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Geography and Environment research – Bath Spa University

Area of research excellence: Geography and Environment

The success of Geography and Environmental Studies research at Bath Spa is showcased by our international portfolio, underpinned by major funding and extensive national and international partnership networks which facilitate significant contributions to global debates.

Our research deploys scientific, social-scientific, humanities and arts approaches to address societal and environmental challenges. We work across traditional boundaries to embrace and pioneer interdisciplinary research.

Our research centres and groups include:

  1. The Research Centre for Environmental Humanities (RCEH)
  2. The Hazard, Risk and Disaster’ Research Group (HRD) and
  3. The Global Citizenship and Identities’ Research Group (GCI)

Significant institutional investment has transformed the School, and its unit’s interdisciplinary ethos both transcends and bridges subject boundaries across the School of Sciencesin Geography, Biology and Sociology, the School of Humanities and the School of Creative Industries.

Our areas of research expertise are:

  • conservation ecology
  • environmental histories and heritages
  • environmental ethics and philosophy
  • environmental visual and performance arts
  • geographical pedagogy
  • global development
  • hazard processes and disaster/ resilience studies
  • palaeo-environmental reconstruction/climate change, and
  • sustainability and political ecology.

Operating within the context of University-wide research strategies, the unit delivers vitality and sustainability through core commitments to research leadership, and the development of all our people.

The Bath Spa Research Centre for Environmental Humanities, draws together scholars from across the University, in pursuit of new insights and creative responses in the face of deepening socio-environmental concerns and crises.

The Hazard, Risk and Disaster (HRD) grouping brings together understandings of earth system process dynamics and societal policy responses to environmental hazards and disaster risk reduction, particularly in DAC-listed countries. We have strengths in India, Kiribati and Mexico, and wider work in Guatemala and Ireland. 

The Global Citizenship and Identities group explores global interconnections surrounding the mobility of capital, people and ideas.

Research events

We host, co-host and support research events at Bath Spa and internationally. Our research centre and group events are open to the Bath Spa community, external colleagues, as well as to the general public. Take part in real-time or access our recordings.

Policy briefing/ working papers

We firmly believe in applying and translating our research for the benefit of society and environment; contributing to global challenges. Our policy briefings and working papers provide cross-sectorial connectivity and drive impactful policy-practice change.

Research films

Film, as a creative medium, provides a universal means of connecting people and fostering valuable bonds between research and societal stakeholders. We employ film in our research projects as a catalytic tool of engagement, to generate impactful outcomes.

Research and academic outputs

Go to ResearchSPAce

Freedom and environment: autonomy, human flourishing and the political philosophy of sustainability
book

Hannis, M (2015) Freedom and environment: autonomy, human flourishing and the political philosophy of sustainability. Routledge, New York. ISBN 9781138777279


Understanding and tackling poverty and vulnerability in mountain livelihoods in the Hindu Kush Himalaya
book_section

Gioli, G, Thapa, G, Khan, F, Dasgupta, P, Nathan, D, Chhetri, N, Adhikari, L, Mohanty, S.K, Aurino, E and Mapstone Scott, L (2019) 'Understanding and tackling poverty and vulnerability in mountain livelihoods in the Hindu Kush Himalaya.' In: Wester, P, Mishra, A, Mukherji, A and Shrestha, A, eds. The Hindu Kush Himalaya assessment. Springer, Cham, pp. 421-455. ISBN 9783319922874


Towards a memo-techno-ecology: mediating memories of extreme flooding in resilient communities
book_section

Garde-Hansen, J, McEwen, L and Jones, O (2016) 'Towards a memo-techno-ecology: mediating memories of extreme flooding in resilient communities.' In: Hajek, A, Lohmeier, C and Pentzold, C, eds. Memory in a mediated world: remembrance and reconstruction. Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, pp. 55-73. ISBN 9781137470119


Perceptions of Eastern European migrants in an English village: the role of the rural place image
article

Moore, H (2021) 'Perceptions of Eastern European migrants in an English village: the role of the rural place image.' Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 47 (1). pp. 267-283. ISSN 1369-183X


An annual-resolution stable isotope record from Swiss subfossil pine trees growing in the Late Glacial
article

Pauly, M, Helle, G, Büntgen, U, Wacker, L, Treydte, K, Reinig, F, Turney, C, Nievergelt, D, Kromer, B, Friedrich, M, Sookdeo, A, Heinrich, I, Riedel, F, Balting, D and Brauer, A (2020) 'An annual-resolution stable isotope record from Swiss subfossil pine trees growing in the Late Glacial.' Quaternary Science Reviews, 247. e106550. ISSN 0277-3791


Multi-proxy characterisation of the Storegga tsunami and its impact on the early Holocene landscapes of the southern North Sea
article

Gaffney, V et al (2020) 'Multi-proxy characterisation of the Storegga tsunami and its impact on the early Holocene landscapes of the southern North Sea.' Geosciences, 10 (7). e270. ISSN 2076-3263


Clouded skies: how digital technologies could reshape "Loss and Damage" from climate change
article

Bettini, G, Gioli, G and Felli, R (2020) 'Clouded skies: how digital technologies could reshape "Loss and Damage" from climate change.' WIREs Climate Change, 11 (4). e650. ISSN 1757-7799


Barriers to transformation towards participatory adaptation decision-making: lessons from the Cork flood defences dispute
article

Jeffers, J.M (2020) 'Barriers to transformation towards participatory adaptation decision-making: lessons from the Cork flood defences dispute.' Land Use Policy, 90. e104333. ISSN 0264-8377


Speaking power to ‘post-truth’: critical political ecology and the new authoritarianism
article

Neimark, B, Childs, J, Nightingale, A.J, Cavanagh, C.J, Sullivan, S, Benjaminsen, T.A, Batterbury, S, Koot, S and Harcourt, W (2019) 'Speaking power to ‘post-truth’: critical political ecology and the new authoritarianism.' Annals of the American Association of Geographers, 109 (2). pp. 613-623. ISSN 2469-4452


Towards a metaphysics of the soul and a participatory aesthetics of life: mobilising Foucault, affect and animism for caring practices of existence
article

Sullivan, S (2019) 'Towards a metaphysics of the soul and a participatory aesthetics of life: mobilising Foucault, affect and animism for caring practices of existence.' New Formations, 95. pp. 5-21. ISSN 0950-2378


Subfossil trees suggest enhanced Mediterranean hydroclimate variability at the onset of the Younger Dryas
article

Pauly, M, Helle, G, Miramont, C, Büntgen, U, Treydte, K, Reinig, F, Guibal, F, Sivan, O, Heinrich, I, Riedel, F, Kromer, B, Balanzategui, D, Wacker, L, Sookdeo, A and Brauer, A (2018) 'Subfossil trees suggest enhanced Mediterranean hydroclimate variability at the onset of the Younger Dryas.' Scientific Reports, 8 (1). e13980. ISSN 2045-2322


Making nature investable: from legibility to leverageability in fabricating 'nature' as 'natural capital'
article

Sullivan, S (2018) 'Making nature investable: from legibility to leverageability in fabricating 'nature' as 'natural capital'.' Science and Technology Studies, 31 (3). pp. 47-76. ISSN 2243-4690


The functional response and resilience in small waterbodies along land-use and environmental gradients
article

Thornhill, I, Biggs, J, Hill, M, Briers, R, Gledhill, D, Wood, P, Gee, J and Hassall, C (2018) 'The functional response and resilience in small waterbodies along land-use and environmental gradients.' Global Change Biology, 24 (7). pp. 3079-3092. ISSN 1354-1013


“Mathematics maybe, but not money”: on balance sheets, numbers and nature in ecological accounting
article

Sullivan, S and Hannis, M (2017) '“Mathematics maybe, but not money”: on balance sheets, numbers and nature in ecological accounting.' Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 30 (7). pp. 1459-1480. ISSN 0951-3574


Local and landscape scale determinants of macroinvertebrate assemblages and their conservation value in ponds across an urban land-use gradient
article

Thornhill, I, Batty, L, Death, R.G, Friberg, N.R and Ledger, M.E (2017) 'Local and landscape scale determinants of macroinvertebrate assemblages and their conservation value in ponds across an urban land-use gradient.' Biodiversity and Conservation, 26 (5). pp. 1065-1086. ISSN 0960-3115


What's ontology got to do with it? On nature and knowledge in a political ecology of the 'green economy'
article

Sullivan, S (2017) 'What's ontology got to do with it? On nature and knowledge in a political ecology of the 'green economy'.' Journal of Political Ecology, 24. pp. 217-242. ISSN 1073-0451


Biogeochemistry of intertidal microbial mats from Qatar: new insights from organic matter characterisation
article

Słowakiewicz, M, Whitaker, F, Thomas, L, Tucker, M.E, Zheng, Y, Gedl, P and Pancost, R.D (2016) 'Biogeochemistry of intertidal microbial mats from Qatar: new insights from organic matter characterisation.' Organic Geochemistry, 102. pp. 14-29. ISSN 0146-6380


The role of tourism and recreation in the spread of non-native species: a systematic review and meta-analysis
article

Anderson, L.G, Rocliffe, S, Haddaway, N.R and Dunn, A.M (2015) 'The role of tourism and recreation in the spread of non-native species: a systematic review and meta-analysis.' PLoS ONE, 10 (10). e0140833. ISSN 1932-6203


Gaining a “sense of place”: students’ affective experiences of place leading to transformative learning on international fieldwork
article

Simm, D and Marvell, A (2015) 'Gaining a “sense of place”: students’ affective experiences of place leading to transformative learning on international fieldwork.' Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 39 (4). pp. 595-616. ISSN 0309-8265


Sediment erosion dynamics of a gullied debris slide: a medium-term record
article

Johnson, R.M and Warburton, J (2015) 'Sediment erosion dynamics of a gullied debris slide: a medium-term record.' Catena, 127. pp. 152-169. ISSN 0341-8162


Coralline algal Mg-O bond strength as a marine pCO2 proxy
article

Pauly, M, Kamenos, N.A, Donohue, P and LeDrew, E (2015) 'Coralline algal Mg-O bond strength as a marine pCO2 proxy.' Geology, 43 (3). pp. 267-270. ISSN 0091-7613


Broadening understanding of environmental communication through transdisciplinary narratives on climate change - a creative & critical exploration (2017, 2019) [REF2021 collection]
artefact

Penrhyn Jones, S (2021) Broadening understanding of environmental communication through transdisciplinary narratives on climate change - a creative & critical exploration (2017, 2019) [REF2021 collection].


Pathways to Resilience [webpage]
other

Johnson, R.M and Edwards, E (2020) Pathways to Resilience [webpage].


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