Staff Profile:Professor Penny Johnes

Name:

Professor Penny Johnes

Job Title:

Professor of Freshwater Science

Responsibilities:

• Director of the Aquatic Environments Research Centre
• Executive Director of  HYDRA
• Undergraduate Teaching: Aquatic Environments: Problems and Management

Areas of Interest:

• the biogeochemical cycling of the macronutrients in a range of agricultural and aquatic ecosystems;
• the environmental characteristics which can best explain the patterns of nutrient flux to waters in complex landscapes and key characteristics of importance when upscaling from field to global scale;
• the relative importance of N, P and Si as nutrients limiting primary production in rivers, lakes, estuaries and coastal waters
• the processes controlling the transport and transformation of N species and P fractions as they move along the pollutant transport pathways linking land with water;
• the role of fine sediments and dissolved organic matter in the transport of nutrient species from land to stream and within riparian wetlands, the hyporheic zone and river reaches;
• the processes of significance in modelling nutrient flux to coastal waters at regional to global scale

Postgraduate Supervision

Penny is currently supervising 5 PhD students, studying (1) Ecosystem functional responses to catchment manipulation; (2) The characterisation of dissolved organic matter flux in UK waters; (3) The transformation and aquatic impacts of carbon export from riparian wetlands; (4) Geochemical and geophysical characterisation of wetland archaeological sites in the Irish peatlands; (5) Organic nitrogen losses from buffer zones: interactions with soil structure and hydrological pathways; and (6) Social analysis of public participation in freshwater management.

She is keen to discuss new proposals for postgraduate research in the study of the following topics:

• Biogeochemical cycling in freshwater systems
• Organic matter characterisation in water supply and wastewater intake.

For further information contact: Professor Penny Johnes

Research groups / Centres:

Earth Systems Science Research Group

Key Facts:

Penny has spent the past 25 years researching biogeochemical cycling (specifically nutrient hydrochemistry dynamics) in wetland and surface freshwater systems, and more recent the rates of nutrient flux to estuaries and coastal waters.

Key findings from this work have highlighted the importance of dissolved and particulate organic N and particulate P fractions in the total nutrient load transported to and within fluvial systems; the importance of short-term, extreme flow conditions in controlling the nutrient source/sink function in aquatic ecosystems; and the necessity, when upscaling from plot to catchment or national scale, of defining as the base unit for modelling quasi-homogenous geoclimatic units exerting broadly similar controls on the rate of diffuse nutrient flux from land to water. This latter approach is now being developed by Penny and her research collaborators under the NERC Pilot Virtual Observatory  programme for soil:water systems, to develop a regionalised modelling framework for coupled hydrological and biogeochemical modelling. Ensembles of optimised models identified within the regionalised framework will then be run through the framework by environmental practitioners, removing the needs for busy environmental managements to recalibrate each model to local conditions

Penny's most recent research at regional to global scale has extended these approaches to estuarine and marine environments under the ICSU SCOPE funded Global N Cycling programme, the MARE programme on Eutrophication of the Baltic Sea funded by the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research, the IGBP and IHDP funded LOICZ (Land Ocean Interactions in the Coastal Zone) and ESF funded NinE (Nitrogen in Europe) programmes, culminating in the recent publication of the European Nitrogen Assessment (2011) by Cambridge University Press.

Ongoing research at catchment scale includes work characterising the signature of dissolved organic matter flux in freshwater systems in relation to nutrient enrichment and climatic controls. The work capitalises on recent novel analytical and in situ monitoring technologies to elucidate the fine scale variability in this character, and the ways in which the hydrochemical signature of nutrient flux from catchments may be used to diagnose the stresses on that system. Penny is also a Joint PI on the Defra funded Hampshire Avon Demonstration Test Catchment programme, involving a large consortium-or researchers from multiple research institutions. This runs 2009-2013 and is assembling, using a range of novel sensor technologies coupled with traditional field instrumentation, the empirical evidence at high spatial and temporal resolution to test the hypothesis that it is possible to reduce, cost effectively, the impact of agricultural diffuse water pollution on ecological function while maintaining food security through the implementation of multiple on-farm measures.

Publications:

Y

Jump to: 2011 | 2009 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003

Number of items: 21.

2011

• Oenema, O., Salomez, J., Branquinho, C., Budnakova, M., Cermak, P., Geupel, P., Johnes, P., Tomkins, C., Spranger, T., Erisman, J. W., Pallìere, C., Maene, L., Alonso, R., Maas, R., Magid, J., Sutton, M. A. and van Grinsven, H. (2011) Developing integrated approaches to nitrogen management. In: Sutton, M. A., Howard, C. M., Erisman, J. W., Billen, G., Bleeker, A., Grennfelt, P., van Grinsven, H. and Grizzetti, B. (eds.) European Nitrogen Assessment. Cambridge University Press, UK, pp. 541-550. ISBN 9781107006126
• Leip, A., de Vries, W., Achermann, B., Billen, G., Bleeker, A., Bouwman, L., Döring, U., Geupel, M., Johnes, P., Le Gall, A. C., Monni, S., Orlandini, A., Prod’homme, M., Simpson, D., Spranger, T., van Aardenne, J. and Winiwarter, W. (2011) Integrating nitrogen fluxes at the European scale. In: Sutton, M. A., Howard, C. M., Erisman, J. W., Billen, G., Bleeker, A., Grennfelt, P., van Grinsven, H. and Grizzetti, B. (eds.) European Nitrogen Assessment. Cambridge University Press, UK, pp. 345-376. ISBN 9781107006126
• Grizzetti, B., Bouraoui, F., Billen, G., van Grinsven, H., Cardoso, A. C., Thieu, V., Garnier, J., Curtis, C., Howarth, R. W. and Johnes, P. (2011) Nitrogen as a threat to European water quality. In: Sutton, M. A., Howard, C. M., Erisman, J. W., Billen, G., Bleeker, A., Grennfelt, P., van Grinsven, H. and Grizzetti, B. (eds.) European Nitrogen Assessment. Cambridge University Press, UK, pp. 379-404. ISBN 9781107006126
• Billen, G., Silvestre, M., Grizzetti, B., Leip, A., Bouraoui, F., Behrendt, H., Garnier, J., Humborg, C., Smedberg, E., Johnes, P., Kaste, O., Curtis, C., Lepisto, A., Kortelainen, P., Ganeshram, R., Beusen, A. and Voss, M. (2011) Nitrogen flows from European regional watersheds to coastal marine waters. In: Sutton, M. A., Howard, C. M., Erisman, J. W., Billen, G., Bleeker, A., Grennfelt, P., van Grinsven, H. and Grizzetti, B. (eds.) European Nitrogen Assessment. Cambridge University Press, UK, pp. 271-297. ISBN 9781107006126
• Howarth, R., Swaney, D., Billen, G., Garnier, J., Hong, B., Humborg, C., Johnes, P., Mörth, C.-M. and Marino, R. (2011) Nitrogen fluxes from the landscape are controlled by net anthropogenic nitrogen inputs and by climate. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. ISSN 1540-9295 doi: 10.1890/100178 (In Press)
• Durand, P., Breur, L., Johnes, P., van Grinsven, H., Butturini, A., Billen, G., Garnier, J., Maberley, S., Carvalho, L., Reay, D. and Curtis, C. (2011) Nitrogen processes in aquatic ecosystems. In: Sutton, M. A., Howard, C. M., Erisman, J. W., Billen, G., Bleeker, A., Grennfelt, P., van Grinsven, H. and Grizzetti, B. (eds.) European Nitrogen Assessment. Cambridge University Press, UK, pp. 126-146. ISBN 9781107006126

2009

• Hartikainen, H., Johnes, P., Moncrieff, C. and Okamura, B. (2009) Bryozoan populations reflect nutrient enrichment and productivity gradients in rivers. Freshwater Biology, 54 (11). pp. 2320-2334. ISSN 0046-5070 doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2427.2009.02262.x
• Vitousek, P. M., Naylor, R., Crews, T., David, M. B., Drinkwater, L. E., Holland, E., Johnes, P. J., Katzenberger, J., Martinelli, L. A., Matson, P. A., Nziguheba, G., Ojima, D., Palm, C. A., Robertson, G. P., Sanchez, P. A., Townsend, A. R. and Zhang, F. S. (2009) Nutrient Imbalances in Agricultural Development. Science, 324 (5934). pp. 1519-1520. ISSN 0036-8075 doi: 10.1126/science.1170261
• Vitousek, P. M., Naylor, R., Crews, T., David, M. B., Drinkwater, L. E., Holland, E., Johnes, P. J., Katzenberger, J., Martinelli, L. A., Matson, P. A., Nziguheba, G., Ojima, D., Palm, C. A., Robertson, G. P., Sanchez, P. A., Townsend, A. R. and Zhang, F. S. (2009) Nutrient Imbalances: Pollution Remains Response. Science, 326 (5953). pp. 665-666. ISSN 0036-8075

2007

• Johnes, P.J., Foy, R., Butterfield, D. and Haygarth, P.M. (2007) Land use for England and Wales: evaluation of management options to support 'good ecological status' in surface freshwaters. Soil Use and Management, 23 (Suppl 1). pp. 176-196. doi: 10.1111/j.1475-2743.2007.00120.x
• Johnes, P.J. (2007) Meeting ecological restoration targets in European Waters: a challenge for animal agriculture. In: Swain, D., Charmley, E., Steel, J. and Coffey, S. (eds.) Redesigning Animal Agriculture: the challenge for the 21st century. CAB International, Wallingford, pp. 185-203. ISBN 9781845932237
• Johnes, P. J. (2007) Uncertainties in annual riverine phosphorus load estimation: Impact of load estimation methodology, sampling frequency, baseflow index and catchment population density. Journal of Hydrology, 332 (1-2). pp. 241-258. ISSN 0022-1694 doi: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2006.07.006
• Peters, N.E., Reynolds, B. and Johnes, P.J. (2007) Uncertainty of water-quality predictions in ungauged basins (PUBs). International Association for Hydrological Sciences Publication, 309. pp. 63-73.

2006

• Wright, K.A.L., Johnes, P. J., Nisbet, T. and Sellers, G. (2006) Investigation into best practice for the design and management of successfully engineered wetland habitat systems on brownfield land. In: Davies, B. R. and Thompson, S. (eds.) Water and the landscape: The landscape ecology of freshwater ecosystems : proceedings of the fourteenth annual IALE (UK) conference held at Oxford Brookes University, September 2006. International Association of Landscape Ecology, Oxford, pp. 248-255. ISBN 9780954713041
• Olsson, R., Rekolainen, S., Sjöberg, B., Reisner, R., Nielsen, K., Johnes, P.J. and Piegay, H. (2006) Water Framework Directive - WFD implementation in a European perspective. Report from a workshop at the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry, 29 November 2005. Kungl. Skogs-och Lantbruksakademiens Tidskrift, 8. ISSN 0023-5350

2005

• Bennion, H., Johnes, P., Ferrier, R., Phillips, G. and Haworth, E. (2005) A comparison of diatom phosphorus transfer functions and export coefficient models as tools for reconstructing lake nutrient histories. FRESHWATER BIOLOGY , 50 (10). pp. 1651-1670. ISSN 0046-5070 doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2427.2005.01428.x

2004

• Wade, A. J., Whitehead, P., Jarvie, H. P., Neal, C., Prior, H. and Johnes, P. J. (2004) Nutrient monitoring, simulation and management within a major lowland UK river system: the Kennet. Mathematics and Computers in Simulation, 64 (3-4). pp. 307-317. ISSN 0378-4754 doi: 10.1016/s0378-4754(03)00097-1
• Evans, D. J. and Johnes, P. (2004) Physico-chemical controls on phosphorus cycling in two lowland streams. Part 1 - the water column. Science of the Total Environment, 329 (1-3). pp. 145-163. ISSN 0048-9697 doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2004.02.016
• Evans, D. J., Johnes, P. J. and Lawrence, D. S. (2004) Physico-chemical controls on phosphorus cycling in two lowland streams. Part 2 - The sediment phase. Science of the Total Environment, 329 (1-3). pp. 165-182. ISSN 0048-9697 doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2004.02.023

2003

• Johnes, P.J., Whitehead, P., Davis, S., Wade, A. and Butterfield, D. (2003) Effectiveness of eutrophication control by phosphorus reduction. R & D Technical Report . March 2003. Technical Report. Environment Agency
• Heathwaite, A. L., Fraser, A. I., Johnes, P. J., Hutchins, M., Lord, E. and Butterfield, D. (2003) The Phosphorus Indicators Tool: a simple model of diffuse P loss from agricultural land to water. Soil Use and Management, 19 (1). pp. 1-11. ISSN 0266-0032 doi: 10.1111/j.1475-2743.2003.tb00273.x

This list was generated on Sat May 26 15:42:54 2012 BST.

Earlier Publications

Uncles, R. J., Fraser, A. I., Butterfield, D., Johnes, P.J., Harrod, T.R. (2002) The Prediction of Nutrients into Estuaries and Their Subsequent Behaviour. Hydrobiologia. 475/476, 239-250

Johnes, P. J. and Butterfield, D. (2002) Landscape, regional and global estimates of N flux form land to ocean: errors and uncertainties. Biogeochemistry 57/58, 429-476.

Alexander, R. B., Johnes, P. J., Boyer, E. A. and Smith, R. A. (2002) A comparison of methods for estimating the riverine export of nitrogen from large watersheds. Biogeochemistry 57/58, 295-339.

Prior, H. and Johnes, P. J. (2002) Regulations of surface water quality in a Chalk catchment, UK: an assessment of the relative importance of instream and wetland processes. Sci. Tot. Env. 282/283, 159-174

Whitehead, P. G., Johnes, P. J. and Butterfield, D. (2002) Steady state and dynamic modelling of nitrogen in the River Kennet: impacts of land use change since the 1930s. Sci. Tot. Env. 282, 417-434

Wade, A. J., Jarvie, H. , Neal, C., Prior, H., Whitehead P. & Johnes, P. J. (2001) Nutrient Monitoring, Simulation and Management within a Major Lowland UK River System: The Kennet. Proceeding of the MODSIM conference, Australia 2001.

Johnes, P. J. (2000) Quantifying the non-point source contribution to nutrient loading on freshwaters in 32 UK catchments. Verh.Int. Verein. Limnol. 27, 1306-1309..

Johnes, P. J., Fraser, A., Harrod, T., Butterfield, D. and Withers, P. J. (2000) Quantification of National P Loss from Agriculture to Water. Environment News, MAFF.

Phillips, G. L. and  Johnes, P. J. (2000) Assessing nutrient inputs and their impacts in catchments. Proceedings of a European Union meeting on Impacts of Agriculture on Water Quality in Europe, hosted by the World Wide Fund for Nature, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Johnes, P. J. (1999) Understanding catchment history as a tool for integrated lake and catchment management. Hydrobiologia, 395/396, 41-60

Johnes, P. J., Hodgkinson, R. A. (1998) Phosphorus loss from catchments: pathways and implications for management. Soil Use and Management, 14, 175-185.

Johnes, P. J., Curtis, C., Moss, B., Whitehead, P., Bennion, H. B., & Patrick, S. (1998) Trial Classification of Lake Water Quality in England and Wales: a proposed approach. R&D Technical Report E53, Environment Agency, Bristol.

Johnes, P. J., Bennion, H. B., Curtis, C., Moss, B., Whitehead, P. & Patrick, S. (1998) Trial Classification of Lake Water Quality in England and Wales: a proposed approach. R&D Project Record E2-i721\5, Environment Agency, Bristol.

Johnes, P. J., Butterfield, D. Whitehead, P., Moss, B., Bennion, H.B., Curtis, C. & Patrick, S. (1998) Trial Classification of Lake Water Quality in England and Wales: a proposed approach. R&D Technical Report E54, Environment Agency, Bristol.

Johnes, P. J. & Heathwaite, A. L. (1997) Modelling the impact of land use change on water quality in agricultural catchments. Hydrological Processes, 11, 269-286.

Moss, B., Johnes, P. J. and Phillips, G. L. (1997) New approaches to the monitoring and classifying of standing waters. In P. J. Boon & D. L. Howell (eds) Freshwater Quality: Defining the Indefinable, HMSO, London, pp. 118-133.

Burt, T. P. and  Johnes, P. J. (1997) Managing water quality in agricultural catchments, Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 21, 1, 61-68

Trudgill, S.T., Burt, T. P., Johnes, P. J. and Heathwaite, A. L. (1997) Improving lake water quality in Slapton Ley National Nature Reserve, S. Devon, UK - amelioration by wetlands or catchment source management. IAHS publication, 243, 299-312, Wallingford, UK.

Johnes, P. J., Moss, B. and Phillips, G. L. (1996) The determination of water quality by land use, livestock numbers and population data - testing of a model for use in conservation and water quality management. Freshwater Biology, 36, 451-473.

Johnes, P. J. (1996) Evaluation and management of the impact of land use change on the nitrogen and phosphorus load delivered to surface waters: the export coefficient modelling approach. Journal of Hydrology, 183, 323-349.

Heathwaite, A. L. and Johnes, P. J. (1996) Contribution of nitrogen species and phosphorus fractions to stream water quality in agricultural catchments. Hydrological Processes, 10, 971-983

Johnes, P. J. and Wilson, H. M. (1996) The limnology of Slapton Ley. Field Studies 8, 585-612

Burt, T. P., Heathwaite, A. L. and Johnes, P. J. (1996) Stream water quality and nutrient export in the Slapton catchments. Field Studies 8, 613-627

Heathwaite, A. L., Johnes, P. J. and Peters, N. E. (1996) Trends in water quality 6: trends in nutrients. Hydrological Processes 10, 2, 263-293.

Moss, B., Johnes, P.J. and Phillips, G. L. (1996) The monitoring and classification of standing waters in temperate regions - a discussion and proposal based on a worked scheme for British waters, Biological Reviews, 71, 2, 310-339.

Moss, B., Johnes, P. J. and Phillips, G. L. (1994) Auguste Thienemann and Loch Lomond - an approach to the design of a system for monitoring the state of north-temperate standing waters. Hydrobiologia, 290, 1-12.

Johnes, P. J., Moss, B. and Phillips, G. L. (1994) Lakes- Classification and Monitoring. A strategy for the classification of lakes. NRA R&D Note 253, National Rivers Authority, Bristol.

Johnes, P. J., Moss, B. and Phillips, G. L. (1994) Lakes - Classification and Monitoring. NRA R&D Project Record 286/6/A, National Rivers Authority, Bristol.

Johnes, P.J. and Burt T. P. (1993) Nitrate in Surface Waters. In T. P. Burt, A. L. Heathwaite and S. T. Trudgill (editors) Nitrate: Processes, Patterns and Controls, Wiley, 269-317.

Johnes, P. J. and Burt, T. P. (1992) Modelling the impact on water quality of land use change in the Windrush catchment, in Land Use Changes: The Causes and Consequences, ITE Symposium no. 27, ed. M. C. Whitby, HMSO London.

Johnes, P. J. and Heathwaite, A. L. (1992) A procedure for the simultaneous determination of total nitrogen and total phosphorus in freshwater samples using persulphate microwave digestion, Water Research, 26, 10, 1281-1287.

Johnes, P.J. and Burt, T.P. (1991) Water quality trends and land use effects in the Windrush catchment: nitrogen speciation and sediment interactions, IAHS 203, 349-357.

Johnes, P. J. and Heathwaite, A. L. (1991) A procedure for the digestion of natural water samples for determination of total N and total N concentrations in freshwaters. Proc. Conf. Chemical Analysis of Natural Waters in Environmental Research: Cumbria, 4-6 Sept., 1991.

Johnes, P.J. and Burt, T.P. (1990) Modelling the impact of agriculture upon water quality in the Windrush catchment - an export coefficient approach in a representative basin. Proceedings of the Hydrological Research Basins & Environment Conference, TNO 44, The Hague, 245-252.

Burt, T. P., Johnes, P. J., Heathwaite, A., Trudgill, S. T., O'Sullivan, P., and Chell, K. (1990) Hydrological processes in the Slapton catchments and their relationship to sediment and solutes losses. Proceedings Hydrological Research Basins & Environment Conference, TNO 44, The Hague, 295-302.

Johnes, P.J. and O'Sullivan, P.E. (1989) Nitrogen and phosphorus losses from the catchment of Slapton Ley, Devon - an export coefficient approach, Field Studies 7, 2, 285-309.

Qualifications:

BSc (Plymouth) DPhil (Oxford)