Professor Mark Kibblewhite

Professor Mark Kibblewhite, Cranfield University

Head of Natural Resources; Chair in Applied Soil Science
Location: Building 52, Cranfield campus
E: m.kibblewhite@cranfield.ac.uk
T: +44 (0) 1234 758015


Current activities

Professor Mark Kibblewhite's research focuses on soil policy and monitoring for threats to soil, in particular organic matter decline and contamination. He convenes the modules on Brownfield Management and Project Management for the Land Management postgraduate programme. His main role, however, is to lead and develop Cranfield’s new trans-disciplinary Natural Resources Department comprising the National Soil Resources Institute, the Integrated Environmental Systems Institute and the Natural Resources Management Centre. Increasingly, he is focused on the implications of global change including climate change for land-based natural resources and on how the scientific and engineering communities can contribute to effective adaptation strategy development and delivery.

Clients

  • DEFRA
  • Environment Agency
  • European Commission
  • Teagasc (Ireland).

Background

Professor Mark Kibblewhite BA MBA PhD CSci CChem FRSC MCIM CEnv FIAgrE graduated in chemistry from York and then went to Aberdeen as a MAFF Research Student followed by post-doctoral research on aqueous organic matter. After working in scientific operations with Severn Trent Water, Mark lectured at Fort Hare University, South Africa, whilst researching links between geochemistry and oesophageal cancer. After returning to the UK, he joined the Agricultural Development and Advisory Service as an Analytical Chemist. He then moved to Warren Spring Laboratory, as Head of the Chemical Analysis Division, researching trace environmental measurements of, for example: PCBs, dioxins and furans. Supported by a bursary from DTI, he completed an MBA at Cranfield, before joining Welsh Water plc as a Divisional Managing Director in Hyder Consulting. This was followed by responsibility for the environmental regulation of soil, contaminated land, agriculture and related industries as Head of Land Quality at the Environment Agency.

In 2002 he was appointed Director of the National Soil Resources Institute at Cranfield before becoming Head of the Natural Resources Department in 2006. Natural Resources is a trans-disciplinary department focused on management of soil, natural waters and biodiversity drawing on a natural sciences, social sciences and engineering disciplines. Mark has wide experience as a senior advisor and consultant to Government and industry, nationally and internationally, and as a Non-Executive Director. Currently he is much involved in the development and promotion of European soil protection policy: he was Chairman of the European Soil Bureau (2003 to 2007) and is coordinator of ENVASSO which is a 37 partner project delivering soil monitoring systems for the European Commission.

Selected publications

  • Nicolas P.A. Saby, Patricia H. Bellamy, Xavier Morvan, Dominique Arrouays, Robert J.A. Jones, Frank G.A. Verheijen, Mark G. Kibblewhite, Ann Verdoot, Judit Berényi Üveges, Alexandra Freudenschuß and Catalin Simota (2008) Will European soil monitoring networks be able to detect changes in topsoil organic carbon content? Global Change Biology, OnlineAccepted Articles doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2008.01658.x

  • Morvan, X., Saby, N., Arrouays, D., Le Bas, C Jones, R.J.A., Bellamy, P., Stephens, M., Kibblewhite, M.G. (2008) Soil monitoring in Europe: a review of existing systems and requirements for harmonisation. Science of the Total Environment 391 1-12

  • Kibblewhite, M.G., Ritz, K. and Swift R.S. (2008) Soil health in agricultural systems Phil. Trans. R. Soc Lond B Biol Sci 363 685-701

  • Kibblewhite, M. (2007) Towards a European soil directive – the rationale and some urgent reflections Environmental Law and Management 19 206 – 210

  • Kibblewhite, M., Rubio, J.L., Kosmas, C., Jones, R., Arrouays, D., Huber, S. and Verheijen, F. (2007) Environmental assessment of soil for monitoring desertification in Europe. Eighth Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP7) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), Madrid, Spain, September 2007. 

  • Eckelman, W., Baritz, R., Bialousz, S., Carre, F., Jones, R., Kibblewhite, M., Kozak, J., Le Bas, C., Toth, G., Varallyay, G., Halla, M.Y. and Zupan, M. (2006) Common Criteria for Risk Area Identification according to Soil Threats European Soil Bureau Report no.20, EUR 22185 EN, 94pp. Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, Luxembourg.

  • Verheijen, F, Bellamy, P, Kibblewhite, M and Gaunt, J (2005) Organic carbon ranges in arable soils of England and Wales. Soil Use and Management 21 2-9.

Further publications