ZeinabBanoo AhaniAmineh

ZeinabBanoo AhaniAmineh is an environmental engineer and a PhD candidate at UNSW, specialising in water resources within the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Her research investigates the impacts of longwall coal mining and climate conditions on carbon processes in upland peat swamps, which are critical for carbon sequestration.

Zeinab's work addresses significant knowledge gaps regarding how mining-induced drainage and various drought types—slow-developing and flash droughts—affect the release of carbon dioxide, methane, and dissolved organic carbon from these ecosystems.

Through a combination of field investigations and mesocosm experiments, she aims to quantify how groundwater discharge and surface water connectivity influence carbon dynamics. This research seeks to enhance understanding of carbon cycling in peatlands, assess the impacts of mining and drought, and improve evaluations of their role in climate change mitigation.

Supervisors: Associate Professor Martin Andersen, Dr Helen Rutlidge, Professor William Glamore, Professor Rita Henderson and Dr Alec Davie.