Research project

GW4 Initiator: Plant-soil response to environmental extremes

Project overview

The aim of the event was to create a community by identifying and connecting relevant researchers within the GW4 institutions and explore opportunities to develop cross-disciplinary research addressing GW4 Grand Challenges.

The delegates generated and shared ideas related to the following research questions during the sandpit event:
1. How does plant water uptake hydraulically strengthen and stiffen soils?
2. How do plant roots mechanically stabilise soils during erosion and ground movement?
3. Will increased plant growth and transpiration mitigate soil erosion in response to climate change?
4. How can we utilise the plant-soil zone to improve ecological, water management and engineering resilience to environmental extremes?

Staff

Lead researchers

Dr Kevin Briggs

Associate Professor in Geomechanics
Research interests
  • Deterioration processes in ageing of transportation earthworks (e.g. highway and railway embankments and cuttings)
  • The impact of extreme weather and climate change on groundwater pressures beneath engineering structures
  • The engineering properties of Jurassic and Triassic mudstones for geotechnical design (e.g. excavations, embankments and foundations)
Connect with Kevin

Research outputs