Introduction and Research Plans

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Hello! My name is Emily Topness, and I am a first-year PhD student at the University of Edinburgh studying rangeland degradation in northern Iceland. This blog post introduces myself and my project plans.

My PhD research is all about pulling interdisciplinary datasets together. This project brings research focus back to the Mývatn area of northern Iceland with new questions and aims to fill knowledge gaps in the environmental history of the region. We can combine the environmental record with historic written sources to understand what has caused rangeland ecosystems to become unstable since human settlement. Is the soil erosion we still see today driven by human activity, volcanic impact, and/or climate change? How much of a role do each of these drivers play?

I am very much enjoying my PhD journey so far here at the University of Edinburgh supervised by Dr Anthony Newton, Professor Andrew Dugmore, and Dr Rowan Jackson. My background is in geology, anthropology, and environmental sustainability. I feel so lucky to be able to pursue my research interests in combining geomorphological data with historic records to understand the environmental and human dimensions of change in the North Atlantic region.

In June 2024, I will conduct my first fieldwork trip to the Lake Mývatn region. Field research this summer will focus on using geomorphological survey and active reconnaissance to identify a network of appropriate sites. I will use these sites to understand the how the climate and environment were changing during the 4,000 years prior to the 9th century arrival of people in Iceland, or Landnám. I will also use this fieldwork time to become familiar with the framework of volcanic ash layers available in the study area to precisely date the pattern and timing of rangeland soil erosion. This information on the past environment can be combined with information people have recorded (e.g., farm diaries recording livestock numbers) to gain insight into the drivers of rangeland erosion. I will use these data to answer questions about how events in Iceland such as the 15th century plagues and the 13th century economic shift from meat and dairy to wool production impacted land use and erosion dynamics.

In my free time, I am a swimmer, poet, and keen hillwalker working towards bagging all of Scotland’s Munros. I also enjoy actively building my skills to become a more effective science communicator. Stay tuned for more blog posts about Iceland, fieldwork, and rangeland change.