UCL Hydrogeology Research Group

UCL DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCES
HYDROGEOLOGY RESEARCH GROUP

Research Interests

Hydrogeology Application of tracers to hydrogeological problems. Geochemistry, hydraulics and hydrology of karst aquifers. Dispersion of pollutants in rivers and groundwaters. Applications to environmental impact assessment of landfills and quarries, and to water resource development.
Geochemistry of uranium and its decay products, including radon, with applications to radiometric dating and hydrogeology.
Hydrology, especially of hillslopes and unsaturated porous media. Estimation of drought frequency and recurrence interval from long climatic records.
Geomorphology, especially of karst terrains. U-series dating of speleothems as a tool in geomorphic studies. Denudation rates and long-term landscape evolution.
Palaeoclimatology Numerical reconstruction of ice-age climates and palaeo-waterbalance from fossil biologic and geologic data. Speleothems as palaeoclimatic indicators. Isotopic analysis of speleothems and application of the results to palaeo-climate modelling.
Quaternary geology, especially applications of radiometric dating.

Recent Projects

2000-2003 Tracer breakthrough, hydraulic properties and fracture networks at sub-continuum scales in aquifers (£42,500, NERC Thematic Programme "Understanding the Micro-to-Macro Behaviour of Rock-Fluid Systems")
2000-2002 Fluorometer for Groundwater Tracing Unit (£26,016, EPSRC Strategic Equipment Initiative)
2000-2001 Using Chlorofluorocarbons to Detect and Monitor Landfill Leachate Plumes in Groundwater and Rivers (£61,379 EPSRC Waste and Pollution Management Programme)
1999-2002 Global Climate Change: Geochemical Infrastructure for Cambridge, BAS and UEA (£1,201,000 Joint Infrastructure Fund Grant) (£178,000 at UEA)
1997-8 Quantitative reconstruction of moisture climate from Quaternary fossil biota. (£25,000 Royal Society Leverhulme Trust Senior Research Fellowship)
1997 Determination of the age of the Hoxnian interglacial by U-series dating of peat and lake marls. (£25,624 NERC)
1996-99 Isotopic composition of palaeo-precipitation from speleothems. (£158,000 NERC)

PhD Topics currently supervised

2004- Simon Quinn Contaminant attentuation in chalk groundwater: a new approach using radio-chemistry [NERC LOCAR, co-superivisors with Dr W.G. Burgess (UCL), Prof J.A. Barker (UCL) and Dr J. Pates (Lancaster)]
2003- Louise Maurice (part-time)
[Self-funded, co-supervisors Prof J.A. Barker (UCL) and Mrs A. Williams (BGS)]
2002- Nick Woodman Modelling of transport in heterogeneous porous media with application to solute transport in landfills. (EPSRC, joint supervision with Prof J.A. Barker)