Catherine Pennington

Catherine Pennington’s Biography

• 2001 – ongoing: Engineering Geologist, Landslides Team, British Geological Survey
• 2021 – ongoing: Co-I WPX 5G RuralDorset Coastal landslide monitoring for process understanding using NB-IoT technology
• 2018 – ongoing: Project Lead for BGS Coastal Landslide Observatory
• 2018 – 2020: Freelance and Feature Writing Diploma awarded with distinction, London School of Journalism
• 2014 – 2019: Science Writer/Editor for BGS Blog, GeoBlogy
• 2012 – ongoing: Daily Hazard Assessments for the potential for landslides to occur in the UK for the Natural Hazards Partnership in association with the Met Office
• 2010 – 2011: Project Lead for Regional Landslide Assessment for North York Moors
• 2006 – 2015: Deputy Project Lead for BGS Landslides Project
• 2003 – 2015: Project Leader for the BGS National Landslide Database and GIS of Great Britain
• 2003 – 2004: Project Lead for an assessment of the geotechnical properties for the Thames Flood Defences
• 2000 – 2001: Geotechnical Engineer, Hyder Consulting Ltd and WS Atkins
• 1999 – 2000: MSc Advanced Engineering Geology awarded with distinction, Durham University
• 1996 – 1999: BSc Geology: University of Wales, Aberystwyth

Research interests

• Long term monitoring of landslides, coastal landslide observatories – Advancing long term landslide process understanding using a range of technologies (including the Internet of Things) and multi- and inter-disciplinary expertise
• Using social media information to acquire landslides data in real time – Global Landslide Detector
• Field expertise on the Dorset, Isle of Wight, Kent, East Anglian and Yorkshire Coasts, North York Moors, Pennines – Field mapping of landslides and interpreting landslide processes in the coastal zone
• Science Communication
• The National Landslide Database and GIS of Great Britain, which documents details on over 17,000 landslides and is the backbone to a variety of nationally and commercially important landslide susceptibility projects
• National landslide susceptibility mapping and modelling
• Part of the Landslides Team that provides susceptibility assessments, responsive

ORCID: 0000-0002-3560-9030

Key papers

• Pennington, C V L, Bossu, R, Ofli, F, Imran, M, Qazi, U W, Roch, J and Banks, V. 2022. A near-real-time global landslide incident reporting tool demonstrator using social media and artificial intelligence. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, Vol. 77, 103089. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2022.103089
• Pennington, C V L, Bossu, R, Ofli, F, Imran, M, Qazi, U, Roch, J, and Banks, V. 2022. A global landslide incident reporting demonstrator using AI to interpret social media imagery in near-real-time. EGU General Assembly 2022 (EGU22-9752), Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-9752
• Ofli, F, Imran, M, Qazi, U, Roch, J, Pennington, C V L, Banks, V, and Bossu, R. 2022. Landslide detection in real-time social media image streams. The Thirty-Fourth Annual Conference on Innovative Applications of Artificial Intelligence (IAAI-22), February 24–26, 2022, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
• Bee, E, Pennington, C V L, and Dashwood, C. 2022. User guide: Debris Flow Susceptibility Model for Great Britain (version 6.1). British Geological Survey Open Report OR/22/023.
• Bee, E, Dashwood, C, Pennington, C V L, Ciurean, R. and Williams, C. 2022. Methodology Report: BGS Debris Flow Susceptibility Model for Great Britain (version 6.1). British Geological Survey Internal Report IR/22/013.
• Payo, A, and Pennington, C V L. 2021. Trial of “Cliff and shore erosion under accelerating sea level rise: user guide”. Nottingham, UK, British Geological Survey, 50pp. (OR/20/062)
• Karunarathne, S M, Dray, M, Popov, L, Butler, M, Pennington, C V L, and Angelopoulos, C M. 2020. A technological framework for data-driven IoT systems: application on landslide monitoring. Computer Communications, 154, pp298-312.
• Pennington, C V L, Hobbs, P R N, Jones, L D, and Kirkham, M P. 2020. Measuring coastal retreat: A case study from Holderness. Geography Review, 33, pp16-21.
• Parry, S, Barker, L, Sefton, C, Hannaford, J, Turner, S, Muchan, K, Matthews, B, and Pennington, C V L. 2020. Briefing note. Severity of the February 2020 floods – preliminary analysis. Wallingford, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, 8pp.
• Hobbs, P R N, Jones, L D, Kirkham, M P, Pennington, C V L, Morgan, D J R, and Dashwood, C. 2019. Coastal landslide monitoring at Aldbrough, East Riding of Yorkshire, UK.  Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology.
• Hobbs, P R N, Jones, L D, Kirkham, M P, Holyoake, S J, Pennington, C V L, Dashwood, C, Banks, V, and Reeves, H J. 2019. Establishment of a coastal landslide observatory at Aldbrough, East Riding of Yorkshire, UK.  Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology.
• Bee, E, Dashwood, C, and Pennington, C V L. 2018. A user guide for the GeoSure Extra: Debris Flow Susceptibility Model for Great Britain (version 6.0), Open Report OR/17/031.
• Dijkstra, T A, Reeves, H J, Freeborough, K A, Dashwood, C, Pennington, C V L, Jordan, H M, Hobbs, P R N, Richardson, J, Banks, V, Cole, S, Wells, S, and Moore, R. 2017. A water balance approach to enhance national (GB) Daily Landslide Hazard Assessments, Geophysical Research Abstracts, 19., EGU2017
• Dashwood, C, Pennington, C V L, Bee, E J, Freeborough, K A, and Dijkstra, T A. 2017. Creation of a national landslide domain map to aid susceptibility mapping in Great Britain. World Landslide Forum 4, 29 May-2 June 2017, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
• Pennington, C V L, Freeborough, K A, Dashwood, C, Dijkstra, T A, and Lawrie, K. 2015. The National Landslide Database of Great Britain: acquisition, communication and the role of social media. Geomorphology 249, pp44-51.
• Boon, D P, Chambers, J E, Hobbs, P R N, Kirkham, M, Merrit, A J, Dashwood, C, Pennington, C V L, and Wilby, P R. 2015. A combined geomorphological and geophysical approach to characterising relict landslide hazard on the Jurassic Escarpments of Great Britain. Geomorphology, 248, pp296-310.
• Pennington, C V L, Dijkstra, T A, Lark, M, Dashwood, C, Harrison, A M, Freeborough, K A, and Reeves, H J. 2014. Antecedent precipitation as a potential proxy for landslide incidence in South West United Kingdom. In: Sassa, K. et al. (eds), Landslides Science for a Safer Geoenvironment Vol. 1. pp253-259. Third World Landslide Forum 2014, Beijing.
• Gibson, A G, Culshaw, M G, Dashwood, C, and Pennington, C V L. 2013. Landslide management in the UK—the problem of managing hazards in a ‘low-risk’ environment. Landslides, 10(5), pp599-610.
• Pennington, C V L, and Harrison, A M. 2013. 2012 – Landslide Year? Was the increase in UK landslides during 2012 real or apparent?, GeoScientist Magazine. 23(5), pp10-15.
• Chambers, J, Meldrum, P, Gunn, D, Wilkinson, P, Merritt, A, Murphy, W, West, J, Kuras, O, Haslam, E, Hobbs, P, Pennington, C V L, and Munro, C. 2013. Geophysical-geotechnical sensor networks for landslide monitoring. In: Margottini, Claudio, (ed.) Landslide science and practice. Volume 2, early warning, instrumentation and monitoring. Springer, 289-294.
• Foster, C, Reeves, H J, Pennington, C V L, Hobbs, P R N, Culshaw, M G, Plim, J, Smith, J T, MacCulloch, F, Queen, G, and Winter, M G. 2012. Landslide hazard assessment and characterisation for forestry asset management in Great Britain. In: Eberhart, E, (ed.) Landslides and Engineered Slopes: Protecting Society through Improved Understanding. CRC Press.
• Foster, C, Pennington, C V L, Culshaw, M G, and Lawrie, K. 2012. The National Landslide Database of Great Britain: development, evolution and applications. Environmental Earth Sciences, 66(3) pp941-953.
• Evans, H, Pennington, C V L, Jordan, C, and Foster, C. 2012. Mapping a nation’s landslides: a novel, multi-stage methodology for landslide mapping and inventory within the UK. Proceedings of the Second World Landslide Forum, Rome, Italy 3rd-9th October 2011. Springer-Verlag Special Issue.
• Morgan, D, Pearson, S, Pennington, C V L, and Evans, H. 2011. Intertidal sediments and geomorphology characterisation: methodology report. British Geological Survey, 12pp. (OR/09/012).
• Yuangdetkla, K, Gibson, A, Whitworth, M, Foster, C, Entwisle, D, and Pennington, C V L. 2011. Distribution of landslides and geotechnical properties within the Hampshire Basin. In: 5th Canadian Conference on Geotechnique and Natural Hazards, Kelowna, Canada, 15-17 May 2011.
• Pennington, C V L, Foster, C, Chambers, J E, and Jenkins, G O. 2009. Landslide research at the British Geological Survey: capture, storage and interpretation on a national and site-specific scale. Acta geologica sinica English edition, 83(5). pp991-999.
• Pennington, C V L. 2009. Landslides in the Ironbridge Gorge, Shropshire. British Geological Survey website.
• Pennington, C V L, Evans, H, and Foster, C. 2009. Landslides of the area around Chesterfield, Geological Sheet 112. British Geological Survey Open Report, OR/09/022.
• Hobbs, P R N, Pennington, C V L, Pearson, S G, Jones, L D, Foster, C, Lee, J R, and Gibson, A. 2008. Slope Dynamics Project Report: Norfolk Coast (2000 – 2006) Nottingham, UK, British Geological Survey, 166pp. (OR/08/018).
• Foster, C, Poulton, C V L, and Harrison, M. 2008. A national hazard assessment of coastal landslides using GI capture systems: a government dataset. In: AGI Geocommunity 08: shaping a changing world, Stratford-upon-Avon, UK, 24-25 Sept 08
• Poulton, C V L, Lee, J R, Jones, L D, Hobbs, P R N, and Hall, M. 2006. Preliminary investigation into monitoring coastal erosion using terrestrial laser scanning: case study at Happisburgh, Norfolk, UK. Bulletin of the Geological Society of Norfolk, Vol. 56, 45-65.
• Poulton, C, Hobbs, P, and Jones, L. 2004. Disappearing coasts, Planet Earth, NERC.

Blog posts

• Pennington, C V L. 2019. Hot off the press! Results from our Coastal Landslide Observatory on the Holderness Coast, UK
• Pennington, C V L. 2018. PODCAST: Geology is boring, right? What?! NO! also guest post on EGU’s GeoLog
• Pennington, C V L. 2018. FRACTURE CAPTURE!
• Pennington, C V L. 2018. World Heritage Sites under threat! BGS scientists strive to protect them.
• Pennington, C V L. 2018 Why do we need to know what’s under our cities? And what’s it got to do with icebergs?!
• Pennington, C V L. 2018. Unseen video footage: The Holbeck Hall landslide 25 years on
• Pennington, C V L. 2017. How to draw pictures in the sand on a sunny(ish) beach
• Pennington, C V L. 2017. BGS wins major impact award!
• Pennington, C V L. 2017. BGS Open Day 2017: a huge success!
• Pennington, C V L. 2016. Strange creatures invade the BGS.
• Pennington, C V L. 2015. The historic role of BGS women scientists, a look at what is happening today
• Pennington, C V L. 2015. Isotopes, bones and the teeth of King Richard III
• Pennington, C V L. 2014. An unscrupulously woolly investigation: a look at the more unusual work at BGS
• Pennington, C V L. 2014. Paul Witney, BGS Photographer
• Pennington, C V L. 2014. Tales from a Geological Adventurer
• Pennington, C V L. 2014. Hunting for landslides in St Lucia

NERC Open Research Archive — Catherine Pennington

Skills

• Engineering geologist
• Landslide processes and mapping expertise
• Coastal landslide processes
• Field expertise: landslide mapping, geological mapping, digital data capture, terrestrial LIDAR
• Landslide database and GIS