Title ENVIRON 2011: 21st Irish Environmental Researchers Colloquium Towards 2020: Environmental challenges and opportunities for the next decade Editor(s) Bolger, Paul Publication date 2011-04 Original citation BOLGER, P. (ed.) (2011) ENVIRON 2011: 21st Irish Environmental Researchers Colloquium. University College Cork, Cork, 6-8 April 2011. Cork: University College Cork, Environmental Protection Agency and Environmental Sciences Association of Ireland (ESAI) Type of publication Conference item Link to publisher's http://www.esaiweb.org/ version Access to the full text of the published version may require a subscription. Item downloaded http://hdl.handle.net/10468/1981 from Downloaded on 2017-02-12T07:58:21Z The 21st Irish Environmental Researchers Colloquium (ENVIRON 2011) is organised in a partnership between the Environmental Sciences Association of Ireland, the Environmental Protection Agency and University College Cork. 4 Cover Page photo: Thomas Bastian, Coastal & Marine Resources Centre, UCC CONTENTS Contents …………………………………................………………………….… 1 Welcome to ENVIRON 2011…….................………….…............... 2 Delegate Information …………………................………………..…..... 10 ENVIRON 2011 Programme..............………………………….…........ 16 Programme of Oral Presentations........................................... 20 Keynote Address, Plenary Session & Opening Chairs.............. 25 Workshops & Training Seminars…….................………..…......... 33 Oral Presentations Abstracts……………................……..….……... 45 Poster Presentation Abstracts...............………………..…..…....... 133 ESAI Annual Review………………………….................…………..…….. 192 Index of Presenters and Speakers.....……………………................ 210 1 WELCOME TO ENVIRON 2011 Dear Delegate, The ENVIRON 2011 Organising Committee extends a warm welcome to you to the 21st Irish Environmental Researchers’ Colloquium and to University College Cork (UCC). UCC last hosted the ENVIRON colloquium in 2002 and we are privileged to have the honour of hosting the colloquium again in 2011. We are also very pleased to have the Environmental Protection Agency as a partner in the colloquium this year and are grateful for their financial and administrative support for the event. As ENVIRON celebrates its 21st birthday in 2011, it is a tribute to Ireland’s environmental research community and to past ENVIRON organisers that the event continues to provide a high-visibility platform for PhD students and postdoctoral researchers to present their research to a wide audience. Since its establishment in 1990 one of the main strengths of the colloquium has been that it attracts delegates from a wide variety of disciplines and backgrounds and, in a time when science and engineering are coming increasingly specialised, the colloquium provides a unique opportunity for specialist researchers to learn what is happening outside their own research area. The theme of this year’s colloquium is “Towards 2020: Environmental challenges and opportunities for the next decade” which reflects the many environmental targets that have been set for the year 2020 in areas of climate change, renewable energy, water protection and biodiversity. In relation to the latter, we are delighted to have Professor Michael Depledge (Former Chairman of UK Science Advisory Committee on the Environment & Climate Change) at ENVIRON 2011 to deliver the colloquium keynote address on “Health and the Value of Nature”. The colloquium plenary session has a number of high profile speakers who will address the colloquium theme of environmental challenges and opportunities for the next decade including Professor John Sweeney (NUI Maynooth), Ms Laura Burke (Director of EPA’s Office of Climate, Licensing, 2 Research and Resource Use) and Mr John Mullins (CEO of Bord Gais). The research programme has 95 oral presentations and 60 poster presentations in the themes of water quality, energy and climate change, marine and coastal research, environmental management, environmental technologies, environment and health, and biodiversity and ecosystems. In addition, for the first year, poster presenters have the opportunity to make a 1 minute oral presentation on their poster during the oral sessions in the relevant theme. The 2011 colloquium also sees an increase the number of workshops and seminars accompanying the programme with an emphasis on training and development for postgraduates in the environmental area. We are particularly pleased to have a link with the Environment Graduate Programme in the “Ocean Studies Workshop” which illustrates how the ENVIRON colloquium can support and benefit from the various graduate programmes currently being developed within Universities. Finally ENVIRON 2011 and the UCC 2011 Law and the Environment symposium have been deliberately scheduled together at the same time and location to allow delegates from both conferences to benefit from each other’s programmes. The success of the ENVIRON 2011 colloquium depends on all who have contributed before and during the event and we extend a sincere thanks to all our sponsors, speakers, workshop presenters, chairs, UCC Buildings & Estates and of course our presenters who have made the event possible. We sincerely hope that you have an educational and enjoyable time at ENVIRON 2011 and in Cork. Dr. Paul Bolger, UCC ENVIRON 2011 Colloquium Convenor On behalf of the ENVIRON 2011 Organising Committee 3 ENVIRON 2011 ORGANISING COMMITTEE Conference Convenor Dr. Paul Bolger, Environmental Research Institute (ERI), UCC University College Cork Dr. Fiona Cawkwell, Department of Geography/ERI Dr. Debbie Chapman, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences/ERI Dr. Maria Falaleeva, Coastal & Marine Resources Centre/ERI Dr. Marcel Jansen, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences/ERI Dr. Owen McIntyre, Faculty of Law/ERI Dr. Jerry Murphy, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering/ERI Prof. John O’Halloran, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences/ERI Dr. Niall O’Leary, Department of Microbiology/ERI Prof. David Sheehan, Department of Biochemistry/ERI Dr. Dean Venables, Department of Chemistry/ERI Environmental Protection Agency Dr. Brian Donlon Dr. Shane Colgan Environmental Sciences Association of Ireland (ESAI) Ms. Sinead Macken, ESAI Conference Liaison Dr Shirley Gallagher, GreenWorks Ireland ESAI Council Sincere thanks to Ms. Helen McMahon, Ms. Monika Trochim and Ms. Muireann Murphy for adminstrative support. Thanks to Dr Lisa Shiels for assistance in reviewing the colloquium abstracts and to Dr Max Kozachenko for assistance with cover design. Last, but not least, thanks to students from UCC and Tralee IT who assisted “on-the- ground” during the conference to ensure the smooth running of ENVIRON 2011. 4 Thanks to ENVIRON 2011 Sponsors and Exhibitors ENVIRON 2011 Principal sponsor Sponsorship of Energy and Climate Change theme Wine reception at Keynote address Coffee break ENVIRON 2011 Exhibitors 5 Thanks to ENVIRON 2011 Prize Sponsors Soil Science Society of Ireland Thanks to ENVIRON 2011 Workshop Sponsors 6 ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AT THE EPA The Environmental Protection Agency’s supports research across a broad range of priority environmental issues including Climate Change and Water Quality. The overall purpose of the research funding programme is to protect and improve the natural environment by addressing key environmental management issues through the provision of high quality scientific knowledge. Research Reports… The EPA publishes reports on completion of research projects which are available to download at www.epa.ie/downloads/pubs/research On YouTube & SlideShare… View EPA videos and presentations: YouTube: www.youtube.com/EPAIreland SlideShare: www.slideshare.net/EPAIreland Secure Archive For Environmental Research Data… SAFER-Data [http://erc.epa.ie/safer/] is a fully web-based interface to the EPA's Environmental Research Centre's Environmental Research Data Archive. It currently holds over 1,700 files for download and use by environmental researchers ENVision… An online viewer to allow access to environmental information by region. ENVision can be used to find information on Air Quality Water Quality and Industrial or Waste facilities currently licensed by the EPA. Visit: http://gis.epa.ie/ 7 ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE University College Cork “Multidisciplinary environmental research for a sustainable future” The Environmental Research Institute was established in 2000 with a mission to support Environment, Energy and Marine based research, training and education within UCC. The Institute brings together over 200 researchers with expertise in the biological, chemical and environmental sciences as well as environmental engineering, energy and environmental law. The main aims of the Institute are to foster collaborative, multidisciplinary environmental based research through a number of key research thematic areas; train post-graduate research students for careers in the environmental sciences and engineering and finally, where possible, to facilitate the transfer of technology to industry. Research activities at the Institute are strategically focused on five thematic research areas: 1. Sustainable Energy and Environmental Engineering: Addresses key research areas covering energy/environment, energy end use and energy policy; special focus areas include wind, ocean, solar or biofuel-based energy together with studying efficient energy use in buildings (Lead PI: Dr Jerry Murphy). 2. Environmental Chemistry: Monitors and models