Dr Rob Schindler

ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Science, Plymouth University (June 2018- )

Seale-HayneResearchFellow

I co-ordinate two related projects that focus on the mitigation of environmental hazards resultingfrom miningoperations. Both projects are supported by the Westcountry Rivers Trust (WRT) who area charity that work to protect and restore the rivers of the South West, primarily by promoting changes to land use that impact on water quality. WRT are involved in several initiatives to reduce sediment andcontamination from historic mining sites.

 

Biostablisation of Mining Spoil for Heathland Regeneration (with Sibelco UK)

 

Re-establishing heathland in former mining areas is problematic due to the losses of surface soil on treated slopes. Further, the loss of solid material from mine spoil in the Southwest contributes substantially to thesuspended sediment load in river catchments, reducing habitat function and light at channel boundaries. Mining spoil erodes rapidly as it is unconsolidated and devoidof microbes and vegetation that protects from wind, rain and frost, andstrengthens soil with roots and organic matter. 

 

We are working inconjunction with Sibelco UK and the Westcountry Rivers Trust to pioneer anovel, cost-effective and ecologicallysustainable method of stabilizing minewaste slopes.  This project, based at a trial slope at Sibelco's chinaclay (kaolin) mine at Lee Moor, Devon, was initiated in June 2018 and willrun for 12 months. The approach uses a natural biopolymerthat binds sediment particles together very efficiently to improve resistance to erosive forces.

Results will be used to inform future remediation of mining spoil and assist erosion prevention & re-vegetation efforts. In particular, fine sediments offer a mechanism to disperse potentially toxic elements(PTEs).  If successful, the proposed biostabilisation method can be applied to sites exhibiting toxicity to reducing further dispersal towater courses from which water is abstracted for domestic and agricultural purposes, and which may be remobilised from long-term storage by increasing storm frequency and sea level. 

From spoil heap to ocean: Metal pollutant partitioning in coastal catchments

 

The geology of the SW of England is rich in potentially toxic elements (PTEs) which arereleased through transport of particles and leaching into ground and surface waters. Over 90% of SW mining pollutant dispersal occurs in sediment-associated form, leading to the diffuse accumulation of metal-rich muds in rivers and estuaries since the Bronze Age.

 

Metals exist in two phases within a river’s discharge:

 (1) particulates adsorbed onto sediments or (2) dissolved in the water column. However,thereis no current understanding of the degree that metals adsorb onto muddy sediments. Because mud is only mobilized under certain flow conditions we hypothesize that the ratio of transported metals inparticulate vs. dissolved state varies dramatically in response to local hydrodynamics, principally because sediment is only mobile under certain flows and in certain locations.We will use laboratory flume experiments to determine how particulate metals will be released and transported in unsteady quantities as currents varywith weather and tidal conditions. 

 

The work will improve our ability to predict and monitor contaminant transport from source to sink.It is highly relevant to theaims of the WRT, EA and local government/conservationin meeting thestandards of the EU Water Framework Directive. Locally, it will inform important industries such as agriculture, mining, fisheries,aquaculture& marine engineers on the presence of metal contamination, and the impacts of bioavailability of metals in the local aquatic environment. Findings are applicable to all areas experiencing mining pollution, historically or contemporaneously.

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Department of Geography, University of Exeter (Jan - July 2017)

Associate Lecturer - Physical Geography

 

Undergraduate teaching comprising lectures, tutorials, environmental modelling practicals,coordination of the 2nd year fieldtrip to California and pastoral support. I initiated a new field work component forCatchment Hydrology & Geomorphology to improve student field skills and initiate a long-term monitoring programme in conjunction with the NationalTrust. I also completed additional training inprofessional practice.

 

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Marine Institute,University of Plymouth (2015-6)

Marine Institute Research Fellow , HEIF-funded project, “Scour in Complex Cohesive Sediments”.

I secured funding from two rounds of the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) to initiate and develop a project with HR Wallingford that examines how scour dynamics are modified by physical and biological cohesion. The experiments address a significant flaw in current engineering guidelines and results will be integrated into existing guidelines.

I designed the experiments, acquired instrumentation, and undertook the experiments at Plymouth University's COAST Lab. In addition, I helped design, fabricate and retro-fit a sediment scour pit in the flume facility.

Furthermore, the results indicate that cohesive, bio-engineered sediments may have a new, previously unrecognised role in scour management.This has culminated in a patent application for this emerging technology and a forthcoming EPSRC standard grant proposal.

School of Marine Science & Engineering,University of Plymouth, UK (2014-5)   

Specialist Technician, COAST Laboratory.

As specialist technician in one of Europe's most sophisticated ocean basin laboratories I worked first hand with scientists and engineers at the cutting-edge of coastal structure design and renewable energy devices. My role was split between teaching and consultancy. I worked with undergraduate, MSc & PhD students in the development of their research programmes, advised on experimental design, taught then specialized technique sand use of instrumentation, and mentored them during lab times.

I assisted visiting academics and commercial bookings in experimental design; deployed wave energy deviceS; installed scaled models & precision instrumentation, and; monitored data collection.

As a specialist in sediment transport I led the drive to re-configure the laboratory to better undertake sediment transport studies, ultimately culminating in the installation of a scour pit and collaborative projects with industry.

School of Marine Science & Engineering,University of Plymouth, UK (2012-4).

PDRA (Research Co-supervisor), NERC-funded COHBED project.

I developed the project from its inception; responsible for project coordination at Plymouth University;responsible for the planning and completion of large-scale flume experiments at the University of Hull as Visiting Researcher. Specific responsibilities were student training and support, fieldwork planning and coordination, project outreach and authorship, and MSc thesis supervision.

Coasts& Estuaries Group, HR Wallingford Ltd (April – July 2011)    

Visiting Researcher, HEIF 3 funded project, “Parameterisation of Floc Settling Velocities in a Telemac-DelWAQ Framework”.

I secured Higher Education Innovation Fund ( HEIF)3 funds for a collaborative project with HR Wallingford that assessed settling velocity parameterisations for cohesive sediments in coupled 3D Telemac /DelWAQ modelling frameworks. I was primary researcher responsible for collation of field data collected during previous research campaigns (including FLOCSAM,below), model setup, model runs, post-model comparison and authorship.

School of Marine Science& Engineering, Plymouth University, UK (2009-12).

Post-Doctoral Research Fellow , NERC-funded FLOCSAM project.

NERC Standard Grant for improvement of measurement and parameterization of flocculated suspended sediments in muddy estuarine and coastal environments via the development of acoustic backscatter (ABS)algorithms. Responsibilities included field preparation, field data collection,student supervision, analysis of multi-instrument deployments, floc camera development, floc processing techniques, authorship and future grant proposals.

Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Canada     (2007-9)

Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, NSERC-funded project,“Near-Field Scalar Dispersion in Rough Boundary Layers”.

National Science & Environmental Research Council of Canada (NSERC) funded examination of bed roughness effects on 3D dispersion for prediction of near-field transport of biological and toxilogical scalars. I led a team of undergraduate and MSc students in fieldwork that characterized the effects of boundary roughness on turbulence modification and dispersion over rough-bedded rivers and lakes using ADV, ADCP & fluorometry. Ultimately, this information was used by Fisheries & Oceans Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources to deploy traps for invasive fish species in the Great Lakes system.

Parish Geomorphic Ltd., Georgetown, Ontario, Canada(2005-7)

Consulting Fluvial Geomorphologist.

Project planning, data analysis, primary authorship of reports, technical report and guidance, fieldwork coordination, data collection, mentoring junior staff and devising learning strategies. The work included: Restoration of urban channels; Environmental risk assessment, conceptual design, technical evaluation, implementation & monitoring; Storm water management; Sewer & bridge crossing assessments; Developing protocols for municipal & conservation authorities; Innovation: field techniques,instrumentation and analytical techniques; mentoring and training of junior staff.

 

QUALIFICATIONS

PhD

Modification of Three-Dimensional Turbulence by In-Stream Macrophytes.

Rivers & Catchments Group, Geography, University of Leeds, (2001-2005)

Study of the role of vegetation in modifying 3D flow and turbulence structure, with the primary aim of improving CFD parameterization. Field and flume experiments were used,including particle imaging velocimetry (PIV). Emphasis was placed on the effects of different macrophyte morphologies and flow depth revealing significant differences in hydrodynamics between flood vs. baseflow conditions and submergent vs. emergent species. I developed an initial hydrodynamic classification of macrophytes.

MSc

Flow & Turbulence Structure across the Ripple-Dune Transition

Department of Geography, York University, Toronto (1999-2001)

Detailed evaluation of 3D turbulence dynamics across mobile ripple-dune bedforms in a re-circulating flume. Results revealed new information regarding flow separation, modification of 3D turbulence structure and suspended sediment regime culminating in a revised conceptual model of bedform transition under increasing velocity.Thesis nominated for University Graduate Research Award.

BSc

Geography, University of Durham, UK (1996-1999)

Awarded 1st Class degree including Robin Mills Prize for Research in Geomorphology based on dissertation work, “Seasonal Evolution of Supra-Glacial Channels on Kokbreen Glacier, Svalbard.”

• Scour in complex, cohesive sediments
• Bedform evolution in sand/mud channels 
• The suspension and modification of particles in environments dominated by cohesive, flocculated sediments.
• The modification of sediment transport and bedforms by benthic biota
• The role of in-stream macrophytes in the modfication of 3D turbulence structure
• Near-field dispersion in fluvial and near-shore lake environments over rough boundaries.

In addition, I am interested in the development of measurement of techniques including acoustic (ABS, ADV) and particle imaging techniques  (PIV, floc cameras) for the quantification of turbulence and sediment suspensions, and the development of signal processing techniques.

 

 

 

Coastal, Ocean & Sediment Transport Research Group, University of Plymouth

https://collaborate.plymouth.ac.uk/sites/cerg/Pages/COAST.aspx

COHBED project information:

http://noc.ac.uk/news/sticky-sugars-slow-growth-submerged-dunes

http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk/projects?ref=NE/I027223/1

http://s332746484.websitehome.co.uk/mprg/theme_cohesive_sediment_dynamics.html

FLOCSAM Project website:

http://www.uea.ac.uk/env/research/Coastal/flocsam