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Staff Profile

Dr Magdalena Smigaj

Research Associate

Background

Magdalena Smigaj is a research associate, who first joined Newcastle University in 2010 as an undergraduate student. Her research interests lie in the application of remote sensing techniques to environmental monitoring, with particular interest in UAV remote sensing and monitoring vegetation condition in forested and agricultural environments. She is also actively taking part in interdisciplinary research addressing sustainable development goals. Her previous interdisciplinary work involved improving understanding of water resource availability in data-scarce regions to reduce food insecurity and contribute towards poverty alleviation and gender equality.

Qualifications

September 2013 - June 2018

PhD Geospatial Engineering, Newcastle University. Funded by a Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) studentship award (No. 1368552).

Thesis title: "Hyperspectral, thermal and LiDAR remote sensing for red band needle blight detection in pine plantation forests."

September 2010 - June 2013

First Class BSc (Hons) in Surveying and Mapping Science, Newcastle University.

Previous positions

October 2019 - November 2020

JSPS Research Fellow, Kyushu University, Japan.

October 2018 - June 2019

Research Associate, Newcastle University, UK.

October 2017 - October 2018

Lecturer in Remote Sensing, Newcastle University, UK.

Research

January 2021 - current:

Ongoing impacts from the surge in sand mining during COVID-19: enhanced river bank erosion hazard and risk in Vietnam's Mekong

Excessive mining of sand from large rivers can trigger adverse socio-environmental impacts that hinder development. These include bank erosion - threatening homes and infrastructure - and saltwater intrusion. Whilst the Mekong delta is already experiencing these problems, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a surge in illicit sand mining activity (due to limitations in governance capacity) that will exacerbate the negative impacts. The project will spatially quantify this activity and predict the extent to which it will further stimulate bank erosion in the forthcoming monsoon season and subsequent dry season. In combination with population dynamics, infrastructure and gendered livelihood exposure maps, these results will guide remediation efforts and aid efforts to promote stronger regulation of sand mining.

October 2019 - November 2020:

Investigating the potential of low-cost UAVs for monitoring community forests in Cambodia

Cambodia is experiencing rapid deforestation and forest degradation caused by agricultural expansion and increased land development. Whilst community forests have been established across the country in the hope of protecting forest resources, they are often severely degraded and poorly stocked with timber and non-timber forest products, making them unable to support the local community; as such they are in need of restoration. Continued forest condition monitoring is needed to effectively support restoration efforts and assess applied management interventions. This project explored how low-cost UAV systems could be used to aid in guiding and monitoring restoration activities.

January 2019 - June 2019:

Pilot study into the use of UAV remote sensing for hedgerow condition monitoring

Hedgerows are ecologically important features of British rural landscapes. Their value for biodiversity conservation depends on composition, structure and availability of food resources, which can be significantly impacted by poor management. However, information about hedgerow condition is very limited due to field surveys being costly and labour-intensive. This study explored whether UAV remote sensing is a viable alternative for performing hedgerow condition surveys at local scale, focusing on structure and flowering abundance. More comprehensive understanding of hedgerow, or other vegetated buffer strips, condition offered by UAV surveys can enable better informed decisions on habitat management and biodiversity conservation in rural areas 

June 2018 - June 2019:

PAPPADAAM (Pluri-scalar Approaches for co-Production of Pan-Asian Drought Assessment and Adaptive resource Management)

To address threats from environmental disasters, specifically drought, the project utilised approaches, which are both pluri-scalar – ranging from individual communities to continental extents – and trans-disciplinary, drawing upon environmental science (climatology, remote sensing, agronomy) and people-focused activities (participatory monitoring, resource management, policy uptake). By focusing on a water-forestry-agriculture nexus our research yielded insights on increasing resilience to drought for the partner institutions and countries (in China, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka).

June 2018 - June 2019:

CARISMA (Catchment Risk Assessments using Multi-Scale data)

The aim is to develop a framework methodology for integration of community-led hydrological monitoring in areas of data scarcity in sub-Saharan Africa with remote sensing information, to improve assessment and understanding of catchment water balances. The project focused on two river basins, one each in Ethiopia and Tanzania, working with key stakeholders representing different interests (including communities, environmental organisations, industrial water users, government bodies) to design and evaluate a prototype water management toolkit to allow multiple stakeholders within a river catchment to visualise and interpret hydrological information in support of catchment-based water management. The project was in collaboration with Imperial College London, WWF, the Abay River Basin Authority in Ethiopia, and the Rufiji Basin Water Office in Tanzania.

Publications