Breaking Ground: Investigating Soil Aeration as a Natural Flood Management Strategy

 

Highlights

• Contribute to climate resilience and sustainable land management
• Hands-on fieldwork and data analysis across diverse landscapes
• Interdisciplinary training within the YES Doctoral Training Network
• Influence UK and global policy on flood risk and soil health
• Opportunity to shape future NFM strategies with real-world impact
• Ideal for candidates with backgrounds in environmental science, hydrology, geography, or soil science

 

Rationale

Flooding is one of the most pressing global challenges, exacerbated by climate change. As storm events grow in frequency and intensity, the need for strategic, evidence-based flood resilience becomes ever more urgent. Natural Flood Management (NFM) offers a promising approach by enhancing natural processes to slow and store water flow across landscapes (Lane, 2017).

Among NFM strategies, mechanical soil management techniques to reduce compaction – including soil aeration, subsoiling, and spiking – are frequently recommended within strategic catchment plans (e.g., Environment Agency and Defra (2022)). These mechanical methods work by breaking up topsoil compaction caused by livestock and/or machinery, and are recognised to improve soil water infiltration and storage capacity, drainage, water quality, and reduce soil erosion (The Royal Society, 2020).

Currently, there is a critical lack of robust evidence on how mechanical soil management techniques influence flood risk at the catchment scale (Ellis et al., 2021, Pearson et al., 2025, Smith, 2012, Wallace and Chappell, 2019), with some research indicating that soil aeration techniques may increase flood risk under certain conditions (Ellis et al., 2021, Twombly et al., 2021). UK-based aeration studies are limited (Ellis et al., 2021, Pearson et al., 2025) and soil assessment techniques vary with no standardised guidance to inform monitoring protocols following NFM delivery. Without empirical data to accurately inform catchment scale hydrological modelling, evidence- based decisions are limited.

Policy makers and practitioners urgently require scientific assessment of soil compaction alleviation strategies to inform NFM uptake.

 

Project aims

This PhD project will critically evaluate the role of soil compaction management techniques — such as subsoiling, spiking, and mechanical aeration — in reducing flood risk at the catchment scale. The successful candidate will have flexibility to design their own project which may include:

• Collaborating with Yorkshire-based stakeholders to review data from existing NFM sites which have implemented aeration-based soil management and evaluating the quality and robustness of the monitoring data collected
• Selecting sites for new field surveys of soil hydrological properties and streamflow
• Designing and implementing an aeration monitoring or comparison programme to understand the influence on catchment hydrology
• Using field data to update hydrological models and simulate the effectiveness of aeration as an NFM strategy
• Evaluating how scale, season, climate, land use, soil type and antecedent conditions influence aeration management outcomes over time using monitoring and/or modelling
• Working with local stakeholders including landowners at different stages of the project to build in local knowledge and test and communicate findings
• Feed results into policy and practice, including at local, regional and national scales such as through the NFM Community of Practice and the national NFM Evidence Directory.

The research has significant potential to generate evidence which will inform flood resilience policy and land management practices at regional, national, and international levels.

 

Training

The successful candidate will join a dynamic and supportive research environment within the School of Geography and the internationally renowned water@leeds – one of the largest interdisciplinary centres for water research in any university worldwide. The candidate will also be linked into regional flood management networks via the Yorkshire Integrated Catchment Solutions Programme (iCASP), including the Yorkshire NFM community of practice. This setting offers exceptional opportunities for academic growth and collaboration across disciplines and with industry.

Throughout the PhD, the candidate will acquire a broad and robust range of technical and analytical skills, including field skills in hydrology and soil science, hydrological modelling (e.g., SD-TOPMODEL, SWAT), programming and data analysis (e.g., Python, R), statistical analysis, GIS, and academic writing and communication skills.

In addition to bespoke supervision from Drs Steph Bond, Sam Ramsden and Megan Klaar (iCASP & School of Geography, University of Leeds), the candidate will benefit from the wider support of the River Basins Processes and Management research cluster and professional development opportunities offered through the University of Leeds and the YES-DTN. A generous training and research budget will be available to support fieldwork, conference attendance, and specialist courses.

 

Student profile

The student should have a keen interest in environmental issues with a strong background in a physical geography, earth sciences, environmental sciences, agricultural sciences, ecology or related discipline. Strong field/modelling/GIS/statistical and/or survey skills are desirable but not essential, as training will be provided during the PhD. Please get in touch with Steph Bond ([email protected]) or Sam Ramsden ([email protected]) for any informal queries.

  

References:

Ellis, N. et al (2021) Mainstreaming natural flood management: A proposed research framework derived from a critical evaluation of current knowledge. Progress in Physical Geography: Earth and Environment, 45, pp. 819–841.

Environment Agency & Defra (2022) Natural flood management work resumes to increase flood resilience in Leeds.

Lane, S.N. (2017) Natural flood management. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Water, 4, e1211.

Pearson, E. et al. (2025) Working with natural processes: Evidence directory update. In: Foley, J., Heron, E. & Hine, D. (eds.) FRS21232/RR. Bristol: Environment Agency.

Smith, K. (2012) Evaluation of land management impacts on low flows in northern England. Durham University.

The Royal Society (2020) Soil structure and its benefits: An evidence synthesis.

Twombly, C. et al. (2021) The effects of soil aeration prior to dairy manure application on edge-of-field hydrology and nutrient fluxes in cold climate hayland agroecosystems. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 76, pp. 1–13.

Wallace, E.E. & Chappell, N.A. (2019) Blade aeration effects on near‐surface permeability and overland flow likelihood on two Stagnosol pastures in Cumbria, UK. Journal of Environmental Quality, 48, pp. 1766–1774.