different sedimentary facies. Borehole breakout orientations have always previously been provided to users in essentially the same way: maps showing rose diagrams and tables of interpreted orientations. Whilst some have been converted to KML for viewing in google earth, the data shown remains the same. BGS Research into visualisation technologies has led to new techniques for distributing results for boreholes breakouts results see above. modelling and prediction of spatial variables With colleagues in Australia we have examined statistical issues in the use of geophysical data to map soil properties in a range of conditions. We have developed a geostatistical approach to assimilate acoustic backscatter and bathymetry data to improve mapping of seabed sediments from 'grab-sample' point observations. We have developed statistical models for directional data and shown how these can be used for inference in problems in structural geology. We have used statistical modelling to develop guidelines for soil sampling for monitoring and inventory. We have used data from the French National Soil Monitoring Network to map various soil properties at the national-scale. Uncertainty and its communication We have used data from the Tellus Border and Tellus surveys in the north of Ireland to evaluate and map potential limitations on the productivity of pastures due to low soil pH, using previously-developed verbal scales to present the uncertainty in this information. We have undertaken expert elicitations to extract the tacit model of uncertainty which geologists use when interpreting mapped geological boundaries, and are exploring the potential of this method for quantifying uncertainty in cases where direct validation is not possible. With colleagues at University College London we have established a new PhD project (beginning October 2015) to examine psychological factors in the effective communication of uncertain information about geological hazards. We have investigated methods concerned with assessing the financial value of spatial information to data users and developed the implicit loss function as a method to aid decision making in situations where data has multiple end users for varied purposes. Arsenic in UK topsoil and risk of Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common form of cancer in the UK. There are several risk factors for BCC, however the effects of modest concentrations of exposure through topsoil remains unclear. The objective of this study was to determine whether arsenic (As) exposure from residential soils was associated with an increased risk of developing BCC in the UK population. The As concentration in topsoils obtained from a combination of GBASE geochemistry dataset and the National Soil Inventory (NSI) reanalysed soil samples were linked to electronic medical records of individuals registered with General Practices contributing to THIN database. Population based cohort design modelling showed statistically significant elevated risks of BCC at higher soil As exposures but these were confined to urban residents. For urban areas where As in soil is in the range 35-70 mg/kg there is an average increased risk of 17% and for soils with > 70 mg/kg As there is an average increase in risk of 32%. The work was carried out in conjunction with the Division of Epidemiology & Public Health, School of Medicine and the School of Health Sciences at the University of Nottingham. Reducing the uncertainty of human exposure to persistent organic pollutants in soil Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) are dispersed in soil on a global scale, from both natural (e.g. from volcanoes and fossil fuels) and anthropogenic (e.g. incineration of carbonaceous materials) sources. PAH in soil are harmful to human health via exposure through ingestion, inhalation and dermal uptake. This project has used a unique approach to bring together information from multi-industry (pharmaceutical, medical and workplace) data streams to inform the development of robust practical methods to estimate exposure to soil contaminants via the dermal and inhalation routes for use in brownfield and greenfield development human health risk assessment. This builds on our previous award winning project that developed an ingestion tool for PAH in soil (Brownfield Briefing Best Scientific (or Verification) Advancement - Assessment of the Bioaccessibility of Carcinogenic Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Soil). Inclusion of multi-pathway data will provide a better estimate of actual human exposure from potentially contaminated land and deliver increased cost savings compared to using single exposure pathway data alone (estimated at ca, £175 million in the UK to date), stimulating socio-economic development including house building and commercial growth. |
| Exploitation Route | Part of the environmental modelling directorates programme is an innovation and product development team that works to make our science and data accessible to a wide range of stakeholders from within government, HEIs, public and private sector |
| Sectors | Agriculture Food and Drink Construction Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software) Education Energy Environment Financial Services and Management Consultancy Government Democracy and Justice Culture Heritage Museums and Collections Transport |
| Description | Improving resilience and planning for climate change impact on hazards by delivering new data services and decision support tools. Development of dynamic near-real time decision support tools which include temporal variables such as weather, climate, seasonality, vulnerability and impact. This necessitates the use of stochastic numerical modelling techniques to improve the integrity of our models and data products. Develop, customize, maintain and support the functionality of BGS's suite of in-house and off-the-shelf modelling tools. Support and maintain our immersive 3D visualisation facilities. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2013 |
| Sector | Construction,Environment,Financial Services, and Management Consultancy,Transport,Other |
| Impact Types | Economic Policy & public services |
| Description | AGSi standards committee |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Membership of a guideline committee |
| Impact | Building Information Modelling (BIM) is set to revolutionise the construction industry by encouraging the sharing of data throughout the lifecycle of a construction project and use of 3D CAD software. Due to BGS' leading position in this field we have been invited to advise the Association of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Specialists (AGS) on the design of the next version of the AGS data transfer format which will include interpreted data such as maps, cross-sections as well as modelled surfaces. |
| URL | http://www.ags.org.uk/ |
| Description | Advice to Scottish Health Protection on health risks of volcanic ash |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | Advice to Scottish Health Protection on unconventional gas |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | Contribution to AGI Foresight report on the future challenges for geospatial data |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Description | Contribution to UK Parliament Environmental Audit Committee World Soils Day Event - 'A Nation that destroys its soils destroys itself' |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Impact | BGS's Dr Mark Cave and Dr Joanna Wragg took part in a panel debate on soils Dec 2 2015 hosted by Huw Irranca-Davies MP and organised by Dr Karen Johnson of Durham University. This investigated ""how we define, measure and monitor soil health in rural and urban environments to ensure soil health"" and "how soil health can be monitored after establishment of baseline information and how was this to be funded". |
| URL | http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/environmental-audit-commi... |
| Description | Industry Practice |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | CH2M has tested several geological modelling systems (including GSI3D, Subsurface Viewer and Groundhog) and has decided that a geological ground model should be part of every CH2M project that requires a ground investigation - also ties in with CH2M's BIM strategy. An internal paper has been written and presentations to head office in Denver, US have been given by Ross Fitzgerald. This has the potential to change the way big global consultants will work, credit to BGS as the key influencer has been given. |
| URL | http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/510757/ |
| Description | Local authority use of infiltration SuDS map |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | East Sussex CC using the Infiltration SuDS Map in a SuDS retrofitting decision support tool designed by Royal Haskoning. |
| Description | Submission to the Environmental Audits committee's inquiry into soil health |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Title | Minecraft release of geological map |
| Description | Inspired by the Ordnance Survey (OS), BGS has reproduced the 2D geology of mainland Great Britain and surrounding islands within the world of Minecraft. This map shows the OS map data on the surface and the rough position of real geology beneath, repeated down to the bedrock. We have given several interviews (incl Inside Science on Radio 4) and the data has been downloaded over 5000 times. |
| Type Of Technology | Software |
| Year Produced | 2014 |
| Impact | None as yet. |
| URL | http://www.bgs.ac.uk/minecraft |
| Title | UK Soils Observatory |
| Description | A web portal of free to view and free to download soil-data. Data supplied by a consortium of leading soil-research institutes including CEH, BGS ,NSRI, JHI, ABINI, Rothamsted and Forestry Research. This is the first time such a breadth of data has been available in one place. Demonstrating joined-up collaborations across the centres and showcasing UK soil research over the years. Hopefully the portal will act as the first port of call for all soil researchers about to embark on new work as well as enabling, public, government and private sector users greater, clearer access to valuable data. |
| Type Of Technology | Webtool/Application |
| Year Produced | 2014 |
| Impact | . |
| URL | http://ukso.org/ |
| Title | myVolcano app released for download in Apple store |
| Description | The MyVolcano app was released for download in the Apple store in early April. MyVolcano is a crowd-sourcing app, developed in Partnership with the Smithsonian Institution, that will help scientists learn more about the distribution of volcanic ash and gases produced during future volcanic eruptions that impact the UK. Ultimately, helping to inform government, business and airlines on the characteristics of the next eruption. It also enables people to learn more about volcanoes, including which ones are currently using data from the Global Volcanism Program of the Smithsonian Institution. This app has been led by the Hazard Products team in collaboration the Volcanology team and Information Systems Teams. |
| Type Of Technology | Webtool/Application |
| Year Produced | 2014 |
| Impact | . |
| URL | https://www.bgs.ac.uk/myVolcano/ |
| Description | Soil quality and links to health |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Finoa Fordyce gave a presentation on Soil quality and links to health at the SECURE Network Environment, Health and Wellbeing Workshop, Glasgow in early 2016. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |