Andrew Williams

Teaching interests

MSc Sustainable Environmental Management
 - Environmental Assessment and Sustainability
- Sustainability; Issues and Debates
- Work Based Learning in Sustainable Environmental Management
MSc Environmental Consultancy
- Work Placements
- Dissertation supervision

Stage 3
- Environmental Assessment
- Catchment Management
- Work Based Learning
- Dissertation Supervision

Stage 2
- Geography and Careers

Stage 1:
- Introducing Physical Geography; Geomorphology, Biogeography and the Environment 
- Practising Geography: the Physical Environment
- Tutorials and Key Skills in Geography
- Fieldwork in Southwest England
- Residential Bath Field Trip

Staff serving as external examiners
External Examiner, for BA/BSc Geography and BA/ BSc Sustainable Development. School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Bangor (2004/5 to 2007/8)

External Examiner PhD School of Geography, University of Leeds. 2008 

Research interests

Hillslope hydrology and stormflow runoff generation

This research is an investigation of how floods occur in first order catchments.  First the experiment has established the relative importance of pressure wave propagation compared with Darcian diffusive flow to supply water rapidly to seepage faces and ephemeral channels in response to rainfall. Second the way that such water is transmitted along a dense network of ephemeral channels and conducted to the stream.  Two small plots were instrumented with gutters and tensiometers; discharge was monitored in two small ehemeral channels and the main channel.  Rainfall, soil water, ephemeral channel and stream samples were collected  for chemiical and isotopic analysis.  The main results were that the kinematic wave process coulld account for the rapid delivery of water to partial areas and for the 'old' water signature of stormflow.  Other results have been summarised at:

http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/files/extranet/docs/SSB/envstormflow.pdf

Development of a GIS based methodology for the identification of potential wet grassland (Culm) sites in Southwest England - with Natural England

http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/files/extranet/docs/SSB/envculmgrassland.pdf

Modelling the influence of land-use changes on runoff characteristics of the River Camel, Cornwall - with Environment Agency 

Research degrees awarded to supervised students

Thirteen students successfully supervised including:-

Amy Sullivan, A multiscale investigation into the effects of agriculture on flood hydrology in Southwest England PhD Awarded July 2005
Francien van Soest, Restoration of Culm grassland: an investigation of spatial variation in soil hydrology and vegetation. Ph.D. Awarded June, 2002

Erik Meyles, The effects of overgrazing and burning on the hydrology of a small catchment on Dartmoor, Southwest England. Ph.D. Awarded June 2002
Carl Ishemo, Monitoring and modelling surface and groundwater contributions to a large wetland at Goss Moor, Bodmin PhD Awarded Nonember 1999 

Chris Fitzjohn, Spatial variation of soil moisture content and erosion in a gully system in Guadalajara, Central Spain. Ph.D. Awarded July, 1999.

Grants & contracts

Natural Environmental Research Council, (GR3/8556)

Monitoring and modelling soil water and tracer movement in a well drained, structured soil.

Principal investigators: A.G. Williams and D. Scholefield.

Value: £153,673, Jan. 1993 - Mar. 1996

Commission of the European Communities, Directorate General for Science, Research and Development, Desertification Environment Research Programme, (DG-XII, EV5V-0041).

Land degradation and environment change in Central Spain.

With J.L.Ternan

Total value: 400,000 ecu. Value to Plymouth: £80,000.

July 1992-April 1995

Modelling the effect of changing land-use on discharge in the River Camel £32,000 Environment Agency (with M Borthwick and Dr JL Ternan). Oct 2000 – Sept 2004

Publications

Over 50 refereed publications including:-

Meyles, E, Williams, A.G., Ternan J.L., Anderson J.M., Dowd J.F., 2006 The influence of intensive grazing on vegetation and soil variability, and stream discharge in a small Dartmoor catchment, Southwest England. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 31, 622 - 631.
Brayshay, M. and Williams, A. 2005. Snowdonia: an upland landscape under pressure, in I. Whyte and A. Winchester (eds) Upland Landscapes, Landscape Studies, Birmingham (pp 125 - 139)
Sullivan, A., Ternan, J.L. and Willliams, A.G. 2004 Flooding in the River Camel, Cornwall and the effect of changing land-use. Applied Geography, 24, 119 - 137.

Williams, A.G., Dowd, J.F, Scholefield, D., Holden N.M., and Deeks, L.K., 2003. Preferential flow path variability in a well structured soil. Journal Soil Science Society of America 64 (4), 1272 - 1281.

Williams, A.G., Ternan, J.L., Fitzjohn, C., de Alba, S., and Perez-Gonzalez, A. 2003. Soil moisture variability and landuse in a seasonally arid environment. Hydrological Processes 17, 225-235.

Meyles, E. W., Williams, A. G., Dowd, J. F. & Ternan, J. L., 2003. Soil moisture patterns and runoff generation in a small Dartmoor catchment, Southwest England. Hydrological Processes 17, 251-264.

Williams, A. G., Dowd, J. F. and Meyles, E. W., 2002. A new interpretation of kinematic storm flow generation. Hydrological Processes 16, 2791-2803.

Fitzjohn, C., Ternan, J.L., Williams, A.G. 2002. Spatial variation of soil moisture in a semi-arid region in Spain. Land Degradation and Rehabilitation 13, 141-150.

Williams, A.G., Ternan, J.L., Fitzjohn, C., de Alba, S., and Perez-Gonzalez, A. 2001. Soil moisture variability and land-use in a seasonally arid environment in central Spain. In Leibengut, C., Uhlenbook, S., and McDonnell, J. (eds.) Runoff Generation and Implications for River Basin Modelling, Inst fur Hydrologie, d. Universitat Freiburg, i.Br., 111-117

Van Soest, F., Williams, A.G., Parkinson, R., and Kent, M., 2001. Methodology development for wetland restoration planning based on topography and soil hydrology. IAHS Pub. No. 268, 271-278.

Meyles, E. W., Williams, A. G., Ternan, J.L. and Anderson, J.M., 2001. Effects of grazing on soil properties and hydrology of a small Dartmoor catchment, Southwest England. IAHS Pub. No. 268, 279-286.

Williams, A.G., Scholefield, D., Dowd, J.F, Holden, and N.M, Deeks, L.K., 2000. Investigating preferential flow in a large intact soil block under pasture. Soil Use and Management, 16, 264 -269

Rasmussen, T.C., Baldwin, R.H., Dowd, J.F., and Williams, A.G., 2000. Tracer vs. pressure wave velocities through unsaturated saprolite. Journal Soil Science Society of America. 64, 75 – 85.

Conferences organised

‘Environmental Management Systems. University of Plymouth February 2009. With Dr C. Trier

‘Floods in SW England' BHS (SW) and South West Modelling Group, University of Plymouth July 2008

Links

Environmental Processes and Management Research Group

Geography Academic Staff