Charlotte’s research is driven by a passion to address key questions surrounding the origins and fate of human and agricultural wastes in terrestrial systems, particularly in relation to their delivery from land to water bodies. Her work spans a wide variety of scales ranging from chemical, physical and biological processes ultimately integrated to the catchment level.
Her approach is to use cutting-edge analytical techniques, including molecular scale chemistry to trace hydrological and sediment pathways and to enhance understanding of the transport of organic nutrients and anthropogenic organic compounds in the environment. To date work has focussed on the impact of inputs from agriculture, such as fertilisers and other human contributions, including sewage treatment works. She uses both laboratory experimentation and field data collection and data modelling techniques, as this offers unique opportunities for exploring the impacts of various agricultural practices on the environment.