Research output per year
Research output per year
Personal profile
Research interests
I am a peatland scientist with a focus on how landscape management and restoration can improve the hydrology and geomorphology of degraded systems. My primary research interests lie in how peatlands can be best managed for climate resilience and flood risk reduction, and how these management and restoration practices may benefit other ecosystem services, such as reducing sediment and contaminant release.
Peatlands are an important store of soil carbon, play a vital role in carbon and water cycling, and can also act as sinks of atmospherically deposited heavy metals. Large areas of the UK’s blanket peat are significantly degraded and actively eroding, which negatively impacts the ecosystem services these areas support. The restoration of eroding UK peatlands is a major conservation concern, and over the last decade measures have been taken to control erosion and restore large areas of degraded peat. In severely eroded peatlands, topography is highly variable, and an appreciation of geomorphological form and process is key in understanding the controls on peatland function, and in mitigating the negative impacts of peatland erosion.
Current and recent research projects
2023 – 2025 Holcombe Moor Nature for Climate Peatland Restoration. Funded by Natural England. Acadmic PI.
2023 – 2024 Wigan Greenheart Landscape Recovery Greenhouse Gas balance. Funded by Natural England via Lancashire Wildlife Trust. PI
2022 – 2024 Disturbance and Restoration of Metal Contaminated Peatlands. Funded by NERC Global Partnership Seedcorn Fund (NE/X002756/1). Co-I.
2022 – 2024 Peatfix: Innovative approaches to peatland restoration. Funded by Innovate UK. Joint PI.
2022 – 2023 Restoring Steep Bare Peat. Funded by National Trust. PI.
2021 – 2025 Yorkshire Peat Partnership Nature for Climate Peatland Restoration. Funded by Natural England. Acadmic PI.
2020 – 2022 Towards a global solution for mitigating peat fire impacts on human and aquatic ecosystem health in an era of climate change. Funded by McMaster University GSI. International Partner.
2018 – 2019 Sediment and contaminant delivery to upland reservoirs following severe wildfire. Funded by NERC (NE/S011560/1). RCo-I.
2017 – 2023 Protect-NFM: Optimising NFM benefits of moorland restoration to protect downstream communities. Funded by NERC Evaluating the Effectiveness of Natural Flood Management research programme (NE/R004560/1). Co-I/RA.
2017 – 2022 MoorLIFE 2020 Sphagnum re-introduction on bare peat. Funded by EU LIFE via Moors for the Future Partnership. Academic PI.
Biography
Education and Career
2023 - present: Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography, University of Manchester
2019 - 2023: Lecturer in Physical Geography and Programme Director of Geography with Professional Placement, University of Manchester
2017 - 2019: Research Associate, Protect-NFM (NE/R004560/1), University of Manchester
2014 - 2017: Research Associate, Making Space for Water and associated projects, University of Manchester
2009 – 2014: PhD, Tracing peatland geomorphology: sediment and contaminant movements in eroding and restored systems, University of Manchester
2007 – 2008: MSc, Environment and Climate Change, University of Liverpool
2001 – 2005: BSc (Hons) Geography, University of Liverpool
Professional Activities
2023 – present: Co-convenor BSG Windsor PhD training workshop
2022 – present: Co-convenor Peatland Hydrology session at EGU
2019: Assistant Editor for Mires and Peat
2015 – 2017: European Geosciences Union Early Career Scientist Representative for Geomorphology
2014 – 2015: Press Officer for the British Society for Geomorphology
Memberships of committees and professional bodies
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Member of British Society for Geomorphology
Member of European Geosciences Union
Member of British Hydrological Society
Member of British Ecological Society
Supervision information
Opportunities
I welcome enquiries from well-qualified students wishing to carry out research in areas linked to my research interests. I am keen to develop ideas relating to peatlands, landscape restoration, natural flood management, science communication and contaminated sediment dynamics with motivated students.
Current Postgraduate Researchers
Jessica Gauld (2021 - 2025) "A palaeo-ecological study to inform restoration of Greater Manchester’s Peatlands" (with Dr Will Fletcher). Funded by a SEED/Presidential scholarship.
Anindya Majhi (2021 - 2025) "The geography of gully erosion in India" (with Dr Angela Harris and Prof Martin Evans). Funded by a SEED scholarship.
James Sloane (2022 - 2026) "Sphagnum establishment and peatland carbon balance" (with Prof Martin Evans and Dr Gareth Clay). Funded by Yorkshire Peat Partnership.
James Wenleu Miao (2023-2027) "Vegetation, water table and peatland carbon balance" (with Prof Martin Evans and Dr Jonny Ritson). Self funded.
Recently completed
Adam Johnston (2019 - 2024) "Optimising peatland gully block design for Natural Flood Management" (with Prof Martin Evans and Prof Tim Allott). Funded by a SEED/MERI scholarship.
Sarah Brown (2016 - 2021) "Approaches to monitoring fluvial organic carbon mineralisation in UK banket bogs" (with Dr Claire Goulsbra and Prof Martin Evans). Funded by a SEED scholarship.
Oscar Kennedy-Blundell (2016 - 2020) "Pyrogenic carbon characteristics and short-term degradation trends in UK peatland catchments" (with Dr Gareth Clay and Prof James Rothwell). Funded by a SEED scholarship.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Research Beacons, Institutes and Platforms
- Sustainable Futures
- Digital Futures
- Manchester Environmental Research Institute
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or
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Gullies and badlands of India: Genesis, geomorphology and land management
Majhi, A., Harris, A., Evans, M. & Shuttleworth, E., 1 Jan 2024, In: Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. 49, 1, p. 82-107Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile92 Downloads (Pure) -
Natural Flood Management Through Peatland Restoration: Catchment-Scale Modeling of Past and Future Scenarios in Glossop, UK
Goudarzi, S., Milledge, D., Holden, J., Evans, M., Allott, T., Johnston, A., Shuttleworth, E., Kay, M., Brown, D., Rees, J., Edokpa, D. & Spencer, T., Aug 2024, In: Water Resources Research . 60, 8, e2024WR037320.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Peat fires and legacy toxic metal release: An integrative biogeochemical and ecohydrological conceptual framework
McCarter, C., Clay, G., Wilkinson, S., Sigmund, G., Davidson, S., Taufik, M., Page, S., Shuttleworth, E., McLagan, D., Chenier, G., Clark, A. & Waddington, J., 1 Sept 2024, In: Earth-Science Reviews. 256, 104867.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Understanding the potential for disturbance-induced contaminant release from degraded peatlands: a global review of heavy metals in peatlands
Clay, G., Shuttleworth, E., Johnston, A., Waddington, J. M., McCarter, C., Basiliko, N., Gunn, J., Beckett, P., Byrne, K., Swindles, G. T. & Green, S. M. C., 2024.Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper
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Aspects of microbial communities in peatland carbon cycling under changing climate and land use pressures
Robinson, C., Ritson, J., Alderson, D., Malik, A. A., Griffiths, R. I., Heinemeyer, A., Gallego-Sala, A. V., Quillet, A., Robroek, B. J. M., Evans, C., Chandler, D. M., Elliott, D. R., Shuttleworth, E., Lilleskov, E. A., Kitson, E., Cox, F., Worrall, F., Clay, G., Crosher, I. & Pratscher, J. & 13 others, , 2 Feb 2023, In: Mires and Peat. 29, 36 p., 2.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access
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Disturbance and Restoration of Metal Contaminated Peatlands - NERC Global Seedcorn
Clay, G. (PI), Shuttleworth, E. (CoI) & Johnston, A. (Researcher)
2/10/22 → 31/03/25
Project: Research
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Wigan Greenheart Landscape Recovery Greenhouse Gas Measurement
Shuttleworth, E. (PI), Johnson, D. (CoI) & Ritson, J. (CoI)
31/03/23 → 1/06/24
Project: Research
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Water Flow Trajectories in restored blanket peat catchments
Shuttleworth, E. (PI), Allott, T. (CoI), Clay, G. (CoI) & Evans, M. (CoI)
6/07/16 → 31/08/16
Project: Research
Activities
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EGU General Assembly 2022
Emma Shuttleworth (Organiser)
May 2022Activity: Participating in or organising event(s) › Organising a conference, workshop, exhibition, performance, inquiry, course etc › Research
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Establishing and assessing peatland restoration trajectories: blanket bog
Emma Shuttleworth (Invited speaker)
14 Sept 2021Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk › Research
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10th IALE World Congress
Emma Shuttleworth (Organiser)
Jul 2019Activity: Participating in or organising event(s) › Organising a conference, workshop, exhibition, performance, inquiry, course etc › Research
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Irwell Catchment Partnership (External organisation)
Emma Shuttleworth (Academic expert member)
2019Activity: Membership › Membership of board › Research
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Derrick Lai
Clay, G. (Host) & Shuttleworth, E. (Host)
16 Jul 2018 → 19 Jul 2018Activity: Hosting a visitor › Hosting an academic visitor › Research
Press/Media
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THE GUARDIAN: Conservationists turn to glue to make seeds stick on windy Yorkshire moor
30/12/22
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Research
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THE OBSERVER: For peat’s sake: the race is on to save Britain’s disappearing moorland bogs
12/09/21
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Research
Thesis
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Tracing peatland geomorphology: sediment and contaminant movements in eroding and restored systems
Shuttleworth, E. (Author), Evans, M. G. (Supervisor) & Rothwell, J. J. (Supervisor), 1 Aug 2015Student thesis: Phd
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