Centre for Climate Adaptation & Environment Research

Last week, CAERers enjoyed a highly productive full-day writing retreat. Alongside focused writing time, there was plenty of opportunity for socialising over tea, coffee, and a delicious lunch, making the day both enjoyable and energising. Many thanks to everyone who joined the event ✨

🎉 Congratulations to Berrak Balcı on successfully passing her PhD viva! 🎉

Thesis title: “Daylight and energy evaluation of adaptive façade shades in office buildings based on façade industry needs”

Wishing you every success in your future career, Berrak! 👏

🎉 Congratulations to Philippe Blondel and the team on their paper being published online in Nature Acoustics! A valuable and important study, well-done to all involved! 👏

Title: Marine soundscapes of the Arctic and human impacts: going beyond the “shipping bands”

www.nature.com/articles/s44...

We are delighted to share that Emily successfully defended her PhD thesis in the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering and passed her viva in 2025. Her thesis, “Atmospheric waves in the stratosphere in observations and models,” represents a valuable contribution to the field.👏🚀🎉

Electrophysiological monitoring of nutrient stress in Oscillatoria sp. cohorts: Toward an early-warning tool for harmful algal blooms - MRS Advances Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (HABs) are a growing challenge for freshwater management, traditionally addressed through phosphorus (P) limitation strategies. However, increasing evidence highlig...

If interested in a tool for harmful algal blooms, please have a look at the paper below. Congratulations Damiano Duci and the team on this excellent achievement, well done!👏

Title: Electrophysiological monitoring of nutrient stress in Oscillatoria sp. cohorts
link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Stratospheric gravity waves in a post-limb sounder era: can GNSS-RO be used to extend the SABER QBO-driving record? Abstract. The quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) is a slowly repeating cycle of winds which dominates tropical lower-stratospheric dynamics and has been described as the “heartbeat of the stratosphere”....

If interested in gravity waves, please check out this paper. Congratulations Marwa Almowafy and the team on this excellent achievement! Wishing you all the best in your future research. 🎉👏
Title: Stratospheric gravity waves in a post-limb sounder era
amt.copernicus.org/articles/18/...

Yesterday, CAER celebrated our members’ achievements at the End-of-Term Reception with a great food and a puzzle activity. 🎉
Thank you to all who joined us and helped make this the final event of 2025 such a memorable one!

Manganese in drinking-water reservoirs: a multi-disciplinary review of current issues, biogeochemical controls, and oxygenation-based management Decreased water quality and increased treatment costs due to excess manganese (Mn) in drinking-water supplies are critical issues globally. To combat …

If you are interested in the design, management, and performance of drinking-water reservoirs, please go through this recently published paper by CAER researchers.

Congratulations to the whole team on this excellent achievement! 💧📄👏

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

This work introduces novel metrics to better evaluate and guide the design of materials for pyroelectric energy harvesting from dynamic thermal environments.

#MaterialsScience #EnergyHarvesting #Pyroelectrics #WomenInSTEM #PhDLife #ResearchAchievement

🎉 Congratulations to Qingping Wang on her first paper as a corresponding author! 🎉

We are thrilled to share this new publication titled "New pyroelectric figures of merit for harvesting dynamic temperature fluctuations". pubs.rsc.org/en/content/a...

Professor Corwin Wright shares his work in the Channel 5 documentary '#Volcano'.

Episode 2 highlights Wright’s research on the 2022 Hunga Tonga volcanic eruption, which was one of the most explosive volcanic events of the modern era.

www.channel5.com/show/volcano...

Sam Rise at the International Coastal Dynamics conference.

🎉 Congrats to Sam Rose (Dept. of Architecture & Civil Engineering + CAER) for winning Best Student Paper at ICDC 2025! His LIDAR work on wave runup at a Maldivian atoll offers key insights into sea-level rise impacts. 🌊 Part of the EU ARISE project.
www.plymouth.ac.uk/research/coa...

I do hope you caught @corwinwright.bsky.social ’s appearance on national UK TV on Wednesday night! If not, do check it out on catch-up - a brilliant explanation of how volcanic eruptions can disrupt infrastructure systems across the globe.

Sustainable Development X Urban Conservation Conference

On 27th March in Bath, UK: join a one-day conference showcasing innovative and practical approaches to urban conservation and sustainable development. Learn how these disciplines can work together to create better places for both people and the planet.

www.sdg-x-conservation-conference.org.uk

Exciting News! 🎉

We are thrilled to share that CAERer James Rand has officially earned his PhD! 🏅

His research focused on developing low-cost, autonomous micro underwater gliders to enhance water quality monitoring in reservoirs.
📸 Photo: James with his 3rd generation prototype

Excited to share a fantastic paper authored by CAER members! The title of their paper is 'An Investigation into the Thermal and Hygric Performance of Bio-Based Wall Systems'.

Please read more about their work here: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

We are thrilled to share that Dr Neil Hindley (PI) and Prof Corwin Wright (Co-I) have been awarded ~£350k from NERC for TeamX-FLOW – a joint project with BAS to support the scientific investigation of data from a major international field campaign in the Alps! 🌍🗻

www.teamx-programme.org

KTP Associate in Advancing Self-Healing Concrete Solutions for Wastewater Infrastructure at Newcastle University An opportunity for an academic position as a KTP Associate in Advancing Self-Healing Concrete Solutions for Wastewater Infrastructure is available, as advertised on jobs.ac.uk. Apply now and explore o...

Exciting Opportunity! 🚀
An incredible opportunity for a KTP Associate focused on advancing Self-Healing Concrete Solutions for Wastewater Infrastructure! 🌍💧
Deadline: 29th January 2025
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DLI637/k...

This is a first: a totally remote, solar-powered Lidar for gravel beach research. This project will provide new insights into storm impacts and recovery to enhance coastal resilience. Let’s see what winter 24/25 reveals! 🌍 #CoastalScience

Gravel barrier resilience in a changing climate (#gravelbeach) The #gravelbeach project is funded by a £3m Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) grant, based on the particular highlight topic of 'building...

It’s all part of the NERC #GravelBeach project: www.plymouth.ac.uk/research/coa.... The Lidar will record how storms shape beaches and how they recover. Topography is captured at low tide, while wave action is measured at high tide to reveal the processes driving these changes.

Big things happening on gravel beaches! 🌊 Led by Dr Chris Blenkinsopp and PhD student Sam Rose, we’ve installed a solar-powered Lidar tower to monitor beach topography every low tide this winter at 3 sites: Borth (Wales), Chesil Beach (Dorset), and Pevensey Bay (E Sussex).

Cover page of the book "Climate Change Resilience in the Urban Environment" by Dr Tristan Kershaw

Our colleague, Dr Tristan Kershaw, has recently published the 2nd edition of his book "Climate Change Resilience in the Urban Environment", offering fresh perspectives on green and blue infrastructure, urban geometry, comfort, heat islands, and energy usage store.ioppublishing.org/page/detail/...

An article with some thoughts from @kevinpaine.bsky.social of CAER on whether concrete's climate impact can be cut.

Arctic sea ice is declining, impacting ecosystems, weather, and solar absorption. Jonathan Cleverly and Philippe Blondel studied marine mammal calls and ice processes using acoustics to explore seasonal changes. Findings may guide AI for large-scale monitoring. www.ioa.org.uk/catalogue/pa...

Poster outlining methods for extracting gravity waves from satellite data, analysis techniques and initial results.

Gravity waves ripple through the atmosphere, driving air turbulence, shifting jet streams, and shaping weather at the edge of space. This summer, Matthew Baughen and Clara Crommen joined us to identify these waves using satellite data: a step toward understanding their impact on our changing planet.

Poster displaying research on moisture buffering in porous materials as a low-energy design strategy. It includes diagrams of indoor environments and text explaining how these materials enhance comfort and health in changing climates.

With climate change, low-energy strategies like moisture buffering in porous building materials are vital for controlling indoor conditions. This summer, we funded Seren Jones to help Dr Valeria Cascione explore how these materials create healthier, more comfortable spaces while reducing energy use.

Climate change is reshaping UK reservoirs: rising Mn & algae levels, drought, & thermal stratification harm water quality. Seasonal drying/rewetting cycles worsen sediment release. This summer, we funded Fathima Begum to use new tools to measure these effects. Understanding key to water security.

Pleased to hear that Dan Maskell, Pete Walker, and colleagues from University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, have received the Thomas Howard Medal 2024 from @ice-engineers.bsky.social for their work on the resilience of vernacular masonry walls subject to flooding. www.sciencedirect.com/org/science/...

🌌 Exploring the Edge of Space! Dr Neil Hindley’s SURGE project at the University of Bath investigates upper atmospheric waves, unlocking new understanding of their role in shaping Earth’s weather.
Learn more: www.bath.ac.uk/case-studies...
#ClimateAdaptation #AtmosphericScience

Great work by Dr Andy Barnes showing that machine learning-equipped camera systems can be an effective and low-cost flood defence tool.
www.bath.ac.uk/announcement...