Engineering and the Environment

Sally Brown

BSc MRes PhD

Primary position:
Research Fellow

Background

Sally Brown completed her MRes and PhD in the then School of Civil Engineering and the Environment where she researched cliff erosion at Christchurch Bay (particularly Barton-on-Sea) and the Holderness coastline on the north-east coast of England. Her particular interest was in coastal set-backs and relative retreat rates due to defence construction (frequently known as the terminal groyne effect), coastal evolution and planform, and crenulate shaped bays.
 
After completing her PhD in 2008, Sally has worked as a Research Fellow investigating the impacts of sea-level rise using the Dynamic Interactive Vulnerability Assessment (DIVA) model. DIVA assesses the global and regional vulnerability of sea-level rise and subsequent impacts, such as land loss, people flooded and the associated costs. She has investigated impacts on a global scale (through NERC funded research for QUEST-GSI, DECC/DEFRA AVOID projects, and also the World Bank), on a European scale (through the EU funded projects CIRCE and ClimateCost) and in Africa (mutli-funded by DFID, UNEP and others). She is presently working on an EU funded project IMAPCT2C which investigates the impacts of sea-level rise under 2ºC of warming in the EU, Bangladesh and small islands (focusing on the Maldives).
 
Sally is also responsible for the coastal seminar series.
 

Dr Sally Brown's photo

Publications

The University of Southampton's electronic library (e-prints)

Article

Arnell, N.W., Lowe, J.A., Brown, S., Gosling, S.N., Gottschalk, P., Hinkel, J., Lloyd-Hughes, B., Nicholls, R.J., Osborn, T.J., Osborne, T.M., Rose, G.A., Smith, P. and Warren, R.F. (2013) A global assessment of the effects of climate policy on the impacts of climate change. Nature Climate Change, 3, 512-519. (doi:10.1038/nclimate1793 ).
Hall, Jim W., Brown, Sally, Nicholls, Robert J., Pidgeon , Nick F. and Watson, Robert T. (2012) Commentary: Proportionate adaptation. Nature Climate Change, 2, 833-834. (doi:10.1038/nclimate1749).
Brown, Sally, Barton, M.E. and Nicholls, R.J. (2012) Human interference on soft cliff retreat: examples from Christchurch Bay, UK. Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrology, 45, (4), 395-404. (doi:10.1144/​qjegh2011-069).
Brown, Sally, Barton, M.E. and Nicholls, R.J. (2012) The effect of coastal defences on cliff top retreat along the Holderness coastline. Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society, 59, (1), 1-13. (doi:10.1144/pygs.59.1.288).
Hinkel, J, Brown, S., Exner, L, Nicholls, R.J., Vafeidis, A.T. and Kebede, Abiy S (2011) Sea-level rise impacts on Africa and the effects of mitigation and adaptation: an application of DIVA. Regional Environmental Change (doi:10.1007/s10113-011-0249-2).
Brown, S., Barton, M.E. and Nicholls, R.J. (2011) Coastal retreat and/or advance adjacent to defences in England and Wales. Journal of Coastal Conservation, 15, (4), 659-670. (doi:10.1007/s11852-011-0159-y).
Pardaens, A.K., Lowe, J.A, Brown, S., Nicholls, R.J. and de Gusmão, D. (2011) Sea-level rise and impacts projections under a future scenario with large greenhouse gas emission reductions. Geophysical Research Letters, 38, (12), L12604-[5]. (doi:10.1029/2011GL047678 ).
Nicholls, R.J., Marinova, N, Lowe, J.A., Brown, S., Gusmão, D, Hinkel, J and Tol, R.S.J. (2011) Sea-level rise and its possible impacts given a ‘beyond 4°C world’ in the twenty-first century. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A: Mathematical and Physical Sciences, 369, (1934), 161-181. (doi:10.1098/rsta.2010.0291 ).

Book Section

Brown, Sally, Nicholls, R.J., Woodroffe, C.D., Hanson, S., Hinkel, J., Kebede, A.S., Neumann, B. and Vafeidis, A.T. (2013) Sea-level rise impacts and responses: a global perspective. In, Finkl, Charles W. (ed.) Coastal Hazards. Dordrecht, NL, Springer, 117-149. (doi:10.1007/978-94-007-5234-4_5).
Brown, Sally, Nicholls, Robert J., Pardaens, A.K., Lowe, J.A., Vafeidis, A.T., Hinkel, J. and Watkiss, P. (2012) Impacts and strategic responses to rising sea levels in the European Union [full paper]. In, Klijn, Frans and Schweckendiek, Timo (eds.) Comprehensive Flood Risk Management: Research for Policy and Practice. 2nd European Conference on Flood Risk Management London, GB, Taylor and Francis , 1139-1147.
Brown, Sally, Nicholls, Robert J., Pardaens, A.K., Lowe, J.A., Vafeidis, A.T., Hinkel, J. and Watkiss, P. (2012) Impacts and strategic responses to rising sea levels in the European Union[extended abstract]. In, Klijn, Frans and Schweckendiek, Timo (eds.) Comprehensive Flood Risk Management: Research for Policy and Practice. European Conference on Flood Risk Management , Taylor and Francis , 289-289.
Kebede, Abiy S., Nicholls, R.J., Brown, S. and Hanson, S., The World Bank (2010) Coastal zone. In, Mozambique: Economics of Adaptation to Climate Change. Washington, US, World Bank Group, 47-58.
Brown, S. and Barton, M.E. (2007) Downdrift erosion and the frequency of coastal landsliding. In, McInnes, Robin, Jakeways, Jenny, Fairbank, Helen and Mathi, Emma (eds.) Landslides and Climate Change: Challenges and Solutions. Proceedings of the International Conference on Landslides and Climate Change, Ventnor, Isle of Wight, UK, 21–24 May 2007. International Conference on Landslides and Climate Change London, GB, Taylor & Francis.

Monograph

Nicholls, Robert, Brown, Sally, Hanson, Susan and Hinkel, Jochan (2010) Economics of coastal zone adaptation to climate change. Washington, US, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / World Bank, 48pp. (World Bank Discussion Papers, 10).

Thesis

Brown, Sally (2008) Soft cliff retreat adjacent to coastal defences, with particular reference to Holderness and Christchurch Bay, UK. University of Southampton, School of Civil Engineering and the Environment, Doctoral Thesis , 333pp.
 

Research

Research Interests

Climate change, Coastal engineering, Coastal erosion, Coastal management, Coastal morphology, Coastal processes, Sea-level rise,

Primary research group:  Energy and Climate Change

Research project

Quantifying projected impacts under 2°C warming (IMPACT2C)

Teaching Responsibilities

CodeTitleRole

Contact

Dr Sally Brown
Engineering and the Environment
University of Southampton
Highfield
Southampton
SO17 1BJ

Room Number: 25/3063

Telephone: (023) 8059 4796
Email: sb20@soton.ac.uk