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A list of all the posts and pages found on the site. For you robots out there, there is an XML version available for digesting as well.
Pages
Posts
Arctic Frontiers Emerging Leader Report 2025
Published:
I had the privilege of participating in the Arctic Frontiers Conference 2025 in Tromsø, Norway, as part of the Emerging Leaders Programme, representing Ireland. This transformative experience brought together early-career researchers and professionals from around the world to address critical Arctic challenges and foster international collaboration.
Research Shows Carbon Emitting Peat Extraction Figures Vastly Unreported
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Our research on peatland carbon dynamics and land use change has gained significant media attention, highlighting the critical gap between reported and actual carbon emissions from peat extraction activities in Ireland.
Living with Water: Field Lab Experience in Chiang Mai
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This post reflects on my participation in the Understanding Risk Field Lab 2019 in Chiang Mai, Thailand, exploring urban flooding challenges and innovative water management solutions.
Leading by Example: A Journey with His Majesty the King’s Scholarship
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Reflections on receiving His Majesty the King’s prestigious scholarship at AIT and the commitment to use knowledge for national development.
portfolio
publications
Upscaling methane fluxes from peatlands across a drainage gradient in Ireland using PlanetScope imagery and machine learning tools
Published in Scientific Reports, 2023
This study demonstrates the upscaling of methane flux measurements from peatlands using high-resolution PlanetScope imagery and machine learning methods across drainage gradients.
Recommended citation: Ingle, R., Habib, W., Connolly, J. et al. (2023). "Upscaling methane fluxes from peatlands across a drainage gradient in Ireland using PlanetScope imagery and machine learning tools." Scientific Reports, 13, 11997.
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A national-scale assessment of land use change in peatlands between 1989 and 2020 using Landsat data and Google Earth Engine—a case study of Ireland
Published in Regional Environmental Change, 2023
This study presents a comprehensive 31-year analysis of peatland land use change across Ireland using Landsat satellite data and machine learning in Google Earth Engine.
Recommended citation: Habib, W. & Connolly, J. (2023). "A national-scale assessment of land use change in peatlands between 1989 and 2020 using Landsat data and Google Earth Engine—a case study of Ireland." Regional Environmental Change, 23, 124.
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Quantifying Peatland Land Use and CO2 Emissions in Irish Raised Bogs: Mapping Insights using Sentinel-2 Data and Google Earth Engine
Published in Scientific Reports, 2024
This study uses Sentinel-2 satellite imagery and machine learning in Google Earth Engine to classify peatland land use and estimate CO₂ emissions from Irish raised bogs.
Recommended citation: Habib, W., Ruchita, I., Saunders, M., & Connolly, J. (2024). "Quantifying Peatland Land Use and CO2 Emissions in Irish Raised Bogs: Mapping Insights using Sentinel-2 Data and Google Earth Engine." Scientific Reports, 14, 1171.
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Mapping artificial drains in Peatlands – A national scale assessment of Irish raised bogs using sub-meter aerial imagery and deep learning methods
Published in Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation, 2024
This study presents the first national-scale assessment of artificial drainage networks in Irish raised bogs using very high-resolution aerial imagery and deep learning semantic segmentation models.
Recommended citation: Habib, W., Cresson, R., McGuinness, K., & Connolly, J. (2024). "Mapping artificial drains in Peatlands – A national scale assessment of Irish raised bogs using sub-meter aerial imagery and deep learning methods." Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation.
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Mapping and monitoring peatland conditions from global to field scale
Published in Biogeochemistry, 2024
This comprehensive review examines approaches for mapping and monitoring peatland conditions across multiple spatial scales, from global to field-level assessments.
Recommended citation: Minasny, B., Adetsu, D.V., Aitkenhead, M. et al. (including Habib, W.) (2024). "Mapping and monitoring peatland conditions from global to field scale." Biogeochemistry, 167(4), 383-425.
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Lines in the landscape
Published in Communications Earth & Environment, 2025
This collaborative review examines the ecological, biogeochemical, and societal significance of agricultural ditches and drainage channels, highlighting their role as important landscape features that deserve greater scientific and conservation attention.
Recommended citation: Clifford, C., Bieroza, M., Clarke, S.J. et al. (including Habib, W. & Connolly, J.) (2025). "Lines in the landscape." Communications Earth & Environment, 6, 699.
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talks
Smart Observations of Management Impacts on Peatland Function (SmartBog)
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Presented the SmartBog project, focusing on smart observations of management impacts on peatland function using Earth observation and remote sensing technologies. The work outlines the comprehensive approach to monitoring peatland ecosystems and their response to management practices.
Geospatial Analysis of Peatland Land Use and Drainage in Ireland
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Presented research on geospatial analysis of peatland land use and drainage patterns across Ireland, demonstrating the application of GIS and remote sensing techniques to understand peatland management impacts.
Mapping land use on Irish raised bogs using Sentinel-2 image data and Google Earth Engine
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This presentation showcased the application of Sentinel-2 satellite imagery and Google Earth Engine for mapping land use patterns across Irish raised bog peatlands.
Characterisation of the 2020 Drumkeeran peat landslide: a large peat slide in Ireland
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Co-authored presentation on the characterisation of the 2020 Drumkeeran peat landslide, one of the largest peat slides recorded in Ireland. The research involved detailed analysis of the landslide event and its implications for peatland stability.
National scale peatland land use mapping using google earth engine and Landsat data – a case study of Ireland
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This presentation demonstrated a national-scale approach to peatland land use mapping using Google Earth Engine and historical Landsat satellite data for Ireland.
Land-use change dynamics in the context of Irish raised bogs
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Presented research on land-use change dynamics specifically focused on Irish raised bogs, examining temporal patterns of change and their implications for peatland conservation and management.
Spatio-temporal assessment of management impacts on peatlands - A case study of Ireland
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Presented research on spatio-temporal assessment of management impacts on peatlands using Ireland as a case study. The work demonstrates how open data science approaches can be applied to understand long-term management effects on peatland ecosystems.
Mapping vegetation communities across a drainage gradient in Irish raised bogs
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Presented research on mapping vegetation communities across drainage gradients in Irish raised bogs, demonstrating the relationship between artificial drainage and vegetation community composition in peatland ecosystems.
Mapping vegetation communities Irish raised bogs using PlanetScope imagery and Google Earth Engine
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This award-winning presentation demonstrated the use of high-resolution PlanetScope satellite imagery and Google Earth Engine for mapping vegetation communities across Irish raised bog peatlands.
Machine learning and deep learning for multi-temporal-spatial assessment of anthropogenic stressors on peatlands – A case study of Ireland
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Presented comprehensive research on applying machine learning and deep learning techniques to assess anthropogenic stressors on peatland ecosystems using multi-temporal-spatial remote sensing data. The case study focused on Irish peatlands and demonstrated how advanced computational methods can detect and quantify human impacts on these critical ecosystems.
Mapping vegetation communities across a drainage gradient in Irish raised bogs using PlanetScope Imagery
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Presented research on using PlanetScope high-resolution satellite imagery to map vegetation communities across drainage gradients in Irish raised bogs. The work demonstrates how drainage impacts affect vegetation patterns and community composition in peatland ecosystems.
From pixels to peat: Discerning management practices and their implications in peatlands using machine learning and multi-temporal spatial remote sensing
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This presentation explored the application of machine learning and multi-temporal remote sensing for understanding management impacts on peatland ecosystems.
Mapping artificial drainage on Irish Raised bogs using very high-resolution aerial imagery and deep learning methods
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This presentation showcased the development of deep learning approaches for mapping artificial drainage networks in Irish raised bog peatlands using very high-resolution aerial imagery.
Satellite-driven model to upscale Irish CO2 Net Ecosystem Exchange (ICONEEx)
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Presentation of the ICONEEx satellite-driven model for upscaling Net Ecosystem Exchange measurements across Irish terrestrial ecosystems.
Automated Mapping of Artificial Drainage in Peatlands Using Deep Learning and Very High-Resolution Aerial Imagery
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This presentation demonstrates the application of deep learning semantic segmentation models for automated mapping of artificial drainage networks in Irish peatlands using very high-resolution aerial imagery.
Multi-spatial temporal remote sensing and machine learning for mapping land use on peatlands
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Presented research on applying multi-spatial temporal remote sensing and machine learning approaches for mapping land use patterns on peatlands. The work demonstrates the integration of satellite imagery with advanced machine learning techniques to monitor and assess peatland ecosystems across different spatial and temporal scales.
From the Arctic tundra to temperate peatlands: Improving net ecosystem CO₂ exchange modelling for Irish peatland ecosystems
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This presentation will showcase the development of the ICONEEx model for upscaling net ecosystem CO₂ exchange across Irish peatland ecosystems, building on methodologies from Arctic tundra research.
teaching
Teaching Assistant - Free and Open-Source Software for Geospatial Analysis
Postgraduate Teaching, Asian Institute of Technology, 2018
Served as a Teaching Assistant for the Free and Open-Source Software for Geospatial Analysis (FOSS4G) module, supporting postgraduate students in learning open-source GIS technologies and methodologies.
Teaching Fellow/Assistant - GIS and Remote Sensing
Postgraduate and Undergraduate Teaching, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, 2020
As a Teaching Fellow/Assistant at Trinity College Dublin, I support postgraduate and undergraduate teaching across 9+ GIS and Remote Sensing modules, contributing to the education of the next generation of geospatial scientists.