Steve
Dugdale

Steve is a physical geographer with broad interests in remote sensing and river processes. His current research focuses on using novel geospatial and modelling approaches to understand the links between river habitats and ecosystems, river temperature dynamics, and climate change. His research falls into three general themes:

1. The application of remote sensing for mapping patterns and processes in fluvial environments

A continuous view of the riverscape is necessary in order to better understand river ecosystem dynamics and reveal features that might otherwise be missed by 'conventional' field data collection methods. Steve is currently involved in the development of novel remote sensing approaches (particularly hyperspatial imaging, drone-based data acquisition and novel data processing techniques) to enable researchers to map entire river environments at high spatial resolution.

2. Understanding river temperature dynamics using novel mapping and modelling approaches.

River temperature in most northern and temperate regions are expected to increase as a result of climate change. A better understanding of river temperature dynamics is therefore critical to ensuring the continued survival of temperature-sensitive fish species such as salmon and trout. Steve is interested in understanding the processes driving space-time patterns in river temperature by combining thermal infrared mapping of river habitats, temperature logger observations and (process-based) temperature modelling.

3. Revealing the linkages between river habits, river ecosystems and the impacts of climate change.

Steve is interested in understanding the linkages between river habitats and ecosystem dynamics (primarily salmonid fishes), particularly with respect to the potential impacts of future climate change. His research aims to integrate data from remote sensing, hydrological and stream temperature models, and biotelemetry approaches to understand the movement and distribution of fluvial organisms in response to a) physical habitat processes (eg. channel morphology) and b) future climate change (eg. changes in river flows and temperature).

Steve completed a BSc and MSc (by research) at Durham University. Following a stint in environmental consultancy, he moved to Canada to undertake a PhD at the Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (Université du Québec). His doctoral studies focused on the use of airborne thermal infrared imagery to understand the spatio-temporal dynamics of cool-water habitats in salmon rivers and how they protect fish from water temperature extremes. He subsequently worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the Canadian Rivers Institute (University of New Brunswick, Canada), before moving back to the UK to start a Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowship at the University of Birmingham. He joined the University of Nottingham in 2018.