Bennett, Georgina Lucy

PhD student in ESF TOPOEUROPE SedyMONT investigating timescales of sediment dynamics, climate and topographic change in mountain environments see here

Research Interests

I am interested in earth surface processes and landforms and natural hazards. I have experience in remote sensing, digital photogrammetry, GIS and numerical and conceptual modelling. In past research I focused on the evolution of glacial landforms and on detecting forest change. For my current PhD research I am investigating sediment transfer through mountain basins. I have quantified sediment production by slope failure and its transfer by debris flows in the Illgraben, SW Switzerland over a 42 year period using digital photogrammetry. I extracted an inventory of slope failures from these data and modeled their magnitude-frequency distribution. I also investigated the climatic and seismic controls on slope failure and debris flows. I am currently developing and testing a conceptual model that treats sediment transfer as a sediment cascade between different components of storage with different storage capacities. I will use this model to investigate how the sediment input distribution of slope failures is transformed through multiple cycles of storage and remobilization into a distribution of sediment output. This approach will help us to better understand the influence of sediment storage dynamics on debris flow hazard in mountain basins.

Education

BSc Degree in Geography, Durham University, 2008, First Class Hons
Dissertation: Paraglacial slope adjustment, landform succession and landscape evolution following recent glacier retreat, Sandfellsjökull, Iceland

MSc by research in Geography, Durham University, 2009
Thesis: Assessing the development of landforms around the margin of Kvíárjökull, an outlet glacier of the Öræfajökull ice cap, from archival aerial photography using digital photogrammetry

Publications

Bennett, G.L., Molnar, P., Eisenbeiss, H., Mcardell, B.W., Erosional power in the Swiss Alps: Characterizing slope failure at the head of the Illgraben, Earth Surface Processes and Landforms (in press) (PDF)

Bennett, G.L. and Evans, D.J.A. Glacier retreat and landform production on an overdeepened glacier foreland: the debris-charged glacial landsystem at Kvíárjökull, Iceland. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms (in press)

Bennett, G.L., Evans, D. J. A., Carbonneau, P. and Twigg, D. R. (2010) Evolution of a debris-charged glacier landsystem, Kviarjokull, Iceland., v2010, 40-67. 10.4113/jom.2010.1114. (PDF)

Bennett, G.L., Evans, D. J. A., Carbonneau, P. and Twigg, D. R. (2010) Published Map. In Bennett, G.L., Evans, D. J. A., Carbonneau, P. and Twigg, D. R. (2010) Evolution of a debris-charged glacier landsystem, Kviarjokull, Iceland., Journal of Maps, v2010, 40-67. 10.4113/jom.2010.1114. (PDF)

Bennett, G.L. (2010) Glacier recession and landform evolution. Geography review, vol 23, no. 4. pp13-17

Submitted papers

Bennett, G.L., Molnar, P., Schlunegger, F., McArdell, B.W., Burlando, P. Patterns and controls of sediment production and transfer in the Illgraben, Switzerland, Geomorphology (in review)

Presentations and conference proceedings

Bennett, G.L.,Molnar, P., McArdell, B.W., Eisenbeiss, H., and Burlando, P., 2011. Sediment transfer and landscape evolution by rock-slope failure and debris flows at the head of the Illgraben, Switzerland, 1963-2005, AGU Abstracts, EP31B-0812, San Francisco, USA. (Poster)

Bennett, G.L., Molnar, P., McArdell, B., Eisenbeiss, H., Burlando, P. (2011) Climate driven sediment production, transfer and yield by rock-slope failure and debris flow in the Illgraben, Switzerland, 1963-2005. TopoEurope 2011, Davos. (Poster)

Bennett, G.L., Evans, D.J.A., Carbonneau, P. and Twigg, D.R. (2011) The debris-charged glacier landsystem, a new landsystem model, based on Kvíárjökull, Iceland, INQUA, July 2011, Bern, Switzerland.

Bennett, G.L., Molnar, P., Korup, O., Burlando, P.(2011) Modelling uncertainty in short-term erosion rates. Geophysical research abstracts, Vol 13 EGU2011-8368, EGU 2011 (Poster)

Bennett, G.L., Molnar, P., Eisenbeiss, H., McArdell, B., Korup, O., Burlando, P. (2011) The Illgraben sediment cascade, 1963-2005. Geophysical research abstracts, Vol 13 EGU2011-8500, EGU2011 (PDF)

Bennett, G.L., Molnar, P., Korup, O., McArdell, B. (2010) Modelling sediment transfer through mountain basins. Proceedings of Landscapes into Rock, Sept 2010, BGS, London, p.p 68-69 (Poster)

Bennett, G.L., Evans, D.J.A., Carbonneau, P. and Twigg, D.R. (2009) Assessing glacier retreat and morphometric change at Kvíárjökull, Iceland. Proceedings of Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Society Annual Conference 2009, September 8-11, Leicester, United Kingdom, pp. 740 - 745 (PDF)

Awards

Best oral presentation at the Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Society Student Conference, 2009.

Durham Postgraduate Scholarship for MSc research (2009)

Landscape Research Group Dissertation Prize (2009) in the category of ‘original academic research and showing conceptual sophistication in the study of landscape’

Additional interests

I am making the most of my current location in Switzerland and regularly venture into the surrounding mountains, both by boot and crampon in the summer and by skis and skins in the winter! I aim to conquer the highest peak in Switzerland, the Dufourspitze, one day soon.