Researchers in the Department of Geography and Geology joined forces to conduct an international research event at Edge Hill University, welcoming academics from a variety of institutions in the UK and abroad, as part of two interlinked projects: ‘Thai Coast: Coastal Vulnerability, Resilience and Adaptation in Thailand’, led by Prof Cherith Moses and funded through the Newton Fund across NERC, ESRC and Thailand Research Fund; and ‘Climate Change, Coastal Erosion and Risks of Flooding to Low-Lying Coastlines Subject to Tropical Storms, Thailand’ a Global Challenges Research Fund award lead by Prof Irene Delgado-Fernandez.

Colleagues from the Thai Universities of Mahidol, Chulalongkorn & Thammasat in Bangkok and the UK Universities of  Sussex and Brighton attended the end of year one, full project team meeting of the Thai coast project.

Dr Uma Langkulsen, Thammasat University, Thailand said:

The workshop was well organized and provided excellent information and opportunity to learn from other countries.

Dr Kanchana Nakhapakorn, Mahidol University said:

It was my pleasure and honour to present and share my experiences in coastal vulnerability.

It was a pleasure  to meet you and your team including your research network and to listen to your colleagues presentation…..refreshed my long-time knowledge in geology and geomorphology. I also look forward to continuing working with you and your team too.

In addition to reporting progress for each of the project’s six work packages, the Thai coast project team were joined by EHU colleagues who reported on results of the GCRF funded project and showcased other ongoing research in the department including palaeotempestology and multi-scalar governance of coastal wetlands.

Projects teams visiting ‘The Beach’ at EHU (top-left) and discussing results via oral presentations, meetings, and group talks.

The event continued with a field trip to the Sefton Coast, that provided key opportunities for knowledge exchange between local coastal managers and the group of international researchers who were joined by additional colleagues from the Universities of Mount Allison (Canada), Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Spain), NUI Galway (Ireland), Stirling and Huddersfield (UK).

The group visited several sites along the coast, from marshland to the north of Southport down to Crosby in the outskirts of Liverpool. On the way, the group stopped to visit Sefton Council’s Ainsdale Discovery Centre, and learned much about beach and dune management during site visits with coastal managers from Natural England (NNR) and The National Trust at Formby.

Top and middle row: Group photo with Andrew Brockbank (The National Trust – left) and Natalie Hunt (Natural England – right). Bottom row: visits to Ainsdale beach-dune system.