Evidence indicating that nutrient flux to inland and coastal waters is increasing worldwide is clear. Despite significant management effort to reduce theses fluxes, while N & P concentrations have recently levelled off or decreased in some European catchments, in others an increase is reported, particularly in rivers draining through rapidly developing economic regions. A rising trend in Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) flux to freshwaters & coastal areas such as the Baltic Sea is also widely reported, particularly in the N Temperate & Boreal regions. Impacts on ecosystem health are extensive & undesirable in both freshwaters & coastal waters, & there are implications for human health where DOC & DON are also known to support carcinogen formation in water supplies. In Europe the control of nutrient flux to all freshwaters & the coastal zone is required in order to meet the target of restoring waters to Good Ecological Status under the EU Water Framework Directive, while the UNECE Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP) is currently revising Annex IX of the Gothenburg Protocol (to Abate Acidification, Eutrophication & Ground-level Ozone) to further reduce the emission of ammonia from land-based activities. Simultaneously, the UN has listed coastal nutrient pollution and hypoxia as the one of the greatest current threats to the global environment. Impacts include eutrophication of coastal waters and oxygen depletion, and the associated damage to ecosystems, biodiversity & coastal water quality. The UNEP Manila Declaration (Jan 2012) identifies nutrient enrichment of the marine environment as one of 3 foci for its Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities, and this was one of the key foci at the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development, June 2012. A detailed understanding of the nature, origins & rates of nutrient delivery to waters is essential if we are to control these impacts through management intervention, yet much of the necessary evidence base is lacking. Routine water quality monitoring is largely based on inorganic nutrient fractions, and substantially underestimates the total nutrient flux to waters, while research confirms that dissolved organic matter (DOM) plays an important role in ecosystem function including supporting microbial metabolism, primary production and pollutant transport, suggesting that its oversight in routine monitoring may undermine international efforts to bring nutrient enrichment impacts under control. Here, we address this knowledge gap, building on the specific expertise of project members, undertaking a suite of interlinked experimental & observational research from molecular to catchment scale. We will use a combination of well-established approaches widely used in catchment research, with a range of cutting-edge approaches which are novel in their application to nutrient cycling research, or employ novel technologies, bringing new insights into the process controls on nutrient cycling at a molecular to river reach scale. The programme will deliver improved understanding of: 1. the role of DOM in the transport of N & P from source to sea & the ways in which this might alter nutrient delivery to freshwaters & the coastal zone under a changing climate; 2. the ecological significance of DOM as a source of nutrient uptake & utilisation by algal, plant and microbial communities in waters of contrasting nutrient status & DOM character; and 3. the impacts of DOM flux from soils, livestock & human waste fluxes on the ecological status, goods & services provided by freshwaters. It will also deliver knowledge exchange between the 5 groups & the wider science community, and have an impact beyond the lifetime of this project, building capacity through staff & PhD appointments in a field where current understanding is uncertain, undermining business planning and international policy development.

Through this Fellowship, I aim to develop fundamental scientific methods for the design, optimisation and control of next generation resilient water supply networks that dynamically adapt their connectivity (topology), hydraulic conditions and operational objectives. A dynamically adaptive water supply network can modify its state in response to changes in the operational conditions, performance objectives, an increase in demand and a failure. This is a new category of engineering (cyber-physical) systems that combine physical processes with computational control in a holistic way in order to achieve dynamic adaptability, resilience, efficiency and sustainability. Water utilities are facing an increasing demand for potable water as a result of population growth and urbanisation. Cities are reaching unprecedented scale and complexity and the reliable provision of safe water is a global environmental security challenge. New technologies and knowledge are urgently needed to meet environmental, regulatory and financial pressures. Recent advances in sensor and control technologies, wireless communication and data management allow us to gain extraordinary insights into the operation of complex water supply networks and their control. Novel simulation and optimisation methods are required to make use of the new knowledge about the dynamics of large-scale water supply systems and the ability to control their operation in order to improve resource and asset utilisation. In the course of pioneering and leading an extensive programme of applied research in dynamically adaptive water supply networks, I have identified fundamental mathematical and engineering challenges of how such complex systems should be designed, retrofitted, modelled and managed in order to address multiple operational applications either simultaneously or sequentially. For example, the network management can be optimised to reduce leakage, improve water quality and enhance incident response. Furthermore, developing a robustly scalable simulation and control system is extremely challenging due to the complexity of the computational tasks for medium to large-scale water supply systems. This research programme will investigate, develop and validate a novel analytical and robust computational framework for the concurrent design, operation and control of adaptive water supply networks that dynamically configure their connectivity (topology), hydraulic conditions and operational objectives. The proposed framework should simultaneously optimise the design (e.g. placements of advanced network controllers and monitoring devices) and the operational control (e.g. the optimal selection of functions and settings for the valves and pumps). This co-design approach also considers the hydraulic dynamics, uncertainties, environmental changes and the development of mathematical optimisation methods for network operability and controllability in order to manage the operation of complex water supply systems efficiently, intelligently and sustainably. This is an ambitious and transformative research programme that requires solving numerous problems spanning several disciplines in water systems engineering, applied mathematics, control engineering, cyber-physical systems and sensors research. The Fellowship will provide me with a unique opportunity to dedicate most of my time to develop, validate and champion into practice the design and control methods for dynamically adaptive, resilient and sustainable water supply networks.

Every year vegetation fires (wildfires and management burns) affect ~4% of the global vegetated land surface. This includes forests, grasslands or peatlands, which provide 60% of the water supply for the world's largest 100 cities and for 70% of for the UK's population. In England 114 km2 of uplands are affected by management burns alone and the UK Fire and Rescue Services attend to over 70,000 vegetation fires per year. Vegetation fires can have serious impacts on water quality, which, combined with the current and projected future further decline in fresh water availability and increase in fire risk in many regions around the world, has given rise to increased attention to water contamination risks from fire. The primary threat is ash left behind by fire, which can be transported very easily into water bodies by water erosion. Ash is typically rich in contaminants and its transfer into water supply catchments has led to numerous drinking-water restrictions and substantial treatments costs in recent years (e.g. for Belfast, Canberra, Denver, Fort McMurray, Sydney). In the UK, losses to the water industry from vegetation fires are estimated at £16 Mill. per year. Models are widely used by scientists and land managers to predict soil erosion or flood risks after disturbance events such as harvesting or wildfire, however, no models currently exist that allow predicting of ash transport and associated water contamination risk following fire. This gap in knowledge and resource seriously compromises the ability of land managers to anticipate water contamination risks from fire and to implement effective mitigation treatments to reduce fire risk, prevent erosion after fire and, adjust water treatment capabilities. This timely project brings together an interdisciplinary team of international experts from the UK, USA and Australia with the aim to address this critical knowledge and tools gap. Building on recent advances and proof-of-concept work in this field, we are now able to (i) obtain critical fundamental knowledge on wildfire ash transport processes and its contamination potential and, using this knowledge, to (b) develop the first end-user probabilistic model that allows predicting ash delivery and associated water contamination risk to the hydrological network. The model will be validated for key fire-prone and fire-managed land cover types that have suffered critical ash-induced water pollution events in the past (including UK uplands, US conifer forest and Australian eucalyptus forest) using the first field dataset on ash transport parameters by water erosion and an extensive dataset on potential contamination by ash obtained through this project for these key regions. To maximize the impact of the project, the web-based model will developed in collaboration with, and be made available to, users from land and catchment management sectors to support effective protection of aquatic ecosystems and drinking water supply from contamination by ash.

Globally, one in four cities is facing water stress, and the projected demand for water in 2050 is set to increase by 55%. These are significant and difficult problems to overcome, however this also provides huge opportunity for us to reconsider how our water systems are built, operated and governed. Placing an inspirational student experience at the centre of our delivery model, the Water Resilience for Infrastructure and Cities (WRIC) Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) will nurture a new generation of research leaders to provide the multi-disciplinary, disruptive thinking to enhance the resilience of new and existing water infrastructure. In this context the WRIC CDT will seek to improve the resilience of water infrastructure which conveys and treats water and wastewater as well as the impacts of water on other infrastructure systems which provide vital public services in urban environments. The need for the CDT is simple: Water infrastructure is fundamental to our society and economy in providing benefit from water as a vital resource and in managing risks from water hazards, such as wastewater, floods, droughts, and environmental pollution. Recent water infrastructure failures caused by climate change have provided strong reminders of our need to manage these assets against the forces of nature. The need for resilient water systems has never been greater and more recognised in the context of our industrial infrastructure networks and facilities for water supply, wastewater treatment and urban drainage. Similarly, safeguarding critical infrastructure in key sectors such as transport, energy and waste from the impacts of water has never been more important. Combined, resilience in these systems is vitally important for public health and safety. Industry, regulators and government all recognise the huge skills gap. Therefore there is an imperative need for highly skilled graduates who can transcend disciplines and deliver innovative solutions to contemporary water infrastructure challenges. Centred around unique and world leading water infrastructure facilities, and building on an internationally renowned research consortium (Cranfield University, The University of Sheffield and Newcastle University), this CDT will produce scientists and engineers to deliver the innovative and disruptive thinking for a resilient water infrastructure future. This will be achieved through delivery of an inspirational and relevant and end user-led training programme for researchers. The CDT will be delivered in cohorts, with deeply embedded horizontal and vertical training and integration within, and between, cohorts to provide a common learning and skills development environment. Enhanced training will be spread across the consortium, using integrated delivery, bespoke training and giving students a set of unique experiences and skills. Our partners are drawn from a range of leading sector and professional organisations and have been selected to provide targeted contributions and added value to the CDT. Together we have worked with our project partners to co-create the strategic vision for WRIC, particularly with respect to the training needs and challenges to be addressed for development of resilience engineers. Their commitment is evidenced by significant financial backing with direct (>£2.4million) and indirect (>£1.6million) monetary contributions, agreement to sit on advisory boards, access to facilities and data, and contributions on our taught programme.

If we don't manage rainfall appropriately, it can lead to flooding. Traditionally, urban areas have been drained using underground sewer systems. These can be expensive and disruptive to build and maintain. Storm runoff collects contaminants as it flows over urban surfaces and through sewer pipes, and is a significant cause of river pollution. In many cities, combined sewers discharge raw sewage into natural water bodies during storm events. Without intervention, growing populations and the effects of climate change will increase the frequency and severity of urban flooding and pollution events. As an alternative to building more/larger sewers, we are starting to implement SuDS (Sustainable Drainage Systems). SuDS is an overarching term for a 'toolbox' of techniques that aim to deal with the quantity of rainfall, but also to have a positive impact on water quality, amenity and biodiversity. Retrofitting SuDS into urban areas can help to improve stormwater management within our existing urban areas. Vegetated bioretention cells (often referred to as rain gardens) are one of the simplest, practical and most reproducible SuDS options. They can be fitted adjacent to urban streets, dealing directly with road runoff. Bioretention cells are emerging as a preferred option in the USA and Australia. However, we do not yet have the same understanding of their performance as for traditional measures such as pipes. This is because they have 'living' elements (i.e. plants & soil) whose functionality varies from place to place and over time. The soil has a critical role to play in supporting plant life and managing runoff. Bioretention cells typically use engineered soils or 'substrates' that need to meet specific physical requirements. To reduce the requirements for imported materials, we need to be confident of their performance with locally-sourced substrate components, thereby reducing cost and improving overall sustainability. Water usage by plants helps to reduce runoff. We will observe plant water usage (evapotranspiration rates) in six full-scale bioretention cells functioning under semi-controlled conditions as part of the Newcastle University's new National Green Infrastructure Facility (funded by UKCRIC: EP/R010102/1). Controlled tests using smaller columns at the University of Sheffield's climate controlled laboratories will allow us to explore more substrate options. We will measure plant respiration in installed SuDS systems to generate a database of evapotranspiration rates for different urban plant types. Bioretention cells slow down excess flow before it is passed to the sewer. We will carry out a detailed investigation of how the substrate and drainage outlet arrangements affect runoff detention. Information relating to maintenance needs is particularly sparse, with clogging of substrates especially poorly understood. We will use magnetic, fluorescent, tracer particles to explore the vulnerability of substrates to clogging by the dirt and fine particles present in road runoff. Drainage engineers use hydraulic models to represent catchment runoff and sewer system flows. The new data will allow us to develop a numerical model of bioretention cell rainfall-runoff processes. Our project partners include the developers of the most widely-used drainage network modelling tools. We will work with them to include bioretention cells in their software. We will also update the cutting-edge urban flood risk model CityCAT to incorporate bioretention cells. Soil and vegetation conditions change over time in response to seasonal weather patterns, and vegetation lifecycles. Furthermore, the hydrological response is sensitive to rainfall duration and intensity, as well as antecedent soil moisture conditions. Conventional approaches to sizing drainage components tend to ignore all these sources of variability. We will develop new SuDS design guidance that uses probabilistic performance functions to address this.