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David Sear

Professor in Physical Geography, University of Southampton
David is a Professor of Physical Geography at the University of Southampton. He has over 28 years research experience in the areas of sediment transport and siltation in rivers, lakes and floodplains as well as flood risk management and river restoration. He has led projects looking at the impacts of agriculture on river ecology, impacts of sediments on salmon spawning habitats, the effectiveness of river maintenance including dredging, and the impacts of exterme flooding on river channels and infrastructure. David also works in the coastal zone and has led a major survey of the largest lost medieval port in the world at Dunwich (Britains Atlantis, www.dunwich.org.uk) where he has examined long term drivers of cliff eosion and coastal change. Most recently, David has focussed his research on the use of sediment archives in lakes for reconstructing the frequency and magnitude of natural hazards including flood records (e.g. following storm Desmond in 2015), Tropical Cyclones (e.g. Pam in Vanuatu in 2015), coastal storms (from marsh sediments). He leads a research programme in the tropical South Pacific where he uses lake sediments to reconstruct changes in El-Nino (ENSO) and the timing of arrival and ecosystem impacts of the first humans. David advises Defra, Environment Agency, Natural England and RGS among other organisations on River restoration, Natural Flood Managment and channel dynamics. He has worked all over the world and his research has been published in leading Journals. His work has featured in a wide range of media outlets including six TV documentaries.

Economy

Interest rates: the ugly dilemma facing Europe’s central banks – and why it’s a mistake to cut too soon

Central banks in Europe are discovering an old dilemma: when they lower interest rates because inflation is slowing down, its likely to weaken their currencies. This in turn may delay the fall in inflation towards their...

Europe is still in short-term crisis mode over Ukraine and lacks a vision for its post-war identity

Some believe that the war in Ukraine has fundamentally changed Europe, giving birth to a different kind of European order. That is, it appears to be driving structural shifts in the way Europe is run and organised that...

Mortgage prisoners: regulatory changes and low credit scores have left thousands trapped in a cycle of high payments

There are 8.5 million households in the UK who own a home with a residential mortgage, often with fixed interest rates from two to five years. Usually, when that mortgage deal ends, the borrower will move to another deal...

What should you do if you can’t pay your rent or mortgage?

The cost of living crisis is making it difficult for many people to pay their bills, including housing costs. Private sector rents have increased by an average 9% over the year to February 2024, and rising interest rates...

Reducing energy demand and improving efficiency will help prevent the next gas crisis

Gas prices have relaxed, Europe has come out of the winter with record gas storage levels and a surfeit of liquefied natural gas is set to reach the shores of Europe over the coming years. Many commentators are hopeful...

Politics

Gabon: post-coup dialogue has mapped out path to democracy – now military leaders must act

At the end of April 2024, a long and peaceful process of national dialogue in Gabon between the military junta, presided over by coup leader General Brice Oligui Nguema, and civil society, represented by 580 civilians,...

How German media attention idealises female Ukrainian refugees

According to the latest available data, around 3.7 million Ukrainians are internally displaced, while nearly 6.5 million have registered as refugees globally. With 1.13 million, Germany has taken in the largest...

Over 26 million South Africans get a social grant. Fear of losing the payment used to be a reason to vote for the ANC, but no longer – study

Social grants to reduce poverty feature prominently in the campaign promises of political parties in South Africas 2024 national and provincial general elections, set for 29 May. The countrys social grants system is one...

Donald Trump Allegedly Offers Oil Execs a Deal to Scrap EV Incentives for $1B Donation

Former President Donald Trump reportedly proposed a $1 billion deal to oil executives, offering to end electric vehicle (EV) subsidies in return for campaign funding, according to The Washington Post. This move underscores...

US Supreme Court upended decades of precedent in 2022 by allowing voters to vote with gerrymandered maps instead of fixing the congressional districts first

For the 2022 midterm elections, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed Alabama to use congressional districts that violated the law and diluted the voting power of Black citizens. A 5-4 vote by the Supreme Court in February...

Science

Is dark matter’s main rival theory dead? There’s bad news from the Cassini spacecraft and other recent tests

One of the biggest mysteries in astrophysics today is that the forces in galaxies do not seem to add up. Galaxies rotate much faster than predicted by applying Newtons law of gravity to their visible matter, despite those...

Why are algorithms called algorithms? A brief history of the Persian polymath you’ve likely never heard of

Algorithms have become integral to our lives. From social media apps to Netflix, algorithms learn your preferences and prioritise the content you are shown. Google Maps and artificial intelligence are nothing without...

IceCube researchers detect a rare type of energetic neutrino sent from powerful astronomical objects

About a trillion tiny particles called neutrinos pass through you every second. Created during the Big Bang, these relic neutrinos exist throughout the entire universe, but they cant harm you. In fact, only one of them is...

The Mars Sample Return mission has a shaky future, and NASA is calling on private companies for backup

A critical NASA mission in the search for life beyond Earth, Mars Sample Return, is in trouble. Its budget has ballooned from US$5 billion to over $11 billion, and the sample return date may slip from the end of this...

Dark matter: our new experiment aims to turn the ghostly substance into actual light

A ghost is haunting our universe. This has been known in astronomy and cosmology for decades. Observations suggest that about 85% of all the matter in the universe is mysterious and invisible. These two qualities are...

Technology

UAE, US Strengthen AI Partnership; Alibaba, Baidu Slash Chatbot Model Costs

The UAE and the US are set to deepen their AI investments, while Alibaba and Baidu announce substantial reductions in chatbot model costs. US and UAE to Boost AI Investments Emirates state minister for AI Omar Sultan...

Ether ETFs May Boost ETH to $10K, but Approval Delayed Until 2025

While the ETF licensing procedure could take until 2025, it could be Ethers most important price catalyst. Spot Ether ETFs Could Drive ETH Price to $10,000 by End of 2024, Says Nexos Stoychev Legalizing spot Ether...

Solana Could Surge After Ethereum ETF Approval: Matrixport Co-founder Predicts

The broader cryptocurrency market has risen today due to speculation over the likely approval of the Spot Ethereum ETF by the US SEC. However, amid the euphoria, Matrixport co-founder Daniel Yans recent comments have...

Tesla's ‘Cybercab’ Robotaxi Interior Leaked in New Promotional Video

Tesla may have unintentionally leaked the interior of its highly anticipated Cybercab Robotaxi in a recent promotional video, sparking excitement and speculation. Teslas Robotaxi Vision Unveiled Over the past few...

Tron Founder Justin Sun's $2.5 Billion Ethereum Stash Sparks Investor Interest

Tron founder Justin Suns $2.5 billion Ethereum investment is stirring significant market interest, highlighting his confidence in the cryptocurrencys future. Justin Suns Ethereum Holdings Explained Tron founder...