Staff profile

My research is concerned primarily with fluvial geomorphology, sediment budgets, shallow landslides, mountain sediment systems and geocryology. Work is in progress on sediment transfer processes in upland and mountain streams in northern England. This research is closely allied to investigations of upland peat erosion. Particular emphasis is placed on the transport of peat blocks, mass movements and wind erosion of bare peat. Interest in peat mass movemnts is part of a wider interet in shallow landslides in upland areas. Current investigations into geocryology are focussed on characterising upland frost climates and process monitoring of active frost-sorted patterned ground. I have a continued interest in hydraulic modelling of braided gravel-bed rivers and geomorphological laboratory experiments. As part of a more general interest in sediment transfer and the geomorphology of coarse-bed mountain streams and upland bedrock rivers. I am involved in several longer-term projects in Colorado and New Zealand. I have served on the Executive Committee of the British Geomorphological Research Group and together with Dave Higgitt I was Joint-Chair of the BGRG Working Group on Upland Sediment Budgets. In 2000 I was made a Millennium fellow for my work on 'Understanding the Landscape of the North Pennines'.

• geomorphology of braided rivers and mountain streams
• mountain sediment systems
• geocryology
• experimental geomorphology

• Catchments and Rivers
• Hazards and Surface Change

• Accelerated Upland Erosion Following Recent Wildfire Damage, Northern Lake District
• Landslide Assessment and Flood Erosion Risk from the North Yorkshire Floods
• Microscale Modelling of Debris Flow Super Elevation
• Peat Mass Movements and Geomorphological Impacts of Extreme Rainfall

• 2013: Sediment fingerprinting of the incoming stream(s) and lake sediment at Buttermere SSSI(£19650.30 from Natural England)
• 2012: Patterns of soil instability and sediment delivery from Red House Gill, Durham(£9328.00 from Environment Agency)
• 2010: Immediate geomorphological impact and fluvial system response to the Cumbria floods November 2009(£31401.13 from NERC - Natural Environment Research Council)
• 2010: Peat bog restoration: erosion and sediment...(£14450.00 from North Pennines AONB Partnership)
• 2009: Quantitative comparison of slope and river sediment dynamics(£10978.01 from NERC - Natural Environment Research Council)
• 2008: SIGNIFICANCE OF MACROSCALE PEAT FLUX(£28821.26 from NERC - Natural Environment Research Council)
• 2006: BASSENTHWAITE LAKE FLUVIAL SEDIMENT(£5000.00 from Environment Agency)
• 2005: ASSESSMENT OF SPATIAL CONTROLS(£24188.79 from NERC - Natural Environment Research Council)
• 2003: ACCELERATED UPLAND EROSION(£18333.01 from NERC - Natural Environment Research Council)
• 2003: PEAT MASS MOVEMENTS(£13854.60 from NERC - Natural Environment Research Council)
• 2002: INVESTIGATION INTO ENTRAINMENT LARGE PEAT BLOCKS(£1227.00 from The Nuffield Foundation)
• 2002: THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SHEEP GRAZING PRESSURE(£2000.00 from The Yorkshire Agricultural Society)
• 1999: EROSION OF UPLAND PEAT BY WIND(£7379.00 from The Royal Society)
• 1998: EVOLUTION OF THE NORTH PENNINES(£5757.00 from The Royal Society)

Available for media contact about:

• Earth Sciences: Damage caused by flooding and landslides in mounatain areas, particularly the UK
• Geography: Damage caused by flooding and landslides in mounatain areas, particularly the UK
• Environmental change: Damage caused by flooding and landslides in mounatain areas, particularly the UK
• Landscape systems: Damage caused by flooding and landslides in mounatain areas, particularly the UK
• Environment: Peat erosion and recent environmental change in the uplands
• Landscape & buildings: Peat erosion and recent environmental change in the uplands
• Weather & climate: Peat erosion and recent environmental change in the uplands
• Geography: Peat erosion and recent environmental change in the uplands
• Environmental change: Peat erosion and recent environmental change in the uplands
• Landscape systems: Peat erosion and recent environmental change in the uplands

Authored book

• Evans, M. & Warburton, J. (2007). The Geomorphology of Upland Peat: Erosion, Form and Landscape Change. London.: Blackwell Publishing.

Chapter in book

• Warburton, Jeff (2021). Peat landslides. In Landslide Hazards, Risks, and Disasters. Davies, Tim & Rosser, Nick Elsevier. 165-198.
• Warburton, J. (2020). Peat hazards: compression and failure. In Geological hazards in the UK: their occurrence, monitoring and mitigation. Giles, D.P. & Griffiths, J.S. London: Geological Society. 29: 243-257.
• Harrington, Laura & Warburton, Jeff (2018). A Snapshot in Time: The Dynamic and Ephemeral Structure of Peatland Soils. In Field to Palette: Dialogues on Soil and Art in the Anthropocene. Toland, Alexandra Stratton Noller, Jay & Wessolek, Gerd Boca Raton: CRC Press. 199-209.
• Warburton, J. (2006). Mountain Environments. In Environmental Sedimentology. Perry, C. & Taylor, K. Oxford: Blackwell. 32-74.
• J. Warburton (2004). First order streams. In Encyclopedia of Geomorphology. A. Goudie Routledge. 1: 370-372.
• J. Warburton (2004). Contributing Areas. In Encyclopedia of Geomorphology. A. Goudie Routledge. 1: 185-188.
• V.J. Holliday, D.L. Higgitt, J. Warburton & S. White (2003). Reconstructing upland sediment budgets in ungauged catchments from reservoir sedimentation and rainfall records calibrated using short-term streamflow monitoring. In Erosion prediction in ungauged basins: integrating methods and techniques. de Boer, Dirk 279: 59-67.
• R.M. Johnson & J. Warburton (2003). Regional assessment of contemporary debris flow activity in Lake District mountain catchments, north England: occurrence, scale and process. In Debris-flow Hazards Mitigation: Mechanics, Predication and Assessment. D. Rickenmann & G.L. Chen Millpress. 965-976.
• Danks, M. & Warburton, J. (2002). Historical river channel change - Swinhope Burn, Upper Weardale. In The British Uplands: Dynamics of Change. Burt, T.P., Thompson, D.B.A. & Warburton, J. JNCC. 125-126.
• A. Mills, J. Warburton & D.L. Higgitt (2002). Peat mass movements: a World and regional database. In The British Uplands: Dynamics of Change. T.P. Burt, D.B.A. Thompson & J. Warburton JNCC. 166-167.
• Higgitt, D.L. & Warburton, J. (2002). GPS: A tool for mapping the uplands. In The British Uplands: Dynamics of Change. Burt, T.P., Thompson, D.B.A. & Warburton, J. JNCC. 134-135.
• Burt, T.P., Warburton, J. & Allison, R.J. (2002). Eroding upland landscapes? Past, present and future perspectives. In The British Uplands: Dynamics of change. Burt, T.P., Thompson, D.B.A. & Warburton, J. Peterborough.: JNCC. 319: 60-66.
• Johnson, R.M., Warburton, J. & Burt, T.P. (2002). Torrent erosion in Lake District mountain cathments. In The British Uplands: Dynamics of Change. Burt, T.P., Thompson, D.B.A. & Warburton, J. Peterborough.: JNCC. 319: 139-140.
• Macklin, M., Maas, G., Warburton, J., Woodward, J., Meldrum, E. & Preston, D. (2001). Una historia de la formacion de los paisajes de Tarija. In Historia, Ambientey Sociedad en Tarija, Bolivia. Beck, S., Paniagua, N. & Preston, D. 1-7.
• J. Warburton, G. Marrs, M. Macklin, J. Woodward & E. Meldrum (2001). A 300 year history of flooding in an Andean mountain river system: the Rio Alizos, Southern Bolivia. In River Basin Sediment Systems: Archives of Environmental Change. D. Maddy, M. Macklin & J. Woodard Balkema. 297-323.
• Higgitt, D. L., Warburton, J. & Evans, M. (2001). Sediment transfer in upland environments. In Geomorphological Processes and Landscape Change: Britain in the Last 1000 years. Higgitt, D. L. & Lee, E. Blackwell. of 190-214.

Conference Proceeding

• Johnson, R. & Warburton, J. (2006). Episodic discharge of coarse sediment in a mountain torrent. Sediment Dynamics and the Hydromorphology of Fluvial Systems, Dundee., IAHS.

Journal Article

• Davies, Althea, Harrault, Loïc, Milek, Karen, McClymont, Erin, Dallimer, Martin, Hamilton, Alistair & Warburton, Jeff (2022). A multiproxy approach to long-term herbivore grazing dynamics in peatlands based on pollen, coprophilous fungi and faecal biomarkers. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 598: 111032.
• Kincey, Mark, Gerrard, Chris & Warburton, Jeff (2022). Metals, mines and moorland: the changing lead mining landscapes of the North Pennines, UK, 1700-1948. Post-Medieval Archaeology 56(1): 1-27.
• Wong, Jefferson S., Freer, Jim E., Bates, Paul D., Warburton, Jeff & Coulthard, Tom J. (2021). Assessing the hydrological and geomorphic behaviour of a landscape evolution model within a limits‐of‐acceptability uncertainty analysis framework. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms
• Boothroyd, Richard J. & Warburton, Jeff (2020). Spatial organisation and physical characteristics of large peat blocks in an upland fluvial peatland ecosystem. Geomorphology 370: 107397.
• Joyce, Hannah M., Warburton, Jeff & Hardy, Richard J. (2020). A catchment scale assessment of patterns and controls of historic 2D river planform adjustment. Geomorphology 354: 107046.
• Appleby, P.G., Semertzidou, P., Piliposian, G.T., Chiverrell, R.C., Schillereff, D.N. & Warburton, J.J. (2019). The transport and mass balance of fallout radionuclides in Brotherswater, Cumbria (UK). Journal of Paleolimnology 62(4): 389-407.
• Davies, T.R.H., Warburton, J. & Turnbull, J.M. (2019). Very large convergent multi-fluted glacigenic deposits in the NW Highlands, Scotland. Scottish Journal of Geology 55(2): 155-165.
• Chiverrell, R.C., Sear, D.A., Warburton, J., Macdonald, N., Schillereff, D.N., Dearing, J.A., Croudace, I.W., Brown, J. & Bradley, J. (2019). Using lake sediment archives to improve understanding of flood magnitude and frequency: recent extreme flooding in northwest UK. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 44(12): 2366-2376.
• Visser, Fleur, Woodget, Amy, Skellern, Andy, Forsey, Jake, Warburton, Jeff & Johnson, Rich (2019). An evaluation of a low-cost pole aerial photography (PAP) and structure from motion (SfM) approach for topographic surveying of small rivers. International Journal of Remote Sensing 1.
• Boothroyd, Richard J., Hardy, Richard J., Warburton, Jeff & Marjoribanks, Timothy I. (2019). The importance of riparian plant orientation in river flow: implications for flow structures and drag. Journal of Ecohydraulics 3(2): 108-129.
• Kincey, M.E., Warburton, J. & Brewer, P. (2018). Contaminated sediment flux from eroding abandoned historical metal mines: Spatial and temporal variability in geomorphological drivers. Geomorphology 319: 199-215.
• Joyce, H.M., Hardy, R.J., Warburton, J. & Large, A.R.G. (2018). Sediment continuity through the upland sediment cascade: geomorphic response of an upland river to an extreme flood event. Geomorphology 317: 45-61.
• Smith, M.W. & Warburton, J. (2018). Microtopography of bare peat: a conceptual model and objective classification from high-resolution topographic survey data. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 43(8): 1557-1574.
• Boothroyd, R.J., Hardy, R.J., Warburton, J. & Marjoribanks, T.I. (2017). Modeling complex flow structures and drag around a submerged plant of varied posture. Water Resources Research 53(4): 2877-2901.
• Ferguson, R.I., Sharma, B.P., Hodge, R.A., Hardy, R.J. & Warburton, J. (2017). Bed load tracer mobility in a mixed bedrock/alluvial channel. Journal of Geophysical Research – Earth Surface 122(4): 807-822.
• Kincey, M.E., Gerrard, C.M. & Warburton, J. (2017). Quantifying erosion of at risk archaeological sites using repeat terrestrial laser scanning. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 12: 405-424.
• Ferguson, R.I., Sharma, B.P., Hardy, R.J,, Hodge, R.A. & Warburton, J. (2017). Flow resistance and hydraulic geometry in contrasting reaches of a bedrock channel. Water Resources Research 53(3): 2278-2293.
• Perks, M.T., Warburton, J., Bracken, L.J., Reaney, S.M., Emery, S.B. & Hirst, S. (2017). Use of spatially distributed time-integrated sediment sampling networks and distributed fine sediment modelling to inform catchment management. Journal of Environmental Management 202: 469-478.
• Perks, M.J. & Warburton, J. (2016). Reduced fine sediment flux and channel change in response to the managed diversion of an upland river channel. Earth Surface Dynamics 4(3): 705-719.
• Boothroyd, R.J., Hardy, R.J., Warburton, J. & Marjoribanks, T.I. (2016). The importance of accurately representing submerged vegetation morphology in the numerical prediction of complex river flow. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 41(4): 567-576.
• Johnson, R.M. & Warburton, J. (2015). Sediment erosion dynamics of a gullied debris slide: a medium-term record. Catena 127: 152-169.
• Hopkins, J. & Warburton, J. (2015). Local perception of infrequent, extreme upland flash flooding: prisoners of experience? Disasters 39(3): 546-569.
• Black, M., Carbonneau, P., Church, M. & Warburton, J. (2014). Mapping sub-pixel fluvial grain sizes with hyperspatial imagery. Sedimentology 61(3): 691-711.
• Perks, M.T., Warburton, J. & Bracken, L. (2013). Critical assessment and validation of a time-integrating fluvial suspended sediment sampler. Hydrological Processes 28(17): 4795-4807.
• Warburton, J. & Evans, M. (2011). Geomorphic, sedimentary, and potential palaeoenvironmental significance of peat blocks in alluvial river systems. Geomorphology 130(3-4): 101-114.
• Johnson, R.M., Warburton, J., Mills, A.J. & Winter, C. (2010). Evaluating the significance of event and post-event sediment dynamics in a first order tributary using multiple sediment budgets. Geografiska Annaler: Series A, Physical Geography 92(2): 189-209.
• Beylich, A.A., Lamoureux, S.F., Decaulne, A., Dixon, J.C., Orwin, J.F., Otto, J.C., Overeem, I., SÆmundson,Þ, Warburton, J. & Zwolinski, Z. (2010). Sedimentary fluxes and budgets in changing cold environments: the global IAG/AIG sediment budgets in cold environments (SEDIBUD) programme. Geografiska Annaler: Series A, Physical Geography 92(2): 151-153.
• Milledge, D.G., Lane, S.N. & Warburton, J. (2009). Optimisation of stereo-matching algorithms using extant DEM data. Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing 75(3): 323-333.
• Worrall, F, Burt, T.P., Rowson, J.G., Warburton, J & Adamson, J.K. (2009). The multi-annual carbon budget of a peat-covered catchment. Science of the Total Environment 407(13): 4084-4094.
• Wishart, D., Warburton, J. & Bracken, L. (2008). Gravel extraction and planform change in a wandering gravel-bed river: The River Wear, Northern England. Geomorphology 94: 131-152.
• Dykes, A.P., Warburton, J., Nichol, D., Doherty, G.K. & Scott, M.J. (2008). Discussion of "A5 Llyn Ogwen peatslide, Capel Curig, North Wales" by D. Nichol, G.K. Doherty & M.J. Scott, Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology, 40, 293–299. Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology 41.(1): 123-126.
• Holliday, V.J., Warburton, J. & Higgitt, D.L. (2008). Historic and contemporary sediment transfer in an upland Pennine catchment, UK. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 33(14): 2139-2155.
• Johnson, R.M., Warburton, J. & Mills, A.J. (2008). Hillslope-channel sediment transfer in a slope failure event: Wet Swine Gill, Lake District, northern England. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 33(3): 394-413.
• Cox, N.J., Warburton, J., Armstrong, A. & Holliday, V.J. (2007). Fitting concentration and load rating curves with generalized linear models. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 33(1): 25-39.
• Dykes, A.P. & Warburton, J. (2007). Mass movements in peat: A formal classification scheme. Geomorphology 86: 73-93.
• Foulds, S.A. & Warburton, J. (2007). Wind erosion of blanket peat during a short period of surface desiccation (North Pennines, Norhtern England). Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 32: 481-488.
• Warburton, J. (2007). Sediment budgets and rates of sediment transfer across cold environments in Europe: a commentary. Geografiska Annaler: Series A, Physical Geography 89: 95-100.
• Warburton, J., Beylich, A.A., Etienne, S., Etzemuller, B., Gordeev, V.V., Kayhko, J., Rachold, V., Russell, A.J., Schmidt, H.-H., Saemundsson, P & Tweed, F.S. (2007). Editorial Sediment budgets and rates of sediment transfer across cold environments in Europe: introduction and background to the European Science Foundation (ESF) Network - Sedimenary Source-to-Sink-Fluxes in Cold Environments (SEDIFLUX). Geografiska Annaler: Series A, Physical Geography 89(1): 1-3.
• Foulds, S.A. & Warburton, J. (2007). Significance of wind-driven rain (wind-splash) in the erosion of blanket peat. Geomorphology 83: 183-192.
• Crowe, S.K. & Warburton, J. (2007). Significance of large peat blocks for river channel habitat and stream organic budgets. Mires and Peat 2: 1-15.
• Dykes, A.P. & Warburton, J. (2007). Significance of geomorphological and subsurface drainage controls on failures of peat-covered hillslopes triggered by extreme rainfall. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 32: 1841-1862.
• Dykes, A.P. & Warburton, J. (2007). Failure of peat-covered hillslopes at Dooncarton Mountain, Co. Mayo, Ireland: Analysis of topographic and geotechnical factors. Catena
• Beylich, A. A., Etienne, S., Etxelmüler, B., Gordeev, V. V., Käyhkö, J., Rachold, V., Russell, A. J., Schmidt, K.-H., Sæmundsson, þ., Tweed, F. S. & Warburton, J. (2006). The European Science Foundation (ESF) Network SEDIFLUX - An introduction and overview. Geomorphology 80(1-2 (Special Issue): 3-7.
• Johnson, R. M. & Warburton, J. (2006). Variability in sediment supply, transfer and deposition in an upland torrent system: Iron Crag, Lake District, Northern England. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 31: 844-861.
• Evans, M., Warburton, J. & Yang, J. (2006). Eroding blanket peat catchments: Global and local implications of upland organic sediment budgets. Geomorphology 79(1-2): 45-57.
• Evans, M. & Warburton, J. (2005). Sediment budget for an eroding peat-moorland catchment in northern England. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 30: 557-577.
• Oakley, R. A., Green, M., Carling, P. A., Lee, M. W. E., Sear, D. A & Warburton, J. (2005). Grain-shape analysis - a new method of determining representative particle shapes for populations of natural grains. Journal of Sedimentary Research 75: 1065-1073.
• Beylich, A. A., Etienne, S., Etxelmüler, B., Gordeev, V. V., Käyhkö, J., Rachold, V., Russell, A. J., Schmidt, K.-H., Sæmundsson, þ., Tweed, F. S. & Warburton, J. (2005). Sedimentary Source-to-Sink Fluxes in Cold Environments - Information on the European Science Foundation (ESF) Network SEDIFLUX. Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie N. F Suppl.-Vol 138: 229-234.
• Warburton, J., Holden, J. & Mills, A.J. (2004). Hydrological controls of surficial mass movements in peat. Earth Science Reviews 67(1-2): 139-156.
• Warburton, J. (2003). Wind-splash erosion of bare peat on UK upland moorlands. Catena 52(3-4): 191-207.
• J. Warburton, M.G. Evans & R.M. Johnson (2003). Discussion - 'The extent of soil erosion in Upland England and Wales'. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 28(2): 219-223.
• J. Warburton, D. Higgitt & A. Mills (2003). Anatomy of a Pennine peat slide, Northern England. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 28(5): 457-473.
• Worrall, F., Reed, M., Warburton, J. & Burt, T. (2003). Carbon budget for a British upland peat catchment. The Science of the Total Environment 312(1-3): 133-146.
• R.M. Johnson & J. Warburton (2002). Flooding and geomorphic impacts in a mountain torrent: Raise Beck, Central Lake District, England. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 27(9): 945-969.
• Warburton, J., Danks, M. & Wishart, D. (2002). Stability of an upland gravel-bed stream, Swinhope Burn, Northern England. Catena 49(4): 309-329.
• R.M. Johnson & J. Warburton (2002). Annual sediment budget of a UK mountain torrent. Geografiska Annaler: Series A, Physical Geography 84(2): 73-88.
• Worrall, F., Burt, T.P., Jaeban, R.Y., Warburton, J. & Shedden, R. (2002). Release of dissolved organic carbon from upland peat. Hydrological Processes 16(17): 3487-3504.
• M. Evans & J. Warburton (2001). Transport and dispersal of organic debris (peat blocks) in upland fluvial systems. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 26(10): 1087-1102.
• D. Wishart & J. Warburton (2001). An assessment of blanket mire degradation and peatland gully development in the Cheviot Hills, Northumberland. Scottish Geographical Journal 117(3): 185-206.

Report

• Beylich, A.A. & Warburton, J. (2007). Analysis of Source-to-Sink-Fluxes and Sediment Budgets in Changing High-Latitude and High-Altitude Cold Environments: SEDIFLUX Manual.
• Burt, T.P., Thompson, D.B.A. & Warburton, J. (2002). The British Uplands: Dynamics of Change. JNCC Report 319. Peterborough, UK, Joint Nature Conservation Committee.