Professor John S. Rowan

Research Interests

My research primarily focuses on water and sediment dynamics, and more generally the sensitivity and resilience of environments to perturbations and change.  The most significant contributions range from new conceptual frameworks linking lake behaviour to landscape setting; use of innovative modelling approaches including Bayesian, data-based mechanistic and minimum information models; use of environmental radionuclides for sediment fingerprinting and dating long-term landform development, and more recently new hydromorphological assessment and decision-support tools.  A conscious move towards a systems-based approach is reflected in current projects which include exploring the utility of the ecosystem services concept with respect to natural flood management; development of cross-sectoral indicators of climate change adaptation; exploring the linkages between soil erosion and biodiversity in agro-ecosystems (specifically dispersal of arable weed seedbanks and nematode assemblages) and elucidating the biophysical linkages between hydromorphological pressures and ecological response (a key element our recently awarded GLOBOLakes NERC Consortium Grant).  Funding approaching £ 2 M has been won a range of sources including research councils, the EU, Government, environment and conservation agencies and industry.  As of September 2012 my group will comprise two PostDocs and six full-time PhD students – all externally funded. 

Current Research Group

Research Fellows

• Dr Anna Moss (UEA):  Research Fellow (PDRA) ‘Development of policy-relevant indicators of climate change adaptation for Scotland’, Funded by the ClimateXChange
• Vacancy:  PDRA  ‘Catchment-derived drivers of environmental change in large lakes’, Funded by GLOBO Lakes NERC Consortium Grant

PhD Students

• Oana Iacob, MSc:  Assessing the performance of Natural Flood Management as a climate change adaptation strategy from an ecosystem services perspective (CXC Scholarship, first supervisor). Commenced 2011.
• Sophie Sherriff, BSc:  Erosion and sediment fingerprinting in intensively managed agricultural landscapes (Teagasc Walsh Fellowship, first supervisor). Commenced 2011.
• Craig Baxter, MSc:  Runoff and the redistribution of soil nematodes: implications for ecosystem services (JHI-Univ Dundee Scholarship, first supervisor). Commenced 2011.
• Tim Lewis, MSc:  Soil erosion and impacts on biodiversity through loss of wild flower seedbanks in agro-ecosystems (JHI-Durham Bequest, first supervisor). Commenced 2010.
• Martin Muir, MSc:  Climate change and its impacts of the conservation value of Scottish lochs (SNH/SEPA Studentship, first supervisor). Commenced 2010.
• Elaine Morrison, MSc:  Sustainable urban energy planning (EC Interreg IVB North Sea Region Programme, second supervisor). Commenced  2010.
• William Halkett, MSc:  The Malawi diaspora and knowledge transfer (ERSC Studentship, second supervisor). Commenced 2009.

Recent Research Grants

• £2.9M   GLOBOLakes (Global Observatory of lake responses to environmental change). NERC Consortium with Universities of Stirling, Glasgow, Edinburgh, CEH & NEODASS. Co-Investigator (CI)I, £487k to the University of Dundee, commences Sept 2012.
• £2.6 M  Scottish Universities Industry Innovation Network for Food & Drink.  SFC funding for KE network led by the Universityof Aberdeen. CI, Award to be finalised (2012-2015).
• £4.2 M  Centre of Expertise on Climate Change – Adaptation Consortium.  Scottish Government funding, award (with JHI, SAC, Forestry Research, Universities of Edinburgh,St Andrewsand Heriot-Watt).  Principal Investigator, £326 k awarded to Dundee(2011-2016).
• €120k   Land use, climate change and sediment flux on agricultural catchments in Ireland: Walsh Fellowship. PI, funded by Teagasc, Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority (2011-2015).
• £60k     Runoff and the redistribution of soil nematodes: implications for ecosystem services. PI, funding from James Hutton Institute and University Scholarship (2011-2014).
• £20k     Assessing the legacy of historic mining on the hydromorphology and ecology of the Loch Fitty catchment. PI, funded by Scottish Coal (2010-2011).
• £45k     Impact of climate change on the conservation interests of Scottish lochs. PI, funding SNH/SEPA Studentship (2010-2013).
• £60k     Linking soil erosion to weed seed bank dynamics in agro-ecosystems. PI, funding SCRI/Durham Bequest Studentship (2010-2013).
• £47 k    Community-based renewable energy production and its contribution to social justice.  CI, funding EU Interreg IVB North Sea Region Programme, Studentship.
• £142k   Development of a method of Lake Habitat Survey. PI, funded by the Scotland and Northern Ireland Forum for Environmental Research (SNIFFER) (2004-2010).
• £45k     Development of decision-making frameworks for managing alterations to the morphology of lakes. PI, funded by SNIFFER (2005-2009).
• £22k     Development of a European Water Quality Guidance Standard on lake hydromorphological assessment. PI, funded by British Standards Institution (2007-2009).
• £16k     Developing a lake hydromorphology typology for the UK.  Funded by SNIFFER (Scottish and Northern Ireland Forum for Environmental Research) SNIFFER Project WFD104.  (2009-2010).
• £24k     Quantifying the coastal sediment budget of the South Ford basin, Western Isles.  PI, funded by Western Isles Council, Comhairle Nan EileanSiar, (2008-2009).
• £11k     Lake hydromorphology in Ireland.  PI, funded by EPA and Compass Infomatics, Ireland. (2008-2009).
• £40k     Palaeoflood recognition and magnitude/frequency relations. Equipment grant for ultra-low background gamma spectrometry facility.  PI, funded by SAGES, PI (2006-2007)
• £15k     Fingerprinting the provenance of fine sediment ingress into salmonid gravels in the Feshie basin. CI, funded by NERC CHASM Programme (2005-2007).
• £65k     Development of environmental standards (water resources) for rivers and lakes. Joint award between CEH Wallingford and Dundee. CI, funded by SNIFFER (2004-2005)
• £52k     Academic Links Programme between the Universities of Chiang Mai and Dundee. CI, funded by DIFD/British Council (2002-2003).
• £13k     Hydromorphology of lake systems in the UK.CI, funded by SNIFFER (2002-2003).
• £77k     Assessing Heavily Modified Waters in Scotland. CI, funded by SNIFFER (2001-2002).
• £34k     Anthropogenic impacts upon the hydrology of rivers and lochs: phase 1. CI, funded by SNIFFER (1999-2000).
• £20k     Development of a GIS database for geomorphological assessment and monitoring in natural heritage zones. CI, funded by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) (1999-2000).
• £30k     Development of a radiometric laboratory for geological dating and erosion/sediment transport studies.  PI, Durham Bequest Fund (1999-2000).
• £15k     Fingerprinting sediment sources to LlynTegid (LakeBala).  PI, funded by the Environment Agency (Wales) (1998-2000)
• £16k     Sediment fingerprinting as tool in catchment management planning in Southern Italy’ PI, funded by EU PEP Programme. With EnteAutonomo, Basilicata,Italy (1995-1997).
• £24 k    Modelling sediment routing in reservoirs: a comparative assessment of reservoir sedimentation  in Britain and Italy.  PI, funded by EU Human Capital Mobility (WEEL) Programme (1994-95).

Completed PhDs

• Samaila Ammani, MSc: Relations between land degradation and migration in Northern Nigeria(Petro. Tech. Devel.Fund, Nigeria, second supervisor). Completed 2011. 
• Eirini Politi, MSc: Application of remote sensing techniques to lake water quality assessment (University Scholarship, second supervisor). Completed 2010. 
• Alan Brown, MSc: Assessing the ecological value of reservoirs for water fowl (Self-funding, first supervisor). Completed 2010.
• Ingrid Small, BSc: Uncertainty estimation in sediment fingerprinting models (Carnegie Scholarship, first supervisor). Completed 2010. 
• Pierre Jenkins, MSc: Development of a sediment budget for the Tay estuary using sediment tracers (Self-funded, second supervisor). Completed 2003. 
• Miriya Gunawardena,  BSc: Appraisal of environmental impact assessment in Sri Lankawith particular reference to ecological resources (TEAMS, first supervisor). Completed 2001. 
• Brian Irvine, BSc: Effective sediment control practices in pre-afforestation drainage networks (NERC-CASE Forestry Research, first supervisor). Completed 2001.
• Richard Brazier, BSc: Modelling soil erosion in England and Wales using a minimum information approach (NERC-CASE ADAS, first supervisor). Completed 2000. 
• Peter Fox, MSc: Fluvial processes and river habitat management (Environment Agency, first supervisor). Completed 2000. 
• Paul Goodwill, BSc: Sediment routing and deposition processes in reservoirs (University Scholarship, first supervisor). Completed 1998. 
• J. John Kitetu, MSc: Environmental impacts associated with sand and gravel harvesting in Kenyan Rivers (Commonwealth Scholarship, first supervisor). Completed 1997.

Academic Background

Appointments

Key Recent Achievements

• Appointed to the Directorate of ClimateXChange, the Scottish Government’s Centre of Expertise on Climate Change and Co-Leader of the Adaptation Workstream (2011-2016).
• Founding Director of the Centre for Environmental Change and Human Resilience (CECHR) in 2009 as a strategic research partnership between the University of Dundee and the James Hutton Institute examining environmental change dynamics, resilience and social-justice. 
• Significant academic contribution to work on catchment-scale sediment delivery and development of hydromorphological assessment and decision-support tools adopted by UK environment and conservation agencies and lead author of CEN Guidance Standard on lake hydromorphology.
• Head of the Environmental Systems Research Group (2008-2011). As of September 2012 personal group will comprise two PDRAs and six PhD Students.  Supervised 11 PhD completions to date.
• >£1.6 M research income into Dundee since 2000 from sources including Research Councils, EU, Government, environmental agencies and industrial partnerships. Most as Principal Investigator.
• > 60 peer reviewed papers, h-index of 13.
• Visiting Academic - Universities of Chaing Mai (2003); Novi Sad (2007); Newcastle, Australia (2003); National University of Singapore (2004) and Istituto per lo Studio degliEcosistemi, Italy (2008).
• Convenor of international symposia including BHS ‘Hydromorphology of Lakes and Reservoirs’ (Edinburgh, 2009), IAHS ‘Hydromorphology of Fluvial Systems’ (Dundee, 2006), RGS-IBG ‘Implementing the EU Water Framework Directive’ (London, 2003).
• Championed the establishment of the Environmental Diagnostics Laboratory as a research, teaching and consultancy facility within the School of the Environment, University of Dundee. 

Professional Memberships

• European Geophysical Union
• British Society for Geomorphohlogy
• British Hydrological Society
• Scottish Royal Geographical Society
• Royal Geographical Society-Institute of British Geographers 

Professional Roles

• 2011 -             Directorate ClimateXChange, the Scottish Government’s Centre for Expertise in Climate Change, co-lead of Adaptation Workstream.
• 2011 -             University of Ulster, School of Environmental Sciences- External Examiner undergraduate Geography programmes.
• 2009 -             Founding Director of the Centre for Environmental Change and Human Resilience (CECHR) strategic partnership University of Dundeeand the James Hutton Institute.
• 2009 -             Board of Trustees Royal Scottish Geographical Society and Education Sub-Committee.
• 2008 - 2012    University of St Andrews, School of Geography and Geosciences - External Examiner for undergraduate Geography programmes.
• 1998 - 2001    University of Central Lancashire- External Examiner for undergraduate Environmental Science and Environmental Protection programmes.

Muir, M.C.A., Spray, C.J. and Rowan, J.S. 2012. Assessing the significance of climate change to the ecohydrology and conservation interest of Scotland’s lochs. Area (in press).

Politi, E., Cutler, M.E.J. and Rowan J.S. 2012. Using the NOAA Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer to characterise temporal and spatial trends in water temperature of large European lakes.  Remote Sensing of the Environment (in press).

Duane, B., Hyland, J., Rowan, J.S., and Archibald, B. 2012. Taking a bite out of Scotland’s dental carbon emissions in the transition to a low carbon future. Public Health (in press).

Dawson, A.G., Gómez, C., Ritchie, W., Batstone, C., Lawless, M., Rowan, J.S., Dawson, S., McIlveny, J., Bates, R. and Muir, D. 2012. Barrier island geomorphology, hydrodynamic modelling, and historical shoreline changes: An example from South Uist and Benbecula, Scottish Outer Hebrides. Journal of Coastal Research (in press).

Iacob, O., Rowan, J.S., Brown, I.and Ellis, C. 2012.  Natural flood management as a climate change adaptation option assessed using an ecosystem services approach. In: Soulsby, C. (Ed) BHS Eleventh National Symposium, Hydrology for a changing world, Dundee 2012. British Hydrological Society, (in press).

Rowan, J.S., Black, S. and Franks, S.W. 2012.  Sediment fingerprinting as an environmental forensics tool explaining cyanobacteria blooms in lakes. Applied Geography, 32, 832-843.

Rowan, J.S., Grieg, S.J., Armstrong, C.T., Smith, D.C. and Tierney, D. 2012.  Development of a hydromorphological classification and regulatory decision-support tool for lakes. Environmental Modelling and Software, 36, 86-98.

Maltby, E. and 30 others including Rowan, J.S.  2011.  Freshwaters – open waters, wetlands and floodplains. In: Watson, R.T. and Albon, S. (Eds). The UK National Ecosystem Assessment Technical Report.UK National Ecosystem Assessment, UNEP-WCMC, Cambridge. pp. 295-360.

CEN2011.  Comité Européen de Normalisation  (European Standards Agency). Water Quality – Guidance Standard on assessing the hydromorphological features of lakes. EN16039:2011: E, pp. 39 (Principal author).

Rowan, J.S., Dawson, S. and McIlvenney, J. 2010.  Hydrodynamics: core sampling, analysis and dating, South Ford, Outer Hebrides .Report for Western Isles Local Authority, 33 pp.

Rowan, J.S. 2010. Developing a lake hydromorphology typology for the UK.SNIFFER Research Report WFD104, 50 pp.

Rowan, J.S. 2009. Water quality – Guidance standard on assessing the hydromorphological features of lakes (draft CEN TC 230/WG 2/TG 5: N81). Report for BSi British Standards, 34 pp.

Rowan, J.S. 2008. Lake Habitat Survey in the United Kingdom. Field Survey Guidance Manual Version 4.0.SNIFFER Research Report WFD99, 79 pp.

Rowan, J.S. 2008. Development of Lake-MImAS as a decision-support tool for managing hydromorphological alterations to lakes. SNIFFER Research Report WFD49F, 68 pp.

Samarakoon, M. and Rowan, J.S. 2008. A critical review of environmental impact statements in Sri Lanka with particular reference to ecological impact assessment. Environmental Management, 41, 3, 441-460.

Politi, E., Cutler, M.E.J. and Rowan, J.S. 2007.  European lake behaviour in the last two decades using remote sensing: trends and changes. In: Challenges for Earth Observation, RSPSocAnnual Conference Proceedings,Newcastle, pp. 1-5.

Acreman, M.C., Dunbar, M.J., Hannaford, J., Bragg, O.M., Black, A.R., Rowan, J.S. and King, J. 2006. Development of environmental standards (water resources).SNIFFER Report WFD48, 158 pp.

Rowan, J.S., Carwardine, J., Duck, R.W., Bragg, O.M., Black, A.R., Cutler, M.E.J., Soutar, I. and Boon, P.J. (2006) Development of a technique for Lake Habitat Survey (LHS) with applications for the European Union Water Framework Directive. Aquatic Conservation: Marine & Freshwater Ecosystems, 16, 637-657.

Black, A.R., Rowan, J.S., Duck, R.W., Bragg, O.M. and Clelland, B.E. 2005. DHRAM: a method for classifying river flow regime alterations for the EU Water Framework Directive. Aquatic Conservation - Marine & Freshwater Ecosystems 15, 427-466.

Bragg, O.M., Black, A.R., Duck, R.W. and Rowan, J.S. 2005. Appraising the linkages between hydrological regime alteration and ecology in freshwater systems: an international review. Progress in Physical Geography, 29, 506-531.

Gunawardena, M. and Rowan, J.S. 2005. Economic valuation of a mangrove ecosystem threatened by shrimp aquaculture in Sri Lanka. Environmental Management, 34, 5, 1-16.

Jenkins, P.A., Duck, R.W. and Rowan, J.S. 2005. Fluvial contribution to the sediment budget of the Tay Estuary, Scotland, revealed using mineral magnetic fingerprinting. In: Walling, D.E. and Horowitz, AJ. (eds). Sediment Budgets I, IAHS Publ. 291, pp. 134-142.

Small, I.F., Rowan, J.S., Duck, R.W., Dyer, T.D., Franks, S.W. Wyatt, A. 2005. Can reservoir bottom sediments be used in the estimation of long-term catchment sediment budgets? In: Horowitz, A.J. and Walling, D.E. (eds). Sediment Budgets II, IAHS Publ. 292, pp. 231-238.

Werritty, A., Paine, J.L., Macdonald, N., Rowan, J.S. and McEwen, L.J. 2005. Use of proxy flood records to improve estimates of flood risk: Lower Tay, Scotland. Catena, 66, 107-119.

Small, I.F., Rowan, J.S., Franks, S.W., Wyatt, A. and Duck, R.W. 2004. Sediment fingerprinting using a Bayesian approach yields a robust tool for environmental forensic applications. In: Croft, D.A. and Pye, K. (eds.), Environmental Forensics, Geol. Soc. Spec. Publ., London, pp. 235-248.

Candy, I., Black, S. Sellwood, B.W. and Rowan, J.S. 2003. Calcrete profile development in Quaternary alluvial sequences, southeast Spain: implications for using calcretes as a basis for landform chronologies. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 28, 169-185.

Krause, A.K., Franks, S.W., Kalma, J.D., Loughran, R.J. and Rowan, J.S. 2003. Multi-parameter fingerprinting of sediment deposition in a small gullied catchment in SE Australia. Catena, 53, 4, 327-348.

Small, I.F., Rowan, J.S. and Duck, R.W. 2003. Long term sediment yield in the Crombie Reservoir catchment, Angus, and its regional significance within the Midland Valley of Scotland. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 48, 4, 619-635.

Werritty, A., Paine, J. and Rowan, J.S. 2003. Developing proxy flood records from sediment stacks in palaeochannels: the 'Bloody Inches' on the River Tay, Scotland. In: Thorndycraft, V.R. Benito, G., Barriendos, M. and Llasat, M.C. (eds.), Palaeofloods, Historical Data and Climatic Variability. CSIC, Madrid. pp. 45-52.

Black. A.R, Bragg, O.M., Duck, R.W. and Rowan, J.S. 2002. Development of a method to assess ecological impact due to hydrological regime alteration of Scottish rivers. In: Dyer, F.J., Thoms, M.C. and Olley, J.M. (eds.), The Structure Function and Management Implications of Fluvial Sedimentary Systems, IAHS Publication No 276. pp. 45-52.

Jenkins, P.A. Duck, R.W., Rowan, J.S. and Walden, J. 2002. Fingerprinting of bed sediment in the Tay Estuary, Scotland: an environmental magnetism approach. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 6,1007-1016.

Macklin, M.G. Fuller, I.C., Lewin, J., Maas, G.S., Passmore, D.G., Rose, J., Woodward, J.C. Black, S., Hamlin, R.H.B. and Rowan, J.S. 2002. Correlation of fluvial sequences in the Mediterranean basin over the last 200 ka and their relationship to climate change. Quaternary Science Reviews, 21, 1633-1641.

Paine, J.L., Rowan, J.S. and Werritty, A. 2002. Reconstructing historic floods from floodplain sediments: Evidence from the River Tay, Scotland. In: Dyer, F.J., Thoms, M.C. and Olley, J.M. (eds.), The Structure Function and Management Implications of Fluvial Sedimentary Systems, IAHS Publication No 276. pp. 211-218.

Rowan, J.S. and Franks, S.W. 2002. Floodplains and heavy metal mining: short-term impact mitigation but long-term pollution problems, the Clyde basin, Scotland. In: Dyer, F.J., Thoms, M.C. and Olley, J.M. (eds.), The Structure Function and Management Implications of Fluvial Sedimentary Systems, IAHS Publication No 276. pp. 143-150.

Small, I.F., Rowan, J.S. and Franks, S.W. 2002. Quantitative sediment fingerprinting using a Bayesian uncertainty estimation framework. In: Dyer, F.J., Thoms, M.C. and Olley, J.M. (eds.), The Structure Function and Management Implications of Fluvial Sedimentary Systems, IAHS Publication No 276. pp. 443-450.

Brazier, R.E., Beven, K.J., Anthony, S.G. and Rowan, J.S. 2001. Implications of complex model uncertainty assessed with the GLUE methodology for the mapping of hillslope scale soil erosion predictions using the MIRSED approach. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 26, 1333-1352.

Brazier, R., Rowan, J.S., Anthony, S. and Quin, P. 2001. MIRSED, towards a MIR (Minimum Information Requirement) approach to modelling hillslope soil erosion at the national scale. Catena, 42, 59-79.

Duck, R.W., Rowan, J.S., Jenkins, P.A. and Youngs, I. 2001. A multi-method study of bedload provenance and transport pathways in an estuarine channel. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, 26, 747-752.

Molino, B., Greco. M. and Rowan, J.S. 2001. Sediment routing into reservoirs: a numerical simulation of the sedimentation history of Abbeystead Reservoir, UK. Water Resources Management, 15, 109-122.

Rowan, J.S., Duck, R.W. and Black, S. 2001. Calcareous concretions yield the first U/Th date for the Late Devensian raised marine strata of eastern Scotland. Scottish Journal of Geology, 37, 73-78.

Rowan, J.S., Price, L.E., Fawcett, C.P. and Young, P.C. 2001. Reconstructing sedimentation trends in reservoirs using a data-based mechanistic modelling approach. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, 26, 77-82.

Brazier, R., Beven K.J., Freer, J. and Rowan, J.S. 2000. A Generalised Likelihood Uncertainty Estimation (GLUE) analysis of the parameter related uncertainties in the WEPP soil erosion model. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 25, 825-845.

Franks, S.W. and Rowan, J.S. 2000. Multi-parameter fingerprinting of sediment sources: uncertainty estimation and tracer selection. In: Bentley, L.R., Brebbia, C.A., Gray, W.G., Pinder, G.F. and Sykes, J.F. (eds): Computational Methods in Water Resources. Balkema, Rotterdam. pp. 1067-1074.

Kelly, M.R., Black, S. and Rowan, J.S. 2000. A U/Th chronology for landform evolution in the Sorbas basin, South East Spain. Quaternary Science Reviews, 19, 995-1010.

Price, L.E, Goodwill, P., Young, P.C. and Rowan, J.S. 2000. Data based mechanistic (DBM) modelling of reservoir sediment transmission, Wyresdale Park, UK. Hydrological Processes, 14, 63-78.

Price, L.E., Fawcett, C.P., Young, P.C. and Rowan, J.S. 2000. Modelling reservoir sedimentation and estimating historical deposition rates using a data-based mechanistic (DBM) approach. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 45, 237-248.

Rowan, J.S., Black, S., Macklin, M.G., Tabner, B.J. and Dore, J. 2000. Quaternary environmental change in Cyrenaica evidenced by U-Th, ESR and OSL dating of coastal alluvial fan sequences. Libyan Studies, 31, 5-16.

Rowan, J.S., Goodwill, P. and Franks, S.W. 2000. Uncertainty estimation in fingerprinting suspended sediment sources. In: Foster, I.D.L. (ed.). Tracers in Geomorphology. Wiley, Chichester. pp. 279-290.