Dr Nick Chappell FRGS, FHEA

Reader in Hydrological Processes

Research Overview

Research

Nick’s research focuses on rainfall-runoff processes and within upland UK & equatorial tropics.

Runoff pathways are regulated by meteorological & watershed effects and changed by our interventions, sometimes positively in the form of nature-based solutions (NbS). Changes in these hydrological pathways and processes are often key to methods for mitigating water pollution issues, in addition to reducing the risk of floods or droughts.

Current rates of development are giving profound changes to the water cycle (), but advances in the design of NbS can give positive outcomes for flood mitigation () and pollution mitigation ().

Quantifying changes in these processes has demanded the use of new field sensor technology (), and parsimonious modelling involving interpretative machine learning (iML) or physics-based approaches (; ; ).

Ongoing research projects where Nick is the Principal Investigator at 快播视频 include:

Recent research projects included:

Nick has a long-term research commitment to catchment monitoring (i.e., the discipline of hydrometry), particularly when combined with numerical modelling, see e.g., the . For further details of Nick’s research publications and projects click these links and use the tabs above.

Research-led teaching and training

Nick in 2025-6 teaches the core Year 1 and Year 2 hydrology courses and a third year field-course based at the Slapton Ley Field Studies Centre:

  • LEC.174 Hydrology: water in the environment
  • LEC.275 Catchment Hydrology
  • LEC.370 Hydrological Processes Field-course

These courses are available to the BSc Environmental Science programme, BSc Physical Geography programme, and other programmes in LEC. Nick also teaches undergraduate, masters and PhD research projects in field hydrology and hydrological modelling and is the Director of the MSc Sustainable Water Management and PgCert/PgDip/MSc Flood and Coastal Risk Management, and PgCert Flood Risk Management (Department for Infrastructure) programmes:

Nick is the author of the first eight chapters (focusing on hydrometry) of the latest edition of the hydrology reference text:

News

Research and teaching items that have appeared in news articles:

For further information, see Nick’s personal webpages


  • 01/05/2025 → 31/05/2026
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  • 01/06/2024 → 31/05/2027
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  • 01/02/2024 → 31/03/2027
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  • 01/08/2023 → 30/09/2023
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  • 01/03/2023 → 30/09/2023
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  • 01/10/2022 → 31/12/2022
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  • 01/03/2022 → 31/03/2027
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  • 01/02/2019 → 31/05/2026
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  • 01/07/2018 → 30/11/2022
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  • 01/04/2018 → 31/03/2019
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  • 10/02/2018 → 29/06/2018
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  • 01/11/2017 → 31/03/2023
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  • 01/10/2017 → 30/11/2017
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  • 01/09/2017 → 30/11/2017
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  • 01/09/2017 → 30/11/2017
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  • 26/06/2017 → 21/08/2017
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  • 20/03/2017 → 19/08/2017
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  • 01/12/2016 → 30/11/2018
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  • 25/07/2016 → 27/05/2017
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  • 01/01/2015 → 31/01/2015
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  • 01/10/2014 → 31/03/2015
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  • 01/03/2014 → 30/08/2016
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  • 01/06/2013 → 30/11/2013
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  • 01/05/2012 → 30/06/2016
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  • 27/02/2012 → 15/07/2012
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  • 15/03/2009 → 14/03/2010
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  • Environmental Science
  • Improving global stewardship
  • Innovation for a better environment
  • Sustainable Catchments
  • Understanding a changing planet
  • Water Science