BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk//
X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Measuring landscape resilience: tephra\, soil and spatial patterns
  - Dr Richard Streeter\, School of Geography and Sustainable Development\,
  University of St Andrews
DTSTART:20171123T161500Z
DTEND:20171123T180000Z
UID:TALK81821@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:45781
DESCRIPTION:A key challenge this paper addresses is understanding how and 
 when landscapes are likely to become degraded. The concept of ecological 
 ‘resilience’ and the related idea that there are generic ‘early warn
 ing signals’ prior to changes in state have created the possibility that
  we might be able to quantify the vulnerability of systems to change. This
  paper highlights the possibilities for both using both tephra layers (lay
 ers of volcanic ash) and the analysis of spatial patterns of erosion as ap
 proaches to understanding the resilience of landscapes\, past and present.
  When tephra falls onto vegetated surface its thickness reflects aspects o
 f the vegetation structure at the time. These variations in tephra thickne
 ss preserve information that can be used to assess the resilience of the l
 and surface at the time of the eruption. This approach could be used to as
 sess land surface resilience in the past. Using UAV imagery we can quickly
  and easily capture high-resolution images from currently eroding landscap
 es. These images are used to generate metrics such as patch-size distribut
 ions\, which can be used to assess present landscape resilience. This pape
 r will review these approaches and report on findings from fieldwork in th
 e sub-arctic landscapes of Iceland. \n\n
LOCATION:Small Lecture Theatre\, Department of Geography\, Downing Site
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR