Westminster Water Science

Members

Staff	Research Students
Dr Sharron McEldowney (Group Chair)	Janina Gray
Prof. Barry Clarke	Klaire Neale
Dr Sebastien Farnaud	Ngozi Ozonzeadi
Professor Ian Foster (honorary member)	Samantha Walker
Professor Jane Lewis
Dr Brenda McHardy
Dr Helen Millier
Dr Linda Percy
Professor Geoff Petts
Dr Zhi Song
Dr Stuart Thompson

Summary

The protection and sustainable management of global water resources and water-dependent ecosystems sets a significant challenge for the 21^st century. Such resources are diverse and include marine, brackish and freshwater ecosystems. The security of water supplies must be managed in order to protect this resource, the broader environment and, of course, human health. Climate change, land degradation, population growth and urbanisation create complex interacting pressures that have placed extraordinary demands on water resources and have also led to problems such as flooding and desertification. Expanding commercial, agricultural and industrial activities have intensified water use and contribute to point-source and diffuse water pollution throughout the world.

The Westminster Water Science Research Group was formed in 2008. It was established to promote dynamic and proactive scientific study of water resources, engaging with the wider community to facilitate demand-led and evidence-based policy development for sustainable water management nationally and internationally.

The aims for Westminster Water Science are:

1. to advance novel research into water science to protect and manage water resources;
2. to facilitate knowledge transfer for environmental policy-making;
3. to advance science at the interface of biological and physical sciences to influence policy and practice.

In the 2008 UK Research Assessment Exercise over 80% of research by members of Westminster Water Science was defined by the RAE panel as being of Quality that is recognised internationally in terms of originality, significance and rigour and over 35% as Quality that is internationally excellent

Westminster Water Science collaborates with other Research Groups across the University, particular within the Governance and Sustainability Programme.

Images

Water Resources under threat in South Africa

South Africas Van Ryneveldspas dam on the Sundays River at Graaf Reinett  has a catchment area of 13,382 km². By 2009 we estimate there will be around 49.1 million m³ of sediment in the reservoir with a remaining storage capacity of only about 29 million m³.

South Africa is heavily dependent on these storage reservoirs to maintain reliable water supplies at times of water stress but recent estimates suggest that the country already allocates over 98% of its available water resources. 

We are currently working on the idea that small farm reservoirs constructed over the last ~100 years in these large catchments have dramatically reduced the amount of sediment reaching large storage reservoirs. A conservative estimate from mapping in the nearby Sneeuberg Mountains suggests that in a catchment of the size of the Sundays River there could be as many as 10,000 reservoirs with potential to store around 500 million m³ of sediment. Many of these dams are falling into disrepair and stored sediment is being evacuated through breaches in dam walls often caused by major floods. About 40% of these reservoirs are already full of sediment and about 28% are breached.  Our collaborative research with the Universities of Aberdeen, Oxford and Sheffield in the UK and Cape Town and Rhodes in South Africa will evaluate the extent to which release of stored sediment is a major threat to future water resource provision.

The Effect of Water Stress on Cell Structure

The effect of reduced water potential on cell walls may have significant implications for drought stressed plants. Cryo-scanning electron micrographs of cell walls of control (A) and osmotically stressed (B) sunflowers, shows that osmotic stress caused by low water availability draws water out of the cell walls and collapses their structure. This is particularly apparent at the corners as indicated by arrows in B. We have demonstrated that this collapse makes the tissue less able to grow, an effect that is probably replicated in water-stressed plants in the field. This constitutes a previously undiscovered effect of drought on plant growth. (S.E.M. in collaboration with Carol Evered; Warwick HRI).

Cryo-scanning electron micrograph of normal sunflower cell walls (A) and the cell walls of osmotically stressed sunflower cells (B)

Fig. A

Fig. B

Microalgae in UK coastal waters

Within UK coastal waters there are a number of microalgal species that are deemed harmful. This is mainly due to the fact that they produce chemical compounds that are toxic and can accumulate in the tissue of shellfish that feed on them. If these shellfish are eaten by us we may develop syndromes such as Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning PSP, Diarrhoeic Shellfish Poisoning and Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning ASP. Dinoflagellate species are among those described as harmful.

The dinoflagellate Alexandrium ostenfeldiiseen under a light microscope (A) and a scanning electron microscope image of Prorocentrum lima (B), both isolated from the Fal Estuary, UK.

Fig. A

Fig. B

It is important to understand the location of these species around the UK coastline to highlight potential regions of toxicity and contribute to risk assessment processes.  The research in our group has focused largely on the dinoflagellate genus Alexandrium, of which a range of species have now been identified in the UK, some of which contain the neurotoxin saxitoxin and/or its derivatives.  Our work not only looks at the ecology and distribution of this genus, but also novel molecular detection methods for these cells and other harmful algal species.

The majority of marine algae are not harmful, their natural ability to acquire carbon from the atmosphere during photosynthesis makes them important potential feedstocks for biofuels.  We have a developing interest in the use of marine microalgae for this purpose and in novel compounds produced by these species.

Sampling sediment on the UK coast using a Japanese sediment corer (A) and a hand corer (B) for collection of material for analysis of dinoflagellate cysts.

Fig. A

Fig. B

Recent Publications

Complete lists of publications are available on each staff members site.

Farnaud S., Amini M., Rapisarda C., Cammack R., Bui T., Drake A., Evans R.W., Rahmanto Y.S., Richardson D.R. (2008) Biochemical and spectroscopic studies of human melanotransferrin (MTf): Electron-paramagnetic resonance evidence for a difference between the iron-binding site of MTf and other transferrins. Int J Biochem Cell Biol. 40:2739-45. 

Owen, R., Depledge M.H., Hagger J.A., Jones M.B., Galloway T.S. (2008) Biomarkers and environmental risk assessment: guiding principles from the human health field. Marine Pollution Bulletin 56: 613-619.

Thompson, D.S.(2008) Space and Time in the Plant Cell Wall: Relationships between Cell Type, Cell Wall Rheology and Cell Function Annals of Botany 101: 203-211.

Foster, I.D.L., Boardman, J., Keay-Bright. (2007) The contribution of sediment tracing to an investigation of the environmental history of two small catchments in the uplands of the Karoo, South Africa. Geomorphology. 90(1-2) 126-143.

Joss, S. (2007) Public Spheres Pushing for Change: participation in the governance of GM crops.  in Genetically Engineered Plants: Controversies, Decision-Making, and Future Policies (Taylor, I., Ed). Binghamton: The Haworth Press: pp 305-339.

Brodie, J.,Lewis, J.(eds) (2007)Unravelling the algae; the past, present and future of algal systematics.Systematics Association/CRC Press.

Petts, G.E., Nestler, J., Kennedy, R. (2006) Advancing science for water resources management. Hydrobiologia, 565, 277-288.

Song, Z., Edwards, S.R., Burns, R.G. (2006) Treatment of naphthalene-2-sulfonic acid from tannery wastewater by a granular activated carbon fixed bed inoculated with bacterial isolates Arthrobacter globiformis and Comamonas testosteroni. Water Research  40: 495-506.

Bresnan, E., Fryer, R., Hart, M. & Percy, L. 2005. Correlation Between Algal Presence in Water and Toxin Presence in Shellfish. FRS Contract Report 04 05.  https://webmail.wmin.ac.uk/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.frs-scotland.gov.uk/Delivery/Information_resources/information_resources_view_document.aspx?resourceId=31137%26documentId=2829

McEldowney, S. (2004) EU Chemicals Policy a Foundation for Environmental Protection or a Missed Opportunity?In The Yearbook of European Environmental Law. Vol 4., pages 85 116. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Current Grants

Jane Lewis; Linda Percy and Marco Berzano: EU funded project: MIDTAL: Microarrays for the detection of toxic algae;  239,908; 09/08

Linda Percy and Ipsita Roy: BPS vacation studentship Dinoflagellate microalgae, possible sustainable sources for biofuel and biodegradable biopolymer production; xxx; 07/09