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Nicholas Girkin

Assistant Professor in Environmental Science, Faculty of Science

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Biography

I am Assistant Professor in Environmental Science at the University of Nottingham. I am a plant and soil ecologist and biogeochemist, leading research address sustainability issues across a range of ecosystems (peatlands, forests, grasslands, and agriculture), management intensities, and climates.

After studying biology at the University of Durham, I completed my Master's in Ecology and Environmental Management at the University of York, and my PhD at the University of Nottingham. I conducted my post-doctoral research at Teagasc, working on the mitigation of agricultural nitrous oxide emissions. Following this, I was a Research Fellow at the University of Nottingham, where I led the first ever on-the-ground measurements of greenhouse gas fluxes from the Central African peatland complex. I was Lecturer (2020 - 2023) and Senior Lecturer in Plant Soil Systems at Cranfield University prior to joining the University of Nottingham in November 2023. I am a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, a Member of the British Ecological Society, Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and an Associate Editor of Soil Use and Management. As PI, I have led over £2.3M of research projects since 2020, and supported projects worth over £3.9M as CoI.

Expertise Summary

My research interests and teaching span four key areas:

1. Plant-soil interactions: Plant-soil interactions underpin globally important ecosystem processes, from the production of crops, through to the regulation of biogeochemical cycles. I am interested in the role of plants in regulating such processes, and identifying opportunities for exploiting them to address key global challenges. For example, selective breeding in wheat and other crops has altered belowground traits, affecting how plants interact with soils. Manipulating these interactions may create new opportunities for low emission crop genotypes. Across ecosystems, plant regulatory processes are frequently not accounted for in relevant models, limiting our abilities to understand climate feedbacks on ecosystems. My group is currently working on a range of projects in peatland, forest, grassland and agricultural systems (temperate and tropical), to address these questions

2. Sustainable and regenerative farming: Regenerative farming spans a suite of soil management techniques (including organic management, agroforestry, intercropping and zero tillage, amongst others), all with potential to address critical sustainability challenges in agriculture, including benefits to soil health, and reductions in environmental externalities. However, multiple questions remain regarding the benefits versus trade-offs from adoption, the impacts from synergistic practices, and implications for supply chains. My group is currently working to develop various tools and approaches in order to quantify these impacts, and to inform farmer choices.

3. Climate impacts and resilience: Climate impacts are already affecting fundamental ecosystem processes, particularly in the tropics. Many uncertainties remain regarding potential feedback mechanisms, for example in terms of ecosystem productivity, and implications for global biogeochemical cycling. Impacts are likely to vary both spatially and temporally, and there is a need to develop new approaches to quantify both. There remain multiple opportunities for increasing climate resilience, for example through nature based solutions, which will provide multiple benefits, particularly for communities who rely on ecosystem service provision.

4. Nature-based solutions: Nature-based solutions describe a range of management interventions, aimed at better management, and the restoration of natural and modified ecosystems to address societal and environmental challenges. This can include interventions for enhancing carbon sequestration, mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, building soil health, and increasing climate and livelihood resilience. Examples of my research in this area include the use of reedbeds for low emission wastewater treatment, through to wetland restoration and afforestation, amongst other practices.

My group work across a range of spatial scales, from studying large scale-ecosystem processes to novel laboratory techniques to understand underlying pathways and mechanisms. We have recently expanded our capacity for measuring various components of soil health and chemistry, biology, and greenhouse gas emissions. I use a range of new and novel techniques including stable isotope labelling (13C and 15N) and novel organic matter characterisations (e.g. Rock-Eval pyrolysis and FTIR), integrated through modelling.

Research Summary

My group is active in a number of research areas funded by a combination of UKRI, government, industry, and NGOs/charities. Our main areas of research include:

  1. Plant-soil interactions, with a focus on controls over greenhouse gas emissions, soil carbon sequestration, soil health, and ecosystem productivity,
  2. Responsible farming, including regenerative farming interventions in temperate and tropical ecosystems
  3. Climate impacts and resilience, including impacts on fundamental ecosystem processes such as carbon sequestration, and how different interventions can enhance climate and livelihood resilience
  4. Nature-based solutions, with a focus on greenhouse gas flux mitigation, and opportunities for enhancing carbon storage and biodiversity.

Selected recent projects include:

  • Environmental and ecological drivers of tropical peatland methane emissions (NERC; NE/X015238/1, £766.1k, PI, 2023 - 2026)
  • Greenhouse gas flux mitigation through integrated crop livestock systems in the Pantanal, Brazil (BEIS Tactical Fund, £43k, PI, 2023 - 2024)
  • Nitrogen efficient plants for climate-smart arable cropping systems (Innovate UK, £650k, CoI, 2023 - 2027)
  • Net Zero Wheat Varieties (BBSRC and Sainsbury's, £135k, CoI, 2023 - 2027)
  • Climate and livelihood resilience of smallholder tea and coffee farming communities in Nigera (PTDF, £110k, PI)
  • Developing soil health indicators for cocoa farms (Sue White Fund for Africa, Cargill, £125k, PI, 2023 - 2025)
  • Net Zero Crop Varieties: Greenhouse gas flux mitigation in linseed (Premium Crops, £125k, PI, 2022 - 2025)
  • Regenerative agriculture for sustainable plantation ecosystems (NERC; NE/X001687/1, £100k, PI, 2022 - 2025)
  • Carbon storage and loss in the Great Fen (Wildlife Trusts, £45k, PI, 2021 - 2022)
  • Central American peatland and vegetation mapping (NERC, Royal Society, Royal Geographical Society, £180k, PI/CoI; 2021 - 2025
  • Nature based solutions for low emission wastewater treatment (EPSRC and Water Utilities, £125k, PI, 2021 - 2024)

Selected Publications

  • GARCIN, YANNICK, SCHEFUß, ENNO, DARGIE, GRETA C, HAWTHORNE, DONNA, LAWSON, IAN T, SEBAG, DAVID, BIDDULPH, GEORGE E, CREZEE, BART, BOCKO, YANNICK E, IFO, SUSPENSE A and OTHERS, 2022. Hydroclimatic vulnerability of peat carbon in the central Congo Basin Nature. 612(7939), 277-282
  • GEORGIOU, SELENA, MITCHARD, EDWARD TA, CREZEE, BART, DARGIE, GRETA C, YOUNG, DYLAN M, JOVANI-SANCHO, ANTONIO J, KITAMBO, BENJAMIN, PAPA, FABRICE, BOCKO, YANNICK E, BOLA, PIERRE and OTHERS, 2023. Mapping Water Levels across a Region of the Cuvette Centrale Peatland Complex Remote Sensing. 15(12), 3099
  • REBELLO, RHYS, BURGESS, PAUL J and GIRKIN, NICHOLAS T, 2022. Identifying sustainable nitrogen management practices for tea plantations Nitrogen. 3(1), 43-57
  • GIRKIN, N. T., TURNER, B. L., OSTLE, N., CRAIGON, J. and SJOGERSTEN, S., 2018. Root exudate analogues accelerate CO2 and CH4 production in tropical peat SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY. 117, 48-55
  • CREZEE, BART, DARGIE, GRETA, EWANGO, CORNEILLE, BAKER, TIMOTHY, BOLA, PIERRE, EMBA, OVIDE, GIRKIN, NICHOLAS, KANYAMA, JOSEPH, NDJANGO, JEAN-BOSCO and LEWIS, SIMON, 2023. Identifying a seasonally inundated, nutrient-poor peat swamp forest type in the central Congo Basin
  • GIRKIN, NICHOLAS T, CURRAN, HAYLEY, LEDGER, MARTHA, COOPER, HANNAH, DARGIE, GRETA, CREEZE, BART, EWANGO, CORNEILLE, MAMPOUYA, EMMANUEL, MBEMBA, MACKLINE, SUSPENSE, IFO and OTHERS, 2023. Environmental controls over greenhouse gas production from the Central African peatland complex
  • BIDDULPH, GEORGE ELLIOT, BOCKO, YANNICK ENOCK, PIERRE, BOLA, CREZEE, BART, DARGIE, GRETA, OVIDE, EMBA, GEORGIOU, SELENA, GIRKIN, NICHOLAS, HAWTHORNE, DONNA, SANCHO, JONAY JOVANI and OTHERS, 2023. Connaissances actuelles et orientations futures des recherches sur le complexe de tourbières de la Cuvette centrale du Congo BOIS & FORETS DES TROPIQUES. 355, 73-86
  • GEORGIOU, SELENA, MITCHARD, EDWARD TA, CREZEE, BART, DARGIE, GRETA C, YOUNG, DYLAN M, JOVANI-SANCHO, ANTONIO J, KITAMBO, BENJAMIN, PAPA, FABRICE, BOCKO, YANNICK E, BOLA, PIERRE and OTHERS, 2023. Mapping Water Levels across a Region of the Cuvette Centrale Peatland Complex Remote Sensing. 15(12), 3099
  • SAKRABANI, RUBEN, GARNETT, KENISHA, KNOX, JERRY W, RICKSON, JANE, PAWLETT, MARK, FALAGAN, NATALIA, GIRKIN, NICHOLAS T, CAIN, MICHELLE, ALAMAR, M CARMEN, BURGESS, PAUL J and OTHERS, 2023. Towards net zero in agriculture: Future challenges and opportunities for arable, livestock and protected cropping systems in the UK Outlook on Agriculture. 00307270231178889
  • BRACKEN, PHOEBE, BURGESS, PAUL J and GIRKIN, NICHOLAS T, 2023. Opportunities for enhancing the climate resilience of coffee production through improved crop, soil and water management Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems. 47(8), 1125-1157
  • HOLMAN, IAN, GIRKIN, NICHOLAS and TRUCKELL, IAN, 2023. Estimated emissions from peat soils in the Broads
  • YOUNG, DYLAN M, BAIRD, ANDY J, MORRIS, PAUL J, DARGIE, GRETA C, MAMPOUYA WENINA, Y EMMANUEL, MBEMBA, MACKLINE, BOOM, ARNOUD, COOK, PETER, BETTS, RICHARD, BURKE, ELEANOR and OTHERS, 2023. Simulating carbon accumulation and loss in the central Congo peatlands Global Change Biology.
  • GIRKIN, NICHOLAS T, BURGESS, PAUL J, COLE, LYDIA, COOPER, HANNAH V, HONORIO CORONADO, EURIDICE, DAVIDSON, SCOTT J, HANNAM, JACQUELINE, HARRIS, JIM, HOLMAN, IAN, MCCLOSKEY, CHRISTOPHER S and OTHERS, 2023. The three-peat challenge: business as usual, responsible agriculture, and conservation and restoration as management trajectories in global peatlands Carbon management. 14(1), 2275578
  • DHANDAPANI, SELVA, GIRKIN, NICHOLAS T., EVERS, STEPHANIE, RITZ, KARL and SJOGERSTEN, SOFIE, 2022. Immediate environmental impacts of transformation of an oil palm intercropping to a monocropping system in a tropical peatland MIRES AND PEAT. 28,
  • REBELLO, RHYS, BURGESS, PAUL J and GIRKIN, NICHOLAS T, 2022. Identifying sustainable nitrogen management practices for tea plantations Nitrogen. 3(1), 43-57
  • COLE, LYDIA ES, ÅKESSON, CHRISTINE M, HAPSARI, K ANGGI, HAWTHORNE, DONNA, ROUCOUX, KATHERINE H, GIRKIN, NICHOLAS T, COOPER, HANNAH V, LEDGER, MARTHA J, O’REILLY, PATRICK and THORNTON, SARA A, 2022. Tropical peatlands in the anthropocene: Lessons from the past Anthropocene. 37, 100324
  • O’NEILL, RÓISÍN MARY, DUFF, AOIFE M, BRENNAN, FIONA P, GEBREMICHAEL, AW, GIRKIN, NICK T, LANIGAN, GJ, KROL, DJ, WALL, DP, RENOU-WILSON, F, MÜLLER, C and OTHERS, 2022. Linking long-term soil phosphorus management to microbial communities involved in nitrogen reactions Biology and Fertility of Soils. 58(4), 389-402
  • GIRKIN, NICHOLAS T and COOPER, HANNAH V, 2022. Nitrogen and ammonia in soils
  • CREZEE, BART, DARGIE, GRETA C, EWANGO, CORNEILLE EN, MITCHARD, EDWARD TA, EMBA B, OVIDE, KANYAMA T, JOSEPH, BOLA, PIERRE, NDJANGO, JEAN-BOSCO N, GIRKIN, NICHOLAS T, BOCKO, YANNICK E and OTHERS, 2022. Mapping peat thickness and carbon stocks of the central Congo Basin using field data Nature Geoscience. 15(8), 639-644
  • GEORGIOU, SELENA, MITCHARD, EDWARD TA, CREZEE, BART, PALMER, PAUL I, DARGIE, GRETA C, SJÖGERSTEN, SOFIE, EWANGO, CORNEILLE EN, EMBA, OVIDE B, KANYAMA, JOSEPH T, BOLA, PIERRE and OTHERS, 2022. What determines peat swamp vegetation type in the Central Congo Basin? EGUsphere. 2022, 1-39
  • GARCIN, YANNICK, SCHEFUß, ENNO, DARGIE, GRETA C, HAWTHORNE, DONNA, LAWSON, IAN T, SEBAG, DAVID, BIDDULPH, GEORGE E, CREZEE, BART, BOCKO, YANNICK E, IFO, SUSPENSE A and OTHERS, 2022. Hydroclimatic vulnerability of peat carbon in the central Congo Basin Nature. 612(7939), 277-282
  • GIRKIN, NICHOLAS T, COOPER, HANNAH V, LEDGER, MARTHA J, O’REILLY, PATRICK, THORNTON, SARA A, ÅKESSON, AKESSONCHRISTINE, COLE, LYDIA ES, HAPSARI, K ANGGI, HAWTHORNE, DONNA and ROUCOUX, KATHERINE H, 2022. Tropical peatlands in the Anthropocene: The present and the future Anthropocene. 100354
  • MIYOSHI, CHIKAGE, ZHU, MINGMING, BURGESS, PAUL, GIRKIN, NICK and CLOUGH, PETER, 2022. The viability of carbon capture at airports using innovative approaches
  • LOISEL, J., GALLEGO-SALA, A. V., AMESBURY, M. J., MAGNAN, G., ANSHARI, G., BEILMAN, D. W., BENAVIDES, J. C., BLEWETT, J., CAMILL, P., CHARMAN, D. J., CHAWCHAI, S., HEDGPETH, A., KLEINEN, T., KORHOLA, A., LARGE, D., MANSILLA, C. A., MÜLLER, J., VAN BELLEN, S., WEST, J. B., YU, Z., BUBIER, J. L., GARNEAU, M., MOORE, T., SANNEL, A. B. K., PAGE, S., VÄLIRANTA, M., BECHTOLD, M., BROVKIN, V., COLE, L. E. S., CHANTON, J. P., CHRISTENSEN, T. R., DAVIES, M. A., DE VLEESCHOUWER, F., FINKELSTEIN, S. A., FROLKING, S., GAŁKA, M., GANDOIS, L., GIRKIN, N., HARRIS, L. I., HEINEMEYER, A., HOYT, A. M., JONES, M. C., JOOS, F., JUUTINEN, S., KAISER, K., LACOURSE, T., LAMENTOWICZ, M., LARMOLA, T., LEIFELD, J., LOHILA, A., MILNER, A. M., MINKKINEN, K., MOSS, P., NAAFS, B. D. A., NICHOLS, J., O’DONNELL, J., PAYNE, R., PHILBEN, M., PIILO, S., QUILLET, A., RATNAYAKE, A. S., ROLAND, T. P., SJÖGERSTEN, S., SONNENTAG, O., SWINDLES, G. T., SWINNEN, W., TALBOT, J., TREAT, C., VALACH, A. C. and WU, J., 2021. Author Correction: Expert assessment of future vulnerability of the global peatland carbon sink (Nature Climate Change, (2021), 11, 1, (70-77), 10.1038/s41558-020-00944-0): Nature Climate Change Nature Climate Change.
  • COOPER, HANNAH V., SJOGERSTEN, SOFIE, LARK, RICHARD M., GIRKIN, NICHOLAS T., VANE, CHRISTOPHER H., CALONEGO, JULIANO C., ROSOLEM, CIRO and MOONEY, SACHA J., 2021. Long-term zero-tillage enhances the protection of soil carbon in tropical agriculture EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOIL SCIENCE. 72(6), 2477-2492
  • DHANDAPANI, SELVA, GIRKIN, NICHOLAS T and EVERS, STEPHANIE, 2021. Spatial variability of surface peat properties and carbon emissions in a tropical peatland oil palm monoculture during a dry season Soil Use and Management.
  • BIDDULPH, GEORGE ELLIOT, BOCKO, YANNICK ENOCK, PIERRE, BOLA, CREZEE, BART, DARGIE, GRETA C, OVIDE, EMBA, GEORGIOU, SELENA, GIRKIN, NICHOLAS, HAWTHORNE, DONNA, JOVANI-SANCHO, JONAY and OTHERS, 2021. Current knowledge on the Cuvette Centrale peatland complex and future research directions Bois & Forets des Tropiques. 350, 3-14
  • BRACKEN, PHOEBE, BURGESS, PAUL J and GIRKIN, NICHOLAS T, 2021. Enhancing the climate resilience of coffee production. agriRxiv. 20210490350
  • DHANDAPANI, SELVAKUMAR, GIRKIN, NICHOLAS T., EVERS, STEPHANIE, RITZ, KARL and SJOGERSTEN, SOFIE, 2020. Is Intercropping an Environmentally-Wise Alternative to Established Oil Palm Monoculture in Tropical Peatlands? FRONTIERS IN FORESTS AND GLOBAL CHANGE. 3,
  • GIRKIN, NT, DHANDAPANI, S, EVERS, S, OSTLE, N, TURNER, BL and SJÖGERSTEN, S, 2020. Interactions between labile carbon, temperature and land use regulate carbon dioxide and methane production in tropical peat Biogeochemistry. 147, 87-97
  • O'NEILL, RM, GIRKIN, NT, KROL, DJ, WALL, DP, BRENNAN, FP, LANIGAN, GJ, RENOU-WILSON, F, MÜLLER, C and RICHARDS, KG, 2020. The effect of carbon availability on N2O emissions is moderated by soil phosphorus Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 142, 107726
  • GIRKIN, NICHOLAS T., VANE, CHRISTOPHER H., TURNER, BENJAMIN, OSTLE, NICHOLAS and SJÖGERSTEN, SOFIE, 2020. Root oxygen mitigates methane fluxes in tropical peatlands Environmental Research Letters.
  • GIRKIN, NICHOLAS T., LOPES DOS SANTOS, R, VANE, CHRISTOPHER H., OSTLE, NICHOLAS, TURNER, BENJAMIN and SJÖGERSTEN, SOFIE, 2020. Peat Properties, Dominant Vegetation Type and Microbial Community Structure in a Tropical Peatland Wetlands.
  • GIRKIN NT, VANE CH, COOPER HV, MOSS-HAYES V, CRAIGON J, TURNER BL, OSTLE N and SJÖGERSTEN S, 2019. Spatial variability of organic matter properties determines methane fluxes in a tropical forested peatland. Biogeochemistry. 142(2), 231-245
  • COOPER, HANNAH V, VANE, CHRISTOPHER H, EVERS, STEPHANIE, APLIN, PAUL, GIRKIN, NICHOLAS T and SJÖGERSTEN, SOFIE, 2019. From peat swamp forest to oil palm plantations: The stability of tropical peatland carbon Geoderma. 342, 109-117
  • SOMERS, CATHAL, GIRKIN, NICHOLAS T., RIPPEY, BRIAN, LANIGAN, GARY J. and RICHARDS, KARL G., 2019. The effects of urine nitrogen application rate on nitrogen transformations in grassland soils The Journal of Agricultural Science. 157(6), 515-522
  • GIRKIN, N. T., TURNER, B. L., OSTLE, N., CRAIGON, J. and SJOGERSTEN, S., 2018. Root exudate analogues accelerate CO2 and CH4 production in tropical peat SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY. 117, 48-55
  • UPTON, A, VANE, C H, GIRKIN, N, TURNER, B L and SJÖGERSTEN, S, 2018. Does litter input determine carbon storage and peat chemistry in tropical peatlands? Geoderma. 326, 76-87
  • GIRKIN, NT, TURNER, BL, OSTLE, N and SJÖGERSTEN, S, 2018. Composition and concentration of root exudate analogues regulate greenhouse gas fluxes from tropical peat Soil biology and biochemistry. 127, 280-285
  • GIRKIN, NICHOLAS T, 2018. Tropical forest greenhouse gas emissions: root regulation of soil processes and fluxes
  • GIRKIN, NICHOLAS, VANE, CHRISTOPHER, TURNER, BENJAMIN, OSTLE, NICHOLAS and SJOGERSTEN, SOFIE, 2017. Plant regulation of greenhouse gas emissions and carbon lability in a Neotropical peatland In: EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts. 9007
  • GIRKIN, NICHOLAS T, OSTLE, NICK, TURNER, BENJAMIN L and SJOGERSTEN, SOFIE, 2016. Root exudates and carbon emissions from tropical peatlands In:

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