Research Staff:

Postgraduate researcher

Name: John Staunton

Contact Details:

Email: johns86hotmail.com

Office Telephone: 00-353-(0)91-492719

Address: Applied Ecology Unit, Centre for Environmental Science, National University of Ireland - Galway, Galway, Ireland

Website: http://www.nuigalway.ie/applied_ecology_unit/

Profile:

I graduated from NUI Galway’s BSc in Environmental Science in 2008 with first class honours. I was awarded a scholarship from NUI Galway, and obtained funding from the University’s Millenium Fund and Thomas Crawford Hayes Trust fund to carry out research in my current PhD.

Research Interests

Ecology, Hydrology, Invertebrate bioindicators, Sciomyzidae, Carabidae, Wetlands, Infill, Construction and Demolition Waste.

Educatio n

BSc – Environmental Science, NUI Galway (1st class hons.)

Professional Associations:

·         Environmental Sciences Association of Ireland

          Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry

          Royal Entomological Society

          Chartered Institution of Wastes Management

Current Activities:

Research

Infilling of wetlands with Construction and Demolition (C & D) waste in the west of Ireland – implications for wetland condition using hydrological parameters and invertebrate bioindicators.

Wetlands are important components of watersheds and provide ecosystem services. Despite this, due to the rapid increase in development in recent years, wetlands continue to be infilled with C&D waste. Very little is known about the impact of this in Ireland, which provided the incentive for the project, whose aims are to: a) determine the occurrence and land cover of C&D infill sites on wetlands throughout County Galway b) quantify the impact of C&D waste on water quality and quantity using hydrological analyses c) develop a bioassessment methodology for wetlands affected by C&D infilling using plant and invertebrate bioindicators. Water flows to and from each site will be determined using standard measurement techniques and this will be coupled with predictive methods to determine extreme flows. Water will be sampled up-gradient and down-gradient of sites and the impacts of flood protection from the infilling of the wetlands will also be conceptually modelled using FSR (Flood Studies Report) and FEH (Flood Estimation Handbook) methods. For the bioassessment component, marsh flies (Diptera: Sciomyzidae) which have already proven to be useful bioindicators of change in turloughs and callows, will be sampled using a variety of techniques in conjunction with plant community composition and structure.

This is funded by the Millenium Fund at NUI Galway.

Teaching

Demonstrating botanical and entomological skills in the field and laboratory to undergraduate science students in NUI Galway.

Publications:

A1 Published Peer Reviewed Papers

Staunton, J., Williams, C.D., Mc Donnell, R.J., Maher, C., Knutson, L. and Gormally, M.J. (2008) Pherbellia (Oxytania) stackelbergi Elberg, 1965 (Dip.: Sciomyzidae) new to the British Isles, with comments on generic and sub-generic placement. Entomoligists Record 120, 173-178.

Research Reports

Staunton, J. (2008) Sciomyzid communities of the Shannon callows at Coolumber, Co. Roscommon – effects of different sampling methods and implications for management. (BSc Hons. Thesis, unpublished).

Conference Proceedings

Oral Presentations:

Staunton, J., Morrison, L., McDonnell, R., Henry, T., Williams, C.D. and Gormally, M.J. (2011) Impacts of infilling Irish wetlands with construction and demolition waste using invertebrate bioindicators, biomonitors and hydrological parameters. Joint meeting of Societ of Wetland Scientists, WETPOL and Wetland Biogeochemistry Smposium , Prague, Czech Republic, 3^rd- 8^th July, 2011.

Staunton, J., Morrison, L., McDonnell, R., Henry, T., Williams, C.D. and Gormally, M.J. (2011) Assessing impacts of the infilling of wetlands in Galway with C&D waste using invertebrate bioindicators, biomonitors and hydrological parameters. ENVIRON , UCC, Cork, 6th-8th April, 2011.

Poster Presentations:

ENVIRON 2010, LIT

ENVIRON 2009, WIT

Ryan Institute Research Day 2011, NUIG

ECI Research Day 2010, NUIG

ECI Research Day 2009, NUIG

Postgraduate Ecological Forum, 2009, NUIG

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