Call for proposals live - November 2022
CREW welcomes applications from Scottish Higher Education Institutes and Research Institutes on two capacity building projects:
CRW2022_01: Developing risk assessment approaches for watch list parameters under the recast Drinking Water Directive
CRW2022_02: The effect of shellfish, kelp and sea grass beds on flood risk and coastal erosion in Scotland
Call dates: Monday 28th November 2022 - noon Wednesday 18th January 2023.
Summary details are provided below.
Please follow the links to the project pages for full details.
WATER QUALITY & HEALTH
CRW2022_01: Developing risk assessment approaches for watch list parameters under the recast Drinking Water Directive
Type of project: Capacity Building
Overview: To develop a risk assessment approach for recast Drinking Water Directive watch list parameters and to inform the monitoring requirements for Beta-estradiol, Nonylphenol and PFAS to validate the approach.
Budget: up to a maximum of £75,000.
Call dates: Monday 28th November 2022 - noon Wednesday 18th January 2023.
Please visit the project page for full details.
HYDROLOGICAL EXTREMES, COASTS AND RISK MANAGEMENT
CRW2022_02: The effect of shellfish, kelp and sea grass beds on flood risk and coastal erosion in Scotland
Type of project: Capacity building
Overview: To inform whether shellfish (oyster and/or blue mussel beds), kelp and sea grass should be incorporated into natural flood management in Scotland and whether (and which) existing features should be protected or restored for NFM and coastal erosion mitigation.
Budget: up to a maximum of £100,000.
Call dates: Monday 28th November 2022 - noon Wednesday 18th January 2023.
Please visit the project page for full details.
Further calls for proposals will follow in December 2022!
Partnership of researchers secure new UKRI MRC funding to tackle pharmaceutical contamination in Scotland’s waters
The occurrence of pharmaceuticals in the environment, and the risks to aquatic life are well-recognised and occurs worldwide. Pharmaceuticals are introduced to the environment by those taking prescription and 'over the counter' medicines through the excretion of residues into wastewater and when unused medicines are flushed down the toilet/sink instead of being returned to pharmacies.
This 12-month project is in partnership with the James Hutton Institute, Scottish Water, Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and the University of Uppsala. The project builds upon knowledge gained in a recent CREW-funded project: ‘Pharmaceuticals in the Water Environment’ and CREW continue to fund impactful research on water quality and health, read more here. The project will use a novel visualisation tool developed by the One Health Breakthrough Partnership, supported by SEPA, that includes data on medicines detected in Scottish waters and NHS Highland prescribing data to generate new knowledge and to raise awareness of the environmental impact of prescribing and to develop sustainable practices that benefit the NHS, patients and Scotland’s aquatic environment.
Scottish Science Advisory Council (SSAC) internship opportunity
Deadline for applicants is 7th November 2022. For more information and to apply please see the document below.
CRW2022_07 Climate Crisis: informing Scotland’s actionable mitigation and adaptation response to water scarcity
CREW Code: CRW2022_07
Theme: Hydrological Extremes, Coasts and Risk Management
Project status: Project complete. Click here to visit the publication page to view the project outputs.
Type of project: Capacity Building
Lead research team: University of Dundee
Scotland’s climate is changing at a rate unprecedented in human history. We are becoming exposed to climate related risks, such as water scarcity, that were not considered significant in the past and have not been planned for. The first phase in addressing this shift in risk has been to develop early warning and emergency measures to mitigate the impacts of exceptional events such as the 2018 European drought and its impact in Scotland. However, as we better understand the projected increasing severity and frequency of dry periods and our potential future demands on water supply, an adaptation gap has become evident that risks the security of what has, up until now, been seen as a dependable, high-quality water supply.
In this project the research team review past, present and future changes in water scarcity risk in Scotland. Through engagement with a broad spectrum of stakeholders in the water sector and government agencies the research team asked the questions: 1) What is currently being done to reduce the likelihood and severity of water scarcity? 2) How effective are these strategies now and will they still work under a changing climate future? 3) What additional actions do we need to take to address water scarcity in the future?
In answering these questions, the research team highlight the current challenges in addressing the water scarcity risk and provide recommendations on how to address them. These recommendations are presented as programme of work over the short and long term. To take it forward, the research team propose a governance structure formed of representatives from the relevant agencies and in partnership with businesses and communities. The programme is a prioritised set of recommended actions that would contribute to the delivery of a system of national water resource planning, supported by improved levels of water stewardship from across society. The planning will be informed by better access to water supply and demand information and a programme of research that addresses the evidence gaps and improves knowledge exchange across the water sector.
This project has completed. Click here to visit the publication page to view the project outputs.
News
CRW2022_02 The effect of shellfish, kelp and sea grass beds on flood risk and coastal erosion in Scotland
CREW Code: CRW2022_02
Theme: Hydrological Extremes, Coasts and Risk Management
Project status: Project in progress
Type of project: Capacity building
Context: The intention of the project is to fill gaps in knowledge around the role of shallow marine habitats in flood and coastal erosion mitigation in Scotland. The work has relevance to multiple policy areas, including those relating to flooding and coastal erosion, biodiversity, climate change, marine planning and ambitions for a blue economy.
Budget: up to a maximum of £100,000.
Aim: The overall aim of this project is to inform whether shellfish (oyster and/or blue mussel beds), kelp and sea grass should be incorporated into natural flood management (NFM) in Scotland and whether (and which) existing features should be protected or restored for NFM and coastal erosion mitigation.
Project key questions:
- What is the current state of knowledge and data availability?
- What additional information can be sourced from relevant stakeholders including experts and policy-makers, especially with regards to recent developments and unpublished data?
- What marine habitats could be considered in the Scottish context to reduce flood and erosion risk?
- What does the literature suggest regarding the role of different marine habitats in flood and coastal erosion mitigation and potential benefits and limitations?
- What is the historic and current distribution of native oyster beds, blue mussel beds, kelp and sea grass beds in Scotland?
- How are these habitats subject to commercial fishing or harvesting practices in Scotland and are there future plans to expand commercial exploitation of these habitats?
- Which existing marine habitats are most likely to reduce flood risk and erosion to adjacent shorelines in Scotland?
- What plans currently exist and what are the costs for planned restoration of these features in Scotland?
- Which areas/locations in Scotland could be targeted to reduce this risk, and/or are there sites where existing features could be protected or restored to reduce risk?
- How can this be represented in form of a simplified map to inform stakeholders?
- What are the clear opportunities for protection, regeneration, and/or restoration of these habitats in Scotland and what recommendations can be given about how to design these features for flood and coastal erosion management?
Impact: Benefits include the development of policy in relation to NFM that facilitates the management, restoration and protection of these marine features, thus helping to reduce flooding to coastal communities and increase resilience to future changes in risk.
Lead research team: Heriot Watt Universtiy
News
CRW2022_04 Assessing the socio-economic impacts of soil degradation on Scotland's water environment
CREW Code: CRW2022_04
Theme: Land and Water Resouce Management
Project status: This project has completed. Click here to visit the publication page to view the project outputs.
Type of project: Capacity building
Scotland’s various policies to protect its soils from degradation create economic benefits. In this project the economic costs of soil degradation in Scotland were estimated. Using the best available data the impacts of soil compaction, sealing and contamination were assessed. The extent of these degradation processes was then used to calculate the costs across Scotland. Compacted soils can cost farmers £15 to £209 per ha in extra fuel use. The annual combined impact on crop yields and fuel use across Scotland is likely to cost between £25 million and £75 million. The compaction of soils and sealing by infrastructure could lead to a 1% increase in flooding, with insurance claims of between £57,000 and £76,000 per property flood event. Soil compaction can exacerbate erosion and increase previous estimates of erosion costs. Soil degradation also arises from contamination and the loss of biodiversity, but these are difficult to estimate. Given large costs of soil degradation annually, policies to protect this natural resource will benefit Scotland’s economy. The project team only costed direct impacts, using the available data that was often limited. The indirect costs on pollution, human health, supply chains and greenhouse gas emissions will be much greater, and additional monitoring is required to assess these effectively.
Lead research team: James Hutton Institute
This project has completed. Visit the publication page here to view the project outputs.
News
Our Hydrological Extremes, Coasts and Risk Management theme aims to improve the understanding of climate-water interactions from source to sea.
Our research supports key policies, including Scotland’s Climate Change Plan and the Flood Risk Management Act.
CREW's Hydrological Extremes, Coasts and Risk Management theme focusses on providing high quality science knowledge regarding:
- Nature based solutions
- Resilience and adaption to climate change
- Hydrological extremes: flooding and water scarcity
The projects undertaken within this theme support policy and regulation areas including:
- Scottish National Adaptation Plan (SNAP3) - Water scarcity
- Climate Change Plan for Scotland, UK Climate Change: risk assessment & adaptation
- Flood Risk Management Act
- Flood Resilience Strategy
- Scottish Biodiversity Strategy
- National coastal change assessments inc. erosion management
Recent research published within this thematic area includes:
- Climate Crisis: informing Scotland’s actionable mitigation and adaptation response to water scarcity - the research team reviewed past, present and future changes in water scarcity risk in Scotland, highlighting the current challenges in addressing the water scarcity risk and provide recommendations on how to address them.
- Methodologies for sampling fish populations in Scottish freshwater lochs - the project assessed the currently available methodologies for sampling fish populations in Scottish freshwater lochs. Acknowledging the complexity and longstanding challenges with fish monitoring in standing freshwaters, the project team produced guidelines which support the development of suitable fish assessment programmes.
- Increasing flood resilience: residential and community runoff retention solutions – the project team carried out a literature review, case studies and a cost-benefit analysis to evaluate and compare the cost and effectiveness of residential and community property rainwater runoff source control solutions to increase flood resilience.
- 2022 - Effective future communication of flood risk in Scotland - this project explored how to improve flood risk communication in Scotland, highlighting the need for audience-specific approaches. It emphasised clear messaging, community involvement, and actionable guidance to enhance resilience and avoid maladaptive responses.
- 2020 - Impacts of Flooding in North-east Scotland - in response to severe flooding in the winter of 2015/16, CREW commissioned research in Ballater and Garioch to understand long-term flood impacts and improve recovery support. The project team informed strategies for enhancing flood-risk management and strengthening community resilience.
- 2019 - Quantifying rates of urban creep in Scotland - this project mapped urban creep in Edinburgh from 1990 to 2015, revealing an annual loss of 6.44ha of vegetated land. Findings provide Scotland’s first city-wide estimates, highlighting impacts on surface water flood risk.
Related Research
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CRW2022_06 Emerging Contaminants: Informing Scotland’s strategic monitoring and policy approaches on substances of increasing concern
CREW code: CRW2022_06
Theme: Water Quality & Health
Type of project: Capacity Building
Project status: This project has been completed.
Please view project publication page here.
The aim of this project was to inform, prioritise, and coordinate actionable monitoring and policy-based approaches to identify, assess, and mitigate risks from substances of increasing concern to Scotland’s water environment. Contaminants of increasing concern (CICs) comprise a diverse range of substances and organisms, including chemical groups such as pharmaceuticals and pesticides; biological contaminants such as pathogens and antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) genes; nanomaterials; and microplastics. CICs include compounds and organisms that are ‘new’ or increasing in presence in the environment or compounds or organisms already known to be present for which new information becomes available, e.g. on pathways or toxicities. Substances and groups considered CICs therefore evolve over time, due to new insights or new patterns of use.
Using a Substance Mapping approach, including literature review, an expert survey and a knowledge sharing workshop, the team found that based on evidence encountered, no CIC groups can be discounted for Scotland and significant data gaps exist on sources, pathways, exposure routes, hazard and risk. Many national and international databases are however available and could be consolidated for Scotland. The research team further recommended partnership working, an international review of policy options, and expansion of research capacity to further refine and fill the knowledge gaps.
News
CRW2022_01 Developing risk assessment approaches for PFAS and watch list parameters under the recast Drinking Water Directive
CREW Code: CRW2022_01
Theme: Water Quality & Health
Project status: Complete. Please click here to visit the publication page to view the project outputs.
Type of project: Capacity Building
The research project conducted assessments of the potential presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), 17β-estradiol, and nonylphenol for drinking water supply sources in Scotland, to identify high risk areas and enable prioritisation of monitoring and additional knowledge generation.
PFAS, a class of synthetic chemicals produced since the 1940s, are persistent, toxic and bioaccumulative and have been linked to detrimental impacts on childhood development, cancers, and immune system disorders. Nonylphenol and 17β-estradiol are endocrine-disrupting chemicals connected to cancer, reduced fertility and obesity. Due to increasing awareness of the potential occurrence of these substances in the environment, a new standard for PFAS was introduced for Scottish drinking water in January 2023, and Scottish Water commenced a nationwide risk based sampling programme at that time. 17β-estradiol and nonylphenol were added to an EU drinking water watchlist, so Scottish Water will need to monitor for their presence in their supplies when the watch list is adopted in Scotland.
The research project estimated which supplies had the highest potential likelihood of detecting the substances in the raw (pre-treated) water. The assessments identified higher likelihood of PFAS and nonylphenol presence in those areas with higher population and industry densities (predominantly the central belt and east of Scotland), whereas areas with the highest likelihood of 17β-estradiol presence were those under more intensive agricultural use (predominantly the northeast and south of Scotland). Having identified these areas now allows further refinement of monitoring programmes to aid our understanding of the potential presence of the substances, their sources and possible treatment requirements. This in turn will inform best strategies and actions to reduce concentrations of the contaminants if necessary, not only in drinking water, but also in the envrionment.
Lead research team: University of Dundee
The project has completed. Please click here to visit the publication page to view the project outputs.
News
Our Land and Water Resource Management theme aims to support the recognition and quality of the ecosystem services on which society depends.
Our research supports key policies, including the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the River Basin Management Planning (RBMP 3).
CREW’s Land and Water Resource Management theme focusses on providing high quality science knowledge regarding:
• Natural capital
• Land use and soil management
• Diffuse pollution
• Net zero pathway
• Circular economy
• Blue-green infrastructure
The projects undertaken within this theme aligns with policy and regulation areas including:
Recent research published within this thematic area includes:
Key legacy projects published within this thematic area include:
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