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Dayang Siti Maryam Binti Mohd Hanan
PhD Student

Profile

Biography

I am currently researching Holocene sea level and coastal change along the Cumbrian coastline, UK for my PhD. My previous research has focused on marine science and meteorology.  My undergraduate project focused on water fluxes and suspended solids in the Menggatal estuary, Malaysia, while for my MSc. research I studied the impacts of typhoons on seawater properties in the western North Pacific Ocean. 

Career

2014 - Present

PhD Student

Environment Department, University of York, United Kingdom

2011-2013

Master of Science (Marine Science) by Research

Borneo Marine Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia

2007-2010

Bachelor of Science With Honours (Marine Science)

Borneo Marine Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia

Research

Overview

Description of PhD

Title: The Cumbrian Coastline: An open-air Laboratory for Sea Level and Coastal Changes

Supervisor: Dr. Katherine Selby

Funding: Majlis Amanah RAkyat (MARA), Malaysia

TAC: Dr. Katherine Selby and Dr. Jon Hill

Description of thesis:

To date the Cumbrian coastline has not been the subject of a systematic investigation into sea level fluctuations that have occurred during the Late Devensian and Holocene. However, its location in close proximity to both the Lake District ice mass and Irish Sea ice lobe, means that sea level change along this coastline is a product of both eustatic and isostatic effects giving rise to a complex series of transgressions and regressions.

Presently very few sea level index points (SLIPs) exist for Cumbria, with most Holocene relative sea level studies in Cumbria having been carried out in the inner part of Solway Firth, Ravenglass estuary and areas in Morecambe, with very little in between. Studies were also conducted on raised mosses of Bowness Common and Wedholme Flow in the south of the Solway Firth, but no sea level reconstructions were produced from the data obtained in these studies. 

Studying the Cumbrian coastline is challenging as erosion of the glacial deposits and coastal barriers may have affected the sea level record. Tidal amplitude may also have altered in the past and give rise to some discrepancies with SLIPs and within the isostatic uplift models. Additionally, the Late Holocene record may have been affected by anthropogenic activity in some areas.

My PhD will investigate past and present relative sea level changes, allowing future projections of sea level changes in Cumbria to be explored. Sea level trends will be reconstructed through detailed palaeoenvironmental analyses, including pollen, diatoms and foraminifera as well as radiocarbon dating.

Previous Research

MSc. Thesis: Impacts of 2009 Typhoons on Seawater Properties in the Western North Pacific Ocean

Abstract:

This study focuses on the effects of typhoons on the amount of heat removed and seawater properties, particularly temperature and salinity. A total of 15 typhoons occurred in the Western North Pacific in 2009, and ARGO floats data before and after the passage of each typhoon were obtained and analyzed to evaluate the changes on the affected areas. It was found that sea surface temperature (SST) decreased after the passage of each typhoon, with cooling ranging from 0.10 °C to 2.97 °C. Sea surface salinity (SSS) increased from 0.01 pss to 0.44 pss after the passage of the typhoons. The amount of heat removed after the passing of each individual typhoon was also estimated, and it was observed that typhoon Lupit removed the most heat (841 MJ m-2) while typhoon Chan Hom removed the least heat (30 MJ m-2). It was also evident from this study that the ocean’s structure (thermocline and halocline) changed after a typhoon had passed over the area. The depth of thermocline and halocline of the affected area deepened by 30.5 m and 29.4 m respectively after the passage of typhoon Lupit, mainly due to the increase of the mixed layer depth of the ocean. The relationship between the change of SST and SSS was investigated and the results showed that SSS changes calculated from equation were smaller than the actual SSS changes (from ARGO floats data). When the typhoon’s strength (expressed by its wind speed) and ∆SST, amount of heat removed, ∆SSS, change of thermocline as well as change of halocline were individually considered, all showed positive correlation with different coefficients: when the typhoon’s strength increases, higher changes on each variable are also observed. Although the life span of a typhoon over an area is relatively short, it has been shown to bring positive impacts as it is a natural heat removal mechanism, transferring of heat from the tropical waters to mid latitude waters will therefore maintain a moderate and suitable temperature for life, as well as increasing the rate of primary production in the ocean from turbulent mixing and upwelling caused by passing of the typhoons.

Publications

Selected publications

Mohd Hanan, D. S. M., Aung, T. & Saleh, E. 2015. Impacts of 2009 Typhoons on Seawater Properties and Top Layer Ocean’s Structure in the Northwest Pacific Ocean. Sains Malaysiana. 44(2): 167–173.

Mohammad-Noor, N., Weliyadi E., Aung, T., Adam, A. & Hanan, D. S. M. 2014. Effects of Meteorological Conditions on the Occurrence of Cochlodinium polykrikoides and Pyrodinium bahamense var. compressum in Coastal Waters of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. Sains Malaysiana. 43(1): 21-29.

Ho, D. J., Maryam, D. S., Jafar-Sidik, M. & Aung, T. 2013. Influence of Weather Condition on Pelagic Fish Landings in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. Journal of Tropical Biology and Conservation. 10: 11-21.

Maryam, D. S., Saleh, E. & Aung, T. 2012. Water fluxes, suspended solids distribution and water properties in the mouth of Menggatal estuary, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. Journal of Tropical Biology and Conservation. 9(1): 1-13.

Aung, T., Singh, A. & Maryam, D. S. 2011. Sea Level Changes in the Pacific Region and Impacts of the 2009 El-Niño in Fiji Waters (Assessment from 18 Years Land-Based Data). The South Pacific Journal of Natural Applied Sciences. 29.

Maryam, D. S., Anwar, W. & Aung, T. 2011. Method to Estimate the Land Loss from Sea Level Rise due to Gradual Warming in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. Borneo Science. 28: March 2011.

Contact details

Dayang Hanan
PhD Student
Environment Department
Wentworth Way, University of York
Heslington
York
YO10 5NG