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Dr. Catherine Coxon

Associate Prof Environmental Sciences (Geology)
Associate Prof Environmental Sciences (Trinity Centre for the Environment)
 (3531896) 2235
ANATOMY BUILDING
      
Profile Photo

Dr. Catherine Coxon

Associate Prof Environmental Sciences (Geology)
ANATOMY BUILDING

 cecoxon@tcd.ie

 3531896 2235

Associate Prof Environmental Sciences (Trinity Centre for the Environment)

 (3531896) 2235


  Earth science and hydrology   Environmental Science   Fresh water pollution   Hydrogeology   Water Pollution   Water Resources, Environmental Impacts
Project Title
 EcoMetrics - environmental supporting conditions for Groundwater Dependent Terrestrial Ecosystems
From
April 2017
To
November 2020
Summary
The project will develop potential environmental supporting condition metrics for a subset of Groundwater Terrestrial Dependent Ecosystems (GWDTE), focusing on turloughs, fens and raised bogs. The metrics are required for the Water Framework Directive characterisation process. The research activities will first identify and collate existing geospatial data relevant to the creation of a draft "potential" GWDTE register. This will be complemented by activities which will use remote sensing techniques to further identify GWDTEs. The main body of the project will then focus on the identification of appropriate environmental supporting conditions for turloughs, fens and raised bogs. This will be achieved from a combination of existing ecohydrological data (where available) and some additional field study where required, particularly for the fens. Metrics will then be defined for each of these wetland types that provide a robust assessment of the environmental supporting conditions which will then be tested back on a subset of the respective wetlands which have not previously had any significant ecohydrological studies carried out on them. This project is led by Dr. Laurence Gill, TCD Department of Civil, Structural & Environmental Engineering. I have a role in several work packages and am co-supervising the PhD project on environmental supporting conditions for fens.
Funding Agency
Environmental Protection Agency
Programme
EPA Research Programme 2014-2020
Project Title
 Emerging organic contaminants arising in rural environments: investigations in karst and fractured bedrock aquifers
From
September 2015
To
March 2020
Summary
The objective of this project is to investigate the occurrence of synthetic organic compounds arising from rural activities in Irish karst and fractured bedrock aquifers. The primary focus is on veterinary drugs including anthelmintics, anticoccidials and pyrethroids. The project aims to determine the controlling factors (both source and pathway) on these occurrences. The research is being carried out as part of the Irish Centre for Research in Applied Geosciences (iCRAG) Research Challenge to Secure and Protect Groundwater Resources, by a doctoral student, Damien Mooney, in association with Dr Martin Danaher (Teagasc, Ashtown), Dr Karl Richards and Dr Per-Erik Mellander (Teagasc, Johnstown Castle), Prof. Laurence Gill (TCD) and myself.
Funding Agency
SFI
Programme
SFI Research Centres Programme
Project Type
PhD studentship
Project Title
 The impact of on-site wastewater effluent on karst springs
From
September 2016
To
August 2021
Summary
This PhD project investigates the impact of domestic wastewater effluent on Irish karst springs, as part of the Irish Centre for Research in Applied Geosciences (iCRAG) Research Challenge to Secure and Protect Groundwater Resources. Detailed assessment of several springs representative of karst networks of different scale and morphometry is being undertaken in order to determine the contribution of on-site effluent contaminants by the use of chemical and microbiological fingerprinting methodologies. The project is being carried out by Luka Vucinic, supervised by Prof. Laurence Gill and co-supervised by myself.
Funding Agency
SFI
Programme
SFI Research Centres Programme
Project Type
PhD studentship
Project Title
 Nitrogen attenuation along delivery pathways in agricultural catchments
From
Sept. 2012
To
Aug. 2017
Summary
This research projects aimed to investigate nitrogen attenuation processes along groundwater pathways in two Irish agricultural catchments: an arable catchment in Co. Wexford and an intensive grassland catchment in Co. Cork. Factors influencing groundwater denitrification were investigated. The research was conducted in association with the Agricultural Catchments Programme based at Teagasc, Johnstown Castle, Wexford, as a doctoral project by Eoin McAleer, supervised by myself and co-supervised by Dr. Per-Erik Mellander and Dr. Karl Richards (Teagasc).
Funding Agency
Teagasc
Programme
Walsh Fellowship
Project Type
Ph.D. studentship
Project Title
 Development of an ecohydrology framework for setting environmental flow standards for Irish rivers
From
March 2015
To
November 2015
Summary
The goal of this project was to evaluate state-of-the-art environmental flow methodology to identify best practice, trial alternative approaches in catchments of contrasting hydrogeology with long-term flow data, and provide recommendations to EPA for establishing a landscape-based framework for setting EFlow standards that will help to maintain ecological status and ecosystem services provided by Irish rivers. The research was carried out by Dr Katherine Webster and Katie Tedd (research fellows) in association with Prof Ian Donohue (PI) and myself.
Funding Agency
Environmental Protection Agency
Programme
STRIVE
Project Type
Desk study

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Language Skill Reading Skill Writing Skill Speaking
French Medium Medium Medium
Details Date From Date To
Member of International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) 1984 present
President of IAH Irish Group 2000 2003
Secretary of IAH Irish Group 1988 1990
Member of IAH International Commission on Hydrogeology of Karst 1990 present
Member of Irish Groundwater Working Group for the Water Framework Directive 2003 2008
Member of Irish Working Group on Karst 1995 present
Member of Geosciences Committee of the Royal Irish Academy 2004 2008
Member of Environmental Sciences Association of Ireland 1995 present
Member of Women in Technology and Science 1990 present
Vucinic L., O'Connell D., Coxon C., Gill L.W., Back to the future: Comparing Yeast as an outmoded artificial Tracer for simulating microbial transport in Karst aquifer systems to more modern approachs, Environmental Pollution, (123942), 2024, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI
Luka Vucinic, David O'Connell, Donata Dubber, Catherine Coxon, Laurence Gill, Multiple fluorescence approaches to identify rapid changes in microbial indicators at karst springs, Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, 254, (104129), 2023, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI
Gill L., Bhatnagar S., Bijkerk E., Regan S., Somlai C., Naughton O., Ghosh B., Waldren S., Coxon C., Johnston P., EcoMetrics - Environmental Supporting Conditions for Groundwater-dependent Terrestrial Ecosystems, Wexford, Ireland, Environmental Protection Agency, 2022, 1 - 54pp, Book, PUBLISHED  URL
McAleer, E., Coxon, C., Mellander, P.-E., Grant, J. & Richards, K., Patterns and drivers of groundwater and stream nitrate concentrations in intensively managed agricultural catchments, Water, 14, (9), 2022, p1388 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI
Vucinic L., O'Connell D., Teixeira R., Coxon C., Gill L.W., Flow cytometry and fecal indicator bacteria analyses for fingerprinting microbial pollution in karst aquifer systems, Water Resources Research, 58, 2022, pe2021WR029840 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI
Mooney, D., Richards, K.G., Danaher, M., Grant, J., Gill, L., Mellander, P.-E. & Coxon, C.E., An analysis of the spatio-temporal occurrence of anthelmintic veterinary drug residues in groundwater, Science of the Total Environment, 769, 2021, p144804 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI
Bhatnagar S., Gill L.W., Waldren S., Sharkey N., Naughton O., Johnston P., Coxon C., Morrissey P., Ghosh B., Ecohydrological metrics for vegetation communities in turloughs (ephemeral karstic wetlands), Ecohydrology, 14, 2021, pe2316 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Mooney, D., Coxon, C., Richards, K.G., Gill, L.W., Mellander, P.-E. & Danaher, M., A new sensitive method for the simultaneous chromatographic separation and tandem mass spectrometry detection of anticoccidials, including highly polar compounds, in environmental waters, Journal of Chromatography A, 1618, 2020, p460857-, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI
Mooney, D., Richards, K.G., Danaher, M., Grant, J., Gill, L., Mellander, P.-E. & Coxon, C.E., An investigation of anticoccidial veterinary drugs as emerging organic contaminants in groundwater, Science of the Total Environment, 746, 2020, p141116 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI
Mooney D., Coxon C., Richards K., Gill L., Mellander P-E., Danaher M., Development and optimisation of a multi-residue method for the determination of 40 anthelmintic drugs in environmental water samples by solid phase extraction (SPE) with LC-MS/MS detection, Molecules, 24, (1978), 2019, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI
  

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Webster, K., Tedd, K., Coxon, C. & Donohue, I., Environmental flow assessment for Irish rivers, Irish Groundwater Newsletter, 54, 2016, p39 - 41, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Wilson, J., Rocha, C. & Coxon, C., Using GIS and natural tracers to evaluate groundwater discharge to lakes, Integrated Hydrogeology: Contemporary Principles, Policy and Practice (Proceedings of 35th Annual Groundwater Conference, IAH Irish Group), Tullamore, Offaly, 21-22 April 2015, International Association of Hydrogeologists (Irish Group), 2015, ppV.3 - V.10, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Coxon, C., Water quality in Irish karst aquifers, Water Resource Management: The Role of Hydrogeology (Proceedings of 34th Annual Groundwater Conference, IAH Irish Group), Tullamore, Offaly, 15-16 April 2014, International Association of Hydrogeologists (Irish Group), 2014, ppII.9 - II.18, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Kimberley, S. & Coxon, C., Environmental supporting conditions for groundwater dependent terrestrial ecosystems, GSI Groundwater Newsletter, 50, 2012, p38 - 40, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Tedd, K., Misstear, B., Coxon, C., Daly, D., Hunter Williams, T., Craig, M. & Mannix, A., A review of groundwater levels in the south-east of Ireland, Wexford, Environmental Protection Agency, 2011, 106pp, Report, PUBLISHED
Cunha Pereira, H., Coxon, C. & Allott, N., Turlough water quality and implications for groundwater management, Proceedings of the 29th Annual Groundwater Conference, International Association of Hydrogeologists Irish Group, Tullamore, Offaly, 21-22 April 2009, edited by Bartley, P. , IAH (Irish Group), 2009, pp107 - 110, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
McManus, S., Richards, K.G. & Coxon, C.E., Pesticide occurrence in Irish groundwaters, GSI Groundwater Newsletter, 47, 2009, p12 - 14, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Richards, K., Khalil, M., Fenton, O., Barrett, M., Jahangir, M., Johnston, P., Coxon, C. & O'Flaherty, V., Investigating subsoil and groundwater denitrification in Ireland, GSI Groundwater Newsletter, 47, 2009, p15 - 16, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Kilroy, G., Coxon, C., Daly, D., Hunter-Williams, T. & Jennings, S., Managing groundwater bodies in the Shannon pilot river basin for the Water Framework Directive, Proceedings of the Pilot River Basin Workshop - Groundwater & Water Framework Directive Management Plan, Rome, Italy, 3-4 May 2004, Tevere River Basin Authority, 2004, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Water pollution: the need to protect water resources in karst areas in, editor(s)Daly, D., Drew, D., Deakin, J., Ball, D., Parkes, M. & Wright, G. , The Karst of Ireland, Dublin, Karst Working Group / Geological Survey of Ireland, 2000, pp26 - 28, [Coxon, C.E. & Daly, D.], Book Chapter, PUBLISHED

  


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I carry out research within the broad area of environmental earth science, mainly on groundwater quality. My specific interests include: · Rural groundwater quality problems, particularly nutrients and synthetic organic compounds · Groundwater vulnerability assessment and protection schemes · Karst hydrogeology and karst groundwater protection · Phosphorus loss to surface waters by different hydrological pathways · Groundwater - surface water interactions and integrated catchment management