Dr Jonathan King

Job: Senior Engineer

Employer: JBA Consulting

PhD Thesis: Investigation and prediction of pollution in coastal and estuarine waters, using experimental and numerical methods

PhD Supervisors: Professor Reza Ahmadian and Professor Roger Falconer

Abstract

As a result of the EU revised Bathing Water Directive (2006/7/EC) a new, and more stringent, water quality classification system for bathing waters was introduced in November 2015. In order to ensure these targets are met it is important to understand the processes that determine the concentration of certain indicator organisms used to determine compliance, including, in particular, intestinal enterococci and Escherichia coli. This will also enable the study of specific events to predict compliance or failure of bathing waters under a range of scenarios.

Biography

Jonathan currently works as an Assistant Engineer for JBA Consulting in Newport, Wales.

For his PhD Jonathan was based at the Hydro-environmental Research Centre at Cardiff University. His research focused on developing integrated bacterial and hydrodynamic models to better understand the factors effecting the transport and decay of faecal indicator organisms (FIOs) and establishing mitigating measures that could be implemented to reduce their concentration in estuarine and coastal waters. Jonathan’s work centred on Swansea Bay and the Ribble Estuary, both popular bathing locations, and with the latter being a short distance south of Blackpool.

Before joining Cardiff University’s Hydro-environmental Research Centre, Jonathan worked as a Package Engineer for Sir Robert McAlpine. Jonathan holds a first class honours in MEng Civil Engineering (Cardiff) and achieved a first class grade in the Water Informatics Postgraduate School (Exeter). He is a student member of CIWEM and during his PhD has held the positions of Treasurer and President for the International Association of Hydro-Environment Engineering Young Professionals Network at Cardiff University.

Please feel free to contact Jonathan directly if you see any opportunities to collaborate.

Keywords: Water quality, bathing water directive, bacterial transport, faecal indicator organisms, decay rates, numerical modelling.