GeoSciences PhD thesis and dissertation collection
Recent Submissions
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Social-ecological drivers of tree growth and diversity: interdisciplinary learning with smallholder carbon agroforestry schemes in Mexico, Uganda and Mozambique
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-11-26)Achieving sustainable landscapes is one of our greatest challenges, not least in the tropics in which almost half of the world’s people live, many of whom experience high levels of poverty. Yet land use policy interventions ... -
Fire trace: plans and practices of conservation and development in Belize's coastal savanna, 1920 to present
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-11-26)This thesis examines the past century of wildfire management of the coastal pine savanna in Belize. Combining political ecology with historical geography, it draws on archival evidence, interviews, and ethnographic enquiry ... -
Analysing mangrove forest structure and biomass in the Niger Delta
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-11-26)Mangrove forests are important in providing a range of ecosystem services, including food provision to local communities and carbon storage, while being globally restricted to tropical coastlines. The conservation and ... -
Role of participation in collective capability development at the grassroots level: the case of an emergent indigenous NGO in southern Chile
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-11-26)The links between individual and collective levels in the CA, and its relevance for the expansion of human capabilities and well-being, remain as one of the most relevant knowledge gaps across the empirical and theoretical ... -
Understanding socio-economic and environmental impacts of large scale land acquisitions in Zambia: a case study of Nansanga farm block
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-11-26)The surge in large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs) in the global south has captured the attention of activists, development practitioners, policy makers and academics. Whilst proponents of LSLAs speak of opportunities ... -
Rock physics theory and analysis for fractured carbonate reservoirs
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-11-26)The analysis of a geological reservoir's elastic and electrical properties forms the cornerstone of geophysical reservoir characterisation. These properties are significantly influenced by a reservoir's pore and fracture ... -
Examination of the factors which influence farmers’ intentions towards the implementation of nutrient management planning
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-11-26)Nutrients such as Nitrogen (N), Phosphorous (P) and Potassium (K) and other micronutrients such as such as magnesium, manganese and cobalt, are essential for the continued growth of global agricultural production. ... -
Rock physics in four dimensions
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-11-26)The measurement of the seismic velocity of a medium is fundamental to many applications in geoscience and engineering. Examples include the monitoring of: ice sheet melting, the health of concrete structures, temperature ... -
Precision livestock farming: potential application for sheep systems in harsh environments
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-11-26)Scottish hill sheep systems are comparable to other extensive sheep systems in harsh environments around the world. They face a number of difficulties, including low productivity, poor economic viability, labour availability ... -
Experimental and numerical investigations of geomechanical controls on petrophysical changes of carbonates during fluid flow
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-11-26)In flooding experiments, porosity and permeability of carbonate rocks is enhanced through the dissolution of the rock matrix, which further increase the permeability as well as the inter-connection of the pre-existing ... -
Subsurface seismic imaging in the presence of multiply scattered waves
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-11-26)The aim of seismic imaging is to produce maps indicative of spatial variations in properties of the Earth's subsurface. To create such images geophysicists use seismograms of energy measured over time by receivers at ... -
Assessing ecological resilience to human induced environmental change in shallow lakes
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-11-26)Sudden unpredictable changes in ecosystems are an increasing source of concern because of their inherent unpredictability and the difficulties involved in restoration. Our understanding of the changes that occur across ... -
Big cat biogeography, morphology and climate change
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-11-26)This thesis investigates the long term biogeographic factors which may have contributed towards subspecific variation within modern populations of the lion (Panthera leo) and tiger (Panthera tigris). Present day morphological ... -
Frequency-dependent anisotropy in partially saturated rocks
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-11-26)Seismic wave propagation through fractured rocks is greatly influenced by the fracture system and fluid content. This has become increasingly apparent from recent laboratory measurements and field observations which have ... -
Filling the sensor gap: applying UAS technology to land-use research
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-11-26)Collecting data at ground level typically yields the most detailed information on a subject, however it is limited by the spatial extent that can be covered within a specific timeframe. Remote sensing from an aerial ... -
Geomagnetic investigations of some recent British sediments
(The University of Edinburgh, 1980)In order to study the geomagnetic secular variation in Britain during the past 10000 years six metre and one metre long cores of post -Glacial sediment have been collected from three British lakes. Magnetic measurements ... -
Mobility and speciation of chromium in the urbanindustrial environment
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-11-26)Chromium (Cr) is an important metal which was has been used since the industrial revolution for various applications. It can be toxic dependant on the species present and the production of Cr chemicals has left localised ... -
Using models of the Earth's atmosphere to assess exoplanet habitability
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-11-26)Recent advances in telescope technology have allowed us to detect planets and bodies that have the potential to be habitable. Habitability can be defined in a number of ways, but most commonly it is defined by the ... -
Sustainable remediation of abandoned lead mine tailings
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-07-03)The extraction of lead (Pb) has occurred throughout Europe for over 3,000 years, bringing substantial benefits to economies, technological advances and the development of infrastructure. The relative ease of extraction ... -
Biogeochemical characterisation of particulate organic matter at sequential stages of transport in suspended, sinking, and benthic fractions
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-07-03)The export of particulate organic matter (POM) from the surface ocean to depth forms the basis of the biological carbon pump (BCP). It is important for modulating atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations, amongst a range ...
