Meg Denmark-Melvin
Spatial Analysis of Human Adaptation During the Ill Years (1695–1700): A Study of the Little Ice Age in the Northern Highlands and Islands
Supervisors
Dr Andrew Lind (UHI Institute for Northern Studies), Prof Mairéad Nic Craith (UHI Institute for Northern Studies), and Dr Alan MacDonald (University of Dundee)
Research Abstract
This research investigates how communities in Scotland’s Northern Highlands and Islands adapted during the Ill Years (1695–1700), a period of severe climatic disruption, crop failure, and famine associated with the Little Ice Age. Using archival sources, demographic records, and historical maps, the project examines spatial patterns of settlement change, land use, and population movements. By integrating Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with environmental and historical data, it aims to uncover adaptive strategies that enabled survival in these marginal environments.
Existing research has largely focused on national socio-economic and political responses to the famine. In contrast, this study addresses the local and regional resilience, particularly in rural and island communities where subsistence economies and geographic isolation shaped distinctive strategies. Historical sources such as estate papers, parish registers, and tax records will be combined with digitised maps and climate reconstructions to trace demographic shifts and land-use adaptation.
Through spatial analysis, statistical modelling, and comparative study, this project will contribute new insights into the lived experience of climate stress at the community level. The findings will advance understanding of Scottish historical geography, environmental history, and the human dimensions of climate crises.
Beyond its historical contribution, the research also engages with contemporary climate adaptation debates. By comparing early modern strategies of resilience with modern frameworks, it highlights enduring challenges faced by rural and island societies under environmental pressure. In doing so, the study bridges past and present, offering perspectives relevant to current discussions on sustainability and adaptation.
Biography
Meg Denmark-Melvin is a part-time PhD candidate at the Institute for Northern Studies, UHI Orkney. She holds a BSc (Hons) in Geology and Environmental Hazards from the University of Derby, an MSc in Environmental Management and Earth Observation from the University of Nottingham, and a PGCert in Space Science from the Open University. She is also a Chartered Geographer (GIS) and Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
Meg began her professional career as a GIS Consultant at Penny Anderson Associates, supporting ecological and environmental projects through advanced geospatial analysis and mapping. She went on to work with Natural Resources Wales and Natural England, where she specialised in data curation, spatial modelling, and sustainability analysis, contributing to national environmental monitoring and policy. Later, as a Senior Geospatial Advisor at the Office for National Statistics, she developed geospatial standards and accessible mapping outputs for large-scale datasets.
Alongside her technical and research roles, Meg has worked in education support at UHI Inverness College, including as a Learning Assistant and Education Support Advisor. In these roles she developed inclusive learning strategies, created accessible materials, and championed the use of assistive technologies to support diverse learners.
Her doctoral research combines her expertise in spatial analysis and environmental history to investigate how communities in the Northern Highlands and Islands adapted during the Ill Years of the Little Ice Age.
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