research proposal environmental communication

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Yale Center for Environmental Communication

YCEC conducts research on the psychological, cultural, and political factors that influence environmental attitudes and behavior; teaches students and trains working professionals; informs and engages the public through environmental journalism; and supports a global network of organizations seeking to build public and political will for environmental solutions.

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The Center for Environmental Communication includes:

• The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication

Yale Climate Connections

Yale environment 360.

• The Environmental Film Festival at Yale (EFFY)
• Sage Magazine
• The Yale Environment Review

Teaching and Training

The YCEC provides courses in environmental communication for Yale graduate and undergraduate students and training programs for working environmental professionals. Current environmental communication courses include (all at YSE except as noted):

• Strategic Environmental Communication (Leiserowitz)
• Writing as a Public Scholar (Hanes)
• Writing the World (Klinkenborg)
• Writing Workshop (Cohn)
• Documentary Film and the Environment (Musser, in American Studies)
• Documentary Film Workshop (Musser, in American Studies)
• Global Communication Skills (Vance)
• Professional Skills Course: Environmental Communicator (Vance)
• Delivering Effective Presentations (Reich)
• Food and Documentary (Cheney)
• Introduction to Environmental Data Science (Fenichel, Marlon, Queenborough)
• Environmental Data Visualization and Communication (Marlon, Queenborough)
• Environmental Risk Communication (Schwarz)
• Yale Environment Review (student-led; Kotchen is Faculty Advisor)
• Understanding Environmental Campaigns and Policymaking: Strategies and Tactics  (Northrop)
• Ethical Consumption, by Ian Robinson
• Environmental Organizing , by Ian Robinson
• A Toolkit for Communicating Environmental Science , taught by Washington Post Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Chris Mooney

Beyond YCEC, professional development courses in environmental communication at Yale include Marketing for Sustainability offered by the Yale School of Management's Executive Education program and a course on Communicating Climate Change and Health at the Yale School of Public Health.

Environmental Journalism

The YCEC informs and engages the public in environmental science and solutions through several environmental journalism initiatives.

• Yale Environment 360 is an award-winning online magazine featuring reporting, opinion, and analysis on global environmental issues.
• Yale Climate Connections is a climate change news service featuring articles, videos and a radio program broadcast daily on more than 680 stations and frequencies nationwide.
• The Environmental Film Festival at Yale is a student-run annual film festival showcasing incisive, cutting edge films that highlight the environmental and social issues of our time.
• Sage Magazine is a student-run literary magazine that expands environmentalism through provocative conversation and the arts.
• The Yale Environment Review is a student-run magazine that provides weekly updates translating cutting edge research for a lay audience.

The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (YPCCC) and the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting have partnered to connect journalists reporting on climate change with leading researchers and students studying climate change communication. YPCCC and the Pulitzer Center bring leading environmental journalists to Yale for faculty and student seminars and public presentations. The Pulitzer Center also supports a competitive fellowship program, giving Yale students an opportunity to work directly with Pulitzer journalists as part of a training program in Washington, D.C. Finally, YPCCC and the Pulitzer Center produce and distribute climate-focused content to a wide national audience.

Supporting A Global Network of Environmental Communicators

The YCEC organizes national and international meetings, conferences and events to convene climate change and environmental leaders and supports a global network of environmental communications scholars and practitioners. Recent examples of YCEC convenings:

• The Environmental Film Festival at Yale hosted its 13 th annual festival in Spring 2021 highlighting the urgent global and social issues of our time.
• In April 2021, YCEC presented a talk with Blanca Begert, 2020  YPCCC/Pulitzer Center Climate Reporting Fellow, pairing her with Pulitzer Center reporter Dan Grossman and photojournalist Dado Galdieri to share their research and reporting on complications of tropical forest carbon in Central and South America.
• In 2019, Yale Environment 360 hosted video talks for YSE students with award-winning author and biologist David George Haskell; New Yorker writer Ian Frazier, and Pulitzer Prize winner and E360 contributor Elizabeth Kolbert. And Yale Environment 360 continued to host its annual International Video Contest , with more than 400 entries from six continents in 2020.
• In February 2021, the YPCCC was hosted by the Institute of Technology and Society of Brazil to announce and discuss findings of a study of Brazilian public perception of climate change  on which YPCCC advised

The YCEC is supported by the Tides Foundation, the Grantham Foundation for Protection of the Environment, and the MacArthur Foundation.

Related Centers, Programs, and Initiatives

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (YPCCC)

YPCCC is a leader in climate change communication, tracking Americans’ perception of climate change at all scales and building public and political will for climate action.

An original, independent voice in environmental journalism, E360 is an online magazine that publishes opinion, analysis, reporting, and debate on global environmental issues.

Across hundreds of radio frequencies and streaming services, Climate Connections is creating nonpartisan reporting, commentary, and analysis on the issue of climate change.

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Open all abstracts , in this tab

Kristina Dahl et al 2019 Environ. Res. Commun. 1 075002

The National Weather Service of the United States uses the heat index—a combined measure of temperature and relative humidity—to define risk thresholds warranting the issuance of public heat alerts. We use statistically downscaled climate models to project the frequency of and population exposure to days exceeding these thresholds in the contiguous US for the 21st century with two emissions and three population change scenarios. We also identify how often conditions exceed the range of the current heat index formulation. These 'no analog' conditions have historically affected less than 1% of the US by area. By mid-21st century (2036–2065) under both emissions scenarios, the annual numbers of days with heat indices exceeding 37.8 °C (100 °F) and 40.6 °C (105 °F) are projected to double and triple, respectively, compared to a 1971–2000 baseline. In this timeframe, more than 25% of the US by area would experience no analog conditions an average of once or more annually and the mean duration of the longest extreme heat index event in an average year would be approximately double that of the historical baseline. By late century (2070–2099) with a high emissions scenario, there are four-fold and eight-fold increases from late 20th century conditions in the annual numbers of days with heat indices exceeding 37.8 °C and 40.6 °C, respectively; 63% of the country would experience no analog conditions once or more annually; and extreme heat index events exceeding 37.8 °C would nearly triple in length. These changes amount to four- to 20-fold increases in population exposure from 107 million person-days per year with a heat index above 37.8 °C historically to as high as 2 billion by late century. The frequency of and population exposure to these extreme heat index conditions with the high emissions scenario is roughly twice that of the lower emissions scenario by late century.

Simon Davidsson Kurland 2020 Environ. Res. Commun. 2 012001

Estimates of energy use for lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery cell manufacturing show substantial variation, contributing to disagreements regarding the environmental benefits of large-scale deployment of electric mobility and other battery applications. Here, energy usage is estimated for two large-scale battery cell factories using publicly available data. It is concluded that these facilities use around 50–65 kWh (180–230 MJ) of electricity per kWh of battery capacity, not including other steps of the supply chain, such as mining and processing of materials. These estimates are lower than previous studies using data on pilot-scale or under-utilized facilities but are similar to recent estimates based on fully utilized, large-scale factories. The environmental impact of battery manufacturing varies with the amounts and form of energy used; especially as renewable sources replace electricity from fossil fuels. As additional large-scale battery factories are taken into use, more data should become available, and the reliance on outdated, unrepresentative, and often incomparable, estimates of energy usage in the emerging Li-ion battery industry should be avoided.

Emily Rehberger et al 2023 Environ. Res. Commun. 5 052001

Regenerative agriculture aims to increase soil organic carbon (SOC) levels, soil health and biodiversity. Regenerative agriculture is often juxtaposed against 'conventional' agriculture which contributes to land degradation, biodiversity loss, and greenhouse gas emissions. Although definitions of regenerative agriculture may vary, common practices include no or reduced till, cover cropping, crop rotation, reduced use or disuse of external inputs such as agrichemicals, use of farm-derived organic inputs, increased use of perennials and agroforestry, integrated crop-livestock systems, and managed grazing. While the claims associated with some of these practices are supported by more evidence than others, some studies suggest that these practices can be effective in increasing soil organic carbon levels, which can have positive effects both agriculturally and environmentally. Studies across these different regenerative agriculture practices indicate that the increase in soil organic carbon, in comparison with conventional practices, varies widely (ranging from a nonsignificant difference to as high as 3 Mg C/ha/y). Case studies from a range of regenerative agriculture systems suggest that these practices can work effectively in unison to increase SOC, but regenerative agriculture studies must also consider the importance of maintaining yield, or risk the potential of offsetting mitigation through the conversion of more land for agriculture. The carbon sequestration benefit of regenerative practices could be maximized by targeting soils that have been intensively managed and have a high carbon storage potential. The anticipated benefits of regenerative agriculture could be tested by furthering research on increasing the storage of stable carbon, rather than labile carbon, in soils to ensure its permanence.

Haider Taha 2024 Environ. Res. Commun. 6 035016

Cool pavements represent one of several strategies that can mitigate the effects of urban overheating by increasing albedo. By definition, this means increasing reflected and potentially re-absorbed short-wave radiation but also decreased surface and air temperatures and longwave upwelling, thus reducing radiant temperatures. So far, real-world studies have been inconclusive as to net effects from cool pavements. A project by GAF installed reflective pavements in Pacoima, California, in summer of 2022. This study set out to perform detailed, high spatiotemporal resolution, multi-platform observations to quantify micrometeorological benefits of the cool pavements and address concerns regarding glare, chemistry/air quality, and pedestrian thermal comfort. Results indicated large variability, as expected, but that the dominant effects were beneficial both in direct side-by-side, real-time comparisons (RT) between test and reference areas, as well as in difference-of-difference (DofD) to quantify local changes in test areas. During a heatwave in September 2022, maximum air-temperature differences (averaged over individual street segments) reached up to −1.9 °C RT in the afternoon. During non-heatwave, hot summer days, the largest street-segment-averaged afternoon air-temperature differences reached up to −1.4 °C RT or −2.8 °C DofD, and surface temperature up to −9.2 °C RT or −12.2 °C DofD. Whereas above values represent maximum effects, more typical street-segment averages also showed statistically significant benefits. In the afternoon, the mean of air-temperature differences was −0.2 °C RT and −1.2 °C DofD. The mean of surface-temperature differences was −2.6 °C RT and −4.9 °C DofD. Indicators of pedestrian thermal comfort also showed variability but predominantly a cooling effect. The mean of differences in mean radiant temperature was between −0.9 and −1.3 °C RT, and for physiological equivalent temperature, between −0.2 °C and −0.6 °C RT and −1.7 °C DofD. In terms of predicted mean vote, the mean of differences was −0.09 RT and −0.32 DofD.

Niloufar Nouri and Naresh Devineni 2022 Environ. Res. Commun. 4 021001

This study presents an assessment of the spatial and temporal characteristics of large tornado outbreak (LTOs) days, in which several counties were impacted by tornadoes rated F2(EF2) or greater on the Fujita (Enhanced Fujita) scale in one day. A statistical evaluation of changes in the LTO clusters for two periods, 1950–1980 and 1989–2019, has been performed. There is a geographical shift of the nucleus (central impact location) towards the southeast United States. This spatial shift is also accompanied by reduced spatial variance, suggesting LTOs have become less dispersed (or more localized) in the recent period. The overall inter-arrival rate of LTOs, and how it changed during successive 31-year climatological blocks between 1950–2019 was investigated using an exponential probability model. The arrival rate has changed from 124 days during 1950–1980 to 164 days during 1977–2007 and remained relatively constant during later periods, indicating that LTOs are becoming less frequent.

Yiannis Kountouris and Eleri Williams 2023 Environ. Res. Commun. 5 011003

Protests are frequently used to raise public awareness of environmental challenges and increase support for pro-environmental behavior and policy. In this paper we examine the influence of protests on environmental attitudes, focusing on Extinction Rebellion's April 2019 campaign of civil disobedience in the UK. Using individual-level survey data collected around the time of the protest, we exploit its exogeneity to the timing of survey response, to compare attitudes towards sustainable lifestyles, perceptions of own environmental impact, support for pro-environmental policy and behavior, and views about the severity and imminence of environmental crises, before and after the protest. There is evidence that the protest is related to lower probability of opposing pro-environmental behavior and policy, and lower willingness to pay a premium for environmentally friendly consumption. We do not find evidence that the protest alienated the public from sustainable lifestyles, influenced perceptions of personal environmental impact, or views about the imminence and severity of environmental crises. Results suggest the need for systematic study of the impact of environmental protests on the general public's environmental attitudes and behaviors.

Ahmed M S Kheir et al 2024 Environ. Res. Commun. 6 041005

Estimating smallholder crop yields robustly and timely is crucial for improving agronomic practices, determining yield gaps, guiding investment, and policymaking to ensure food security. However, there is poor estimation of yield for most smallholders due to lack of technology, and field scale data, particularly in Egypt. Automated machine learning (AutoML) can be used to automate the machine learning workflow, including automatic training and optimization of multiple models within a user-specified time frame, but it has less attention so far. Here, we combined extensive field survey yield across wheat cultivated area in Egypt with diverse dataset of remote sensing, soil, and weather to predict field-level wheat yield using 22 Ml models in AutoML. The models showed robust accuracies for yield predictions, recording Willmott degree of agreement, (d > 0.80) with higher accuracy when super learner (stacked ensemble) was used (R 2 = 0.51, d = 0.82). The trained AutoML was deployed to predict yield using remote sensing (RS) vegetative indices (VIs), demonstrating a good correlation with actual yield (R 2 = 0.7). This is very important since it is considered a low-cost tool and could be used to explore early yield predictions. Since climate change has negative impacts on agricultural production and food security with some uncertainties, AutoML was deployed to predict wheat yield under recent climate scenarios from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6). These scenarios included single downscaled General Circulation Model (GCM) as CanESM5 and two shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs) as SSP2-4.5and SSP5-8.5during the mid-term period (2050). The stacked ensemble model displayed declines in yield of 21% and 5% under SSP5-8.5 and SSP2-4.5 respectively during mid-century, with higher uncertainty under the highest emission scenario (SSP5-8.5). The developed approach could be used as a rapid, accurate and low-cost method to predict yield for stakeholder farms all over the world where ground data is scarce.

Marco Girardello et al 2024 Environ. Res. Commun. 6 041004

Land-surface phenology is a widely used indicator of how terrestrial ecosystems respond to environmental change. The spatial variability of this plant functional trait has also been advocated as an indicator of the functional composition of ecosystems. However, a global-scale assessment of spatial patterns in the spatial heterogeneity of forest phenology is currently lacking. To address this knowledge gap, we developed an index based on satellite retrievals and used it to quantify phenological diversity across global forest biomes. We show that there is considerable variation in phenological diversity among biomes, with the highest overall levels occurring in arid and temperate regions. An analysis of the drivers of the spatial patterns revealed that temperature-related factors primarily determine the variation in phenological diversity. Notably, temperature seasonality and mean annual temperature emerged as the most significant variables in explaining this global-scale variability. Furthermore, an assessment of temporal changes over an 18-year period revealed strong climate-driven shifts of phenological diversity in boreal and arid regions, suggesting that there may be an ongoing widespread homogenisation of land surface phenology within forest ecosystems. Our findings ultimately contribute to the development of a novel Essential Biodiversity Variable, which may enable scientists and practitioners to quantify the functional composition of ecosystems at unprecedented spatial and temporal scales.

Dongyong Zhang et al 2023 Environ. Res. Commun. 5 045002

Waste separation at source has been proved to be an effective way to reduce the amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) which has become a major challenge to China's ecological environment. However, waste source separation requires effort from each individual citizen. As the important drivers of change and potential influencers of the future world, younger Chinese's waste separation behaviour is crucial to the long-term successful implementation of China's MSW separation policy. To explore the waste separation behaviour of younger Chinese and identify the factors that may influence their behaviour so as to better encourage younger generation of Chinese to practice waste sorting in their daily lives, a questionnaire survey of 579 primary and middle school (PMS) students aged between 6 and18 years old (y/o) was carried out in Yingtan City, Jiangxi Province, China. Binary logistic regression was adopted to explore the factors that might influence the respondents' waste separation behaviour. The results indicate that more than half PMS students in Yingtan have participated in waste separation, and junior year students perform better in waste separation practice than their seniors. Students are found to have basic knowledge of MSW classification, but they are more familiar with recyclable waste and hazardous waste than non-recyclable waste. The analysis also highlights positive relationships between PMS students' attitude to waste separation, their willingness to do it, their environmental education and their waste separation behaviour. The level of convenience of waste sorting facilities and influences from friends and families are also positively related to the students' waste separation practice, but families have the strongest influence. The perception of a mandatory waste separation policy would demotivate students in terms of waste separation practice, while giving rewards is considered to be the most effective approach to encouraging waste separation. Finally, management strategies for improving PMS students' waste separation behaviour are discussed and several recommendations for improvement are made.

Jagmohan Sharma and Nijavalli H Ravindranath 2019 Environ. Res. Commun. 1 051004

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Working Group II Report (2014) presents vulnerability as a pre-existing characteristic property of a system. Accordingly, indicators for 'sensitivity' and 'adaptive capacity', which are internal properties of a system, are employed to assess it. Comparatively, the IPCC 2007 report includes 'exposure', an external factor, as the third component of vulnerability. We have compared the construct of vulnerability presented in IPCC 2007 and 2014 reports. It is argued that the results of vulnerability assessment obtained by adopting IPCC 2014 framework are practically more useful for reducing current vulnerability in preparedness to deal with an uncertain future. In the process, we have articulated the novel concepts of 'selecting hazard-relevant vulnerability indicators' and 'assessing hazard-specific vulnerability'. Use of these concepts improves the contextualization of an assessment and thereby the acceptability of assessment results by the stakeholders.

Latest articles

Sudarsan Bera et al 2024 Environ. Res. Commun. 6 055009

Christine Padalino et al 2024 Environ. Res. Commun. 6 051005

Hot extremes, such as heatwaves, have been associated with health, economic, and ecosystem-wide impacts. The timing of emergence of changes in extremes due to anthropogenic climate change is a topic of broad scientific and societal importance. While various studies have estimated the timing and impacts of heatwaves, the definitional aspect of a heatwave in determining the relative time of emergence has not been addressed. We adopt two commonly used definitions of heatwave employed in different reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to evaluate the time at which the frequency of heatwaves becomes detectably different from the historical baseline using an ensemble of 10 GCMS from the CMIP6 archives forced by the SSP2–4.5 concentration pathway. For a heatwave definition of sustained temperatures exceeding 5 °C warmer above the historical climatology, time of emergence is earliest in high latitudes over land and displays correlation with the signal (amount of warming) and noise (variability). In contrast, for a heatwave definition of sustained temperatures exceeding the 90th percentile of historical climatology, time of emergence is earliest in low latitude regions and is correlated with the signal to noise ratio. This work underscores the importance of metric choice in estimating the timing of new climate regimes and that metric selection for informing adaptation timing should thus be tailored to the regional context.

Rou Wen and Hongyi Li 2024 Environ. Res. Commun. 6 055008

Improving urban land green use efficiency (ULGUE) is essential for achieving the sustainable use of land resources and the high-quality economic development of cities. The digital economy has overcome spatial and locational constraints, blurred the boundaries between industries, and created a collaborative and open economic model, inevitably affecting urban land utilization. However, whether the digital economy will affect ULGUE and how such an effect would take place are still unclear. This study evaluates the digital economy and ULGUE of Chinese cities from 2011 to 2019 and systematically analyzes both the direct and indirect impact mechanisms through which the digital economy affects ULGUE. The results show that the digital economy can significantly enhance ULGUE, and these results prove to be reliable, as shown by various endogeneity treatments and robustness tests. The digital economy enhances ULGUE by optimizing the industrial structure (structural effect), increasing green technology innovation (technical effect), and agglomerating digital talent (scale effect). Moreover, land finance dependency plays an adverse moderating role in the relationship between the digital economy and ULGUE. Further heterogeneity analysis shows that the promoting effect of the digital economy on ULGUE takes full effect in the eastern cities, larger cities, and cities with high levels of digital economy development and land marketization. This paper presents recommendations for supporting the balanced and integrated development of the digital economy across regions and provides differentiated development strategies to enhance ULGUE in the context of digitization.

Xinxin Yu 2024 Environ. Res. Commun. 6 055007

As climate change risks intensify worldwide, green technological innovation by enterprises has become a crucial factor affecting the balance between economic development and ecological governance. This paper utilizes data from Chinese A-share listed companies in heavily polluting industries from 2011 to 2021 to investigate the impact and mechanism of the knowledge spillover effect of enterprise digital finance development on the phenomenon of 'low-end lock-in' in green innovation. The study finds that digital finance development significantly promotes green innovation in enterprises, with a more pronounced enhancement in high-end green innovation output, thereby mitigating the phenomenon of 'low-end lock-in' in green innovation. Mechanism analysis reveals that the development of digital finance in enterprises facilitates high-end green innovation by alleviating financing constraints and enhancing internal control levels through internal and external governance structures. Heterogeneity tests indicate that the promotion effect of digital finance development on high-end green innovation is more pronounced in samples of state-owned enterprises, large and medium-sized enterprises, and enterprises in central and eastern regions. This paper constructs an index of digital finance development for enterprises through text analysis, providing theoretical support for micro-enterprise research on digital finance development and empirical support for the impact of financial development trends on theories of enterprise green innovation.

Tufail Shakeel et al 2024 Environ. Res. Commun. 6 055006

This study aims to evaluate the plant species potential to accumulate, concentrate and translocate the heavy metals around the coal mining contaminated site with heavy metals at Harnoi, Abbottabad. The phytosociological surveys involve the systematic study of plant communities within the particular area to show their composition, structure and distribution showed that the contaminated coal mining-associated area was poor in vegetation. Among these, 11 plant species with higher important values (IV) are collected with associated soil and analyzed for the total concentrations of Cadmium (Cd), Copper (Cu), Chromium (Cr), Lead (Pb) and Nickel (Ni) using Atomic Spectrophotometer. The phytoremediation indices (BAF, BCF, TF and TI) were used to evaluate the multi-metals hyperaccumulator and stabilizer plant species. Dodonaea viscosa was evaluated as multi-metals (Cd, Cu and Ni) stabilizer. While the Ajuga bracteosa and Sonchus espera , Sisybrium officinale and Platango ovata stabilize Cd and Cr respectively. The other plant species that can stabilize as single heavy metal are Ajuga bracteosa and Sonchus espera (Cd), Sisybrium officinale and Platango ovata (Cr) and Amaranthus spinosus (Ni) respectively. While the multi-metals accumulator plant species are Bidens pilosa (Cu, Pb and Ni), Chenopodium ambrosioides (Cd, Cu and Ni), Amaranthus spinosus (Cd, Cu and Cr), Ajuga bracteosa (Pb and Ni) and Rumex hastatus (Cd and Ni). However, the single heavy metal accumulator plant species are Sonchus espera (Pb), Conyzea Canadensis (Ni), Platango ovata and Malvastrum coromandelianum (Cu) respectively. These plants could find valuable applications in practical phytoremediation for the remediation near mining tailings at Abbottabad. Moreover, the use of local plants is a promising approach not only for in situ accumulation and stabilization of heavy metals but also for tolerance and environmental adaptations in the contaminated area.

Review articles

Devi R Asih et al 2024 Environ. Res. Commun. 6 042001

Indonesia is renowned as an agricultural powerhouse, ranking first globally in oil palm production. This prominence in agriculture leads to the consistent generation of agro-industrial waste, notably Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME). Effectively addressing these waste concerns is important due to their adverse impacts on aquatic ecosystems and the nation's health and economy. Anthropogenic wastewater with excessive phosphorus content can trigger eutrophication and toxic algal blooms, posing environmental risks and potentially precipitating a future clean water crisis. Thus, a comprehensive approach is necessary to restore the environment and biogeochemical cycles. Treatment efforts involving bioremediation agents aim to recycle organic and inorganic pollutants in the environment. Photosynthetic organisms like plants and microalgae serve as effective bioremediation agents, capable of absorbing excess phosphorus. They can utilize phosphate as an energy source to boost biomass. Integrating these bioremediation agents with bioengineering technology optimizes the treatment efficacy while simultaneously producing valuable biomass for products and bioenergy. This review article explores photosynthetic organisms' multifunctional role as phosphorus bioremediation agents for wastewater treatment, minimizing environmental pollutant impacts, and providing biomass for fertilizers, polymers, bioplastics, and renewable energy. Furthermore, this study unveils opportunities for future technological advancements in this field.

Dumisani Shoko Kori et al 2024 Environ. Res. Commun. 6 032002

Climate change adaptation research is currently a policy priority. For smallholder farmers, it provides opportunities for resilience building. The research area is growing rapidly and calls to synthesize existing data have been made. Existing work forms a basic picture of the trends in the research area. However, it is limited in scope and methodological approaches used. This work synthesizes climate change adaptation research on smallholder farmers in Southern Africa. It gives an overview of past and current directions of climate change adaptation research using a combination of bibliometric analysis techniques and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis. Results show a steady growth in research, a disproportionate distribution of research and weak research collaboration among Southern African countries. Diverse methodologies are in use but a combination of approaches is rare. Co-occurrence of keywords show recognizable strides in research ranging from adaptation to mitigation linkages to the influence of climate change impacts on adaptation and livelihood outcomes. Strengthened research collaboration between countries in Southern Africa should be advocated for. This would help develop viable, appropriate and localized adaptation solutions. Equitable allocation of funding is pertinent to ensure uniform research activity and adaptation action across the region. A combination of research approaches is needed to push forward adaptation research on smallholder farmers in Southern Africa.

Coleman Vollrath et al 2024 Environ. Res. Commun. 6 032001

Research on methane (CH 4 ) emissions from the oil and gas (O&G) industry informs policies, regulations, and international initiatives that target reductions. However, there has been little integration and synthesis of the literature to document the state of knowledge, identify gaps, and determine key insights that can guide research priorities and mitigation. To address this, we performed a scoping review of 237 English-language peer-reviewed articles on CH 4 emissions from onshore O&G sources, charting data on five research themes: publication trends, geography, measurement levels and methods, emissions sources, and emissions rates. Almost all articles (98%) were published between 2012 and 2022 with an increasing publication rate, indicating a nascent and evolving understanding of the science. Most articles (72%) focused on CH 4 emissions from the U.S. O&G industry and were written by U.S.-based authors (69%), while other major O&G-producing countries like Saudi Arabia, Russia, and China were under-represented. Upstream was the most frequently studied supply chain segment, where U.S.-focused articles accounted for 75% of the research. Nearly half the articles (43%) included in the review reported site-level measurements, limiting the identification of equipment- and component-level emissions sources and root cause. Articles that measured or identified equipment-level sources (18%) noted high emissions from tanks, unlit flares, and compressors. The most common stand-off measurement platforms were vehicles and aircraft, while the use of satellites increased in articles published since 2019. Reported emissions profiles were consistently heavy-tailed and indicate method-based and geographic differences in magnitude and skew. All articles (n = 26) that compared inventory- to measurement-based estimates of emissions found large discrepancies in that inventories under-estimated the latter by a factor of 1.2–10 times. We recommend future research focus on: (i) field-based emissions studies for under-represented regions and source categories, (ii) identifying root causes and linking measurements to mitigation, and (iii) multi-level measurement integration.

Haochuan Lin 2024 Environ. Res. Commun. 6 022002

Although traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) has been a long-standing problem, few bibliometric- and visual analysis-based literature reviews have been performed. In light of this issue, future research plans and directions in the field of TRAP must be determined. Therefore, this study performed a bibliometric analysis of the TRAP publishing trends, including the countries, institutional collaborations, author collaborations, keywords, and hotspots. The information visualization software CiteSpace was used to analyze the relevant literature collected from the Web of Science (WoS) from 2003 to 2022. The main findings of this study included the following: (1) the main keywords in TRAP research are particulate matter, exposure, health, nitrogen dioxide, and mortality; (2) current research is focused on the impacts of TRAP on humans; and (3) potential hotspots for future TRAP research are source apportionment, asthma, heart rate variability, and mobile monitoring. This article aims to develop a better understanding of current research trends in TRAP and provide directions for future research.

Stefan Daume 2024 Environ. Res. Commun. 6 022001

Extreme weather events linked to climate change are becoming more frequent. The online public discourse on and during these events, especially on social media, attracts misinformation that can undermine short-term emergency responses, but can also be aimed at influencing long-term public perceptions of climate change. This contribution reviews existing research on online misinformation with the aim to understand the types, origins, and potential impacts of misinformation during extreme weather events like storms, floods, and wildfires. The screening of 289 publications reveals that there is scarce body of only 13 studies addressing this question. Relevant studies exploring online misinformation during extreme weather events rarely document misinformation immediately relevant for emergency responses and only recently link this to the discussion about climate change. The reviewed research provides however insights to derive a framework that can guide future research into this topic. Specifically, that misinformation in social media during environmental emergencies 1) cuts across domains and merges different areas of public interest, 2) cuts across temporal and geographical scales, and 3) needs to be studied as part of an interconnected online media landscape. Misinformation differs between emergency event types, can undermine the debate about climate change in diverse ways, appeal to completely different audiences and thus will likely require different responses and countermeasures. Structured research with comparable methodologies is urgently needed.

Accepted manuscripts

Miyatake et al 

Bioenergy is increasingly recognized as an effective tool for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. However, its economic feasibility remains underexplored, particularly when accounting for environmental impacts. This study proposes a quantitative assessment framework to calculate the cost-benefit ratio of biomass power generation and to assess the sustainability of its supporting policy tools, such as feed-in-tariffs (FIT). The framework accounts for benefits through electricity generation and environmental externalities, namely emissions from feedstock production and procurement, such as the transportation of biomass materials. This allows for quantification and a detailed discussion of multiple environmental burdens of biomass energy and economic costs. As a case study, this framework was applied to a hypothetical biomass plant in Japan, which has the fifth-largest biomass market globally. We prepare several scenarios to consider diverse conditions within the Japanese biomass industry, including the types of biomass materials used (pellets vs. chips), their sources (domestic vs. international), and the biomass technologies employed. The results show that using pellets, predominantly imported, significantly increases biomass energy costs. The increase in cost is directly proportional to the quantity of utilized pellets and their transportation distances. However, pellet production location —whether in Vietnam or Canada—doesn't significantly change the overall cost calculations in our study. Our result is consistent across various biomass technologies, showing that the high selling price under the feed-in-tariff system, rather than material type, supply origin, or transportation mode, plays the most critical role in economic feasibility, even when accounting for environmental externalities. Thus, decision-makers must reevaluate the efficacy of FIT policies for wood biomass powers, where fuel costs share a substantial portion. We also discuss its synergies with local industries and trade-offs with other land-use objectives.

Begum et al 

An agricultural product plays a major role in the economical growth of developing countries. Agricultural products like pepper and corn are the essential crops with respect to human health food security. But, these two crops are prone to different diseases such as gray leaf spot, common rust and fruit rot which affects the productivity of crops. Further, the severity identification is also a challenging one. To address these limitations, this work presents different approaches for identifying the crop lesions and predicting the severity and thereby increasing the productivity of crops. The development of the proposed model includes steps such as dataset collection, noise removal, segmentation, feature extraction, classification and severity prediction. Initially, the crop images are pre-processed by the median filter and the pre-processed images are processed are segmented, extracted and classified by the optimized U-Net model. Moreover, hybrid optimizer which is the integration of GJA (Golden jackal algorithm) and RDA (Red deer algorithm) are utilized for precise segmentation and classification. Finally, the severity prediction is computed for the diseased leaves by the measuring the size of image pixels. The experimentation is carried out on the PlantVillage dataset; the accuracy and precision values achieved are 99.2% and 99.1%. Thus, the experimental outcomes show the effectiveness and stability of the model.

Islam et al 

The hydrological characteristics of a watershed play a crucial role in shaping ecosystems within the Boreal zone and have a significant impact on regional environments. Knowing these characteristics, such as the distinctive topography, vegetation, soil composition, and climatic conditions in the Canadian Boreal zone, is essential for implementing sustainable water management. This study focuses on assessing the hydrological dynamics of the Upper Humber River Watershed (UHRW) in western Newfoundland, Canada, using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model. The UHR watershed includes sub-basins and hydrological response units (HRUs), with diverse land uses, soil types, and slope characteristics. Key parameters influencing streamflow simulation were identified through sensitivity analysis, including the runoff curve number, the effective hydraulic conductivity, the temperature lapse rate, the soil evaporation compensation factor, and the available water capacity of the soil layer. The SWAT model, using data from the Reidville hydrometric station, shows favorable performance metrics, with R2 values of 0.79 and 0.83 during the calibration and evaluation periods, respectively. The model effectively captures seasonal and monthly flow patterns, displaying right-skewed distributions and seasonal variations. The analyzed hydrological parameters, such as precipitation, evaporation, transpiration, surface runoff, and groundwater flow, reveal their significant contributions to the water balance. The flow duration curve analysis indicates the model's capability to estimate peak and low flows, with slight under-prediction during the recession phase. Seasonal analysis further supports the model's performance, with positive Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE) values ranging from 0.65 to 0.91. The study concludes that the SWAT model is suitable for simulating the hydrological processes in the studied watershed providing valuable insights for sustainable water resource management and decision-making in the UHRW. The results can be useful for other Boreal zone watersheds.

Theis et al 

Social science research on the environment has grown exponentially in the past four decades alongside increasing awareness that environmental risks, such as climate change, cannot be understood by natural science interventions alone. While prior research examines how specific disciplines, like sociology, have attended to the environment or how specific problems have been engaged across disciplines, less attention has been offered to the entire landscape of research on the environment in the social sciences. In this article, we ask: What is the landscape of environmental social science? Focusing on 124,906 social scientific articles from the Web of Science, we analyze the relationship between journals publishing research on the environment. Specifically, we construct journal citation networks and topic models on bibliographic records from 1990 to 2022. Results suggest that journals form coherent communities associated with both disciplinary and interdisciplinary research topics, indicating that journal communities may be a central organizing feature of ESS. Moreover, research topics prevalent in this field have changed over time, potentially in relation to the ongoing neoliberalization of climate change politics. As scholars want to influence policy and industrial practice, their research implicitly reflects values consistent with the current political economic order. We conclude by highlighting the implications of these findings for the field of environmental social science.

Truong 

Solar energy is a field that has grown rapidly in the world in recent years to solve the energy crisis and respond to climate change. Vietnam is a country with renewables energy potential including solar power and is pursuing net zero emissions target by 2050. This study explores factors affecting the residents' intention to buy solar water heater in Hanoi, Vietnam. We used theory of planned behaviors and technology acceptance model to build research model and hypotheses. A community survey was conducted with 450 households in 3 districts using cluster sampling method to collect information. We conducted descriptive statistical analysis, Cronbach's Alpha test, exploring factor analysis, conformity factor analysis and regression to identify and evaluate the impact of factors on solar water heater consumption intention. The results showed that there were significant factors affecting people's intention to buy solar water heater including attitude, perceived usefulness, price perception, social influence and financial support in which attitude is the most influential factor. Regarding social characteristic of respondents, we also found positively significant relationship between income, education level and intention to use solar heater. Recommendations for government and business included increasing awareness of the benefits and economic feasibility of renewable energy devices to consumers through social media, implementing financial incentives to support clean energy consumption behavior, and strengtheing the emergence of local solar evangelist groups in the communities. Future research can expand to other cities and explore more indirect factors affecting the green energy consumption behavior of Vietnamese residents.

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• 2018-present Environmental Research Communications doi: 10.1088/issn.2515-7620 Online ISSN: 2515-7620

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Environmental communication is a dynamic and cutting-edge research area that helps envision and create more sustainable societies through its focus upon the central role of media and communication in shaping understandings of and responses to environmental and climate change.

Working across theory and practice, and with non-academic partners and communities, we are perfectly placed to support students who wish to work on projects that both explore and challenge how environments are constructed, represented, communicated, experienced and contested through a variety of media and communication forms and creative practices.

Your Environmental communication PhD will address the urgent challenges of environmental and climate change through media, communication and practice, with the vision to create sustainable and environmentally just societies. We take as a basis that we understand and experience environments through everyday practices that are mediated through communication practices – from texts, visual imagery and social media interactions, to the products we consume and the spaces we inhabit - shaping how we respond to and engage with, and indeed construct, the daily, built and natural environments.

Environmental Communication PhD research contributes towards, and intervenes in, current debates surrounding climate change, human-animal relations and ethics, sustainable food production and consumption, big data and everyday life, climate induced migration, (anti)consumerism, and sustainable ways of living.

Key supervisory staff have research expertise in climate change communication and engagement; environment, media and popular culture; ‘smart’ technologies and big data as tools for change; human-animal relations and speciesism; intelligent and sustainable mobility/transport; climate activism and climate justice; creative and participatory methods for climate engagement; and feminist critiques and interventions. Collectively, our staff and student research aims to contribute towards ecological literacy and ethical subjectivities that enable more sustainable societies to develop.

As one of our postgraduate students you will have the opportunity to be engaged in a range of activities, including involvement in research centres, particularly the Centre for Spatial, Environmental and Cultural Politics , where PGR students can organise research events and workshops, contributing to the centre and School of Media’s research culture. Environmental Communication students also benefit from the School of Media’s Centre for Digital Cultures and Innovation , which can provide supervisory support and possibilities for organising joint research activities.

Apply to 'Arts and communication' in our applicant portal

Our registration system collects several programmes under the strand 'Arts and Communication.' Please choose this option in the portal.

Apply with us for funding through the AHRC Techne Doctoral Training Partnership

Key information

As an Environmental Communication PhD student at Brighton, you will benefit from:

• a supervisory team comprising two or sometimes three members of academic staff. Depending on your research specialism you may also have an additional supervisor from another school, another research institution, or an external partner from government or industry.
• access to desk space and computers.
• access to a range of electronic resources via the university’s online library, as well as to the physical book and journal collections housed within the Aldrich Library and other campus libraries. PhD students also have access to cutting-edge facilities such as the Watts Lab and the Screen Archive South East
• being part of a PGR research community in the School of Media, and also part of the research community provided by the Centre for Spatial, Environmental and Cultural Politics – an interdisciplinary cross-School research centre hosted by the School of Media.
• Recent and current PhD students have been successful in obtaining studentships covering both fees and living costs through the University of Brighton’s involvement in the AHRC TECHNE and the ESRC SCDTP programmes.

Academic environment

Students are based within the Centre for Spatial, Environmental and Cultural Politics and the School of Arts and Media at the University of Brighton, a combination that is uniquely and expertly placed to support innovative and interdisciplinary theory and practice-based research projects in this fast expanding area of both critical and social importance.

PhD students take an active role in a range of intellectual and social activities within the Schools. All postgraduate students working on engineering topics are integrated into one or more of our Research Centres or Research Groups (see below). These centres and groups provide you with opportunities to present ‘work in progress’ and network with other researchers.

The Brighton Doctoral College offer a training programme for postgraduate researchers, covering research methods and transferable (including employability) skills. Attendance at appropriate modules within this programme is encouraged, as is contribution to the Schools’ various seminar series. Academic and technical staff also provide more subject-specific training.

Current research methodologies and disciplines that are supported through Environmental communication PhD study include:

• Climate change communication and public engagement
• Bid data, everyday life and environmental sustainability
• ‘Smart’ technologies as tools for change
• Intelligent/sustainable transport and mobility
• Visual communication of environment/climate change
• Human-animal relations and speciesism
• Popular culture, media and environment
• Ethical subjectivities in the Anthropocene
• Climate activism and climate justice
• Media and climate induced migration
• Art, creativity and climate change
• Youth engagement with environmental and climate change
• Participatory and creative methods for engagement
• Sustainable food production and consumption
• (Anti) consumerism
• Celebrity and climate change
• Sustainable ways of living
• Feminist approaches and interventions
• Community media

Some of our supervisors

Prof julie doyle.

Professor Doyle has supervised doctoral work on creative and visual climate change communication and engagement, media discourses of environment, gender and popular culture, branding and consumption. She would be happy to supervise work on any aspect of:

* climate and environmental communication 

* creative climate communication and engagement

* media, popular culture and environment

* climate activism and social movements

* visual climate and environmental communication

* veganism, popular culture/media and ethics

* intersectional feminist ecological ethics

Prof James Ebdon

To date I have overseen the supervision, career development and successful completion of 12 doctoral students from the UK, Italy, Portugal, Cameroon, Nigeria, Brazil and India. These PhD's have covered a range of topics such as 'Bacteriophages as Surrogates of Viral Pathogens in Wastewater Treatment Systems (Dias 2016)', Ecological Characteristics of the Enterococcal Surface Protein (esp) gene with reference to microbial source tracking (Yaliwal 2014); Low-cost physico-chemical disinfection of human excreta in emergency settings (Sozzi 2015); Bacteriophages as Indicators of Human Enteric Viruses in Mussels (Da Silva 2013); and UV Radiation Response of Bacteriophages of Human-specific Bacteroides (Diston, 2010) .

I am currently supervising a water industry-funded PhD student who is using cutting-edge source apportionment approaches to investigate drivers of pollution in Chichester, Langstone and Pagham harbours (S. England) and have just finished supervising a PhD on Pollution, plastics and plumes; understanding the behaviour of microplastics in aquatic sediments of the R. Thames catchment.

I'm keen to supervise postgraduate research (MRes/MPhil/PhDs) in the following areas: development and application of low-cost and/or rapid water quality monitoring tools; behaviour of micro-contaminants (particularly viruses) within the environment and impacts on human health; understanding environmental interactions of emerging contaminants; water and sanitation within low-income and/or emergency settings.

According to French Physiologist Claude Bernard - "The science of life is a superb and dazzlingly lighted hall which may be reached only by passing through a long and ghastly kitchen." Anyone who has undertaken a doctoral degree is likely to agree with this analogy (at least at some point during their journey). As a PhD supervisor, I see my role as someone who can potentially make the kitchen a little less ghastly, or the journey slightly less arduous. I strive to provide a highly connected, supportive, nurturing international research environment with the Environment and Public Health Research and Enterprise Group.

I am currently supervising a further 3 PhD candidates. My PhD students have originated from an equally diverse range of disciplines including Fisheries Engineering, Environmental Science, Biology, Biomolecular Science, Microbiology, Ecology, Environmental Management, Mathematics and have worked for NGO’s in Haiti (MSF), on Gates Foundation-funded research in India, on US AID-funded research into safe excreta disposal in emergencies (Cholera and Ebola treatment centres), led MRC-funded projects in Kenya, founded research groups in Brazil, and managed prestigious research laboratories in the US.

All have gone on to forge careers within the burgeoning field of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and or microbiology, either via academia, or industry. The sustained success of our thriving research group stems from a blend of enthusiasm for the wider subject area and from a long-held desire to break down barriers, to ensure that epidemiologists mix with engineers, and microbiologists work with modellers. This has been achieved by exchanging PhD students (and Early Career Researchers) with trusted and established international project collaborators within the public, private and voluntary sectors.

I also maintain a rolling programme of group activities, training initiatives and social events for new arrivals into the group, which is increasingly populated by previous PhD students who are even better placed to support the career aspirations of our current and future Doctoral students. With unsafe water supply and sanitation responsible for an estimated 842,000 deaths per year, the WASH sector continues to face significant challenges, which are only likely to be met through interdisciplinary, cross-border collaboration by a new generation of WASH-focussed researchers, capable of confidently sharing ideas across a range scientific domains and via an increasingly complex network of stakeholders and end-users. I hope that as my students continue to emerge into the ‘dazzlingly lighted hall’ they are as well-rounded and well-placed as possible to meet this challenge.   

Prof Rebecca Elmhirst

I am currently supervising four PhD students, two of whom are part of a H2020 Marie Curie Sklodowska Innovative Training Network. I am interested in supervising MRes and doctoral projects relating to (feminist) political ecology, and in particular, projects that relate to social and environmental justice, climate and agrarian resource extractivism, decolonial thinking and critical approaches to sustainable development. 

Dr Mark Erickson

I supervise students across a range of social science disciplines, although my main discipline is sociology.  I am interested in supervising projects in sociology of science and technology / science and technology studies, sociology of work and employment, social theory. Projects I currently supervise are researching science and technology, work and employment, climate change / emergency, communing / the commons, trade union studies, gender and design, children and migration, and mental health.

Applications to the following proposal are very welcome: Managing science: workers and management in the replication and reproduction of scientific knowledge

Despite Wajcman’s exhortation for management studies and science studies to combine to understand science and technology better (1) there has been very little collaboration or cross fertilization between these two areas of social science in the past two decades. Studies of the working practices of professional, academic scientists are rare, despite the importance of these workers in the knowledge economy, and there is little understanding of the relationship between HR practices, labour process and scientific knowledge production and reproduction.

This project will use a management studies perspective to consider a contemporary ‘crisis’ in formal science. The crisis of reproducibility – the inability for one research team to replicate the results obtained by another research team – has received considerable attention in the scientific press in recent years (2, 3). A recent survey in Nature found that 50% of scientists have failed to reproduce one of their own experiments (4).

This problem threatens to undermine public confidence in scientific expertise and opinion, a very major problem given the legitimised discourse of climate change denial (5). The project will investigate the management of scientists involved in knowledge production work, and will examine the labour process surrounding knowledge production (6, 7). It will consider whether it is constraints of work, managerial and institutional imperatives (8), an instrumental orientation to career (9), and a ‘publish or perish’ culture (10) that are barriers to replication and factors in low reproducibility rates.

This research will address these issues from a combined management studies and sociology of work perspective. In particular the research will consider the relationship between the construction of occupational identities, managerial control of work time and the decision making processes that take place inside work teams regarding identification of experiments to replicated and / or reproduced (10). The project will adopt a qualitative approach, including semi-structured interviews and an ethnography, and documentary analysis deployed across a range of disciplines and trans-disciplines.

Research questions

1. How is the academic science labour process organised, managed and resisted?

2. How do teams of scientists in different disciplines decide on replication experiments and how is this work allocated?

3. What is the role of reproducibility/ replication in the formation of occupational identities by academic scientists?

1. Wajcman, J. (2006) 'New connections: social studies of science and technology and studies of work', Work, Employment and Society, 20, 4, 773-786. 2. Harris, R. (2017) Rigor Mortis. How sloppy science, worthless cures, crushes hope and wastes billions, New York: Basic Books. 3. Freedman, L.P., et al (2015) 'The Economics of Reproducibility in Preclinical Research', PLoS Biol, 13, 6. 4. Baker, M. (2016) ‘Is there a reproducibility crisis? Nature 533, 452–454 (26 May 2016)  5. Makri, A. (2017) ‘Give the public the tools to trust scientists’ Nature 541, 261 (19 January 2017)  6. Thompson, P. (1983) The Nature of Work.  An introduction to debates on the labour process, London: Macmillan. 7. Thompson, P. and Ackroyd, P. (1995) 'All quiet on the workplace front?', Sociology, 29, 4, 615-633. 8. Bradley, H., Erickson, M., Stephenson, C. and Williams, S. (2000) Myths at work, Cambridge: Polity.  9. Erickson, M., Bradley, H., Stephenson, C. and Williams, S. (2009) Business in society: people, work and organizations, Cambridge: Polity 10. Erickson, M. (2015) Science, culture and society: understanding science in the twenty-first century. 2nd edition, Cambridge: Polity.

Dr Mary Gearey

I am interested in supervising postgraduate research students (PhDs and MRes) in the following areas: community led water resource governance; sustainable water futures; elder environmental activism; nature-based solutions for climate change adaptation, degrowth theory in relation to environmental citizenship.

Dr Paul Gilchrist

I would be interested in supervising postgraduate students in the following areas:

- Geographies of sport and leisure- Playful cities and urban everyday life- Community-supported agriculture / community gardening

I also welcome discussions on other potential topics.

For further supervisory staff including cross-disciplinary options, please visit  research staff on our research website.

Making an  application

You will apply to the University of Brighton through our online application portal. When you do, you will require a research proposal, references, a personal statement and a record of your education.

You will be asked whether you have discussed your research proposal and your suitability for doctoral study with a member of the University of Brighton staff. We recommend that all applications are made with the collaboration of at least one potential supervisor. Approaches to potential supervisors can be made directly through the details available online. If you are unsure, please do contact the Doctoral College for advice.

Please visit our How to apply for a PhD page for detailed information.

Sign in to our online application portal to begin.

Fees and funding

 Funding

Undertaking research study will require university fees as well as support for your research activities and plans for subsistence during full or part-time study.

Funding sources include self-funding, funding by an employer or industrial partners; there are competitive funding opportunities available in most disciplines through, for example, our own university studentships or national (UK) research councils. International students may have options from either their home-based research funding organisations or may be eligible for some UK funds.

Learn more about the funding opportunities available to you.

Tuition fees academic year 2023–24

Standard fees are listed below, but may vary depending on subject area. Some subject areas may charge bench fees/consumables; this will be decided as part of any offer made. Fees for UK and international/EU students on full-time and part-time courses are likely to incur a small inflation rise each year of a research programme.

Contact Brighton Doctoral College

To contact the Doctoral College at the University of Brighton we request an email in the first instance. Please visit our contact the Brighton Doctoral College page .

For supervisory contact, please see individual profile pages.

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55 Remarkable Environmental Topics for Research Proposal

Explore the collection of great environmental research topics from field experts.

Environmental Research Topics: Features, Importance & Great Ideas

Environmental investigations entail investigating the natural world’s structure and function, the association between humans and the environment, and how people’s values, beliefs, and attitudes affect that association. Environmental research topics thus cover a wide range of subjects, including climate change, biodiversity, pollution, renewable energy, and sustainability.

How to Choose Environmental Topics for Research

Environmental investigations is a very broad field that offers a wide range of areas to investigate. So how can you choose a good one for your paper? First, always pick an issue from the area you are interested in. What is environmental science direction you’d like to develop? Working on your paper will be easier since you’ll be motivated to explore something you care about. From there, sort through your environmental topics for research to determine the following:

• Relevance – does the proposal theme address an environmental issue with significant societal implications, such as pollution or climate change?
• Originality –  does the investigation subject offer a new perspective on existing knowledge?
• Feasibility – are the environmental topics to research realistic and achievable based on the scope and your available resources?
• Scope – how broad is the matter of investigation? It shouldn’t be too broad or too narrow; it should be the right size to provide a comprehensive investigation.

When choosing environmental science research paper topics, avoid those that are too complex or require more resources and time than you can provide. Remember also to consider data availability, literature, funding, time, and ethical issues involved.

Environmental Topics for Research Paper Are Not Created Equal

Environmental science topics are created differently depending on your discipline, purpose, scope, and methodology. Thus, the approach used to formulate them differs as they will serve different purposes. For example, some are explanatory and will try to explain how something happens or works. Others will try to seek more knowledge about a subject(exploratory). Then, you might also encounter a few that compare and contrast two phenomena or situations.

When assessing investigation issues, carefully evaluate your goals and interests before committing to a specific one. Otherwise, you might get stuck. Luckily our research proposal writing services are always here to help you help to get out of even the most challenging situation!

The Most Actual Environmental Science Topics for an Excellent Proposal

Natural and human-made systems that shape our planet and affect its inhabitants are one of the most interesting areas to write a paper about. Check out these environmental topics for research paper to produce an engaging proposal.

1. Consequences of Climate Change Human Societies.

2. Challenges of Renewable Energy Technologies.

3. Recycling Initiatives and Their Implications on Reducing Pollution.

4. Challenges of Sustainable Management of Freshwater Resources.

5. The Impact of Low Air Quality on Human Health.

6. Effectiveness of Conservational Policies in Addressing Environmental Issues.

7. Impacts of Sustainable Transportation in Reducing Urban Ecological Footprint.

8. Effect of Marine Pollution on Marine Ecosystems.

9. Challenges Facing Sustainable Farming Practices.

10. Impacts of Electricity Generation on the Environment.

11. Ecological Hazards of Electronic Waste.

12. Tourism’s Negative Effect on Ecosystems.

Environmental science research topics are often flexible and can be broadened or narrowed down depending on the scope of your study.

Interesting Environmental Justice Topics

Environmental justice involves advocating for fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people in implementing environmental laws and policies. Here’re exciting environmental justice topics for a good proposal.

1. Effect of Hazardous Waste Facilities on Minority Communities.

2. The Influence of Air Pollution Exposure on the Health of Marginalized Populations.

3. Effect of Unequal Distribution of Parks and Green Spaces in Disadvantaged Neighborhoods.

4. Relationship Between Indigenous Communities and Conservation Efforts.

5. Influence of Climate Change on Vulnerable Communities.

6. Differential Impacts of Natural Disasters on Marginalized Populations.

7. The Importance of Environmental Education in Empowering Disadvantaged Communities.

8. Barriers to Equitable Access to Healthy and Sustainable Food Options in Marginalized Communities.

9. Geographical Inequalities in Accessing Clean Water.

10. The Intersection Between Food Justice and Ecological Concerns.

11. The Link Between Exposure to Pollutants Hazards and Adverse Health Outcomes in Socially Disadvantaged Groups.

12. Barriers to Equitable Distribution of Resources and Assistance During Post-disaster Recovery in Marginalized Communities.

The above can provide great options for a research proposal about environmental problems and how they affect specific populations.

Insightful Environmental Economics Research Topics

Environmental economics research topics aim to understand the human activities impacting on the natural environment and human welfare. So if you are looking for decent quantitative research ideas , consider the following offered by our experienced investigator.

1. Effectiveness of Economic Incentives in Promoting the Adoption of Renewable Energy Sources.

2. Effect of Pollution Regulations on Automobile Manufacturing Industry Competitiveness.

3. Factors Promoting Economic Growth in Green Industries and Sustainable Sectors.

4. The Economic Influence of Urban Sprawl on Environmental Quality.

5. Economic Implications of Water Scarcity.

6. Economic Incentives for Conserving Biodiversity.

7. Economic Benefits of Investing in Renewable Energy Technologies.

8. The Economic Viability of Strategies to Reduce Plastic Pollution.

9. Effectiveness of Carbon Pricing Mechanisms in Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions.

10. Economic Consequences of Natural Disasters.

11. Economic Importance of Disaster Preparedness and Resilience.

12. Economic Benefits of Transitioning From a Linear to a Circular Economy Model Focused on Resource Efficiency and Waste Reduction.

13. Role of Green Finance & Sustainable Investments in Supporting Eco-Friendly Projects and Businesses.

14. Efficient Water Pricing Mechanisms to Encourage Conservation.

Captivating Environmental Biology Research Topics

Environmental biology research topics will often try to assess the interaction between living organisms and their natural or human-modified environments. Check out these interesting issues to investigate for your biology research proposal .

1. Ways in Which Climate Change Affects the Distribution and Habitat Suitability of Plants.

2. Relationship Between Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health.

3. Role of Keystone Species in Maintaining Ecosystem Processes.

4. Human Factors Contributing to the Decline of Endangered Species.

5. Ecological Effect of Invasive Species on Local Ecosystems.

6. Factors Contributing to Pollinator Decline.

7. Ecological Consequences for Plant-Pollinator Interactions and Food Security.

8. Ecological Effects of Microplastics in Freshwater and Marine Ecosystems.

9. Shifts in the Timing of Seasonal Events in Animals in Response to Climate Change.

10. Ways in Which Changes in Land Use Impact Biodiversity.

11. Ways in Which Deforestation Impacts Ecological Communities.

12. Effects of Agricultural Pollutants on Ecosystems.

13. Challenges of Ecotoxicological Risk Assessments.

14. Ways in Which Wildlife Populations Adapt to Urban Environments.

15. Effects of Conservation on Human-Wildlife Interactions.

16. The Impact of Rising Carbon Dioxide Levels on Coral Reef Ecosystems.

17. The Influence of Marine Tourism on Marine Biodiversity.

DOWNLOAD Here More Environmental Research Proposal Ideas!

Importance of choosing the right environmental research paper topics.

Choosing the proper investigation issue is crucial for the success and impact of your paper. Topics related to environment issues tend to be complicated and demand a thorough understanding of the natural and social dimensions of the problem. But with the right choice, the writing process is much easier and gives a better chance to produce a quality paper.

Poor environmental research paper topics will waste your time, resources and even cause frustration when investigators struggle to meet the word count. So, choose your subjects of investigation wisely or request expert help if you need extra support.

While the above topics for environmental research papers might prove useful, sometimes picking a subject of investigation and working on a proposal can be daunting. But you shouldn’t worry. We have a large team of experienced writers ready to work on your paper and final paper. You only need to send your instructions, and they’ll embark on the task.

We’re here to help with your proposal. So drop us a line anytime you may need professional assistance!

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Virginia Tech professor introduces new approach to human-environment interconnection

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Tim Baird isn’t only a professor. He’s a neighbor and a “weak tie.”

Baird , associate professor in the Department of Geography in Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment , is connecting past research on Tanzanian social networks to his current campus residence.

“I want to be one of your weak ties,” Baird told his students and neighbors in the Creativity and Innovation District , a 600-student residence hall where he serves as faculty principal and where he and his family live.

Baird teaches the concept of social networks and how they are composed of, and connected by, strong and weak interpersonal ties in his Seeking Sustainability class. His past and present research also focuses on how groups of people live in and interact with their physical environments.

In 2010, Baird lived in northern Tanzania among the Maasai ethnic group to study how their interactions with the savanna influence their societal and economic activities. Specifically, he studied how the implementation of protected areas, such as national parks, affected the social networks of the Maasai. The Maasai historically used the former park land and its resources to survive.

Although Baird moved back to the U.S., he continued to visit Tanzania to investigate the development of weak ties across social networks as a result of mobile phone usage. Now, his exploration of social networks in northern Tanzania is supporting his research and observations in the Creativity and Innovation District and helping him envision a new field of study.

Building relationships that define communities

Much of Baird’s current attention is focused on what he calls the rich “human-environment relationships” that are central to campus life.

Before classes start each fall semester, Baird introduces himself to the first-year students who are his neighbors. “I get a whiteboard and I draw the two different types of social networks,” Baird said. “Part of college is going from this type of network [a network of mostly strong ties] to this type of network [a network of weak ties]. Then I write my name, and I tell them I want to be one of their weak ties.”

A commonality in his experiences in northern Tanzania and in Blacksburg is the role reciprocity plays in communities. Reciprocity is the exchange of goods or actions for the mutual benefit of both parties.

The agropastoralists of the Tanzanian savanna give and receive gifts from each other. They extend and ask for loans from each other. They are strongly tied to each other, and those strong ties spread risk in the community. It’s a way of protecting people. “Social networks function like insurance,” Baird said.

In the Creativity and Innovation District (CID), reciprocity manifests in the daily interactions between Baird and the students. He learns from the students living in the residence hall, and in the absence of other adult figures, such as their parents or family members, the students benefit from his perspective.

“I constantly interact with him, and I think he is more than just a professor,” said student Wyatt Weir. “He has evolved into sort of a role model and mentor.”

Baird and his wife, Kiyah Duffey , director of strategic initiatives at the Fralin Life Sciences Institute , are intentional in developing a relationship between their family and their Hokie neighbors. Every Monday, Baird and his family have dinner at Owens Food Court with a couple dozen students. On Fridays, they invite students to participate in activities and listen to guest speakers in their apartment.

“He invites all the residents in for food and a conversation on Fridays,” Weir said. “I think it separates itself from dorm life, which is good as it serves a unique purpose.”

Neighborly dinners and community conversations are just two ways in which Baird encourages the formation of interpersonal relationships. In his Seeking Sustainability class, Baird discusses sociologist Mark Granovetter’s proposition that weak ties can be more valuable than strong ties.

“When it comes to finding a job, getting news, launching a restaurant, or spreading the latest fad, our weak social ties are more important than our cherished strong friendships,” Granovetter wrote in his work “The Strength of Weak Ties.”

“Professor Baird incorporated his research from Tanzania by comparing it to concepts we were learning in class,” said student Claire Pulver. “Specifically, he designated one class to discuss his work, telling stories, his research with phones, and answering questions. The class discussed weak ties and chance and choice.”

The more connections an individual has to strangers, acquaintances, and even professors, the more knowledge that person can acquire.

“When freshmen come into CID, they come with strong, tightly bonded social networks,” Baird said. “Part of college is to develop a social network that is characterized by more weak ties.’’ 

Envisioning a new field in geography

Baird is curious about the connection between humans and the land they inhabit. He brought this same curiosity about what he was seeing in the savanna to Blacksburg, where he is incorporating this focus on geography into his new home.

“I have pivoted my research from studying stuff in the savanna to stuff within this building,” said Baird. “It’s a new field of geography that I’m trying to create: indoor geography.

“I was interested in the interaction between humans and their environment and how can we study this house becoming a home.”

Working with a team of researchers, Baird is investigating the ways in which physical spaces acquire meaning and how cultures develop within these environments. Reciprocity appears again. His work illustrates how physical space shapes human behavior and how human behavior gives meaning to physical space. Interactions between students and the building are mutually influential.

“We are using sensors to collect data on where people move and where they pause,” Baird said as he pulled out his phone and placed it screen-down on the table. The back of the phone displayed a small map of Creativity and Innovation District’s public spaces. “This area on the map [pointing to area two] is not nearly as effective at building community, in my estimation from watching this building for 2 1/2 years, as three. Area three is a great space where groups gather.”

Movement, and pauses in movement, create meaning between individuals and the space they occupy.

“We are paused right here,” Baird said as he surveyed the common space in New Classroom Building where his Seeking Sustainability class ended 20 minutes prior. “We are connecting, and we are making a little bit of meaning.”

The designers of the classroom building created it this way, but they’re unable to anticipate all the ways in which people will interact in the space at any given time in the day. That’s what Baird hopes to figure out on this research journey.

Ashley Falat is a sophomore communication major in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences . She wrote this piece to fulfill an assignment for her Media Writing class.

Related stories

Research explores the impacts of mobile phones for Maasai women

Tim Baird named faculty principal for the Creativity and Innovation District Living-Learning Community

When a space becomes a place

Krista Timney

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VR-EX — An immersive virtual reality serious game for science communication about the electrical resistivity tomography measurements in the Mont Terri Rock Laboratory, Switzerland

• Original Article
• Open access
• Published: 10 May 2024
• Volume 83 , article number  318 , ( 2024 )

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• Nico Graebling   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-8654-0053 1 , 2 ,
• Gesa Ziefle   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-0775-2008 3 ,
• Markus Furche   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-3098-6443 3 ,
• Romain Nicol   ORCID: orcid.org/0009-0000-6057-5795 4 ,
• Senecio Schefer   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-1096-9096 4 ,
• Martin Ziegler   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-4419-3006 4 ,
• David Jaeggi   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-7960-6475 4 ,
• Christophe Nussbaum   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-8763-2320 4 ,
• Yves Annanias   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-2259-1254 2 ,
• Susann Goldstein 1 &
• Karsten Rink   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-9826-8221 1  

This paper presents the design, implementation, and evaluation of VR-EX, a combination of a virtual field trip and a serious game in immersive virtual reality. The application’s purpose is the communication of research conducted in the Mont Terri underground research laboratory in Switzerland. VR-EX enables users to actively attend electrical resistivity tomography measurements within a geological experiment, from planning to execution to analysis of the results, and in this way implements an active and playful learning approach. The work conducted in underground research laboratories has a high relevance for society as it contributes to research on the final disposal of nuclear waste. Therefore, the active communication of research methodology and results is crucial to increase understanding of scientific processes and boost interest. VR-EX was evaluated in a user study with 35 participants to measure its overall quality and its effectiveness of the knowledge transfer. Taking the evaluation’s qualitative results into account, the application was improved in an iterative process. Overall, the results prove the good quality of the application and its high effectiveness in terms of knowledge transfer. The reported high engagement, joy, and immersion indicate the benefits of employing immersive virtual reality for vivid science communication.

Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.

Introduction

In this work, we design, implement and evaluate VR-EX ( Virtual Reality EXperiment ), an immersive virtual reality application about a geological experiment at the Mont Terri underground research laboratory Footnote 1 (URL) in St. Ursanne, Switzerland. The virtual reality (VR) application is designed to be used with head-mounted displays (HMD). It is a combination of a serious game and a virtual field trip and was developed for the purpose of science communication. VR-EX enables users to actively attend the experiment from planning to execution to analysis of the results. In the following, the motivation for the project as well as its requirements are described.

In underground research laboratories, researchers investigate, among other matters, potential host rocks for the final disposal of radioactive waste. An example of such a research facility is the Mont Terri URL in the north-west of Switzerland, where the characteristics of the Opalinus Clay formation are explored in various experiments at the original scale of a deep geological repository. Due to the high social relevance of radioactive waste research, science communication is a crucial aspect of the work in URLs. This is especially the case in the participative processes during site selection, as required by law, for example, in Germany (Di Nucci and Brunnengräber 2023 ). Knowledge about the research methods and results that are relevant for science-based decision-making is an essential requirement for forming an opinion. However, science communication for URLs often relies on traditional passive media and — despite the need for digitalisation [see also Kolditz et al. ( 2023 )] — does not yet utilise modern digital formats. Therefore, the outreach is limited. In order to address this issue, we combined the concepts of virtual field trips and serious games, aiming to enrich science communication for the Mont Terri URL with modern formats. At the start of the project, five requirements were identified based on the objectives, the target group’s needs and the areas of application: (1) the format of science communication has to be vivid and engaging; (2) in addition to presenting the research methodology and results, the interdisciplinarity of the work at Mont Terri should also be highlighted; (3) the content needs to be comprehensible even without prior knowledge of the scientific background; (4) the application has to be usable without prior experience with the medium (i.e. VR); and (5) due to the planned use at varying places (e.g. at information events or in hands-on museums), the application should be suitable for mobile use.

The following Section “ Fundamentals and related work ” will explain the fundamental concepts used as well as the related work. An overview of the application is given in Section “ Application overview ”, while technical details are described in Section “ Technical details ”. The study design for evaluating the application is presented in Section  Study design ” and the evaluation results are described in Section “ Evaluation results ”. The paper concludes with a discussion of the work in Section “ Discussion and conclusion ”.

Fundamentals and related work

Virtual reality.

Sherman and Craig defined Virtual Reality as “a medium composed of interactive computer simulations that sense the participant’s position and actions and replace or augment the feedback to one or more senses, giving the feeling of being mentally immersed or present in the simulation (a virtual world)” (Sherman and Craig 2018 ). Based on the type of the output device, desktop VR (dVR) and immersive VR (iVR) are differentiated. The latter uses HMDs or CAVE Footnote 2 -like setups and in this way provides a higher degree of immersion compared to dVR. In general, VR applications have the potential to allow users to visit places that can not be visited that easily in the real world. Another benefit is the possibility for developers to virtually recreate interactions that are unsafe for the users or their environment in the real world. In the context of this work, these benefits are used to virtually bring users to the Mont Terri URL without the costs of travelling there and to allow them to actively re-enact an experiment, which would not be possible in real life. While VR is not yet often used for science communication (Behm-Morawitz and Shin 2024 ), concepts and best practices can be adopted from virtual learning environments in general (Matovu et al. 2023 ). This is the case for the following immersive design features, proven to be relevant for the development of iVR science learning applications: sensory (visual, audio, haptics), actional (interactivity, embodied movement, virtual body ownership), narrative (character, storyline, challenge) and social (social interactions) (Matovu et al. 2023 ; Won et al. 2023 ). The implementation of these design features in VR-EX will be explained in detail in Section “ Application overview ”.

Virtual field trips

The benefits of employing VR for education are particularly strong in the geo-scientific context [e.g. in Zhao et al. ( 2020 ), Janiszewski et al. ( 2020 ), Graebling et al. ( 2024 )], in which learning often requires access to material samples or travelling to sites, which is economically and ecologically challenging. Therefore, the concept of virtual field trips was established and Klippel et al. ( 2019 ) defined a taxonomy for virtual field trips based on the extent of their features. VR-EX matches the criteria of an Advanced Virtual Field Trip , as the application not only virtually replicates the Mont Terri URL but also includes advanced interactions and provides measurement results over time.

Serious games

Based on the definition by Dörner et al., “a serious game is a digital game created with the intention to entertain and to achieve at least one additional goal (...)”, called the characterising goal (Dörner et al. 2016 , p. 3). VR-EX can be considered a learning game, as its characterising goal is the transfer of knowledge about research at the Mont Terri URL. The game elements implemented in the application are described in Section “ Application overview ”. Serious games engage and motivate users extrinsically (Dörner et al. 2016 , p. 61). This advantage is increasingly being exploited in education, where serious games in iVR are being used as digital learning environments (Checa and Bustillo 2020 ).

Perspectives from teaching and learning

VR-EX poses a scientific question to the user and asks them to support researchers in conducting an experiment in order to answer this question. While the application provides background information and research material, the problem is solved by the user in an individual learning process. This can be considered a mixture of problem-based and inquiry-based learning as described by Gavrić and Radivojević in the context of teaching nature and society (Gavrić and Radivojević 2022 ). The approach assigns the learner an active role and in this way supports the creation of a deeper understanding instead of pure transfer of information. Viewed from the perspective of teaching and learning, VR-EX implements an informal learning approach. Based on Sánchez-Mora’s taxonomy for public communication of science activities, VR-EX combines both, the playful and the meaningful aspects of informal learning (Sánchez-Mora 2016 ). Even if the application’s approach is based on informal learning in the context of science communication, some concepts from formal learning are transferable. This is the case for the connection of research and teaching in formal learning environments, because VR-EX presents actual research methodology and results. Based on Griffiths’ definitions, the learning processes within VR-EX can be considered a mixture of a research-led (content based on research) and a research-oriented (understanding of research processes) approach (Griffiths 2004 ).

Application overview

The following section describes the storyline of VR-EX including the introductory tutorial. For a more vivid impression of the immersive VR application, please refer to the video recording of an exemplary play-through, which is available online. Footnote 3 The video shows the serious game after the adaptations based on the feedback from the evaluation.

Virtual reality tutorial

In the introductory tutorial, users are taught the virtual interactions needed for attending the iVR serious game. This includes moving around in the virtual world by normal movements as known from the real world as well as the concept of teleportation. The latter refers to pointing at a place and pushing a controller button in order to move there without actually moving in the real world. This concept is required because the available physical space for moving in the real world is often more limited than in the virtual world. Besides moving, the tutorial introduces two types of interactions with virtual objects: grabbing (e.g. for transporting an object from one place to another) and activating objects that are currently grabbed (e.g. turning on a drill). The tutorial provides the explanations in a variety of formats (audio comments, textual explanations and images that demonstrate the required actions) in order to account for different learning material preferences. After completing the tutorial, the storyline is presented.

Introduction of the storyline

In the first scene of VR-EX, the user is introduced to the basic storyline and their role: They travel back in time to the year 2019 and are taken to St. Ursanne, Switzerland. There, the user is a regular visitor of an exhibition about the Mont Terri URL — until they receive a message asking for their help in the completion of an experiment. By presenting the character (being a regular visitor), the storyline (being asked for help in running an experiment) and the challenge (collecting all information and actually running the experiment), VR-EX implements the three elementary narrative design features for iVR-based learning (Matovu et al. 2023 ). After the introduction, the user is automatically taken to the first room of the virtual exhibition.

The miniature model of the tunnel system in the virtual exhibition’s room about the Mont Terri URL with the Cyclic Deformation Experiment (CD-A) being selected

Virtual exhibition

The conceptual purpose of the virtual exhibition is to provide all relevant background information needed for running the experiment. The exhibition consists of three rooms. It begins with general information about the Mont Terri URL and becomes more specific by providing the background of the experiment and its measurements that will be conducted by the user.

The first room presents background information about the Mont Terri URL. This includes an introduction to the concept of URLs in general, the location of Mont Terri, its geological context and the importance of research in URLs for the final disposal of radioactive waste. These information are presented in classical formats like written notes and posters. In addition, an interactive exhibit displays a miniature version of the URL including a sphere for each of the most important experiments run at Mont Terri (see Fig.  1 ). When the user selects an experiment by its abbreviation from the list, the corresponding sphere is highlighted and the experiment’s full name is displayed. In addition, the selection of experiments is possible by interacting directly with the spheres. By entering this first room, the user receives a video message from the coordinator of Mont Terri’s visitor centre. She provides additional background information and tells the user that unfortunately nobody can be on site to complete important installations and measurements and asks the user for their help. In addition, the user gets the task to find the Cyclic Deformation Experiment (CD-A) in the miniature model of the tunnel system, Footnote 4 which is possible by either selecting it from the list or by selecting the corresponding sphere. The user earns a virtual diamond when they successfully select the CD-A experiment. Similar to this, all interactions with virtual exhibits are rewarded. This provides external motivation for the user to interact with the virtual world. Video messages from domain experts (non-player characters) guide the user through the whole game. In this way, not only the interdisciplinarity of research at Mont Terri is highlighted but research is also presented in a personal way, which implements a social design feature (Matovu et al. 2023 ).

The interactive visualisation of the airflow in the twin niches in the virtual exhibition’s room about the CD-A experiment (selected mode: static arrows, also available as animated view)

In the second room, the user finds information about the CD-A experiment. When entering the room, they receive a video message from the experiment’s principal investigator, who explains the experiment. The setup of the CD-A experiment consists of two similar niches. As Fig.  2 shows, one of the niches is closed by a door, while the other is left open. This allows to compare the situation with and without air exchange. In this way, researchers investigate the influence of the climatic conditions in the tunnel system and the opening time of the niches on the surrounding rock mass in order to determine whether the excavation stability and rock mass permeability, which are important for the final disposal, are permanently affected [see Graebling et al. ( 2022 ) for details about the experiment]. Besides posters and texts about the background of the experiment, a simplified 3D model of the twin niches is presented (see Fig.  2 ). The user can investigate the difference of the airflow in the niches in this model and is asked to answer a quiz question about the experiment’s setup before moving to the next room. In this way, it is guaranteed that the difference of the airflow in the closed and open niche is understood, as this knowledge is crucial for the further experiment. The correct answering of quiz questions is rewarded with virtual diamonds.

The third room presents the actual type of measurement within the CD-A experiment that will be performed by the user: the electrical resistivity tomography (ERT). The motivation and the measurement procedure are explained by the researcher who runs the measurement in the real world in a video message. The sensor used for the ERT measurements is depicted in Fig.  3 . It is available in two views: a normal assembled mode and an exploded view that provides explanations for all individual parts. For each ERT measurement, two of these sensors inject current and two additional sensors measure the potential difference between them. In this way, approximately 70 sensors per niche (all capable of both tasks) provide information about the electrical resistivity of the rock mass volume around both niches. By conducting these measurements, researchers can draw conclusions about the water content. This is based on the correlation that the higher the electrical conductivity of the rock mass, the higher the water content in the rock’s pores. This important information is again asked for in a quiz that must be solved before entering the next room.

A single ERT sensor as a photograph (top left), as modelled in 3D using Blender including the cable lug (bottom left) and as available in VR-EX: in a normal and an exploded view in the virtual exhibition’s room about the ERT measurements (right)

Preparation

After the visit of the virtual exhibition, the user has the necessary background information about the ERT measurements performed within the CD-A experiment. The last step before entering the tunnel system in order to install the sensors and to start the measurement is to put on safety gear, i.e. a helmet and a safety vest. This has two conceptual purposes. First, the procedure increases the feeling of embodiment and the virtual body ownership [(which are actional design features (Matovu et al. 2023 )] because the user sees their own avatar in the mirror matching their real world movements while putting on the safety gear. Second, the procedure replicates the preparation required when entering the actual tunnel system in the real world and in this way increases the realism and authenticity of visiting the tunnel system.

Exploring the tunnel system

When entering the tunnel system, the user receives a video message from a visitor guide. The message contains basic information about the tunnel system’s position and length and finally asks the user to find the CD-A niches. A map in the user’s left hand shows the current position and orientation as well as the location of the CD-A experiment. This supports the user in finding their way through the complex tunnel system. Finding the twin niches of the CD-A experiment is considered part of the main quest. In addition, the guide explains the optional side quest: Six polaroid cameras and six 360 degree panorama pictures (see the video of the play-through for a vivid impression and Section “ Data integration ” for technical details) are placed in the tunnel system and can be visited by the user. These provide photographs of the laboratory and in this way give real impressions instead of only showing the tunnel’s untextured geometry. Counters of the already visited cameras and panoramas are displayed on the map. This matches the concept of collectables from game development, which externally motivates the users to explore the tunnel system.

The closed niche of the CD-A experiment viewed from the tunnel system, including the red area marking the users aim for entering and the turquoise box, containing the measurement computer (left) as well as the perspective from inside the closed niche showing the drill and the three sensors for the installation (right)

Sensor installation

Upon reaching the CD-A niches, another video message from the experiment’s principal investigator welcomes the user and explains that the twin niches they are now facing are the same as presented in the virtual exhibition. After this recap, the user is asked to enter the closed niche. Figure  4 shows the niche viewed from outside and inside. On entering, the user receives a video message from the deputy site manager for the underground laboratory in which they are asked to complete the sensor installation for the last three sensors. This process consists of three steps: drilling of boreholes, placing the sensors inside the boreholes, and connecting all three sensors to their cables. Each step is rewarded with one diamond per sensor, resulting in nine diamonds for the entire installation. Afterwards, the user leaves the niche and starts the measurements on the experiment’s computer. This is followed by a narrative leap approximately one year into the future.

Visualisation and analysis

In the visualisation centre (see Fig.  5 ), the user is first guided by a video message to process the measured raw data (see Section  Measurement results for details about the data integration). The underlying complex process is symbolised by pushing a button in order to keep the serious game accessible also for users without a mathematical or geophysical background. Afterwards the user receives a video message from a researcher specialised in geo-scientific visualisation, asking them to create the visualisation of the measurements for the large screen using the small screen on the table. To achieve this, the user adds all relevant data to the visual scene, colourises them and hides the part of the geometry that occludes the areas relevant for the analysis (see the video of the play-through for details). Two posters introduce the concepts of colour mapping and clipping and support the user in building the correct rendering pipeline by selecting predefined effects and elements. The successful creation of the visualisation is rewarded with diamonds. In a last step, the researcher running the experiment in the real world explains the analysis of the measurement results. The user can explore the outcome of their experiment in form of an animation of the results on the large screen. The main finding of the experiment is that, aside from seasonal effects, the open niche desaturates significantly stronger than the closed niche over the long term.

The visualisation centre where the user processes the measurements, creates the visualisation and analyses the results in a guided process

Technical details

Hardware and development.

VR-EX was developed using the Unity Game Engine Footnote 5 and the XR Interaction Toolkit. Footnote 6 The target device is the Meta Quest 3, which is a standalone virtual reality head-mounted display with a per-eye display resolution of 2.064 pixels \(\times\) 2.208 pixels, 8 GB RAM and a Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processor. Footnote 7 Quest 3 supports two wireless controllers as default input devices and uses optical inside-out tracking, i.e. the headset’s cameras track its position by recognising visual features of the room in which the user moves. It therefore does not require further technical infrastructure like external tracking hardware. This fulfils the requirement of mobile usage.

Data integration

Tunnel system.

A meshed representation of the tunnel system based on laser-scan data was available in the fbx-file-format. The original data set consists of approximately 4 million vertices and around 7.9 million faces. We preprocessed this data in Blender Footnote 8 using custom python scripts for automatisation. The preprocessing consists of the following steps: (1) loading the original data set; (2) loading the ERT sensor positions from a csv-file; (3) creating a borehole for each ERT sensor in the mesh of the tunnel system using boolean operators; (4) splitting the tunnel system into 39 segments for optimisation in Unity (see Section “ Optimisation ”). Simplified representations of the whole tunnel system and of the CD-A niches were integrated into the first two rooms of the virtual exhibition and the visualisation centre.

Photos from the tunnel

As mentioned in Section “ Photos from the tunnel ”, six 2D photographs and six 360-degree panorama photos of the tunnel system are integrated in the application. For this purpose, each of the six panorama photos, available as equirectangular projections, is used for texturing a sphere’s inside. These spheres are placed at the original locations where the photo was taken and are deactivated in the scene by default. A sphere only gets activated when the user enters the panorama’s trigger. The additional six 2D photos are used as simple textures for the virtual pictures that get ejected by a polaroid camera when the user takes a photo. The polaroid cameras are also placed at the original location of the shot.

Measurement results

The ERT measurement results were available in vtk-file-format (Schroeder et al. 2006 ) as one file per niche and per day. We preprocessed these 696 files using ParaView. Footnote 9 In this step, the data from both niches was combined into a single file and a diverging colour-map (reflecting no change, saturation and desaturation) was applied. The resulting 348 files including results for both niches and the colour-map were then exported from ParaView and imported into the Unity scene.

Virtual rooms and 3D Models

The virtual exhibition and the visualisation centre were modelled in 3D using Unity’s ProBuilder. Footnote 10 The 3D models of objects used in the scenes were partly modelled in Blender and partly curated from online sources for royalty free assets (e.g. the safety vest). An example of an item modelled specifically for VR-EX in Blender is the ERT sensor, shown in Fig.  3 .

Optimisation

Because the Quest 3 is a standalone HMD, its performance is limited compared to virtual reality setups that use the computing power of regular desktop PCs or even dedicated high performance graphics hardware. Therefore, two optimisation techniques were employed to increase the application’s graphics quality. Firstly, the 3D models used in the application are either low-poly meshes by design or were preprocessed using a polycount reduction modifier in Blender (Decimate Modifier). Secondly, the meshed representation of the tunnel system that is displayed when the user explores it at full scale (i.e. not as a miniature model in the exhibition) was split into 39 segments during the preprocessing (see Section “ Tunnel system ”). This allows the use of occlusion culling, i.e. not rendering the whole mesh but only the segments that are currently visible to the user.

Study design

Target group.

In the context of this work, two of the potential objectives of science communication defined by Wack et al. ( 2021 ) are relevant: (1) to increase awareness and knowledge and (2) to boost interest and excitement. Because the motivation is not only to disseminate information, but also to engage individuals who are not yet interested, the target group for this work is formed by three sub-groups of the public: the general public (in this case excluding scientists from the field), the attentive public (“reasonably well-informed”) and the interested public (“not necessarily well informed”) (Burns et al. 2003 ). The areas of application for VR-EX are the URL’s visitor centre, information events and hands-on museums.

Evaluating the VR-quality

The application’s overall VR-quality was measured using the Virtual Reality Neuroscience Questionnaire (VRNQ) (Kourtesis et al. 2019a , b ). Originally, this questionnaire was designed for usage in evaluating iVR applications in the field of cognitive neuroscience and neuropsychology, but due to its universality it is also applicable to iVR applications in general. VRNQ consists of four categories: user experience, game mechanics, in-game assistance and VR induced symptoms and effects (VRISE). Each category contains five questions that are answered on a 7-point-Likert scale. The scores are summed per category (0–35) and also per questionnaire (0–140). The higher the score, the better is the quality of the application. In order to classify the results, VRNQ defines two thresholds for the median score: a minimum cut-off (25 for categories, 100 overall) and a parsimonious cut-off (30 for categories, 120 overall). In addition to the quantitative score, each question is followed by a free-text input field for additional qualitative feedback.

Evaluating the knowledge transfer

In order to measure the knowledge gain, a test about the content of VR-EX was designed and presented to the participants after they attended the serious game. This test is provided in Online Resource 1. In collaboration with domain experts, it was decided that the knowledge which is needed to answer the questions is specific enough to consider the prior knowledge as insignificant. Therefore, all correctly answered questions are considered as knowledge gain. The effects of guessing are also assumed to be insignificant because the participants were explicitly asked not to guess and the results of the knowledge test were recorded and processed anonymously. In addition to the knowledge test, the participants were asked for their subjective estimation of their detailed prior knowledge about the Mont Terri URL and the scientific processes run there before and after participating. The difference is considered the perceived knowledge transfer.

VR-EX was developed in an iterative process. A first prototype was implemented after the conceptualisation phase. This prototype was tested with four participants in a pretest before the actual evaluation. The participants (3 male, 1 female) were aged between 23 and 46 years. One participant reported a geo-scientific background and another participant reported previous experience with VR. The pretest revealed the need for a clearer and longer tutorial and small changes in the interaction design. These adaptations were implemented before the evaluation took place. The second iteration of changes made to the application based on the evaluation are described in subsection “ Qualitative analysis ”.

Evaluation results

Participants.

The evaluation was advertised via the social media accounts and mailing lists of the participating institutions and was open for all interested people of full age. Overall, 35 participants (16 female, 14 male, 5 other or not specified) took part in the evaluation, which was performed at Leipzig University and the UFZ. The participants were provided with a VR HMD for the duration of the evaluation. 14 of the participants reported to be of age 18–29, 11 to be in the thirties, 7 in the forties, 2 in the fifties and one participant was between 60 and 69 years old. The participants’ highest level of education is listed in Table  1 . When asked for their iVR experience, 33 of 35 participants reported not to be used to VR applications and 2 participants answered the question neutrally. The question about their detailed prior knowledge about the Mont Terri URL and the scientific processes run there was disagreed on by 34 participants (29 disagreed strongly) and one participant answered neutrally. None of the participants reported a colour-vision deficiency.

Duration of participation

Both, the average and median duration of the participation in the iVR application was approximately 31 min. The fastest participant took 23 min and the slowest 41 min. Due to language-based comprehension problems, two participants whose first language was neither English nor German were unable to complete the serious game within the evaluation’s organisational time frame of 45 min. In these cases, the participation was stopped after the sensor installation was completed. Because the two participants only missed the last room of the game, they were not excluded from the evaluation.

VRNQ score reflecting the VR quality of the application: categorised by the participants experience with iVR applications (green) and for all participants (blue); the higher the value the better the quality; each dot represents a single participant’s score

Quantitative analysis

Figure  6 shows the ratings of the iVR application’s overall quality based on the VRNQ questionnaire. The median score taking all participants (blue) into account was 116 (average 115) which lies between the minimal (100) and the parsimonious cut-off (120) defined for VRNQ. Participants with little more experience with the medium iVR (“disagreed” instead of “strongly disagreed” when asked for being used to iVR) rated the application’s quality slightly better, resulting in a median score of 121. The lower score from participants who answered the question about iVR experience neutrally are not considered to be representative as the group consisted of only two participants. Figure  7 reports the application’s quality in more detail for each sub-category of the questionnaire. The minimum cut-off was exceeded in all categories. For VRISE the median score was even better than the parsimonious cut-off. Due to this overall very good result, the reasons for the two lower outliers in the VRISE evaluation (below 25) can be presumed to be individual instead of structural. In addition, the outliers do not outnumber the usual 5–10% of participants who experience symptoms independent of the actual application (Barrett 2004 ).

VRNQ scores per sub-category of the questionnaire; the higher the value the better the VR quality of the application; each dot represents a single participant’s score

Qualitative analysis

In the qualitative analysis, the free-text feedback was summarised and sorted by frequency. The participants most frequently reported a high level of enjoyment, especially when interacting with the safety gear or the drill. Besides this positive feedback, the most frequently mentioned suggestion for improvement was related to the interaction mechanics, as some interactions were reported to be not intuitive or even inconsistent. Based on this feedback, after the evaluation the mentioned interactions were adjusted to be consistent and additional explanations were added for interactions that were deemed not intuitive enough. In addition, bugs were fixed and smaller adaptations were made. Examples for these minor changes are the increase of figure resolutions, the addition of more hints and notes as well as the improvement of the recorded video messages from domain experts.

Additional observations made by the person in charge of the evaluation highlight the strong immersion and presence felt in the virtual world. One participant let go of the controller and tried to grab the drill with their hand. Another made large and careful real-world steps in the niche in order not to damage the virtual cable channel. Furthermore, another participant reported considering the safety of entering the niche, in regards to the air supply for breathing.

Knowledge transfer

Figure  8 shows the results of the knowledge test. The median percentage of correct answers was 80% (same average). One participant answered only 10% of the questions correctly and two participants answered 40% correctly. All other participants reached 60% or better. The participant who reached only 10% is considered as outlier. Because of the otherwise very good results and the fact that they completed the serious game without severe problems, it is considered that this was due to their personal situation.

Results of the knowledge test after the participation; each dot represents a single participant

The median of the perceived knowledge gain was a 3 point improvement on a 5-point-Likert scale. Two participants reported no perceived knowledge gain. However, one of them answered 80% of the knowledge test’s questions correctly and the other one is the outlier described before. For one participant the subjective knowledge was even 4 points higher after the participation than before.

Discussion and conclusion

For the purpose of science communication for the Mont Terri URL, the concepts of virtual field trips and serious games were combined. The results of the iVR application’s evaluation show that the serious game is well usable also for people without prior knowledge from the field and without experience with the medium VR. In addition, the participants reported joy and engagement. The over-representation of participants who were not familiar with iVR applications suggests that even better results could have been achieved with a more heterogeneous group of participants, as typical when using VRNQ. Based on the participants’ feedback from the evaluation, the application was improved and it therefore can be considered that the final version after these adaptations would score even better than the evaluated version. However, a limitation of the study design is the measurement of knowledge transfer employing a test consisting of only ten questions and the knowledge transfer being measured only once directly after the participation. Future work could measure the achieved long-term knowledge transfer and investigate the application’s effect on the participants’ acceptance of nuclear waste management. Another limitation of the evaluation is the over-representation of young and highly educated participants. This can be explained by the fact that the announcement of the evaluation was primarily shared by research institutions. Nonetheless, the education-based limitation is only relevant for measuring the knowledge transfer and irrelevant for measuring the quality of the application. Future work could repeat the evaluation with less educated participants or with teenagers and older participants.

VR-EX clearly demonstrates the potential benefits of immersive virtual reality serious games for science communication by engaging users and assigning the learner an active role. In future work, VR-EX could be enhanced by personalisation and adaptation (Dörner et al. 2016 , p. 10) in order to provide a learning process tailored to the user’s prior knowledge and interests. In this way, the application could also be used for a broader target group, also including formal learning. In this context, the participation of groups instead of single users could be evaluated. This can be realised either by implementing a multi-player mode or by streaming the VR headset’s graphics to an external display for shared participation. Besides the use for science communication and teaching, VR-EX could be developed further in order to not only disseminate research but also to support and initiate multi-party dialogues between the different stakeholders in nuclear waste management within site selection processes.

Data availability

No datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the participants of the pretest and the evaluation as well as the domain experts for recording the video messages. Furthermore, the funding by swisstopo is appreciated.

Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL. This work was supported by funding from the Federal Office of Topography (swisstopo), Switzerland. The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.

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Author Contributions based on CRediT: N.G. had the lead in the conceptualization, methodology, software development, investigation, resources, formal analysis, data curation, visualization, project administration and wrote the original draft (including editing). G.Z. and M.F. supported the conceptualization and provided resources. S.S. supported the data curation and provided resources. M.Z., D.J., and C.N. supported the conceptualization. Y.A. supported the software development and the conceptualization. S.G. supported the investigation. K.R. supported the project administration. All authors reviewed the manuscript. Footnote 11

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Graebling, N., Ziefle, G., Furche, M. et al. VR-EX — An immersive virtual reality serious game for science communication about the electrical resistivity tomography measurements in the Mont Terri Rock Laboratory, Switzerland. Environ Earth Sci 83 , 318 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-024-11613-2

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DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-024-11613-2

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