Catherine Adamson
Catherine Adamson
Postgraduate
Email: c.adamson@qub.ac.uk
Address
School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology (GAP)
Queen’s University Belfast
Belfast, BT7 1NN
Northern Ireland, UK
Telephone
+44 (0)28 9097 3371
Current Research: Environmental Change
Biological Soiling of Stone in Northern Ireland: Potential Impacts of Predicted Climate Change
Changes in our local climate have already caused a noticeable increase in wet weather over recent years. This project will investigate the effects of increased time of wetness on our local sandstone buildings with particular reference to the likely increase in biological soiling.
This will include surveying the biological colonisation of several case study buildings (rural and urban) and identifying the amount, location and types of biological growth present in relation to meso and micro scale climatic influences. The project will build on the information collected as part of the Natural Stone Database project for Northern Ireland (www.stonedatabase.com). It will use this GIS to overlay regional climate data and produce a linked climate and soiling GIS database. Exposure trials to investigate the early stages of biological colonisation may also be carried out.
Research Aims
- To map and explain the possible effects of increased time of wetness (linked to climate change and possible changes in pollution regime) on the biological soiling of our quartz sandstone built heritage, principally across Northern Ireland
- To investigate the influences of increased time of wetness and increased biological colonisation on future stone performance
Presentations
Adamson, C. S., McCabe, S., McAllister, D., Smith, B. J. & Warke, P. A. 2010. Mapping the spatial distribution of precipitation, biological soiling, and decay on monuments in Northern Ireland: towards understanding long-term stone response to moisture. XIX Congress of the Carpathian Balkan Geological Association Thessaloniki, Greece.
Adamson, C., Curran, J.A., Smith, B.J, and Stelfox, D. (2007) Improving Conservation Practises: An Online Database of Building Stone in Use for Northern Ireland. Presented at the SWAPNET conference, Valletta, Malta, May 2007.
Research Membership
- British Society for Geomorphology
- British Lichen Society
- British Phycological Society
- Secretary of ES2K (Earth Sciences 2000) from 2009
Publications:
Adamson, C. S., McCabe, S., McAllister, D., Smith, B. J. & Warke, P. A. 2010. Mapping the spatial distribution of precipitation, biological soiling, and decay on monuments in Northern Ireland: towards understanding long-term stone response to moisture. XIX Congress of the Carpathian Balkan Geological Association Thessaloniki, Greece, Vol. 99: 183 – 190.
Smith, B. J., McCabe, S., McAllister, D., Adamson, C., Viles, H. A. & Curran, J. M. In Press. A commentary on climate change, stone decay dynamics and the 'greening' of natural stone buildings: new perspectives on 'deep wetting'. Environmental Earth Sciences.
Additional Information:
I completed my undergraduate degree BSc Hons Zoology (2.1) in 2001, followed by an Msc in Environmental Sciences (both at QUB). I then spent 3 years working as a research technician for QUB in the Respiratory Research Group and a further 3 working for QUB and then Consarc Design Group on the Natural Stone Database Project.
