Professor Kate Heppell, Professor of Physical Geography, is currently on a year-long sabbatical to undertake research as part of the Chilterns Chalk Streams Project.
Speaking about the work Professor Heppell will be doing this year, Professor Heppell said:
"Much of my time will be focused on the Chess Smarter Water Catchments project which is being hosted by Chilterns Chalk Streams Project (CCSP). I’m making a baseline assessment of the health of the River Chess using datasets from the partner organisations and joining hydrological, chemical and ecological datasets to add value to data collected by the CCSP over the last ten years. "I'll also be creating and initiating a monitoring plan for the River Chess to help assess whether the different actions that comprise the Smarter Water Catchment strategy have led to a demonstrable improvement in river ecosystem health over the ten-year project. "During my secondment I'll be helping to celebrate 25 years of the Chilterns Chalk Streams Project by developing a State of the Environment reporting methodology for the Chiltern Streams, and assessing the achievements made over the lifetime of the project. Whilst I’m working with the organisation I also hope to get some hands-on experience of river restoration projects around the Chilterns AONB."
Find out more about the Chilterns Chalk Stream Project.