Sarah Cook

Contact

• workRoom Room C25 Gateway Building
  Sutton Bonington Campus
  Sutton Bonington
  Leicestershire
  LE12 5RD
  UK
• Sarah.Cook@nottingham.ac.uk

Biography

I am an environmental researcher and field scientist with a broad interest in aquatic ecosystems, their functionality and resilience to land-use change. Particular interests include:

-Greenhouse gas emissions and carbon cycling in aquatic ecosystems

-Pathways of water pollution in natural environment

-Emerging environmental contaminants, including natural fibers and microplastics

-Multidisciplinary approaches to water stewardship

-Nature-based solutions to water quality remediation (i.e. constructed wetlands)

-The role of citizen science in environmental monitoring

Expertise Summary

My research interests lie in the study of biogeochemical cycling and the role of freshwater ecosystems in the global carbon cycle. I am particularly interested in investigating the interplay between aquatic carbon (dissolved organic matter, DOM), nutrients, and greenhouse gas emissions from inland waters, as well as the concentration, reactivity, and composition of DOM in response to anthropogenic-driven factors such as land-use change.

I have experience in quantifying catchment hydrology using salt dilution gauging and chloride mass balance approaches, spectrophotometric techniques to determine water quality (i.e. SUVA₂₅₄), tracer experiments using recirculating flumes, alongside intrusive and non-intrusive solute and microplastics tracer measurement techniques.

Selected Publications

• COOK, S, ABOLFATHI, A and GILBERT, N.I., 2021. Goals and approaches in the use of citizen science for exploring plastic pollution in freshwater ecosystems: A review. Freshwater Science.
• PEACOCK, M., AUDET, J., BASTVIKEN, D., COOK, S., EVANS, C. D., GRINHAM, A., HOLGERSON, M. A., HOGBOM, L., PICKARD, A. E., ZIELINSKI, P. and FUTTER, M. N., 2021. Small artificial waterbodies are widespread and persistent emitters of methane and carbon dioxide GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY. 27(20), 5109-5123
• COOK, S, CHEN, H.L, ABOLFATHI, S, BENDING, G.D, SCHÄFER, H and PEARSON, J.M, 2020. Quantifying microplastic transport in aquatic flows using fluorometric techniques Water Research.
• COOK, S, OLIVER, P, KING, A, FINNEGAN, R, EGMOND, R, SCHAFER, H, PEARSON, JM, ABOLFATHI, S and BENDING, GD, 2020. Bedform characteristics and biofilm community development interact to modify hyporheic exchange Science of the Total Environment.

• View all publications

• STANTON T, CHICO G, CARR E, COOK S, GOMES RL, HEARD E, LAW A, WILSON H and JOHNSON M, 2022. Planet Patrolling: A citizen science brand audit of anthropogenic litter in the context of national legislation and international policy Journal of Hazardous Materials.
• SARA A. THORNTON, SARAH COOK, LYDIA COLE, K. ANGGI HAPSARI, NORLIYANA ZIN ZAWAWI and SUSAN E. PAGE, 2022. From Muddy Glee to muddy reflections on fieldwork and writing Area Royal Geographical Society.
• STANTON, THOMAS, CHICO, GUADUNETH, CARR, ELIZABETH, COOK, SARAH, GOMES, RACHEL LOUISE, HEARD, ELIZABETH, LAW, ANTONIA, WILSON, HAZEL L. and JOHNSON, MATTHEW, 2022. Planet Patrolling: A citizen science brand audit of anthropogenic litter in the context of national legislation and international policy JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS. 436,
• SAVAGE, JESSICA, COOK, SARAH and YEBOAH, GODWIN, 2021. Tourist Traps: Assessing the Role of Tourism in Sustaining Life Below Water. In: FILHO, WALTER LEAL, ANABELA MARISA, BRANDLI, LUCIANA, LANGE SALVIA, AMANDA and WALL, TONY, eds., Life Below Water. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals Springer.
• PEACOCK, M., AUDET, J., BASTVIKEN, D., COOK, S., EVANS, C. D., GRINHAM, A., HOLGERSON, M. A., HOGBOM, L., PICKARD, A. E., ZIELINSKI, P. and FUTTER, M. N., 2021. Small artificial waterbodies are widespread and persistent emitters of methane and carbon dioxide GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY. 27(20), 5109-5123
• COOK, S, ABOLFATHI, A and GILBERT, N.I., 2021. Goals and approaches in the use of citizen science for exploring plastic pollution in freshwater ecosystems: A review. Freshwater Science.
• COOK, S, CHEN, H.L, ABOLFATHI, S, BENDING, G.D, SCHÄFER, H and PEARSON, J.M, 2020. Quantifying microplastic transport in aquatic flows using fluorometric techniques Water Research.
• COOK, S, OLIVER, P, KING, A, FINNEGAN, R, EGMOND, R, SCHAFER, H, PEARSON, JM, ABOLFATHI, S and BENDING, GD, 2020. Bedform characteristics and biofilm community development interact to modify hyporheic exchange Science of the Total Environment.
• ABOLFATHI, SOROUSH, COOK, SARAH, YEGANEH-BAKHTIARY, ABBAS, BORZOOEI, SINA and PEARSON, JONATHAN, 2020. MICROPLASTICS TRANSPORT AND MIXING MECHANISMS IN THE NEARSHORE REGION Coastal Engineering Proceedings. papers.63
• THORNTON, S.A, COOK, S, ASTIANI, D, HAPSARI, K.A, VARKKEY, H, COLE, L.E, DARGIE, G.C, SJOGERSTEN, AS, ZAWAWI, N.Z and PAGE, S.E, 2019. “Pushing the Limits”: Women in Tropical Peatland Research. Marine & Freshwater Science Marine & Freshwater Science.
• COOK, S, EVANS, C.D, WHELAN, M.J, GAUCI, V, WHELAN, M.J, GARNETT, M, TEH, Y.A, KHO, L.K and PAGE, S.E, 2018. Fluvial organic carbon fluxes from oil palm plantations on tropical peatland Biogeosciences.
• COOK, S, PEACOCK, M, EVANS, C.D, PAGE, S.E, WHELAN, M and GAUCI, V, 2017. Quantifying tropical peatland dissolved organic carbon using UV-visible spectrometry Water Research.
• MATERIC, D, PEACOCK, M, KENT, M, COOK, S, GAUCI, V and ROCKMAN, T, 2017. Characterisation of dissolved organic carbon by thermal desorption-proton-transfer reaction-mass spectrometry Nature Scientific Reports.
• COOK, S, PEACOCK, M, EVANS, C.D, PAGE, S.E, WHELAN, M and GAUCI, V, Cold Storage as a method for the long-term preservation of tropical dissolved organic carbon (DOC) Mires and Peat.