Professor Will Blake

I am Professor of Catchment Science with interests in soil erosion, its downstream impacts and associated land management challenges. I specialise in development and application of environment forensic/diagnostic approaches to solve complex sediment and pollution problems from catchment to coast.

I undertake research, undergraduate and postgraduate teaching in river basin science and physical geography.

Director of the Sustainable Earth Institute.

Director of the University of Plymouth Consolidated Radioisotope Facility (CoRiF).

Qualifications

1994: BSc (Hons) Earth Science, Liverpool John Moores University, UK.

1995: MSc Recent Environmental Change, Department of Geography, University of Liverpool, UK

2000: PhD, Department of Geography, University of Exeter, UK. "Using Be-7 as a tracer in sediment budget investigations" with Professor Des Walling and Dr Qingping He

2001–2002: Postdoctoral research Assistant, Department of Geography, University of Wales Swansea, UK

NERC URGENT programme "Mobilisation and tranfer of heavy metals between ecosystem compartments in the Lower Swansea Valley, an urban regeneration zone", with Professors Rory Walsh and Mike Barnsley

2002–2003: Postdoctoral research officer, Department of Geography, University of Wales Swansea, UK

"The erosional consequences of varying degrees of fire-induced soil water repellency in the Sydney Forest Fires region", NERC-funded Recognised-Researcher with Drs Shakesby and Doerr (UWS), Wallbrink (CSIRO, Australia) and Humphreys (Maquarie University, Australia)

2007: Visiting Scientist, CSIRO Land and Water, Canberra, Australia

2003–present: School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth

Professional membership

• Fellow of Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers)
  
• International Association for Sediment Water Science (IASWS)
• International Association of Hydrological Science (IAHS)
• British Society for Geomorphology (BSG)

Roles on external bodies

Member of UN FAO/IAEA Coordinated Research Project D1.50.17 on “Nuclear Techniques for a Better Understanding of the Impact of Climate Change on Soil Erosion in Upland Agro-ecosystems”

Formerly on International Association for Sediment Water Science Board of Directors

Teaching interests

Overview 

I teach on the following subjects with a strong emphasis on linking teaching to my research: 

• Hillslope hydrology and soil erosion

• River basin fine sediment dynamics from catchment to coast 

• Environmental pollution (especially sediment quality and legacy impacts of mining) 

• Catchment science and management 

• Catchment ecosystem services 

• Geohazards: wildfire

• Geographical science methods 

Research interests

I am Professor of Catchment Science with interests in soil erosion, its downstream impacts and associated land management challenges. I specialise in development and application of environment forensic/diagnostic approaches to solve complex sediment and pollution problems from catchment to coast.

My current research in East Africa and Latin America focuses on how natural science and social science data can be integrated to underpin the co-design of pathways to land management change. These interdisciplinary programmes build on previous research in South East Asia and Australia on impacts of logging and wildfire on hydrological processes, soil erosion and sediment and nutrient flux. I also work extensively on UK river basin management problems in mixed agricultural systems.

My applied environmental forensics research is facilitated through knowledge exchange, mentoring and capacity building activities within joint UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Coordinated Research Programmes (2008 to present) on sediment tracing and fingerprinting techniques to support food and water security.

I have received research funding in excess of £2m from UKRI, EU FP7, H2020, Royal Society, NGOs and UK governmental organisations.

For information on current/recent research projects please follow links below:

IMIXSED Project and SEDiLINK Project [EC Horizon 2020]

Jali Ardhi [GCRF] project [UKRI Global Challenges Research Fund, NE/P015603/1; NE/R009309/1]

Making soil erosion understandable and governable at the river basin scale for food, water and hydropower sustainability in Latin America  [NERC/Newton/CONICYT, Chile: NE/R015597/1]

SIGMA: Peru [UKRI/ CONCYTEC/Newton project, Peru]

Grants & contracts

2019-2020      

Identifying fine sediment inputs to key freshwater pearl mussel populations  

Funding body: SEPA   

Collaborators: APEM Ltd [Meadows]

2019-2021     

Societal Impacts of Glacier Melt in the Andes (SIGMA): Peru   

Funding body: NERC  

Collaborators: co-I with Clason (PI), Morera and others

2018-2020     

Making soil erosion understandable and governable at the river basin scale for food, water and hydropower sustainability in Latin America 

Funding body: NERC /CONICYT 

Collaborators: PI with Bravo (co-PI) and Kelly

2018-2019     

Averting a “tragedy of the commons” in Maasai land: Exploring predictors of communal land degradation and developing pathways to change in Northern Tanzania 

Funding body: British Academy

Collaborators: Co-I with Anna Rabinovich (PI, Exeter), Ndakidemi (NM-AIST), Nasseri (Schumacher

2017-2019     

‘Jali Ardhi [Care for the Land] project: Realising land management change in degraded Maasai grazing lands’ (NE/R009309/1)       

Funding body: NERC   

Collaborators: (PI) with Ndakidemi, Munishi, Mtei (Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, Tanzania); Gilvear, Roberts, Wilson (PU); Rabinovich (Exeter); Nasseri and Rae (Schumacher College);

2018-2020     

Validating hierarchical mixing models within a catchment sediment budget context. PhD Scholarship (Luis Alberto Ovando Fuentealba)  

Funding body: CONICYT Chile  

Collaborators: DoS for Luis Ovando

2017-2018     

Glacier recession as a source of environmental pollutants (GRASP)    

Funding body: INTERACT       

Collaborators: co-I with Clason (PI) and Mills

Socio-ecological resilience to soil erosion driven by extreme events: past, present and future challenges in East Africa (aka Jali Ardhi [Care for the land] project)       

Funding body: RCUK/Dfid Global Challenges Research fund     

Collaborators: (PI) with Ndakidemi, Munishi, Mtei (Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, Tanzania); Gilvear, Roberts, Wilson (PU); Rabinovich (Exeter); Nasseri and Rae (Schumacher College);

2016-2016     

Assessing the suitability of potential Freshwater Pearl Mussel translocation sites in the River Clun (phase 2)

Funding body: Natural England 

Collaborators: with Taylor (PI), Comber, Goddard and Westcountry Rivers Trust

2016-2017     

Comprehensive illustrated guideline on the advanced use of Be-7 as soil tracer for assessing erosion and sedimentation rates   

Funding body: UN FAO/IAEA   

Collaborators: PI with Taylor, Iurian and Mabit

2015-2016     

Assessing the suitability of potential Freshwater Pearl Mussel translocation sites in the River Clun

Funding body: Natural England

Collaborators: with Taylor (PI), Comber, Goddard and Westcountry Rivers Trust

Temporal and spatial patterns of phosphorus concentration across the ditch system of West Sedgemoor SSSI 

Funding body: Natural England 

Collaborators: with Taylor (PI), Goddard and Comber

2015-2017     

Sediment linkage between land, river and sea: evaluating impacts of historic mining on sediment quality in the coastal zone   

Funding body: Horizon 2020 (EC)      

Collaborators: with Andra Iurian (MSC Research Fellow)

Integrating isotopic techniques with Bayesian modelling for improved assessment and management of global sedimentation problems      

Funding body: Horizon 2020 (EC)      

Collaborators: PI with Pascal Boeckx (UGent) plus Navas (CSIC), Smith (Liverpool) and NM-AIST (Tanzania) and Jimma University (Ethiopia)

2011 - 2015    

Sources and quality of fine sediment in degraded Freshwater Pearl Mussel habitats (Clun)    

Funding body: Natural England

Collaborators: PI (Plymouth) with APEM Ltd (Stone – Project manager), Taylor, Goddard and Hailey

2012 - 2015    

Sources and quality of fine sediment in degraded river habitats (Mease )      

Funding body: Natural England

Collaborators: PI (Plymouth) with APEM Ltd (Fraser – Project manager), Comber, Taylor, Smith and Hailey

2012 - 2014    

Transfer of fallout radiocaesium through river networks impacted by the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident (across 2 linked contracts)    

Funding body: University of Tsukuba   

Collaborators: with Smith (Liverpool) and Onda (Tsukuba)

2012 - 2013    

Fine sediment and pollution in southwest rivers (Taw and Teign)      

Funding body: Westcountry Rivers Trust

Collaborators: PI with Comber and Taylor

2012   

Wrong connections: water quality problems in urban nature reserves 

Funding body: PU Community Research Award 

Collaborators: PI with Downs, Smith, Taylor, Solman

Environmental monitoring of salt marsh restoration   

Funding body: Environment Agency    

Collaborators: Co-I with Masselink (PI), Hanley, Blake, et al.

Evaluating sediment accretion rates on restored saltmarshes using fallout Be-7

Funding body: PU Marine Institute     

Collaborators: PI with Taylor, Hanley, Masselink and White

2011-2013     

Quantifying sources and residence times of contaminated sediment in human-impacted river basins: an integrated approach      

Funding body: EU FP7  

Collaborators: with Smith (Marie Curie Research Fellow)

2010   

Evaluating potential use of Compound Specific Stable Isotopes (CSSIs) as sediment tracing tools

Funding body: Westcountry Rivers Trust and UoP      

Collaborators: PI with Couldrick (WRT)

Carbon storage in restored wetlands (River Fal, Cornwall)     

Funding body: Westcountry River Trust

Collaborators: PI with Couldrick (WRT)

2009   

Carbon management in moorlands; effects of drainage and re-wetting on carbon sequestration

Funding body: Seale Hayne Educational Trust  

Collaborators: PI with Charman and Parry

The catastrophic Victoria wildfires: impact of extreme burn severity on the soil system

Funding body: Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)  

Collaborators: Co-I with Doerr (PI), Shakesby and University of Melbourne

Development and test of new cost-effective monitoring technologies and planning design for restoration of wetlands – MONITECH

Funding body: Danish Research Council

Collaborators: Co-I with Kronvang (PI) and others

2008   

Particulate-associated contaminants in agricultural estuaries (PhD studentship)       

Funding body: Iraqi Ministry for Education     

Collaborators: Director of studies with Masselink and Keith-Roach

7Be biogeochemistry and role as a tracer in catchment systems (PhD studentship)    

Funding body: Westcountry Rivers Trust and UoP      

Collaborators: Director of Studies with Keith-Roach

2007   

Wildfire, soil erosion and impacts on downstream aquatic resources: evidence form the burnt Evrotas river basin, southern Peloponese, Greece 

Funding body: Natural Environment Research Council  

Collaborators: Athens Institute of Soil Science; Hellenic Centre for Marine research

Establishing Dominant Sediment Sources Within The Furze Brook Study Catchment’   

Funding body: Environment Agency    

“Assessing the Impact of Climate Change on Tropical Rainforest Systems and Conservation in Sabah”

Funding body: Earthwatch Institute    

Collaborators: Co-I with Swansea University, University of Singapore and Universiti Malaysia Sabah

Estuarine siltation in Devon and Cornwall: the role of agricultural land use    

Funding body: The Seale-Hayne Educational Trust      

Collaborators: co-I with Gehrels and others (PI)

2006   

Wildfire, soil erosion and future climates of extremes in Australia     

Funding body: Royal Society   

Collaborators: PI with Wallbrink (CSIRO)

Establishing baseline patterns and trends of floodplain sedimentation downstream of a selectively logged tropical rainforest catchment  

Funding body: Royal Geographical Society     

Collaborators: PI with Walsh (Swansea)

Effects of Land Use on Physical and Genetic Soil Structure     

Funding body: Seale Hayne Educational Trust  

Collaborators: Co-I with Petticrew PI, Moody and Bradley

Developing decision support tools for soil conservation within agricultural river basins PhD studentship      

Funding body: Westcountry Rivers Trust and SSB UoP  

Collaborators: Director of Studies with A. Williams

2005   

Evaluating the role of buffer strips in the protection of aquatic habitats

Funding body: Seale Hayne Educational Trust  

Collaborators: PI with Petticrew and Brassley

Avon Estuary Siltation Research Project

Funding body: South Hams Society     

Collaborators: PI with Gehrels and Masselink

2003   

Impacts of wildfire on effective sediment particle size 

Funding body: Royal Society   

Collaborators: PI with Droppo (Canada)

2002   

Impacts on water quality by sediments and nutrients released during extreme bushfires      

Funding body: Sydney Catchment Authority    

Collaborators: Co-I with Wallbrink PI, Doerr, Chafer, Humphreys and Shakesby

Downstream impacts of commercial logging in tropical rainforests of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo

Funding body: Royal Society   

Collaborators: with Walsh (Swansea)

2001   

The erosional consequences of varying degrees of fire-induced soil water repellency in the Sydney Forest Fires region 

Funding body: NERC   

Collaborators: researcher Co-I with Doerr, Shakesby PI, Humphreys and Wallbrink