Dr Paul J. Morris

Profile

My research aims to understand the role of wetlands in the Earth system, and their response to external drivers such as climate and human alteration. I am particularly interested in carbon-dense wetlands such as peatlands and mangroves. I use modelling, field and laboratory techniques in the pursuit of my research questions.

You can find a full list of my publications at the bottom of this page. 

Research interests

• The long-term (millennial) development of peatland and mangrove ecosystems, soils, carbon stores and hydrological functions. 
• The response of peatlands to disturbances such as wildfire, future climate change and land-use change, on timescales that are meaningful to humans (seasonal to decadal). 
• Improving process-based understanding of peatland hydrological processes, including groundwater-surface water interactions and controls on peat hydraulic properties.

• Antheia: Multi-decadal monitoring of open water cover on northern peatlands
• CongoPeat: Past, Present and Future of the Peatlands of the Central Congo Basin

Qualifications

• 2010: PhD, Queen Mary University of London
• 2004: BSc Geography, University of Sheffield

Professional memberships

• Since 2019: Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)

Student education

I currently teach on the following undergraduate modules:

• GEOG1040 Dynamic Landscapes (module leader in Sememster 2)
• GEOG2095 Skills for Physical Geographers
• GEOG3605 Physical Geography Dissertation
• GEOG3675 Geographical Research Opportunities (module leader in Semester 2)
• GEOG5332M Global Change Ecology

Current PhD students

Holly Addis (2024–28). Large-scale Developmental Dynamics of Northern Peatlands. Funded by NERC Doctoral Training Partnership.

Dan Colson (2020–24) Multi-decadal Changes in Open-water Areas on Northern Peatlands. Funded by NERC Doctoral Training Partnership.

Robin Gledhill (2023–27). Using Palaeoecology to Support Blanket Peatland Management. Funded by NERC Doctoral Training Partnership.

Former PhD students

Marie Arnaud (2016–20). Belowground Carbon Cycling in Mangrove Forests. Funded by University of Leeds. Current employment: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow, Paris Sorbonne University.

Richard Fewster (2019–23). Changing Ecology, Hydrology and Permafrost in Circum-Arctic Peatlands. Funded by NERC Doctoral Training Partnership. Current employment: Postdoctoral Research Associate, Queen's University Belfast.

Tom Sim (2018–22). Response of Pan-Arctic Permafrost Peatlands to Climate Change. Funded by NERC Doctoral Training Partnership. Current employment: Experimental Scientist, Forest Research, Edinburgh.

Jiren Xu  (2015–19). The Role of Peatlands in Global and Regional Drinking Water Resources. Jointly funded by Chinese Scholarship Council and University of Leeds. Current employment: Lecturer, University of Glasgow.

Former MSc by Research students

Richard Fewster (2018–19). Holocene Climate Space of North American Permafrost Peatlands. Self-funded. After his MSc, Richard studied for a PhD with me, and has since gone on to work as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Queen's University Belfast. 

Peter Gill (2016–18). Simulating Blanket Peatland Development over Millennial Timescales Using a New Version of the DigiBog Model. Self-funded. After his MSc, Pete took a job as a Big-Data Engineer with HSBC.

Adam Hartley (2020–20). Surface and near-surface runoff processes in peatland catchments. Self-funded. Currently studying for a PhD at Queen Mary University of London.

Tom Sim (2017–18). Pathways for Ecological Change in Canadian High Arctic Wetlands Under Rapid Twentieth Century Warming. Self-funded. After his MSc, Tom studied for a PhD, and now works as an Experimental Scientist for Forest Research, Edinburgh.

Liam Taylor (2017–18). Changing Hydrology and Carbon Storage of Permafrost Peatlands. Part-funded by Ecology and Global Change Research Cluster. After his MSc, Liam studied for a PhD in glaciology, before being appointed as a Lecturer at the University of Leeds. 

Research groups and institutes

• River Basin Processes and Management

Current postgraduate researchers

• Daniel Colson

Projects

<li><a href="//phd.leeds.ac.uk/project/1641-pan-tropical-analysis-of-peat-hydraulic-conductivity">Pan-tropical analysis of peat hydraulic conductivity</a></li>