Senior Lecturer in Environmental Ecology
Post Graduate Certificate in Academic Practice
PhD The effect of atmospheric nitrogen deposition on carbon sequestion in semi-natural ericaceous dominated ecosystems.
MSc. (with Distinction) Countryside Management
I lecture on subjects including restoring and monitoring ecosystems, ecosystem responses to environmental change, data analysis, and lead field courses in the UK and abroad covering plant identification, carbon dynamics and ecosystem monitoring techniques.
Units taught:
1st Year Ecology, 1st Year Investigating the Environment Field Course
2nd Year Plant and Soil Ecology, 2nd Year Environmental Fieldwork and Research Design Field Course
3rd Year Environmental Impact Assessment
I teach on a number of Post-Graduate units including:
Restoration Science
Ecosystem Services
I also run MSc Monitoring Habitat and Species Responses to Environmental Change
I research plant and soil responses to nitrogen pollution and environmental change. I collaborate with NGOs and Conservation Agencies by providing underpinning evidence on the risks to biodiversity from air pollution, and the development of new practice for upland and lowland peatland restoration. I sit on the steering committee of the Great Manchester Wetlands Partnership, the NW sub-group of the DEFRA Lowland Agricultural Peat Task Force and am currently leading a work-package on the ERDF funded ‘Care-Peat’ project with responsibility for restoration planning, the establishment of a monitoring program including GHG emissions and the development of a UK ‘carbon farm’ with project partners. I am also lead author of the chapter on mires, bogs and fens in the CCE review of critical loads for nutrient nitrogen.
RJ. Payne, C. Campbell, CJ. Stevens, RJ. Pakeman, LC. Ross, et al. AJ. Britton, RJ. Mitchell, L. Jones, C. Field, SJM. Caporn, J. Carroll, JL. Edmondson, EJ. Carnell, S. Tomlinson, A. Dore, U. Dragosits, NB. Dise. (2020). Disparities between plant community responses to nitrogen deposition and critical loads in UK semi-natural habitats. Atmospheric Environment. 239, pp.117478-117478.
RJ. Payne, NB. Dise, CD. Field, AJ. Dore, SJM. Caporn, et al. CJ. Stevens. (2017). Nitrogen deposition and plant biodiversity: past, present, and future. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. 15(8), pp.431-436.
CD. Field, CD. Evans, NB. Dise, JR. Hall, SJM. Caporn (2017). Long-term nitrogen deposition increases heathland carbon sequestration. Science of the Total Environment. 592, pp.426-435.
L. Jones, C. Stevens, EC. Rowe, R. Payne, SJM. Caporn, et al. CD. Evans, C. Field, S. Dale. (2017). Managing for nitrogen, the lesser of two evils. A response to Maes et al. Biological Conservation. 212, pp.495-496.
CD. Field, NB. Dise, RJ. Payne, AJ. Britton, BA. Emmett, et al. RC. Helliwell, S. Hughes, L. Jones, S. Lees, JR. Leake, ID. Leith, GK. Phoenix, SA. Power, LJ. Sheppard, GE. Southon, CJ. Stevens, SJM. Caporn. (2014). The Role of Nitrogen Deposition in Widespread Plant Community Change Across Semi-natural Habitats. Ecosystems. 17(5), pp.864-877.
RJ. Payne, SJM. Caporn, CD. Field, JA. Carroll, JL. Edmondson, et al. A. Britton, NB. Dise. (2014). Heather Moorland Vegetation and Air Pollution: A Comparison and Synthesis of Three National Gradient Studies. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution. 225(7),
LJ. Sheppard, ID. Leith, T. Mizunuma, S. Leeson, S. Kivimaki, et al. J. Neil Cape, N. van Dijk, D. Leaver, MA. Sutton, D. Fowler, LJL. Van den Berg, A. Crossley, C. Field, S. Smart. (2014). Inertia in an ombrotrophic bog ecosystem in response to 9 years' realistic perturbation by wet deposition of nitrogen, separated by form. Glob Chang Biol. 20(2), pp.566-580.
GE. Southon, C. Field, SJM. Caporn, AJ. Britton, SA. Power (2013). Nitrogen Deposition Reduces Plant Diversity and Alters Ecosystem Functioning: Field-Scale Evidence from a Nationwide Survey of UK Heathlands. PLoS ONE. 8(4),
LJ. Sheppard, ID. Leith, SR. Leeson, N. Van Dijk, C. Field, et al. P. Levy. (2013). Fate of N in a peatland, Whim bog: Immobilisation in the vegetation and peat, leakage into pore water and losses as N
MS. Carter, KS. Larsen, B. Emmett, M. Estiarte, C. Field, et al. ID. Leith, M. Lund, A. Meijide, RTE. Mills, U. Niinemets, J. Penuelas, M. Portillo-Estrada, IK. Schmidt, MB. Selsted, LJ. Sheppard, A. Sowerby, A. Tietema, C. Beier. (2012). Synthesizing greenhouse gas fluxes across nine European peatlands and shrublands-responses to climatic and environmental changes. Biogeosciences. 9(10), pp.3739-3755.
RJ. Payne, AM. Thompson, V. Standen, CD. Field, SJM. Caporn (2012). Impact of simulated nitrogen pollution on heathland microfauna, mesofauna and plants. European Journal of Soil Biology. 49, pp.73-79.
CD. Evans, CL. Goodale, SJM. Caporn, NB. Dise, BA. Emmett, et al. IJ. Fernandez, CD. Field, SEG. Findlay, GM. Lovett, H. Meesenburg, F. Moldan, LJ. Sheppard. (2008). Does elevated nitrogen deposition or ecosystem recovery from acidification drive increased dissolved organic carbon loss from upland soil? A review of evidence from field nitrogen addition experiments. Biogeochemistry. 91(1), pp.13-35.
U. Dragosits, EJ. Carnell, SJ. Tomlinson, TH. Misselbrook, EC. Rowe, et al. Z. Mitchell, IN. Thomas, AJ. Dore, P. Levy, T. Zwagerman, L. Jones, C. Dore, K. Hampshire, J. Raoult, R. German, A. Pridmore, T. Williamson, B. Marner, L. Hodgins, D. Laxen, K. Wilkins, C. Stevens, S. Zappala, C. Field, S. Caporn. (2022). Nitrogen Futures. , JNCC.
C. Devenish, C. Field, R. Keane, S. Caporn Space 2 Eye Lens Phase 2. Spatial tools for applying earth observation in landscape scale condition assessments. , Natural England.
C. Devenish, C. Field, R. Keane, S. Caporn Modelling upland condition from field and remote sensed data - Space2Eyelens: state of the Bog. , Natural England.
T. Smart, S. Caporn, C. Devenish, C. Field, S. Johnson, et al. K. Rogers, J. Rowson, P. Thomas, A. Wright. (2020). England Peat Strategy: Greater Manchester Peat Pilot Report for Defra. Natural England Report for the England Peat Strategy: Peat Pilot Steering Group. DEFRA, DEFRA.
R. Bobbink, C. Loran, H. Tomassen, K. Aazem, J. Aherne, et al. R. Alonso, F. Ashwood, S. Augustin, A. Britton, E. Brwouer, S. Caporn, T. Chuman, H. De Wit, L. De Witte, T. Dirnbock, C. Field, H. Garcia Gomez, M. Geupel, L. Guri Velle, E. Hiltbrunner, AC. James, L. Jones, PE. Karlsson, L. Kohli, S. Manninen, L. May, R. Meier, M. Perring, A-K. Prescher, E. Remke, T. Roth, T. Scheuschner, A. Ssymank, C. Stevens, J-E. Thrane, H. Tömmervik, S. Tresch, L. Ukonmaanaho, L. Van Den Berg, E. Vanguelova, K. Wilkins, S. Zappala. Review and revision of empirical critical loads of nitrogen for Europe. Umweltbundesamt, UNECE Coordination Centre for Effects.
. Jones, L, . Hall, J, . Strachan, et al. I, CD. Field, . Rowe, E, . Stevens, CJ, . Caporn, SJM, . Mitchell, R, . Britton, A, . Smith, R, . Bealey, B, . Masante, D, . Hewison, R, . Hicks, K. (2015). Developing a decision framework to Attribute atmospheric Nitrogen Deposition as a threat to or cause of Unfavourable habitat condition on Protected sites 'AND-UP'. Report to JNCC, JNCC.
. Banin, Lyndsay, . Dise, NB, . Bealey, et al. WJ, . Dragostis, U, CD. Field, . Jones, L, . Payne, R, . Rowe, E, . Smith, R, . Stevens, C, . Sutton, MA. Review of site-specific impact assessment approaches and tools for the protection of terrestrial habitats from Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC) process contributions. SEPA, Draft report to SEPA under contract RAD015..
E. Rowe, L. Jones, CJ. Stevens, M. Vieno, AJ. Dore, et al. M. Sutton, G. Mills, CD. Evans, RC. Helliwel, AJ. Britton, RJ. Mitchell, SJ. Caporn, NB. Dise, CD. Field, BA. Emmett. (2013). Measures to evaluate benefits to UK semi-natural habitats of reductions in nitrogen deposition. Final report on REBEND project. Report to DEFRA Defra tender reference: AQ0823., DEFRA`.
J. Hall, CD. Field, C. Stevens, I. Leith, L. Sheppard, et al. SJ. Caporn, M. Sutton. (2012). Air Quality Risk Assessment and SSSI Survey project: To refine the understanding of air quality risk assessments (based on modelling) and site specific responses to atmospheric ammonia pollution. Report to Natural England itt_183-23875, Natural England.
SJ. Caporn, NB. Dise, A. Britton, B. Emmett, CD. Field, et al. L. Jones, G. Phoenix, S. Power, L. Sheppard. (2010). Terrestrial Umbrella Work Package 3 Final Report: Indicators of N deposition and its ecological impact. DEFRA, DEFRA.
EU Interreg-NW Programme: Capitalisation Initiative - Carbon loss reduction from peatlands: an integrated approach (2021-2023). PI £80K
Innovate UK Sphagnum Farming UK - First Steps to Commercial Peat-Free Growing Media (2020-2023) PI £65K
Highways England Mapping Biodiversity across Highways England Soft Estate (2020-2022) PI £230K
EU Interreg-NW Programme: Carbon loss reduction from peatlands: an integrated approach. Project budget €6.2M (€399.5K award value to MMU). 2019-2022. PI
Innovate UK/BBSRC Sphagnum Farming UK Pilot project £499K (£220K award value to MMU) (2018-2019). Co-I
Monitoring protected sites with Earth Observation: Combining field data with CASI and Sentinel imagery. Collaborative Project with Natural England, Phase 1 £18.5k 2017, Phase 2 £8k 2018. PI.
Evidence review of the impact of solar farms on birds, bats and general ecology.Collaborative Project with Natural England. 2015. £3k Co-I.
Developing a regional scale wetland network. Collaborative Project with Natural England. £8k. Co-I.
NERC Policy Fellowship (2015-2016) Impact of atmospheric pollutants on the current and future status of protected habitats (£58k). PI.
Mapping and assessing pink-footed goose Anser brachyrhynchus usage of land beyond SPA boundaries in northwest England. A collaborative project between Natural England and Manchester Metropolitan University. £10k Co-I.
JNCC A decision framework to attribute atmospheric nitrogen deposition as a threat to or cause of unfavourable habitat condition on protected sites. (2014-2015). (£2.5k to MMU) Co-I