Thomas Idris Marquand (Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge) The East Anglia Fens: Crop Productivity and Climate Vulnerability. Friday 11th November 2pm
The East Anglian Fens are a major greenhouse gas source in the UK. They are also at risk from drought, flooding and sea level rise due to climate change. The Fens account for 35% of the UK's vegetable harvest so developing evidence-based strategies to manage this key agricultural resource will be crucial to the UK's food security.
In this talk Thomas will introduce the East Anglian Fens and their key role in UK crop production. I'll describe fenland greenhouse gas emissions and briefly explain how he aims to understand these emissions in more detail. He'll also mention the major threats that the flooding, drought and sea level rise pose to continued fenland farming. Finally, he will describe how managing the water table in agricultural land may provide a solution that balances the needs of greenhouse gas mitigation and food production.
Coffee Break Seminars are a relaxed online learning and discussion platform for our food security community. Talks take place every Friday during term time at 2 pm, UK time.