Browsing by Author "Leinster, Paul"
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Item Open Access Accuracy assessment of surveying strategies for the characterization of microtopographic features that influence surface water flooding(MDPI, 2023-04-02) Ramachandran, Rakhee; Bajón Fernández, Yadira; Truckell, Ian; Constantino, Carlos; Casselden, Richard; Leinster, Paul; Rivas Casado, MonicaWith the increase in rainfall intensity, population, and urbanised areas, surface water flooding (SWF) is an increasing concern impacting properties, businesses, and human lives. Previous studies have shown that microtopography significantly influences flow paths, flow direction, and velocity, impacting flood extent and depth, particularly for the shallow flow associated with urban SWF. This study compares two survey strategies commonly used by flood practitioners, S1 (using Unmanned Aerial Systems-based RGB data) and S2 (using manned aircraft with LiDAR scanners), to develop guidelines on where to use each strategy to better characterise microtopography for a range of flood features. The difference between S1 and S2 in elevation and their accuracies were assessed using both traditional and robust statistical measures. The results showed that the difference in elevation between S1 and S2 varies between 11 cm and 37 cm on different land use and microtopographic flood features. Similarly, the accuracy of S1 ranges between 3 cm and 70 cm, and the accuracy of S2 ranges between 3.8 cm and 30.3 cm on different microtopographic flood features. Thus, this study suggests that the flood features of interest in any given flood study would be key to select the most suitable survey strategy. A decision framework was developed to inform data collection and integration of the two surveying strategies to better characterise microtopographic features. The findings from this study will help improve the microtopographic representation of flood features in flood models and, thus, increase the ability to identify high flood-risk prompt areas accurately. It would also help manage and maintain drainage assets, spatial planning of sustainable drainage systems, and property level flood resilience and insurance to better adapt to the effects of climate change. This study is another step towards standardising flood extent and impact surveying strategies.Item Open Access Appraising longitudinal trends in the strategic risks cited by risk managers in the international water utility sector, 2005-2015(Elsevier, 2017-11-02) Chalker, Rosemary T. C.; Pollard, Simon J. T.; Leinster, Paul; Jude, SimonWe report dynamic changes in the priorities for strategic risks faced by international water utilities over a 10 year period, as cited by managers responsible for managing them. A content analysis of interviews with three cohorts of risk managers in the water sector was undertaken. Interviews probed the focus risk managers' were giving to strategic risks within utilities, as well as specific questions on risk analysis tools (2005); risk management cultures (2011) and the integration of risk management with corporate decision-making (2015). The coding frequency of strategic (business, enterprise, corporate) risk terms from 18 structured interviews (2005) and 28 semi-structured interviews (12 in 2011; 16 in 2015) was used to appraise changes in the perceived importance of strategic risks within the sector. The aggregated coding frequency across the study period, and changes in the frequency of strategic risks cited at three interview periods identified infrastructure assets as the most significant risk over the period and suggests an emergence of extrinsic risk over time. Extended interviews with three utility risk managers (2016) from the UK, Canada and the US were then used to contextualise the findings. This research supports the ongoing focus on infrastructure resilience and the increasing prevalence of extrinsic risk within the water sector, as reported by the insurance sector and by water research organisations. The extended interviews provided insight into how strategic risks are now driving the implementation agenda within utilities, and into how utilities can secure tangible business value from proactive risk governance. Strategic external risks affecting the sector are on the rise, involve more players and are less controllable from within a utility's own organisational boundaries. Proportionate risk management processes and structures provide oversight and assurance, whilst allowing a focus on the tangible business value that comes from managing strategic risks well.Item Open Access Combining unmanned aircraft systems and image processing for wastewater treatment plant asset inspection(MDPI, 2020-05-05) Martínez, Jorge Sancho; Bajón Fernández, Yadira; Leinster, Paul; Rivas Casado, MonicaWastewater treatment plants are essential for preserving the water quality of freshwater and marine ecosystems. It is estimated that, in the UK, as much as 11 billion liters of wastewater are treated on a daily basis. Effective and efficient treatment of wastewater requires treatment plants to be maintained in good condition. Recent studies have highlighted the potential of unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) and image processing to be used in autonomous and automated monitoring systems. However, the combined use of UASs and image processing for wastewater treatment plant inspections has not yet been tested. This paper presents a novel image processing-UAS framework for the identification of failures in trickling filters and activated sludge facilities. The results show that the proposed framework has an accuracy of 95% in the detection of failures in activated sludge assets, with the accuracy ranging between 55% and 81% for trickling filters. These results are promising and they highlight the potential use of the technology for the inspection of wastewater treatment plantsItem Open Access Contrasting changes in soil carbon under first rotation, secondary and historic woodland in England and Wales(Elsevier, 2021-12-09) Rivas Casado, Monica; Bellamy, Patricia; Leinster, Paul; Burgess, Paul J.This study investigates changes in soil carbon under woodland combining data from the National Soil Inventory of England and Wales with data from the National Inventory of Woodlands and Trees to create a unique dataset with woodland management information at the sites where soil carbon was measured in 1980 and 2003. Three woodland management stages were compared: first rotation (i.e. recently planted on land not previously under woodland and not yet harvested), second rotation (i.e. harvested at least once), and historic woodlands. Woodlands in their first rotation demonstrated a reduction (p < 0.01) in topsoil organic carbon content typically losing over 2% per year, whereas no change (p ≥ 0.10) was observed for the other two woodland types. This large reduction in organic carbon could not be statistically explained by a higher inherent soil carbon, as the mean soil carbon content of the first rotation and second rotation woodlands were not (p ≥ 0.50) different. The average age of the woodlands under first rotation was 42 years, indicating that the period of significant soil carbon loss could go on for about 40 years after planting.Item Open Access Critical evaluation of ecosystem changes from an offshore wind farm: producing natural capital asset and risk registers(Elsevier, 2022-08-17) Causon, Paul D.; Jude, Simon; Gill, Andrew B.; Leinster, PaulOffshore wind infrastructure modifies benthic habitats, affecting ecosystem services. A natural capital approach allows risks to nature-based assets and ecosystem benefits to be assessed. The UK Natural Capital Committee produced guidance for conducting natural capital assessments to aid decision making processes. Development of an asset register and risk register are key components of this methodology. The former provides an inventory of NC stocks, and the latter considers the likelihood of changes and the scale of their impact on delivery of ecosystem services. In this study, suitability of the methodology in a marine environment context was critically evaluated. Natural capital stocks before and after installation of Greater Gabbard offshore wind farm were compared and risks to delivery of ecosystem services were assessed. It was demonstrated that incorporating an assessment of impacts on natural capital assets in planning and management decisions (as an extension to traditional environmental impact assessment approaches) could further facilitate sustainable use of marine ecosystems. For example, by preventing access to bottom-trawl fisheries activities, wind farms may promote recovery and increase value of seabed natural capital assets. By also introducing aquaculture systems loss of food provision (from reduced fishing activity) could be offset whilst allowing benthic natural capital assets to recover. Natural capital assessment is relevant to the marine context. However, application of the Natural Capital Committee’s methodology was constrained by the limited coverage of standard benthic sampling tools. Given the scale of wind energy plans across the marine environment it is recommended that these shortcomings are appropriately addressed.Item Restricted Data relating to "High resolution (cm scale) elevation data of Cockermouth Town, UK"(Cranfield University, 2024-08-07) Mukherjee, Kriti; Rivas Casado, Monica; Ramachandran, Rakhee; Leinster, PaulThe project is focused on 'Harnessing long-term gridded rainfall data and microtopographic insights to characterise risk from surface water flooding'. The data provides the microtopography information of Cockermouth Town in England and the property resilience and resistance information. Three data sets are provided; 1.Elevation model at 25 cm resolution generated from lidar point clouds captured from aircraft; 2. Elevation model at 10 cm resolution generated from stereo photos captured by photographic cameras mounted on UAV; 3. shapefile having attributes related to flood resilience and resistance information for the residential buildings of Cockermouth Town.Item Open Access Data supporting 'Understanding the effects of Digital Elevation Model resolution in urban fluvial flood modelling'(Cranfield University, 2023-02-10 17:21) Muthusamy, Manoranjan; Rivas Casado, Monica; Leinster, Paul; Butler, DavidThis HERAS 2D model setup files and results were produced to study the effect of DEM resolution in fluvial flood modelling using Cockermouth storm Desmend flood (2015). -Link to the publication will be added once available- Note: This folder contains DEM data downloaded from Environment Agency, UK. This metadata record is for Approval for Access product AfA458. Attribution statement: (c) Environment Agency copyright and/or database right 2019. All rights reservedItem Open Access Environmental regulation in transition: Policy officials’ views of regulatory instruments and their mapping to environmental risks(Elsevier, 2018-07-29) Taylor, Christopher M. ; Gallagher, Elaine; Pollard, Simon J. T.; Rocks, Sophie A.; Smith, Heather M.; Leinster, Paul; Angus, AndrewThis study re-analysed 14 semi-structured interviews with policy officials from the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to explore the use of a variety of regulatory instruments and different levels of risk across 14 policy domains and 18 separately named risks. Interviews took place within a policy environment of a better regulation agenda and of broader regulatory reform. Of 619 (n) coded references to 5 categories of regulatory instrument, ‘command and control’ regulation (n = 257) and support mechanisms (n = 118) dominated the discussions, with a preference for ‘command and control’ cited in 8 of the policy domains. A framing analysis revealed officials' views on instrument effectiveness, including for sub-categories of the 5 key instruments. Views were mixed, though notably positive for economic instruments including taxation, fiscal instruments and information provision. An overlap analysis explored officials' mapping of public environmental risks to instrument types suited to their management. While officials frequently cite risk concepts generally within discussions, the extent of overlap for risks of specific significance was low across all risks. Only ‘command and control’ was mapped to risks of moderate significance in likelihood and impact severity. These results show that policy makers still prefer ‘command and control’ approaches when a certainty of outcome is sought and that alternative means are sought for lower risk situations. The detailed reasons for selection, including the mapping of certain instruments to specific risk characteristics, is still developing.Item Open Access Fusing strategic risk and futures methods to inform long-term strategic planning: case of water utilities(Springer, 2021-05-25) Luís, Ana; Garnett, Kenisha; Pollard, Simon J. T.; Lickorish, Fiona A.; Jude, Simon; Leinster, PaulRisks and futures methods have complementary strengths as tools for managing strategic decisions under uncertainty. When combined, these tools increase organisational competency to evaluate and manage long-term risks, improving the flexibility and agility of the organisation to deal with gross uncertainties. Here, we set out a framework to guide the assessment of strategic risks for long-term business planning, based on its application at Portugal’s largest water utility, Empresa Portuguesa das Águas Livres. Our approach extends strategic risk assessment by incorporating scenario planning—a futures approach used to help the utility move beyond single point forecast of risks to focus on critical dimensions of uncertainty that are fundamental to the resilience of corporate objectives and their vulnerability to external pressures. We demonstrate how we combine two complementary approaches—risk and futures—and use them to assess (i) how a set of baseline strategic risks for a water utility evolves under alternative futures, (ii) the aggregate corporate-level risk exposure, and (iii) the process and responses needed to manage multiple, interdependent strategic risks. The framework offers a corporate approach to evolving strategic risks and improves a utility’s (i) knowledge of uncertainties, (ii) ability to assess the impacts of external developments over long time horizons and the consequences of actions and (iii) degree of flexibility to adapt to possible future challenges. The framework supports risk managers in their long-term strategic planning, through the appraisal and management of multiple, interdependent long-term strategic risks and can be replicated in other organisational contexts to bridge operational and corporate perspectives of enterprise risk.Item Open Access Future foods: Morphological scenarios to explore changes in the UK food system with implications for food safety across the food chain(Elsevier, 2023-03-20) Garnett, Kenisha; Delgado, Joao Pedro Correa; Lickorish, Fiona A.; Pollard, Simon J. T.; Medina-Vayá, Ángel; Magan, Naresh; Leinster, Paul; Terry, Leon A.Scenarios are used to examine systemic change in food systems so policy makers can craft opportunities to improve the management of uncertainty and shape food policy. We present a number of alternative scenarios of the food system for 2035, developed with the Food Standards Agency, the independent government department working to protect public health and consumers’ interest in relation to food for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. To build scenarios we employed morphological analysis; a non-quantified method for modelling multiple scenario variables (food system drivers, projections), simulating their interactions and all possible scenario combinations. A cross-consistency analysis compared all possible scenario combinations to identify which set of driver projections formed a logical (internally consistent) scenario. Recently, we augmented the scenarios to consider the potential impacts and consequences of Brexit and the pandemic on consumer food safety. Outputs illustrate the consequences of extreme impacts emerging from an optimistic (Global Trading) and pessimistic (Resource Tensions) future for the food system. The scenarios establish a context for foresight in decision-making and a framework for evaluating the robustness of policies considering the opportunities and challenges arising from Brexit and a global pandemic.Item Open Access Generalised network architectures for environmental sensing: case studies for a digitally enabled environment(Elsevier, 2022-04-08) Mead, Mohammed Iqbal; Bevilacqua, M.; Loiseaux, C.; Hallett, Stephen H.; Jude, Simon; Emmanouilidis, Christos; Harris, Jim A.; Leinster, Paul; Mutnuri, S.; Tran, Trung Hieu; Williams, LeonA digitally enabled environment is a setting which incorporates sensors coupled with reporting and analytics tools for understanding, observing or managing that environment. Large scale data collection and analysis are a part of the emerging digitally enabled approach for the characterisation and understanding of our environment. It is recognised as offering an effective methodology for addressing a range of complex and interrelated social, economic and environmental concerns. The development and construction of the approach requires advances in analytics control linked with a clear definition of the issues pertaining to the interaction between elements of these systems. This paper presents an analysis of selected issues in the field of analytics control. It also discusses areas of progress, and areas in need of further investigation as sensing networks evolve. Three case studies are described to illustrate these points. The first is a physical analytics test kit developed as a part of the “Reinvent the Toilet Challenge” (RTTC) for process control in a range of environments. The second case study is the Cranfield Urban Observatory that builds on elements of the RTTC and is designed to allow users to develop user interfaces to monitor, characterise and compare a variety of environmental and infrastructure systems plus behaviours (e.g., water distribution, power grids). The third is the Data and Analytics Facility for National Infrastructure, a cloud-based high-performance computing cluster, developed to receive, store and present such data to advanced analytical and visualisation tools.Item Unknown Guidelines for the use of unmanned aerial systems in flood emergency response(MDPI, 2020-02-13) Salmoral, Gloria; Rivas Casado, Monica; Muthusamy, Manoranjan; Butler, David; Menon, Prathyush P.; Leinster, PaulThere is increasing interest in using Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in flood risk management activities including in response to flood events. However, there is little evidence that they are used in a structured and strategic manner to best effect. An effective response to flooding is essential if lives are to be saved and suffering alleviated. This study evaluates how UAS can be used in the preparation for and response to flood emergencies and develops guidelines for their deployment before, during and after a flood event. A comprehensive literature review and interviews, with people with practical experience of flood risk management, compared the current organizational and operational structures for flood emergency response in both England and India, and developed a deployment analysis matrix of existing UAS applications. An online survey was carried out in England to assess how the technology could be further developed to meet flood emergency response needs. The deployment analysis matrix has the potential to be translated into an Indian context and other countries. Those organizations responsible for overseeing flood risk management activities including the response to flooding events will have to keep abreast of the rapid technological advances in UAS if they are to be used to best effect.Item Unknown Harnessing long-term gridded rainfall data and microtopographic insights to characterise risk from surface water flooding(PLOS (Public Library of Science), 2024-09-24) Mukherjee, Kriti; Rivas Casado, Mónica; Ramachandran, Rakhee; Leinster, Paul; Schumann Guy J-PClimate projections like UKCP18 predict that the UK will move towards a wetter and warmer climate with a consequent increased risk from surface water flooding (SWF). SWF is typically caused by localized convective rainfall, which is difficult to predict and requires high spatial and temporal resolution observations. The likelihood of SWF is also affected by the microtopographic configuration near buildings and the presence of resilience and resistance measures. To date, most research on SWF has focused on modelling and prediction, but these models have been limited to 2 m resolution for England to avoid excessive computational burdens. The lead time for predicting convective rainfall responsible for SWF can be as little as 30 minutes for a 1 km x 1 km part of the storm. Therefore, it is useful to identify the locations most vulnerable to SWF based on past rainfall data and microtopography to provide better risk management measures for properties. In this study, we present a framework that uses long-term gridded rainfall data to quantify SWF hazard at the 1 km x 1 km pixel level, thereby identifying localized areas vulnerable to SWF. We also use high-resolution photographic (10 cm) and LiDAR (25 cm) DEMs, as well as a property flood resistance and resilience (PFR) database, to quantify SWF exposure at property level. By adopting this methodology, locations and properties vulnerable to SWF can be identified, and appropriate SWF management strategies can be developed, such as installing PFR features for the properties at highest risk from SWF.Item Open Access In-channel 3D models of riverine environments for hydromorphological characterization(MDPI, 2018-06-25) Vandrol, Jan; Rivas Casado, Monica; Blackburn, Kim; Waine, Toby W.; Leinster, Paul; Wright, RosRecent legislative approaches to improve the quality of rivers have resulted in the design and implementation of extensive and intensive monitoring programmes that are costly and time consuming. An important component of assessing the ecological status of a water body as required by the Water Framework Directive is characterising the hydromorphology. Recent advances in autonomous operation and the spatial coverage of monitoring systems enables more rapid 3D models of the river environment to be produced. This study presents a Structure from Motion (SfM) semi-autonomous based framework for the estimation of key reach hydromorphological measures such as water surface area, wetted water width, bank height, bank slope and bank-full width, using in-channel stereo-imagery. The framework relies on a stereo-camera that could be positioned on an autonomous boat. The proposed approach is demonstrated along three 40 m long reaches with differing hydromorphological characteristics. Results indicated that optimal stereo-camera settings need to be selected based on the river appearance. Results also indicated that the characteristics of the reach have an impact on the estimation of the hydromorphological measures; densely vegetated banks, presence of debris and sinuosity along the reach increased the overall error in hydromorphological measure estimation. The results obtained highlight a potential way forward towards the autonomous monitoring of freshwater ecosystemsItem Open Access Modification of benthic ecosystems by offshore wind farms: implications for natural capital and ecosystem services(2019-05) Causon, Paul; Leinster, Paul; Gill, Andrew B.; Brennan, FeargalDue to concerns about climate change and energy security there has been considerable growth in the installed capacity of offshore wind energy worldwide over the last two decades. Owing to engineering constraints offshore wind turbines have generally been installed in areas characterised by soft sediments. Offshore wind farms introduce hard substrate and intertidal zones into these areas and have the capacity to alter natural capital, including biodiversity, in benthic ecosystems. Changes in benthic habitats may result in changes to the ecosystem services (goods and benefits people receive from nature) provided by natural functions and processes. Thus, continued expansion in offshore wind energy has the potential to affect natural capital and the associated delivery of ecosystem services. Differences in benthic community composition between manufactured structures, natural rock reefs and soft sediments in the southern North Sea were found to be significant (P <0.05) through permutational analysis of variance (PERMANOVA). However, evidence suggests that ecosystem functioning remained similar between natural substrata and offshore energy structures. Based on a Monte-Carlo analysis there were no significant differences in trait expression between the habitat types for the most dominant taxa. There were significant differences in feeding mode, longevity and larval duration amongst less common taxa (P <0.05), however their effect is likely to be muted. An assessment of natural capital demonstrated that offshore wind farms present risks and benefits to natural capital and the associated ecosystem services. The Thanet offshore wind farm was used as a case study. Overall, the natural capital increased following the installation of the wind farm. Targeted investment to support natural capital within offshore wind farms can produce functional ecosystems that not only produce low carbon energy but also augment ecosystem services; a number of which can have economic benefits. The findings have implications for the design, operation, maintenance and end of life treatment of offshore windfarms.Item Open Access Protection motivation theory: a proposed theoretical extension and moving beyond rationality—the case of flooding(MDPI, 2020-06-28) Oakley, Matthew; Himmelweit, Sam Mohun; Leinster, Paul; Rivas Casado, MonicaDespite the significant financial and non-financial costs of household flooding, and the availability of products that can reduce the risk or impact of flooding, relatively few consumers choose to adopt these products. To help explain this, we combine the existing theoretical literature with evidence from 20 one-to-one discussions and three workshops with key stakeholders, as well as five round tables, to draw practical evidence of actual responses to flood risk. This analysis leads us to propose an extension to Protection Motivation Theory (PMT), which more accurately captures the decision-making process of consumers by highlighting the role of ‘ownership appraisal’. We then assess the extent to which behavioral biases impact on this revised framework. By highlighting the interaction with an augmented model of PMT and behavioral biases, the paper sheds light on potential reasons behind the fact that consumers are unlikely to adopt property-level flood resilience measures and identifies strategies to increase flood protection. The Augmented PMT suggests that policymakers might focus on increasing the Ownership Appraisal element, both directly and by targeting the creation of more supportive social norms. The work presented here opens up a wide range of areas for future research in the field.Item Open Access Quantifying coral reef composition of recreational diving sites: a structure from motion approach at seascape scale(MDPI, 2019-12-16) Palma, Marco; Magliozzi, Chiara; Rivas Casado, Monica; Pantaleo, Ubaldo; Fernandes, João; Coro, Gianpaolo; Cerrano, Carlo; Leinster, PaulRecreational diving is known to have both direct and indirect impacts on coral habitats. Direct impacts include increasing sedimentation, breaks and diseases that lead to a decrease in the richness and abundances of hard corals. Indirect impacts include urban development, land management and sewage disposal. The ecological effects of scuba diving on the spatial composition metrics of reef benthic communities are less well studied, and they have not been investigated at seascape scale. In this study, we combine orthomosaics derived from Structure from Motion (SfM) photogrammetry and data-mining techniques to study the spatial composition of reef benthic communities of recreational diving sites at seascape scale (>25 m 22 ). The study focuses on the case study area of Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve (Mozambique). Results showed that scuba-diving resistant taxa (i.e., sponges and algae) were abundant at small (>850 m 22 ) and highly dived sites (>3000 dives yr −1−1 ), characterized by low diversity and density, and big organisms with complex shapes. Fragile taxa (i.e., Acropora spp.) were abundant at low (365 dives yr −1−1 ) and moderately dived sites (1000–3000 dives yr −1−1 ) where the greater depth and wider coral reef surfaces attenuate the abrasive effect of waves and re-suspended sediments. Highest taxa diversity and density, and lowest abundance of resistant taxa were recorded at large >2000 m 22 ) and rarely dived sites. This study highlights the potential applications for a photogrammetric approach to support monitoring programs at Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve (Mozambique), and provides some insight to understand the influence of scuba diving on benthic communities.Item Open Access A remote sensing based integrated approach to quantify the impact of fluvial and pluvial flooding in an urban catchment(MDPI, 2019-03-08) Muthusamy, Manoranjan; Rivas Casado, Monica; Salmoral, Gloria; Irvine, Tracy; Leinster, PaulPluvial (surface water) flooding is often the cause of significant flood damage in urban areas. However, pluvial flooding is often overlooked in catchments which are historically known for fluvial floods. In this study, we present a conceptual remote sensing based integrated approach to enhance current practice in the estimation of flood extent and damage and characterise the spatial distribution of pluvial and fluvial flooding. Cockermouth, a town which is highly prone to flooding, was selected as a study site. The flood event caused by named storm Desmond in 2015 (5-6/12/2015) was selected for this study. A high resolution digital elevation model (DEM) was produced from a composite digital surface model (DSM) and a digital terrain model (DTM) obtained from the Environment Agency. Using this DEM, a 2D flood model was developed in HEC-RAS (v5) 2D for the study site. Simulations were carried out with and without pluvial flooding. Calibrated models were then used to compare the fluvial and combined (pluvial and fluvial) flood damage areas for different land use types. The number of residential properties affected by both fluvial and combined flooding was compared using a combination of modelled results and data collected from Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). As far as the authors are aware, this is the first time that remote sensing data, hydrological modelling and flood damage data at a property level have been combined to differentiate between the extent of flooding and damage caused by fluvial and pluvial flooding in the same event. Results show that the contribution of pluvial flooding should not be ignored, even in a catchment where fluvial flooding is the major cause of the flood damages. Although the additional flood depths caused by the pluvial contribution were lower than the fluvial flood depths, the affected area is still significant. Pluvial flooding increased the overall number of affected properties by 25%. In addition, it increased the flood depths in a number of properties that were identified as being affected by fluvial flooding, in some cases by more than 50%. These findings show the importance of taking pluvial flooding into consideration in flood management practices. Further, most of the data used in this study was obtained via remote sensing methods, including UAS. This demonstrates the merit of developing a remote sensing based framework to enhance current practices in the estimation of both flood extent and damage.Item Open Access Risk assessments for quality-assured, source-segregated composts and anaerobic digestates for a circular bioeconomy in the UK(Elsevier, 2019-03-28) Longhurst, Philip J.; Tompkins, David; Pollard, Simon J. T.; Hough, Rupert L.; Chambers, Brian; Gale, Paul; Tyrrel, Sean; Villa, Raffaella; Taylor, Matthew; Wu, Shaomin; Sakrabani, Ruben; Litterick, Audrey; Snary, Emma; Leinster, Paul; Sweet, NinaA circular economy relies on demonstrating the quality and environmental safety of wastes that are recovered and reused as products. Policy-level risk assessments, using generalised exposure scenarios, and informed by stakeholder communities have been used to appraise the acceptability of necessary changes to legislation, allowing wastes to be valued, reused and marketed. Through an extensive risk assessment exercise, summarised in this paper, we explore the burden of proof required to offer safety assurance to consumer and brand-sensitive food sectors in light of attempts to declassify, as wastes, quality-assured, source-segregated compost and anaerobic digestate products in the United Kingdom. We report the residual microbiological and chemical risks estimated for both products in land application scenarios and discuss these in the context of an emerging UK bioeconomy worth £52bn per annum. Using plausible worst case assumptions, as demanded by the quality food sector, risk estimates and hazard quotients were estimated to be low or negligible. For example, the human health risk of E. coli 0157 illness from exposure to microbial residuals in quality-assured composts, through a ready-to-eat vegetable consumption exposure route, was estimated at ~10−8 per person per annum. For anaerobic digestion residues, 7 × 10−3 cases of E. coli 0157 were estimated per annum, a potential contribution of 0.0007% of total UK cases. Hazard quotients for potential chemical contaminants in both products were insufficient in magnitude to merit detailed quantitative risk assessments. Stakeholder engagement and expert review was also a substantive feature of this study. We conclude that quality-assured, source-segregated products applied to land, under UK quality protocols and waste processing standards, pose negligible risks to human, animal, environmental and crop receptors, providing that risk management controls set within the standards and protocols are adhered to.Item Open Access Risk assessments, quality protocols and other publically-available research reports supporting the risk estimates presented in "Environmental International Risk assessments for quality-assured, source-segregated composts and anaerobic digestates for a circular bioeconomy in the UK".(Cranfield University, 2019-03-20 09:27) Pollard, Simon; Longhurst, Philip; Villa, Raffaella; Sakrabani, Ruben; Leinster, Paul; Tyrrel, SeanLonghurst et al. (2019) Environment International. Risk assessments for quality-assured, source-segregated composts and anaerobic digestates for a circular bioeconomy in the UK. The publically-available risk assessments, quality protocols and other publically-available research reports supporting the risk estimates presented in this paper (accepted to ENVINT) are collated here. The Environment International paper reports residual risk estimates and hazard quotients for microbiological and chemical risks in quality-assured composts and digestates prepared under quality protocols from source-segregated biodegradable wastes. This CORD record here collates WRAP and associated research reports supporting the risk estimates and hazard quotients discussed in this summary paper, including risk assessments and quality protocols.