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School of Geography

Professor Angela Gurnell

Angela

Emeritus Professor of Physical Geography

Email: a.m.gurnell@qmul.ac.uk

Profile

My research interests are at the interface between hydrology, geomorphology and plant ecology, with particular emphasis on the morphodynamics and sustainable management of rivers and their margins. My current research pursues two main research themes: (i) interactions between vegetation and fluvial processes; (ii) monitoring and assessing rivers

Some Recent Publications

  • Gurnell, A.M., Bertoldi, W. 2020. Extending the conceptual model of river island development to different environmental conditions and tree species. River Research and Applications, 36(7): 1183-1201.

  • Bertoldi, W., Gurnell, A.M. 2020. Physical engineering of an island-braided river by two riparian tree species: evidence from aerial images and airborne lidar. River Research and Applications, 36(7): 1183-1201.

  • Gurnell, A.M., Scott, S.J., England, J., Gurnell, D.J., Jeffries, R., Shuker, L., Wharton, G. 2020. Assessing river condition: A multiscale approach designed for operational application in the context of biodiversity net gain. River Research and Applications, 36(8): 1559-1578.

  • Shumilova O., Tockner K., Gurnell A.M., Langhans S.D., Righetti M., Lucía A., Zarfl C. 2019. Floating matter: A neglected component of the ecological integrity of rivers. Aquatic Sciences 81, doi:10.1007/s00027-019-0619-2

  • Wohl, E., Comiti, F., Fausch, K., Gurnell, A.M., Jaeger, K., Kramer, N., Lininger, K., Piégay, H., Ruiz-Villanueva, V., Scott, D., Stout, J., Walters, D. 2019. The natural wood regime in rivers. BioScience, 69, 259-273, doi:10.1093/biosci/biz013

  • Gurnell, A.M., England, J., Shuker, L., Wharton, G., 2019. The contribution of volunteers to river monitoring: international and national perspectives and the example of the MoRPh survey. River Research and Applications, 35(8), 1359-1373.

  • Henshaw, A.J., Sekarsari, P., Zolezzi, G., Gurnell, A.M., 2019. Google Earth as a data source for investigating river forms and processes: Discriminating river types using form-based process indicators. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 45(2), 331-344.

  • Politti, E., Bertoldi, W., Gurnell, A.M., Henshaw, A., 2018. Feedbacks between the riparian Salicaceae and hydrogeomorphic processes: a quantitative review. Earth Science Reviews, 176, 147-165.

  • Serlet, A.J., Gurnell, A.M., Zolezzi, G., Wharton, G., Belleudy, P., Jourdan, C. 2018. Biomorphodynamics of alternate bars in a channelized, regulated river: insights from an analysis of historical records. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 43, 1739–1756, doi: 10.1002/esp.4349.

  • Gurnell, A.M., Bertoldi, W., Francis, R.A., Gurnell, J., Mardhiah, U. 2018. Understanding processes of island development on an island braided river over timescales from days to decades. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. 44(2): 624-640. Doi: 10.1002/esp.4494

  • Gurnell, A.M. 2018. Twenty-five years of progress in physical geography: a personal view of its antecedents and trajectory. Geography 103, 122-136.

  • Holloway, J.V., Rillig, M.C., Gurnell, A.M. 2017. Underground Riparian Wood: Buried Stem and Coarse Root Structures of Black Poplar (Populus nigra L.). Geomorphology 279, 188-198. DOI: 10.1016/j.geomorph.2016.08.002

  • Holloway, J.V., Rillig, M.C., Gurnell, A.M. 2017. Underground Riparian Wood: Reconstructing the Processes Influencing Buried Stem and Coarse Root Structures of Black Poplar (Populus nigra L.). Geomorphology 279, 199-208. DOI: 10.1016/j.geomorph.2016.07.027

  • Belletti, B., Rinaldi, M., Bussettini, M., Comiti, F., Gurnell, A.M., Mao, L., Nardi, L., Vezza, P. 2017. Characterising physical habitats and fluvial hydromorphology: a new system for the survey and classification of river geomorphic units. Geomorphology 283, 143-157.

  • Holloway, J.V., Rillig, M.C., Gurnell, A.M. 2017. Physical Environmental Controls on Riparian Root Profiles associated with Black Poplar (Populus Nigra L.) along the Tagliamento River, Italy. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. DOI: 10.1002/esp.4076

  • Zen, S., Gurnell, A.M., Zolezzi, G., Surian, N. 2017. Exploring the role of trees in the evolution of meander bends: the Tagliamento River, Italy. Water Resources Research, 53, doi:10.1002/2017WR020561.

Awards

  • 2002    Victoria Medal, Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)
  • 2003    recognised as a ‘Pioneer in the life of the Nation’ by Queen Elizabeth II for contributions to river system management
  • 2012    Linton Medal, British Society for Geomorphology
  • 2021    Alfred Wegener Medal, European Geosciences Union
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