Dr Nicki Whitehouse (PI), Plymouth University
Nicki is a current Associate Professor (Reader) in Physical Geography. She specialises in the analysis of fossil beetles from a variety of palaeoenvironmental settings, including archaeological sites. Much recent work has been concerned with examining early Holocene landscapes in response to natural and human-induced change and especially the transition to agriculture in the Neolithic, effects on the landscape and the extent to which such activities impacted the development of the cultural landscape.
Ms Nika Shilobod, Plymouth University
Nika is a current PhD student at Plymouth in Physical Geography. She started in October 2017 and is being supervised by Dr Nicki Whitehouse, Dr Ben Gearey and Professor Ralph Fyfe, working on the ‘Reconstructing the Wildscape’ project. After receiving her MSc in Archaeology of the North in 2014, she has been working in aerial imaging and geomatics in the United States.
Dr Kimberley Davies, Plymouth University
Kim is a post-doctoral researcher on the 'Reconstructing the Wildscape' project.
She specialises in understanding palaeoenvironments using proxies such as insects
and geochemical markers. Her recent work has focused understanding Iron Age lake
settlements and their impact in the environment.
Dr Ben Gearey (Co-I), University College, Cork, Republic of IrelandBen lectures in Environmental Archaeology with a broad range of research interests
in environmental archaeology with a particular focus on the archaeological and
palaeoenvironmental records of peatland landscapes.
Dr Henry Chapman (Co-I), University of Birmingham
Reader in archaeology and digital humanities, Henry specialises in later prehistory, wetland archaeology and the application of digital technologies to the study of past landscapes.
Dr Jane Bunting, University of Hull
M. Jane Bunting went to university intending to be a physicist and got distracted. She has a degree and PhD from the University of Cambridge, then worked as a post-doctoral researcher in Waterloo, Ontario and at the University of Stirling before starting at the University of Hull as a lecturer in 1997, where she is now a Reader. Her research interests revolve around the understanding of the long term dynamics of cultural landscapes, mostly from pollen records, and the translation of pollen diagrams into other formats such as maps which are far more helpful for talking to archaeologists, ecologists and conservation scientists about past landscapes. She has worked on modelling pollen dispersal and deposition as a member of various international working groups, including PolLandCal, Landclim and currently PAGES Landcover6k.
Thorne and Hatfield Moors Conservation Forum
Formed in 1989, the Thorne and Hatfield Moors Conservation Forum acts as an umbrella for a wide range of like-minded organisations. Its extensive network is drawn from voluntary organisations and natural history societies, and has observers from statutory agencies and local authorities.
Case study region
The Humberhead Levels consist of the remnants of what was once an extensive complex of raised mires, meres, heathlands and wetlands, which developed within this area of Yorkshire. The landscape has formed as the result of natural and anthropogenic processes over the last 10,000 years, in particular, the last 5,000 years. The raised mires of Thorne and Hatfield Moors, (NGR SE 7006), although degraded, are the remnants of this landscape, together forming the two largest surviving examples of ombrotrophic lowland raised mire in eastern England. Both mires are closely associated with the floodplains of the rivers Torne, Idle, Don and Went, many being important foci for prehistoric and Roman activity. Prior to drainage in the 17th century, these rivers weaved frequently changing courses north-eastwards towards the lower Trent and Ouse, supporting vast expanses of wetlands. At a landscape scale, the hydrological systems of the raised mires, floodplains and associated wetlands, including meres, were closely connected for much of the Holocene. Today, the region consists of the remnants of this landscape, whilst much of the featureless landscape today is largely the result of historical processes of drainage and reclamation and more recently, peat cutting.
Deep peat deposits are associated with the river floodplains, holding detailed Holocene records, some of which have been previously investigated, whilst the mires of Thorne and Hatfield Moors have been the subject of extensive archaeological and palaeoenvironmental investigations, which this project will build upon, summarise and reconsider, alongside targeted new research.
Partners:
University of Hull: Dr M. Jane Bunting
Contacts:
Dr
Nicki Whitehouse, University of Plymouth (Nicola.whitehouse@plymouth.ac.uk)
Dr Ben
Gearey, University College Cork, Republic of Ireland (b.gearey@ucc.ac.uk)
Dr
Henry Chapman, University of Birmingham (h.chapman@bham.ac.uk)
Helen
R Kirk B.E.M., Thorne and Hatfield Moors Conservation Forum (execsec@thmcf.org)
