Dr Julia Drewer

Current work

• Includes making flux measurements of greenhouse gases in the field (methane, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide) using automatically and manually operated static chambers
• Laboratory sample analysis with gas chromatography
• Calculation and interpretation of greenhouse gas fluxes
• Presentation of the results at meetings, scientific conferences and in peer reviewed publications
• Organisation and supervision of  the instrument laboratory including the gas chromatographs

Research interests

I investigate atmosphere-biosphere exchange of trace gases and the cycling of carbon and nitrogen, especially greenhouse gas emissions (methane, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide) from moorland and bioenergy crops.

Brief CV

• 2007: PhD jointly between Schools of GeoSciences and Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh. Thesis title:  “Investigation of natural methyl bromide (CH3Br) fluxes from terrestrial salt marsh and woodland ecosystems“
• 2003: Degree in Geoecology (Diplom Geoökologie) obtained from Technical University Braunschweig, Germany. Diploma Thesis: “Protected soil organic matter under organic farming – Mineralisation rate of C and N from water stable aggregates isolated from organically farmed soils” conducted at SAC (Scottish Agricultural College), Edinburgh (First Class)
• 2007 onwards: Environmental Scientist at CEH in Edinburgh
• 2003-2007: PhD student at the University of Edinburgh.
• 1998-2003: Student at Technical University Braunschweig, Germany
• 1997-1998: Niedersächsisches Landesamt für Ökologie, Forschungsstelle Küste, Außenstelle Wilhelmshaven, Germany (Lower Saxony Department of Ecology – Marine Ecology)

Selected publications

See also the NERC Open Research Archive.

Drewer, J., Heal, M.R., Heal, K.V., Smith, K.A., 2006. Temporal and spatial variation in methyl bromide flux from a salt marsh. Geophysical Research Letters 33 (16).

Drewer, J., Heal, K.V., Smith, K.A., Heal, M.R., 2008. Methyl bromide emissions to the atmosphere from temperate woodland ecosystems. Global Change Biology 14 (11), 2539-2547.

Skiba, U.M., Drewer, J. et al. , 2009. Biosphere atmosphere exchange of reactive nitrogen and greenhouse gases at the NitroEurope core flux measurement sites: Measurement strategy and first annual data sets. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, Special Issue: NitroEurope, in press.

Dinsmore, K.J., Skiba, U.M., Billett, M.F., Rees, R.M., Drewer, J., 2009. Spatial and temporal variability in CH4 and N2O fluxes from a Scottish ombrotrophic peatland; implications for modelling and upscaling. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 41, 1315-1323.

Drewer, J., Lohila, A. Aurela, M., Laurila, T., Dinsmore, K.M., Helfter, C., Sutton, M.A., Skiba, U.M., 2009. Greenhouse gas fluxes and nitrogen budgets from two different wetland sites in Finland and Scotland - a comparison between Lompolojänkää and Auchencorth Moss. European Journal of Soil Science, submitted.

Ambus, P., Skiba, U.M., Drewer, J., 2009. Development of a System for Inert Gas Monitoring by Accumulation (SIGMA) for trace gas flux measurements. European Journal of Soil Science, submitted.

Drewer, J., Heal, K.V., Smith, K.A., Heal, M.R., 2009. environmental controls on methyl bromide fluxes from a temperate salt marsh ecosystem. Plant and Soil, in prep