- E-mail: harriet.allen@geog.cam.ac.uk
- Tel: 01223 766576
- Fax: 01223 333392
- Address: Department of Geography
Department of Geography
University of Cambridge
Downing Place
Cambridge
CB2 3EN
Cluster membership: Dr Allen is a member of the Environmental Processes research cluster.
Current and recent research projects:
- Holocene environmental change in southern Portugal
- Monitoring Mediterranean ecosystem changes
- The use of airborne LiDAR to characterise Mediterranean forest communities
Graduate students supervised by Dr Allen currently are:
- Holly East
- Katherine Elsom
- Juheon Lee
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Harriet D Allen MA MSc PhD
University Senior Lecturer and Fellow of Girton College
Physical geographer with a special interest in biogeography, Quaternary and environmental change
Biography
Career:
- 2001-present University Lecturer, Department of Geography, University of Cambridge
- 2002-present Fellow,Tutor & Director of Studies, Girton College, Cambridge
- 1992
- 1986-2001 Senior Lecturer in Geography, Homerton College, Cambridge
Qualifications
- MA Geography, University of Cambridge (Girton College)
- MSc Geography, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada: A dendrochronological record from the Slims Valley, Yukon, Canada
- PhD University of Cambridge: Late Quaternary of the Kopais Basin, Greece: sedimentary & environmental history
Research
Harriet Allen is a member of the Geography Department's Environmental Processes Research Cluster.
Harriet is a physical geographer with a range of research interests which focus on
- Modelling the vegetation structure of Mediterranean ecosystems
- The response of ecosystems to environmental change
- Palaeoecological evidence for Holocene and contemporary environmental change
These areas of interest are firmly located within Mediterranean environments.
Current projects include:
- Modelling the landscape ecology of Mediterranean shrubland ecosystems.
- Use of airborne LiDAR to characterise vegetation communities.
- Use of multisensor ariborne data to model Mediterranean sclerophyllous vegetation communities (Crete and Portugal).
- Holocene and contemporary vegetation dynamics of Mediterranean ecosystems.
Current PhD students:
- William Simonson (Dept. of Plant Sciences, Universityt of Cambridge; co-supervisor with Dr David Coomes) 'The application of airborne laser scanning to trhe characterisation of plant community structure and diversity in Mediterranean evergreeen forests'.
Recent PhD students:
- William Fletcher (2005) 'Holocene Landscape History of Southern Portugal'
Publications
Selected publications:
- Allen, HD (2009) Vegetation and Ecosystem Dynamics, in The Physical Geography of the Mediterranean, J Woodward (ed.), Oxford University Press, 203-227
- Allen, HD (2008) Fire: plant functional types and patch mosaic burning in fire-prone ecosystems Progress in Physical Geography, 32, 421-437 doi:10.1177/0309133308096754
- Allen, HD, Randall RE, Amable, GS & Devereux BJ (2006) The impact of changing olive cultivation practices on the ground flora of olive groves in the Messara and Psiloritis regions, Crete, Greece Land Degradation & Development, 17, 249-273 doi:10.1002/ldr.716
- Allen, HD (2003) Response of past and present Mediterranean ecosystems to environmental change Progress in Physical Geography, 27(3), 359-377 DOI:10.1191/0309133303pp387ra
- Allen, HD (2003) A transient coastal wetland: from estuarine to supratidal conditions in less than 2000 years - Boca do Rio, Algarve, Portugal Land Degradation & Development, 14, 265-283 doi:10.1002/ldr.552
- Allen, HD (2003) A Portuguese wetland in transition, in Mediterranean World Environment and History, ed E Fouache (Elsevier, Paris), 397-405
- Allen, HD (2001) Mediterranean Ecogeography (Prentice Hall)
Conference presentations:
- Allen HD, Randall RE, Amable, GS and Devereux, BJ (2006) The use of airborne lidar for characterising canopy structure and ground flora of olive groves: monitoring the effects of agricultural intensification. Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Society Annual Meeting, Cambridge, UK, 5-8 September 2006
- Allen HD, Randall RE, Amable, GS and Devereux BJ (2005) The typology of olive cultivation: integrating LiDAR with vegetation field data. Second Biennial Conference of the International Biogeography Society, Shepherdstown, WV, USA, 5-9 January 2005
- Amable, GS, Devereux BJ, Allen, HD, Randall RE and Cockerell TF (2005) Application of Airborne LiDAR data in mapping the structure of deciduous woodland communities in Woodwalton Fen Nature Reserve, England. Second Biennial Conference of the International Biogeography Society, Shepherdstown, WV, USA, 5-9 January 2005
- Devereux BJ, Amable, GS, Allen, HD, and Randall RE (2005) Spatial patterns in the structure of semi-natural vegetation communities on the slopes of Mt Psiloritis in South Central Crete. RGS-IBG Annual Conference. London, 31 August-2 September, 2005
- Allen, HD, Randall RE, Amable, GS and Devereux BJ (2004) 3-dimensional structural characteristics and biodiversity patterns of Cretan olive groves: preliminary results from field surveys and airborne LiDAR and VIS/NIR imaging. 30th Congress of the Internationsl Geographical Union, Glasgow, August 2004
Teaching
Contributions to the following courses:
Geographical Tripos
- Part IA: Environmental Processes
- Part IA: Geographical Skills and Methods
- Part IB: Bioogeography
- Part IB: Geographical Ideas
- Part IB: Algarve fieldtrip
- Part IB: Arolla fieldtrip
- Part II: Biogeography
External activities
- Coordinating Editor, Landscape Ecology (Springer)
- Committee member (Chair), Biogeography Research Group of the Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers)
- Fellow, Royal Geographical Society, with the Institute of British Geographers
- Committee member, Geographical Association (Cambridge Branch)
- Member, Quaternary Research Association
- Member, International Biogeography Society
- Member, British Ecological Society