Helene Burningham

More about Professor Burningham

Qualifications

DPhil Coastal Studies (2000): Morphodynamics of West Donegal Estuaries (DENI Distinction Award), University of Ulster
BSc (1st Class Hons) Combined Science (1994): University of Lancaster/OSU

Employment

2021-present: Professor of Physical Geography, UCL Department of Geography
2018-2023: Vice Dean (Research), UCL Faculty of Social and Historical Sciences
2017-2021: Reader in Physical Geography, UCL Department of Geography
2013-2017: Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography, UCL Department of Geography
2001-2013: Lecturer in Physical Geography, UCL Department of Geography
2000: Tay Estuary Forum Project Officer, University of Dundee
1999: Countryside Ranger, East Lothian Council
1995: Countryside Ranger, East Kilbride Council

Affiliations

British Society for Geomorphology
Estuarine and Coastal Science Association
Coastal Education and Research Foundation
Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation
American Geophysical UnionIrish Quaternary Association
Irish Geomorphology Group

Teaching

I teach on the following modules:

Undergraduate

Postgraduate

Environmental GIS (GEOG0035)
Models in Environmental Science (GEOG0109)
Field Evidence of Environmental Change (GEOG0176)

Publications: To view Professor Burningham's publications, please visit UCL Profiles:
Publications

Research Interests

The central focus of my research is to explain coastal behaviour, system dynamics and mechanisms of forcing over decadal to century timescales. In particular, my research explores the relative importance of intrinsic system control versus external climate forcing on the geomorphology and morphodynamics of coastal sedimentary systems. I am also interested in understanding and capturing the geomorphological controls on coastal ecosystems.

Research projects

Building Coastal Community Stewardship, in collaboration with the Deben Estuary Partnership [EA, Defra/AONB, UCL HEIF]
The Guyana coast, catchment and marine observatory: data integration and analysis for monitoring of coastal dynamics, working with Dr T Oyedotun at the University of Guyana [AIS: Archipelagic & Island States Forum] Exchanging and Translating Coastal Knowledge and Understanding: improving access to and value of citizen science beach monitoring data [UCL HEIF]
Imagining the measure of change: art, science and the estuary community [AHRC]
Shoreline and shoreface dynamics on the Suffolk Coast [The Crown Estate]
iCOASST - Integrating Coastal Sediment Systems [NERC]
Environmental history, coastal geomorphology and morphodynamics of the west Donegal coast
Identifying coastal archaeology using multispectral satellite imagery of the intertidal zone: a pilot study [English Heritage]
Submarine geomorphology and historical dynamics of the greater Thames estuary [The Crown Estate; National Maritime Museum]
Geomorphology and morphodynamics of mixed sediment inlets and tidal deltas
Characterisation and prediction of large-scale coastal geomorphological behaviour [Environment Agency]
Development and demonstration of systems-based estuary simulators (EstSim) [Defra/Environment Agency Flood and Coastal Defence R&D Programme]

Broader research interests

Improving technologies for the measurement and monitoring of coastal systems
Late-Holocene climate-forcing and human occupation of coastal dunes in northwest Ireland
Coastal GIS and the analysis of historical shoreline and shoreface behaviour
Estuary-coast interaction in the vicinity of tidal inlets
Meso-tidal, high-wave energy beaches, sediment flux, and storm-driven beach-dune morphodynamics
Coastal conservation and sustaining naturally functioning systems

Impact

I work closely with coastal communities and stakeholders at my research sites in Suffolk (southeast England) and Donegal (northwest Ireland). I disseminate my research directly to those communities through a series of blogs and websites, and endeavour to be actively involved in local conversations around coastal monitoring and environmental governance.

Friends of Sheskinmore

With the help of Beacon Bursary funding from the UCL Public Engagement Unit, we launched Friends of Sheskinmore in 2013. As a collaborative community effort, we are local people, environmental / conservation managers, visitors and research scientists, brought together by our common interest in the natural history, environmental change and management of Sheskinmore Nature Reserve specifically, and the west Donegal coast more generally.

Friends of Sheskinmore aims to:

draw together local knowledge of, interest in and enthusiasm for the natural history of a site of national and international importance on the northwest coast of Ireland
foster a unique collaboration between natural and social scientists through public engagement.

A key external-facing aspect of Friends of Sheskinmore is the website and blog where all those interested in natural and environmental change on the west Donegal coast can share in and contribute to knowledge, understanding and enquiry. We currently have 5 main contributing authors, and several others providing supporting information. We also share updates through Twitter and have a strong and active following on Facebook where visitors freely post photos and observations from the site.

We actively engage in informal and formal monitoring and observation from across the Sheskinmore site and beyond; we organise walks across Sheskinmore and talks at the NPWS Field Centre at McGlincheys. The website also provides a focus on reporting data from the weather station I set up locally in 2012, and data collected from a network of water level recorders installed across the Sheskinmore dune and wetland system, in addition to other management and research activities that we can report on. We had over 3000 visitors to the website in 2019 from 50 different countries.

Suffolk Inlets

Since 2019, I have been disseminating thoughts and findings from my ongoing research on the dynamics of the Suffolk inlets through a blog that is shared between maritime stakeholders. Specifically, the website provides up-to-date commentary on the changing position of the banks within the Deben inlet, derived from near- (drone) and remote- (satellite) sensing imagery and data. The site provides those navigating the inlet a new perspective on the dynamics of the bank system and the factors driving the movement of the shoals and channel. It has also encouraged collaboration with local drone owners who frequently offer imagery and video to support the monitoring and increasing record of Deben inlet dynamics.

My work on the Deben inlet was featured in the Life on the Deben film, a feature-length documentary exploring the history, society and science of the Deben river and estuary, narrated and presented by John McCarthy, filmed and directed by Tim Curtis, and produced by Malcolm Hodd. I was interviewed for the film, and feature in the latter stages detailing the coastal dynamics that I have been researching since the mid-2000s. Released in December 2017 with the premiere in the Riverside Theatre, Woodbridge, the film has since toured cinemas in Suffolk, accruing a total cinema audience of 15,000+. A DVD of the film has also been released, with sales of 6000+, and a related book, also featuring my research on the Deben estuary, was published in November 2019.

Deben Soundings

My recent AHRC-funded project, in association with artist and academic Simon Read (Middlesex University), focuses on developing networks that deliver an art-science approach to environmental decision-making. The project runs through 2020-2022, primarily through a series of engagement activities that bring the network of stakeholders (local community, managers, engineers, scientists, researchers) together to explore aspects of change, values, and management of the Deben estuary landscape.

A key aspect of the project is that we are working alongside the Deben Estuary Partnership in their review of the 2015 Estuary Plan and the progression of a new Estuary Plan for 2021/2022. The project seeks to provide a number of arenas where disparate knowledge, experiences, and views are welcome, and where evidence and enquiry relating to the changing landscape of the Deben are engaged through a variety of art-sciences approaches. The whole stakeholder community, no matter their background, knowledge or understanding, should be able to engage in discussions informing environmental governance.

Research Students

PhD research opportunities

I am keen to hear from students interested in progressing to a PhD related to:

Coastal dynamics and forcing of coastal change
Complex interactions between geomorphology, hydrology and ecology in the coastal zone
Community initiatives for monitoring coastal change and informing coastal management

We currently have the following specific opportunities available:

Late-Holocene forcing of coastal change

Please explore the funding pages for more information about fees and funding.

Current PhD students

Trista Chang - Vulnerability of coastal dune wetlands
Jie Gong - The role of tidal inlets in flood and coastal erosion risk and management
Awa Bousso Dramé - Cross-border coastal inlet dynamics - impacts of anthropogenic developments on coastal systems resilience (UCL ORS 2020-; Faculty for the Future 2020)
Silvia Polizel - Morphodynamics of Brazilian deltas (CNPq Brazil 2019-)
Honeyeh Iravani - Assessment of the impacts of climate change, water resource developments and land cover change on Iranian wetlands (Self-funding 2018-)

Completed PhD Students

Varandas Martins S (2019) Ecohydrology of temporary ponds (NERC) [supervised also by Dr C Pinto-Cruz (Evora) and Dr Carl Sayer]
Schembri M (2018) Aspects of embayed beach morphology in a micro-tidal setting in Malta (Malta Government Scholarship) [supervised also by Professor Jon French]
Fernandez Nunez M (2016) Fusion of airborne LiDAR, multispectral imagery and spatial modelling for understanding saltmarsh response to sea-level rise (Talentia) [supervised also by Prof J Ojeda (Sevilla) and Professor Jon French]
Price D (2016) Influence of vegetation on sediment accumulation in tidal saltmarshes: an integrated field and modelling study [supervised also by Professor Jon French]
Gardner E (2016) The ecohydrology and conservation of a coastal sedimentary lake and wetland system: Sheskinmore Lough, Donegal, Ireland (UCL) [supervised also by Dr Julian Thompson]
Mitchell L (2015) An assessment of rehabilitation gravels for Salmo trutta spawning: a case study from a small chalk stream, the River Stiffkey, North Norfolk (EA/Cefas) [supervised also by Dr Carl Sayer]
Duranel A (2015) Hydrology and hydrological modelling of acidic mires in Central France (NERC) [supervised also by Dr Julian Thompson]
Pylarinou A (2015) Impacts of climate change on UK coastal and estuarine habitats: a critical evaluation of the sea level affecting marshes model (SLAMM) [supervised also by Professor Jon French]
Oyedotun T (2015) Estuary-coast interaction and morphodynamic evolution: a comparative analysis of three estuaries in southwest England (Nigerian Government Education Trust Fund) [supervised also by Professor Jon French]
Barrett-Mold C (2013) Morphostratigraphy of marginal coastal environments (NERC) [supervised also by Professor Jon French]
Morales-Marin L (2013) Numerical modelling of hydrodynamics and sedimentation in upland lakes: a test of the sediment focusing hypothesis (UCL) [supervised also by Professor Jon French]

Completed Masters Students

MSc Aquatic Conservation, Ecology and Restoration / Aquatic Science / Freshwater and Coastal Sciences

2021 A Biological Evaluation of Urban River Restoration: The Impacts of the Restoration of Beverley Brook on the Diversity and Community Composition of Aquatic Macroinvertebrates
2019 Runoff Attenuation Features (RAFs) to mitigate flood risk and improve water quality
2015 Substrate history of southeast England seabed
2008 Physical characterisation and differentiation of visually identified flow biotopes
2008 Changes in ecohydraulics with restoration: the River Glaven, Norfolk
2007 Evaluation of Shotley Foreshore Recharge
2007 The morphosedimentary character of Orford Haven, Suffolk
2006 Grain size trend analysis in a gravel-dominated ebb-tidal delta

MSc Climate Change

2021 Coastal dune mobility in Co. Donegal, Ireland: Unravelling the importance of climate and human activity
2020 Investigating the Sensitivity of Sediment Transport
2018 Nearshore wave climate variability at Bacton
2017 The North Atlantic Oscillation as a tool to predict future extreme windstorm events
2017 Late-Holocene environmental change in northwest Ireland
2017 Relationship between NAO and wind climate in western Europe
2016 Impact Southern Oscillation on embayment beach rotation, NSW, Australia
2013 Sea level change: exploring evidence for a late-Holocene highstand
2013 The relationship between the NAO and wind climate over Norway

MSc Conservation

2020 Underwriting change: examining roles, rules and the road ahead for incumbent actors in debt capital markets in the transition to sustainable finance
2019 The potential of UAS imagery for saltmarsh vegetation classification and conservation
2019 Predictive capacity of Ecopath with Ecosim: a global sensitivity analysis
2013 The extent and cause of unwelcome species on sand dunes
2011 Public perceptions and values of ecosystem services
2011 Landscape connectivity of local food and energy production
2011 Mitigation strategies for the new high-speed rail route
2010 The altitudinal ecology of Apteryx australis
2010 Oviposition and habitat requirements of the Small Blue (Cupido minimus)
2010 Evaluating Natura 2000; a case study of Sheskinmore Lough SPA in Ireland
2010 Dune heath habitats of northwest Ireland
2009 The impact of artificial lighting on the commuting and foraging behaviour of bats
2009 Control of invasive species in San Francisco natural areas
2009 The effect of Common Standards Monitoring on Lepidoptera
2009 Naturally regenerated calcareous grasslands on former arable land
2008 Developing a wider countryside common insects monitoring method for volunteers
2008 Ecological impacts of deer browsing on ground flora
2008 The potential to restore a plantation on ancient woodland at Roudsea NNR
2008 Invasion and clearance of sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) on dunes
2007 Bats in Greater London: A revisit to London's bat feeding area survey
2007 Geomorphological control on coastal dune plant species
2007 A rapid assessment of the avifauna of Isla Del Rey, Las Perlas Archipelago, Panama
2006 Spatiotemporal movement of wildlife through the Bow Valley Wildlife Corridors
2006 Long-term changes in flora and structure of Monks Wood
2006 River Thames intertidal substrate habitat management and conservation
2005 Bat mitigation: a preliminary investigation into the success of replacement bat roosts
2005 Factors affecting the distribution of Hypericum linariifolium
2005 Biological / anthropogenic determinants of spatial variation in primate abundance
2005 Uptake and implementation of coastal habitat creation agri-environment schemes
2005 Bird foraging preferences in response to arable field management strategies
2004 The implications of climate change for the conservation of native pine woodland
2004 The response of ground flora to changes in silvicultural systems
2004 Common lizard (Lacerta vivipara) populations on the Isle of Man
2004 Impact of litter management strategies on strandline eco-morphodynamics
2004 Habitat requirements and oviposition of the Small Heath butterfly
2003 Abundance and extinction rates amongst the Lemurs of Madgascar
2003 Habitat use by Skylarks (Alauda arvensis) on a lowland arable farm
2003 Black Grouse breeding success and habitat management
2003 Habitat requirements of the Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus)
2003 Vocal individuality of the Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus)

MSc Environmental Modelling

2021 The significance of peat deposits on barrier morphology and the impact on wave dynamics and sediment transport: A case study of the North Suffolk coast
2020 The impact of ebb-tidal deltas on waves and longshore sediment transport
2020 Impact of rapid urbanization on Land Use and Land Cover Change in Guangdong, China
2018 Impact of climate variability on beach behaviour in northwest Ireland
2015 Re-evaluation of river restoration on the River Darent

MSc Remote Sensing and Environmental Mapping

2020 Shoreline Change and Hurricanes: the ultimate affair
2020 Quantitative Difference Analysis of Point Clouds of a Boulder Coast
2018 Object-oriented and pixel-based classification of high-resolution UAS imagery
2017 Creating high-resolution topographic models using low-cost consumer-grade UAVs
2016 Relationship between ENSO and wind climate over the western North Pacific
2016 Vegetation evolution on coastal dunes, northwest Ireland
2015 Saltmarsh change analysis of Alde-Ore estuary 2006-2011
2013 Geomorphic and hydrological mapping of Sheskinmore Lough
2012 Ecogeomorphic feedbacks in coastal dune blowouts
2012 Reconstructing the geographical history of watersheds
2012 Modelling the influence of offshore banks on nearshore waves
2010 User of LiDAR elevation data to assess the potential for managed realignment