Ben Evans
Machine Learning Research Scientist
Biography
Ben joined the BAS AI lab in 2021 from the University of Cambridge where he received his BA, MA, MPhil and PhD and was involved as a Research Assistant/Associate in three large consortium projects. He is interested in using data-driven methods to understand and predict process interactions in biophysical sytstems. He has worked extensively with spatial data and Earth Observation as well as geospatial modelling. During his PhD he developed machine learning models to predict morphodynamic change in coastal ecosystems and at BAS is working primarily on detection and tracking of icebergs in the Southern Ocean while contributing to a range of other science projects across the organisation.
Research interests
Collaborations
B Evans, A Faul, A Fleming, DG Vaughan, JS Hosking, (2023). Unsupervised machine learning detection of iceberg populations within sea ice from dual-polarisation SAR imagery. Remote Sensing of Environment 297, 113780. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2023.113780
Möller, I., Ionescu, M. S., Constantinescu, A. M., Evans, B. R., Scrieciu, A., Stanica, A., & Grosu, D. (2022). Bio-Physical Controls on Wave Transformation in Coastal Reed Beds: Insights From the Razelm-Sinoe Lagoon System, Romania. Frontiers in Marine Science, 0, 924. https://doi.org/10.3389/FMARS.2022.813474
Evans, B.R., Brooks, H., Chirol, C., Kirkham, M. K., Möller, I., Royse, K., et al. (2022). Vegetation interactions with geotechnical properties and erodibility of salt marsh sediments. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 265, 107713. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.ECSS.2021.107713
Bamber, J., Bates, P., Brindley, H., Evans, B., Jackson, T., Merchant, C., Davey, M.P., Palmer, P., Scott, M., Spencer, T. (2021). Space-based Earth Observations for climate security – briefing to policymakers, COP26.
Evans, Ben R., Möller, I., & Spencer, T. (2021). Topological and Morphological Controls on Morphodynamics of Salt Marsh Interiors. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 2021, Vol. 9, Page 311, 9(3), 311. https://doi.org/10.3390/JMSE9030311
Hu, Z., Willemsen, P. W. J. M., Borsje, B. W., Wang, C., Wang, H., Van Der Wal, D., et al. (2021). Synchronized high-resolution bed-level change and biophysical data from 10 marsh-mudflat sites in northwestern Europe. Earth System Science Data, 13(2), 405–416. https://doi.org/10.5194/ESSD-13-405-2021
Schoutens, K., Reents, S., Nolte, S., Evans, B., Paul, M., Kudella, M., et al. (2021). Survival of the thickest? Impacts of extreme wave‐forcing on marsh seedlings are mediated by species morphology. Limnology and Oceanography, lno.11850. https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.11850
Evans, Ben R., Möller, I., Spencer, T., & Smith, G. (2019). Dynamics of salt marsh margins are related to their three-dimensional functional form. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 44(9), 1816–1827. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.4614
Brooks, H., Möller, I., Carr, S., Chirol, C., Christie, E., Evans, B., et al. (2021). Resistance of salt marsh substrates to near-instantaneous hydrodynamic forcing. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 46(1), 67–88. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.4912
Chirol, C., Spencer, K. L., Carr, S. J., Möller, I., Evans, B., Lynch, J., et al. (2021). Effect of vegetation cover and sediment type on 3D subsurface structure and shear strength in saltmarshes. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 46(11), 2279–2297. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.5174
Brooks, H., Möller, I., Carr, S., Chirol, C., Christie, E., Evans, B., et al. (2020). Resistance of salt marsh substrates to near-instantaneous hydrodynamic forcing. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 46(1), 67–88. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.4912
Schuerch, M., Spencer, T., & Evans, B. (2019). Coupling between tidal mudflats and salt marshes affects marsh morphology. Marine Geology, 412, 95–106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2019.03.008
Evans, B. R. (2018). Data-driven prediction of saltmarsh morphodynamics. PhD Thesis – University of Cambridge
Willemsen, P. W. J. M., Borsje, B. W., Hulscher, S. J. M. H., Van der Wal, D., Zhu, Z., Oteman, B., et al. (2018). Quantifying bed level change at the transition of tidal flat and salt marsh: can we understand the lateral location of the marsh edge? Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JF004742
Ford, H., Evans, B., Van Klink, R., Skov, M. W. M. W., & Garbutt, A. (2017). The importance of canopy complexity in shaping seasonal spider and beetle assemblages in saltmarsh habitats. Ecological Entomology, 42(2), 145–155. https://doi.org/10.1111/een.12373
Reef, R., Spencer, T., Möller, I., Lovelock, C. E., Christie, E. K., Mcivor, A. L., et al. (2016). The effects of elevated CO2 and eutrophication on surface elevation gain in a European salt marsh. Global Change Biology. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13396
Rupprecht, F., Möller, I., Evans, B., Spencer, T., & Jensen, K. (2015). Biophysical properties of salt marsh canopies – Quantifying plant stem flexibility and above ground biomass. Coastal Engineering, 100, 48–57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coastaleng.2015.03.009
Spencer, T., Brooks, S. M., Evans, B. R., Tempest, J. A., & Möller, I. (2015). Southern North Sea storm surge event of 5 December 2013: Water levels, waves and coastal impacts. Earth-Science Reviews, 146(December 2013), 120–145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2015.04.002
Spencer, T., Brooks, S. M., Möller, I., & Evans, B. R. (2014). Where Local Matters: Impacts of a Major North Sea Storm Surge. Eos, Transactions American Geophysical Union, 95(30), 269–270. https://doi.org/10.1002/2014EO300002
Publications from NERC Open Research Archive
2023
Evans, Ben ORCID record for Ben Evans, Faul, Anita ORCID record for Anita Faul, Fleming, Andrew ORCID record for Andrew Fleming, Vaughan, David G. ORCID record for David G. Vaughan, Hosking, J. Scott ORCID record for J. Scott Hosking. (2023) Unsupervised machine learning detection of iceberg populations within sea ice from dual-polarisation SAR imagery. Remote Sensing of Environment, 297. 15 pp. 10.1016/j.rse.2023.113780
2022
Reents, Svenja, Möller, Iris, Evans, Ben R. ORCID record for Ben R. Evans, Schoutens, Ken, Jensen, Kai, Paul, Maike, Bouma, Tjeerd J., Temmerman, Stijn, Lustig, Jennifer, Kudella, Matthias, Nolte, Stefanie. (2022) Species-specific and seasonal differences in the resistance of salt-marsh vegetation to wave impact. Frontiers in Marine Science, 9. 15 pp. 10.3389/fmars.2022.898080
Evans, B.R. ORCID record for B.R. Evans, Brooks, H, Chirol, C., Kirkham, M.K., Möller, I., Royse, K., Spencer, K., Spencer, T.. (2022) Vegetation interactions with geotechnical properties and erodibility of salt marsh sediments. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 265. 12 pp. 10.1016/j.ecss.2021.107713
2023
Using AI to track icebergs
News 23 November, 2023