
Joel C GillCardiff University | CU · School of Earth and Environmental Sciences
Joel C Gill
Doctor of Philosophy
About
46
Publications
50,558
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Introduction
I have a strong interest in the effective application of geology to international development, with involvement in associated research, training and practitioner activities.
My doctoral research at King's College London aimed to characterise natural hazard interactions and cascades, to inform and improve 'multi-hazard' approaches.
I have diverse research, teaching and practitioner experience in Chile, China, Guatemala, India, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda.
Skills and Expertise
Additional affiliations
Education
September 2009 - August 2010
October 2005 - July 2008
Publications
Publications (46)
This paper presents a broad overview, characterization and visualization of the interaction relationships between 21 natural hazards, drawn from six hazard groups (geophysical, hydrological, shallow Earth, atmospheric, biophysical and space hazards). A synthesis is presented of the identified interaction relationships between these hazards, using a...
This paper presents an overview and visualisation of the role of geology in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These internationally-agreed goals aim to eradicate global poverty, end unsustainable consumption patterns and facilitate sustained and inclusive growth, social development and environmental protection. Through the use of a matrix v...
Most geologists would argue that geoscientific knowledge, experience, and guidance is critical for addressing many of society’s most acute environmental challenges, yet few geologists are directly engaged in current discourses around sustainable development. That is surprising given that several attributes make modern geoscience well placed to make...
During 2015, the international community agreed three socio-environmental global development frameworks, the: (i) Sustainable Development Goals, (ii) Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and (iii) Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Each corresponds to important interactions between environmental processes and society. Here we synthesize th...
Here we synthesise the results of three participatory workshops to explore sustainable development priorities in eastern Africa, and discuss these in the context of Earth and environmental science. The planet is a core pillar of sustainable development, and the engagement of Earth and environmental scientists is vital to achieving the UN Sustainabl...
This paper introduces a multifaceted methodology to identify and compile single natural hazards and multi-hazard interrelationships within the context of data-scarce urban settings, exemplified by the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. This approach integrates (i) five blended types of evidence to support a more nuanced and holistic understanding of a hazard...
Undertaking a natural hazard or risk assessment from a single hazard approach can be considered incomplete where the interactions between and impacts from multiple hazards and risks are not considered. However, the development of indicators in disaster risk management has only recently started to explicitly include multi-hazard and multi-risk appro...
In this study, we extend the application of the Maximum Entropy model (MaxEnt), traditionally applied to ecological research and less explored in natural hazard studies, to a novel context by characterising a multi-hazard scenario (i.e., flood-triggered sinkholes) in the Orléans karst region (Val d'Orléans) of France. Many regions of the world exhi...
This paper introduces a methodology for characterizing the breadth of natural hazard types, hazard interrelationships, and risk scenarios in Global South urban areas, focusing on Nairobi, Kenya, and Istanbul, Türkiye. Our approach involves (a) a comprehensive characterization of multi‐hazards and their interrelationships in an urban setting, (b) co...
This paper introduces a multifaceted methodology to identify and compile single natural hazards and multi-hazard interrelationships within the context of data-scarce urban settings, exemplified by Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. This approach integrates (i) five blended types of evidence to support a more nuanced and holistic understanding of a hazardscap...
This report characterizes Guatemala’s professional geohazards community and profiles their education and career development priorities. The report aims to support international organisations and individuals working in Guatemala and with Guatemalan scientists to tailor their capacity-strengthening activities.
Groundwater resources have the potential to meet the water demands of vulnerable communities in eastern Africa. To ensure such groundwater resources are managed sustainably, robust geological knowledge must be available and utilised by those managing groundwater. Small NGOs are one type of practitioner working on water-related projects with remote...
The UN Sustainable Development Goals highlight the myriad of socio-economic and environmental challenges occurring as a result of anthropogenic chemical pollution. Urban sediments from informal settlements (slums) on the Nairobi, Ngong and Mathare Rivers (n = 25), were evaluated for sediment quality. Microtox bioassay identified 8 sites as toxic, 9...
Whilst the last decades have seen a clear shift in emphasis from managing natural hazards to managing risk, the majority of natural-hazard risk research still focuses on single hazards. Internationally, there are calls for more attention for multi-hazards and multi-risks. Within the European Union (EU), the concepts of multi-hazard and multi-risk a...
Engineering Geology has an important role to play in sustainable development. This is due to the unique perspective that Engineering Geologists have of the interfaces between: science and engineering; the natural and built environments; the past, present and future. This paper examines the role of Engineering Geology in delivering the United Nation...
Whilst the last decades have seen a clear shift in emphasis from managing natural hazards to managing risk, the majority of natural hazard risk research still focuses on single hazards. Internationally, there are calls for more attention for multi-hazards and multi-risks. Within the European Union (EU), the concepts of multi-hazard and multi-risk a...
Covering 71% of Earth’s surface, and making up
97% of the water on Earth, the sheer scale and
size of oceans on Earth underline their importance
to the evolution of our planet. Oceans
probably formed on Earth as soon as its surface
was cool enough for liquid water to exist. In
geological terms, modern oceans are ‘born’ and
subducted within 200–300...
Reducing disaster risk is critical to securing the ambitions of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and natural hazard scientists make a key contribution to achieving this aim. Understanding Earth processes and dynamics underpins hazard analysis, which (alongside analysis of other disaster risk drivers) informs the actions required to manage...
Meeting the targets of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires contributions by scientists focusing on understanding, monitoring, protecting, managing and restoring the natural environment, including geoscientists. This book presents the first detailed discussion on the role of the geological sciences (geosciences) community in the imp...
Learning resources to help integrate sustainability concepts and skills into geoscience teaching in Higher Education. An open-access output of Geology for Global Development.
Partnerships have become a corner stone of contemporary research that recognizes working across disciplines and co-production with intended users as essential to enabling sustainable resilience-building. Furthermore, research that addresses sustainable development challenges brings an urgent need to reflect on the ways that partnerships are support...
Reducing disaster risk is critical to securing the ambitions of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and natural hazard scientists make a key contribution to achieving this aim. Understanding Earth processes and dynamics underpins hazard analysis, which (alongside analysis of other disaster risk drivers) informs the actions required to manage...
In recent decades, a striking number of countries have suffered from consecutive disasters: events whose impacts overlap both spatially and temporally, while recovery is still under way. The risk of consecutive disasters will increase due to growing exposure, the interconnectedness of human society and the increased frequency and intensity of non‐t...
Here we present an interdisciplinary approach to developing comprehensive, systematic, and evidenced visual syntheses of potential natural-hazard interactions at regional scales (or regional interaction frameworks). Frameworks can help with understanding the multi-hazard environment of a specific spatial extent. We explain our approach and apply th...
Rapid environmental change is driving the need for complex and comprehensive scientific information that supports policies aimed at managing natural resources through international treaties, platforms, and networks. Although the current essential variables frameworks account for the biosphere, atmosphere, and some aspects of the hydrosphere, they l...
Here we present an interdisciplinary approach to developing comprehensive, systematic and evidenced regional interaction frameworks to support multi-hazard approaches to disaster risk reduction. We apply this approach in Guatemala, developing regional interaction frameworks for national and sub-national (Southern Highlands) spatial extents. The reg...
This report describes the outcomes of a two-day interactive workshop in Lusaka (Zambia), conducted in September 2017. We gathered 26 delegates from 14 organisations based in Zambia, Malawi and Zimbabwe to determine sustainable development priorities and consider the role of Earth and environmental science in addressing these. Delegates came from di...
This report describes the outcomes of a two-day interactive workshop in Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), conducted in September 2017. We gathered 17 delegates from 12 organisations in Tanzania to determine sustainable development priorities and consider the role of Earth and environmental science in addressing these. Delegates came from diverse discipline...
This report describes the outcomes of a two-day interactive workshop in Nairobi (Kenya), conducted in March 2017. We gathered 32 delegates from 22 organisations in Kenya to determine sustainable development priorities and consider the role of Earth and environmental science in addressing these. Delegates came from diverse disciplines (e.g., geology...
This paper presents a broad overview, characterisation and visualisation of the role of 18 anthropogenic process types in triggering and influencing 21 natural hazards, and natural hazard interactions. Anthropogenic process types are defined as being intentional, non-malicious human activities. Examples include groundwater abstraction, subsurface m...
This paper combines research and commentary to reinforce the importance of integrating hazard interactions and interaction networks (cascades) into multi-hazard methodologies. We present a synthesis of the differences between multi-layer single-hazard approaches and multi-hazard approaches that integrate such interactions. This synthesis suggests t...
Geoscientists have an important role to play in international development, using their knowledge of Earth to improve disaster risk reduction, natural resource management, access to protected water resources, and infrastructure development. The application of this knowledge to development projects, however, requires a range of skills beyond a compet...
This paper combines research and commentary to reinforce the importance of integrating hazard interactions and interaction networks (cascades) into multi-hazard methodologies. We present a synthesis of the differences between ‘multilayer single hazard’ approaches and ‘multi-hazard’ approaches that integrate such interactions. This synthesis suggest...
Here we present a description of the relative severity of single hazards
within a multi-hazard framework, compiled through examining, quantifying
and ranking the extent to which individual hazards trigger or increase
the probability of other hazards. Hazards are broken up into six major
groupings (geophysical, hydrological, shallow earth processes,...
Here it is suggested that the development of geoscientist student
placement opportunities in international development contexts has an
important role to play in the promotion of geoethics. In this paper we
(i) describe Geology for Global Development (GfGD), a growing
organisation where we have established development placement
opportunities for geo...
Here we present a broad overview of the relationship between primary
hazards triggering or increasing the probability of secondary hazards.
This overview is important in multi-hazard risk assessments (MHRA), as
considering one hazard exclusively, without taking into account other
hazards and any domino (cascade) effects, ignores components of risk...
Geoscientists have a crucial role to play in improving disaster risk
reduction and supporting communities to build resilience and reduce
vulnerability. Across the world millions live in severe poverty, without
access to many of the basic needs that are often taken for granted - a
clean water supply, a reliable food source, safe shelter and suitable...