Dr Laura Edwards
School of Biological and Environmental Sciences
Faculty of Science
Email: L.A.Edwards@ljmu.ac.uk
Telephone: 0151 231 2561
ORCID
I am a remote sensing specialist trained in the use of Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) who focuses on the application of remote sensing and geographical information science (GIS) to the study of the oceans, the cryosphere and land, and interactions between these systems. My research to date has used a variety of data (e.g. satellite altimetry, synthetic aperture radar, multispectral data, drone data and in-situ and model data) on a range of topics including: internal oceanic Kelvin waves and links with atmospheric phenomena; Antarctic ice velocity from InSAR and speckle tracking and calculations of ice thickness, shear stress and strain rates; ocean acidification below sea ice in the Canadian Arctic as part of the Catlin Arctic Survey in 2010; mountain glacier retreat and glacial lake outburst floods in the Bolivian Andes; glacier dynamics and hydrology in Iceland and Greenland including drone data acquisition and photogrammetry for elevation change detection; and drone and satellite data observation of glacial meltwater plumes in a tidal lagoon in Iceland. More recently I have also helped with remote sensing and GIS work on risk factors for fasciolosis in Ankole cattle and pollen–vegetation–rainfall relationships in Northeast Libya.
Although my work has a large remote sensing component I have also taken part in fieldwork in Greenland, Iceland, the Canadian high Arctic sea ice and the Bolivian Andes.
Degrees
2009, University of Bristol, United Kingdom, PhD in Physical Geography (Antarctic Glaciology)
2003, University of Southampton, United Kingdom, MSc in Ocean Remote Sensing
2002, University of Southampton, United Kingdom, BSc (Hons) in Oceanography with Physics
Certifications
2016, Higher Education Academy, Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
Academic appointments
Senior lecturer, Liverpool John Moores University, 2017 - present
Lecturer, University of Manchester, 2012 - 2016
Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Southampton, 2011 - 2012
Postdoctoral Researcher, Bangor University, 2009 - 2010
Journal article
Hunt CO, Coyle McClung L, Edwards L, el-Rishi H, Barker G. 2024. Pollen–vegetation–rainfall relationships in the Gebel al-Akhdar, Northeast Libya Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, 334 :105272-105272 DOI Publisher Url Public Url
Sun P, Wronski T, Apio A, Edwards L. 2020. A holistic model to assess risk factors of fasciolosis in Ankole cattle Veterinary Parasitology: Regional Studies and Reports, 22 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Kougkoulos I, Cook S, Edwards LA, Clarke L, Symeonakis E, Dortch J, Nesbitt K. 2018. Modelling glacial lake outburst flood impacts in the Bolivian Andes Natural Hazards, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Kougkoulos I, Cook SJ, Jomelli V, Clarke L, Symeonakis E, Dortch JM, Edwards LA, Merad M. 2018. Use of multi-criteria decision analysis to identify potentially dangerous glacial lakes Science of the Total Environment, 621 :1453-1466 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Cook SJ, Kougkoulos I, Edwards LA, Dortch J, Hoffmann D. 2016. Glacier change and glacial lake outburst flood risk in the Bolivian Andes The Cryosphere, 10 :2399-2413 DOI Publisher Url Public Url
Findlay HS, Edwards LA, Lewis CN, Cooper GA, Clement R, Hardman-Mountford N, Vagle S, Miller LA. 2015. Late Winter Biogeochemical Conditions Under Sea Ice in the Canadian High Arctic Polar Research, 34 DOI Publisher Url Public Url
Lewis CN, Brown KA, Edwards LA, Cooper G, Findlay HS. 2013. Sensitivity to ocean acidification parallels natural pCO2 gradients experienced by Arctic copepods under winter sea ice Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Pritchard HD, Arthern RJ, Vaughan DG, Edwards LA. 2009. Extensive dynamic thinning on the margins of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets Nature, 461 :971-975 DOI Author Url Publisher Url
Edwards LA, Houseago-Stokes RE, Cipollini P. 2006. Altimeter observations of the MJO/ENSO connection through Kelvin waves International Journal of Remote Sensing, 27 :1193-1203 DOI Publisher Url
Conference publication
Abdeldayem Z, Markiewicz J, Kansara K, Edwards LA. 2020. Extracting Terrain Points from Airborne Laser Scanning Data in Densely Forested Areas International Journal of Civil, Environmental, Structural, Construction and Architectural Engineering, 14 :140-144 Publisher Url Public Url
preprint
Cook SJ, Kougkoulos I, Edwards LA, Dortch J, Hoffmann D. 2016. Glacier change and glacial lake outburst flood risk in the Bolivian Andes Copernicus GmbH DOI Publisher Url
Report
Edwards L, Mitchelson-Jacob EG. 2009. A review of carbon flux in the polar oceans: sea-ice and polynya regions Technical Report for the Centre of Applied Marine Sciences, School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University
Thesis/Dissertation
Edwards L. PhD Thesis title 'Satellite Interferometry and Tracking data: Antarctic Velocity Map Generation, Validation and Application' (2009) Bamber J, Vaughan D.
Research Grants Awarded:
NERC Standard Grant, The influence of fast-draining subglacial lakes on the hydrology and dynamics of the Greenland Ice Sheet, PI Dr S Livingstone (University of Sheffield), Co-Is Dr E Bagshaw and Dr S. Buzzard (Cardiff University), Dr A Booth (University of Leeds), Dr L Edwards (LJMU), Dr N Ross (Newcastle University), Dr A Sole (University of Sheffield), Dr R Storrar (Sheffield Hallam University), Grant value (£): £687,971, Duration of research project: 2023-25. 2022
The Leverhulme Trust, Leverhulme Research Fellowship on 'Drone and satellite investigations of glacial meltwater plumes', Grant value (£): £31,740, Duration of research project: 2021-24. 2020
LJMU Strategic Support of ECR in Faculty of Science: PhD Studentships 2017/18, 'Cyclones and their influence on Greenland ice sheet surface mass balance and dynamics through satellite remote sensing and modelling', with Tom Matthews, KCL, Grant value (£): Approximately £50,000 with stipend and research costs, Duration of research project: 2017-2021. 2017
University of Manchester Humanities Strategic Investment Fund, ‘Cryosphere Research At Manchester (CRAM) Marie Curie Innovative Training Networks bid’, University of Manchester colleagues: Jason Dortch and Phil Hughes, Grant value (£): £14,783. 2016
University of Manchester Research Institute, ‘CRAM group development and interdisciplinary research bid initiative’, University of Manchester colleagues: Neil Mitchell, Jason Dortch, Bart van Dongen, Mads Huuse, Richard Bardgett, Grant value (£): £26,033. 2015
University of Manchester School of Education, Environment and Development Research and Impact Stimulation Fund, ‘Past, present and future changes in Bolivian Andes glaciers and glacial lake outburst flood hazards’, Jason Dortch (University of Manchester), Grant value (£): £4,960. 2015
Manchester Geographical Society research fund, ‘Attendance and presenting a poster at the International Glaciological Society International Symposium on Contribution of Glaciers and Ice Sheets to Sea Level Change in Chamonix, May 2014’, Grant value (£): £403. 2014
University of Manchester School of Education, Environment and Development Research and Impact Stimulation Fund, ‘Arctic polynyas and glacier mass loss’, Grant value (£): £4600. 2013
World Wide Fund for Nature, ‘Catlin Arctic Survey 2010 ocean acidification fieldwork and post-processing’, Grant value (£): £10,000. 2010
External PGR Supervision - completed students:
Manchester Metropolitan University, PhD, Glacial lake outburst flood risk in the Bolivian Andes. 2019
Other invited event:
1823 Podcast - Episode 4: Earthrise – the most important photograph ever taken?, LJMU, 1823 Podcast is a place where you can hear interesting conversations about a wide range of issues, debated by some of the interesting people at, or connected to, Liverpool John Moores University. The photograph of ‘Earthrise’, taken from Apollo 8, is one of the most iconic images of the last century. It has been credited with changing our perception of our own planet and our attitude towards the environment. Exactly 50 years since it was taken, we explore the significance of the photograph, its impact on the environmental movement and discuss other influential photographs.. 2018
Teaching qualification:
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA). 2016