Forests & Flooding

Catchment scale flood behavior can be strongly influenced by the land use in wider the river catchment. We are interested in understanding why rivers flood, how land use influences rainfall runoff and storage of water, how forests near to rivers influence river processes, and how people interact with and value different landscapes.

Research Areas

  • NUMERICAL FLOOD MODELLING
  • HYDRAULIC RESISTANCE OF WOOD
  • QUANTITY & MOBILITY OF WOOD
  • BEAVER REINTRODUCTION
  • LAND MANAGER PERCEPTIONS OF FORESTS
Beaver photo by Aivar Ruukal, reproduced under s a CC-by-SA 2.0 licence. Other images by SJ Dixon

Above are some active and completed research projects, but the group is interested in all aspects of feedbacks between landscapes, flooding and humans

Publications in this area

Dixon, SJ., Sear, DA, Nislow, KH. (2019) A conceptual model of riparian forest restoration for natural flood management. Water and Environment Journal

Dixon, SJ., Sear, DA,. Odoni, NA,. Sykes, T,. Lane, SN. (2016) The effects of river restoration on flood hydrology. Earth Surfaces Processes and Landforms, Special Issue: Stormy Geomorphology: ‘Evidence of geomorphic solutions to buffer the effects of extremes’ 10.1002/esp.3919

Dixon, SJ. (2016) A dimensionless statistical analysis of logjam form and process. Ecohydrology, 10.1002/eco.1710

Dixon, SJ., Sear, DA., (2014) The influence of geomorphology on large wood dynamics in a low gradient headwater stream, Water Resources Research, 10.1002/2014WR015947