Professional summary

A water quality modeller focusing on understanding effects of diffuse and point sources of pollution in freshwater river basins with particular interests in eutrophication impacts in urbanising catchments. With a BSc in Geochemistry (University of Reading) and a PhD in Upland Catchment Hydrochemistry (Imperial College, London), his research experience at BGS, ADAS and since 2003 at UKCEH includes: (i) modelling soil erosion and phosphorus dynamics during storm events in small agricultural catchments, (ii) developing regional models of river nitrate pollution, (iii) evaluating impacts of potential environmental- and management-induced changes (including the establishment of riparian shade) on river temperature, phytoplankton, nutrients, dissolved oxygen and ecosystem metabolism fluxes and their relationship to light and river hydrodynamics. Work under the third of these areas uses the hourly-resolution 1-D process-based QUESTOR river network quality model.

Working extensively with academics and consultants, he has contributed to development of modelling tools used directly by policymakers. He has been lead-PI on two large 3-year research projects with a focus on water resources and quality in urbanising catchments (the NERC Changing Water Cycle £850k POLLCURB project, also allied to a global citizen science initiative led by Earthwatch Europe) and nature-based solutions for multiple socio-environmental benefits (JPI Urban Europe-NSFC £1.0m DeSCIPHER project: international collaboration with Chinese and Norwegian organisations). Work with university academics has included annual co-ordination of a workshop at Royal Holloway University of London where he is Visiting Professor. He is an Associate Editor for Hydrological Sciences Journal.

Selected publications

Hutchins Michael G. et al. , (2023), Woodland establishment reduces nutrient losses to waterbodies in urban catchments: a review of the evidence. Water Resources Research, 59, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022WR032626

Pathak Devanshi et al. , (2022), High-resolution water-quality and ecosystem-metabolism modelling in lowland rivers. Limnology and Oceanography, https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.12079

Hutchins M.G. et al. , (2021), Successful modelling of river dissolved oxygen dynamics requires knowledge of stream channel environments. Journal of Hydrology, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2021.126991

Baker Henry J. et al. , (2021), How robust is the evidence for beneficial hydrological effects of urban tree planting?. Hydrological Sciences Journal, https://doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2021.1922692

Hutchins M.G. et al. , (2021), Why scale is vital to plan optimal nature-based solutions for resilient cities. Environmental Research Letters, 16, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abd9f4

Pathak Devanshi et al. , (2021), Hourly prediction of phytoplankton biomass and its environmental controls in lowland rivers. Water Resources Research, 57, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020WR028773

Hutchins M.G. et al. , (2020), Intense summer floods may induce prolonged increases in benthic respiration rates of more than one year leading to low river dissolved oxygen. Journal of Hydrology X, 8, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hydroa.2020.100056

Bachiller-Jareno N. et al. , (2019), A novel application of remote sensing for modelling impacts of tree shading on water quality. Journal of Environmental Management, 230, 33-42, http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.09.037

Hutchins M.G. et al. , (2018), Combined impacts of future land-use and climate stressors on water resources and quality in groundwater and surface waterbodies of the upper Thames river basin, UK. Science of the Total Environment, 631-632, 962-986, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.03.052

Miller James D. et al. , (2017), The impacts of urbanisation and climate change on urban flooding and urban water quality: a review of the evidence concerning the United Kingdom. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, 12, 345-362, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2017.06.006