Digital Commons Network^™

Drivers Of Vegetation Structure Differ Between Proposed Natural Reference Conditions For Temperate Europe, Elena A. Pearce, Charles W. Davison, Florence Mazier, Signe Normand, Ralph Fyfe, Maria Antonia Serge, Paolo Scussolini, Jens Christian Svenning

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Aim: Pre-degradation baseline conditions (references) provide crucial context for restoration actions. Here, we compare vegetation structure and its driving processes across the main pre-agricultural references discussed for temperate Europe: the Last Interglacial and the early-mid Holocene—before and after the arrival of Homo sapiens, respectively. Location: Temperate Europe. Time Period: The first ~4000–6000 years, excluding the initial early-successional phases, of the Last Interglacial (PAAZ III) and Holocene (8700–5700 BP). Major Taxa Studied: Plants. Methods: We use large datasets of pollen-based vegetation reconstructions (REVEALS) to compare open vegetation, light woodland and closed forest between the two periods. We use Random Forest modelling …

Marine Terrace Staircases Of Western Iberia: Uplift Rate Patterns From Rocky Limestone Coasts Of Central Portugal (Cape Raso - Abano Beach And Cape Espichel), Martin Stokes

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

The Western Iberian Peninsula is undergoing compressive tectonic reactivation, resulting in spatial and temporal variations of surface uplift. Uplift quantification can be undertaken in coastal settings using staircases of shore platforms developed onto rocky headlands. This study analyses two marine terrace staircases in central Portugal: Cape Raso - Abano beach and Cape Espichel. Geomorphic and stratigraphic analyses identified marine terraces/shore platforms developed below a culminant shore platform, four at Cape Raso and eleven at Cape Espichel. The terrace chronology was obtained by using ESR and pIRIR dating. Using the interactions between the elevation, age and global mean sea-level elevations, the …

Microplastics And Nanoplastics In Tea: Sources, Characteristics And Potential Impacts, Neamatollah Jaafarzadeh Haghighi Fard, Faezeh Jahedi, Andrew Turner

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Recent scientific studies have raised concerns about the presence and potential impacts of microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) in tea-based drinks. This review critically examines publications relating to MNPs in tea, with focus on the type of sample involved, methods and techniques employed to isolate and identify MNPs, and the main qualitative and quantitative findings. Sources of MNPs in tea include production water, plastic packaging and contaminated tea leaves but the most important source is teabags when steeped in boiling water. Here, more than 10⁹ MNPs have been reported to be released per plastic teabag. However, significant quantities of MNPs …

Mapping The Numbers Of Dementia In Brazil: A Delphi Consensus Study, Márlon Juliano Romero Aliberti, Claudia Kimie Suemoto, Jerson Laks, Paulo Caramelli, Sonia Maria Dozzi Brucki, Nicolas Farina, Daniel Apolinario, Einstein Francisco Camargos, Eleonora D'Orsi, Gilberto Sousa Alves, Karolina Gouveia César-Freitas, Luís Fernando Rangel, Márcia Lorena Fagundes Chaves, Marcos Antonio Lopes, Marcus Vinicius Della Coletta, Matheus Ghossain Barbosa, Norberto Anizio Ferreira Frota, Ricardo Nitrini, Cleusa Pinheiro Ferri

Peninsula Medical School

OBJECTIVES: As the global dementia crisis intensifies, especially in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), there is a pressing need for comprehensive prevalence data across diverse regions, including Brazil, where studies have been predominantly limited to affluent urban centers. This study aimed to conduct an expert consensus to determine the prevalence of all-cause dementia in Brazil, considering various age groups, sexes, and geographical areas.

METHODS: A Delphi consensus process with clinical and academic experts from across Brazil was conducted to provide dementia prevalence estimates in people aged ≥ 60 years living throughout Brazil for 2019. Each round consisted of answering structured questionnaires …

Legal Dimensions Of Rights Of Nature Applied In The Context Of The River Plym: River Plym Project Phase 1 Appendix, Jason Lowther

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

This review of the literature and legal framing of so-called river rights – loosely understood by reference to the extension of certain characteristics or a particular status upon the river – has been collated in the context of the River Plym-citizenship advocacy project. It aims to examine the legal and policy potential for the attribution of ‘rights’ upon the River Plym. It does so by outlining the challenges facing the waterway, in common with many others, and noting the limitations of the current regulatory systems applied to it. The paper then offers a commentary of legal alternatives to the current …

Large Range Sizes Link Fast Life Histories With High Species Richness Across Wet Tropical Tree Floras, Timothy R. Baker, Stephen Adu-Bredu, Kofi Affum-Baffoe, Shin-Ichiro Aiba, Sophie Fauset, Perpetra Akite, Miguel Alexiades, Everton Almeida, Edmar Almeida De Oliveira, Esteban Alvarez Davila, Christian Amani, Ana Andrade, Luiz Aragao, Alejandro Araujo-Murakami, Eric Arets, Luzmila Arroyo, Peter Ashton, Suspense A. Averti Ifo, Gerardo A. C. Aymard, Michel Baisie, William Balee, Michael Balinga, Lindsay F. Banin, Olaf Banki, Christopher Baraloto, Jorcely Barroso, Hans Beeckman, Jean-Francois Bastin, Serge Begne, Natacha Nssi Bengone

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Understanding how the traits of lineages are related to diversification is key for elucidating the origin of variation in species richness. Here, we test whether traits are related to species richness among lineages of trees from all major biogeographical settings of the lowland wet tropics. We explore whether variation in mortality rate, breeding system and maximum diameter are related to species richness, either directly or via associations with range size, among 463 genera that contain wet tropical forest trees. For Amazonian genera, we also explore whether traits are related to species richness via variation among genera in mean species-level range …

Beyond The Closed-Forest Paradigm: Cross-Scale Vegetation Structure In Temperate Europe Before The Late-Quaternary Megafauna Extinctions, Elena A. Pearce, Florence Mazier, Charles W. Davison, Oliver Baines, Szymon Czyzewski, Ralph Fyfe, K Binka, Steve Boreham, Jacques Louis De Beaulieu, Cunhai Gao, Wojciech Granoszewski, Anna Hrynowiecka, Małgorzata Malkiewicz, Tim Mighall, Bożena Noryśkiewicz, Irena Agnieszka Pidek, Jaqueline Strahl, Hanna Winter, Jens Christian Svenning

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

The Last Interglacial (∼129,000–116,000 years ago) provides key insights into temperate European vegetation dynamics before significant anthropogenic impacts. Using LOVE (Local Vegetation Estimates) and REVEALS (Regional Estimates of VEgetation Abundance from Large Sites) models, this study reconstructs vegetation patterns across local (∼9 km²) and regional (∼100 km²) scales. Local landscapes presented a heterogeneous mosaic, with averages of 17 % open vegetation, 21 % closed forests, and 63 % light woodlands, reflecting high fine-scale heterogeneity. Importantly, weak local-regional correlations highlight the importance of localised drivers. Longitude and, to a lesser extent, precipitation explained some variation in local vegetation openness, but heterogeneity …

Approaches To Post-Tsunami Coastal Reconstruction: Comparisons Across Indonesia, Thailand, And Japan, Alison Raby, A Pomonis, Anawat Suppasri, Keith Adams, Nurullah Açikgoz, Marco Baiguera, Yunita Idris, Panon Latcharote, Francesca Marafini, David Mcgovern, Ella Meilianda, Harsh Mistry, Sukiman Nurdin, Eyitayo Opabola, Teraphan Ornthammarath, Nattapon Trumikaborworn, Tiziana Rossetto

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Natural hazards pose significant challenges to affected communities worldwide, yet there remains a lack of comprehensive studies comparing recovery efforts across different countries and cultures. This study addresses the gap by investigating the impact of three devastating tsunami events on four distinct locations: Banda Aceh (Sumatra, Indonesia) and Southern Thailand, both affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, the 20th anniversary of which provided the initial motivation for the study; the Tohoku region of Japan, affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami; and Palu Bay (Sulawesi, Indonesia) affected by the Palu-Central Sulawesi Earthquake and consequent triple disaster. …

Browning Events In Arctic Ecosystems: Diverse Causes With Common Consequences, Scott Davidson

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Arctic ecosystems are experiencing extreme climatic, biotic and physical disturbance events that can cause substantial loss of plant biomass and productivity, sometimes at scales of >1000 km2. Collectively known as browning events, these are key contributors to the spatial and temporal complexity of Arctic greening and vegetation dynamics. If we are to properly understand the future of Arctic terrestrial ecosystems, their productivity, and their feedbacks to climate, understanding browning events is essential. Here we bring together understanding of browning events in Arctic ecosystems to compare their impacts and rates of recovery, and likely future changes in frequency and distribution. We …

Bringing Matter, To Matter: ‘Wild Ideas’ About ‘Readiness’ In The Transition From The Early Years Foundation Stage To The Key Stage 1 National Curriculum In England, Katherine Evans

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

‘Readiness’ and transition are topics of ongoing debate in relation to early childhood education. Critiques of schoolification and the impact of a ‘school-readiness’ agenda on policy and practice point to a tendency for increased formalisation of learning as children progress through their early years of schooling. In England, these first years of school-based education involve a transition between different and distinct educational frameworks, from the Early Years Foundation Stage to the National Curriculum in Key Stage 1. This transition can be problematic as tensions emerge between different pedagogical traditions, thus creating a potentially challenging experience for children as they progress …

Ocean Crustal Veins Record Dynamic Interplay Between Plate-Cooling-Induced Cracking And Ocean Chemistry, Aled D. Evans, Rosalind M. Coggon, Michelle Harris, Elliot J. Carter, Elmar Albers, Gilles M. Guérin, Thomas M. Belgrano, Mallika Jonnalagadda, Lewis J.C. Grant, Pamela D. Kempton, David J. Sanderson, James A. Milton, Timothy J. Henstock, Jeff C. Alt, Damon A.H. Teagle

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

As ocean crust traverses away from spreading ridges, low-temperature hydrothermal minerals fill cracks to form veins, transforming the physical and chemical properties of ocean crust whilst also modifying the composition of seawater. Vein width and frequency observations compiled from the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) South Atlantic Transect (∼31°S) and previous scientific ocean drilling holes show that vein width distributions progressively broaden and observed strain (Σm_veins/m_core) increases with crustal age, whereas vein densities (#_veins/m_core) remain approximately constant. Elemental mapping and textural observations illuminate multiple precipitation and fracturing episodes that continue as the …

Fine Sediment-Associated Contaminants In Gravel Bed Rivers: Evaluating Storage Times And Turnover Using Fallout Radionuclides (Frns), Enrique G. Muñoz-Arcos, Geoffrey E. Millward, Caroline C. Clason, Claudio M. Bravo-Linares, William H. Blake

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Excess fine sediment supply and its associated contaminants can have detrimental effects on water quality and river ecology with sediment deposition on, and subsequent infiltration in, streambeds impacting riverine habitats. Fallout radionuclides (FRNs) are used as tracers in aquatic systems, and the ⁷Be/²¹⁰Pb_ex ratio is a useful indicator for sediment residence/storage time. Suspended and submerged mid-channel bar sediments were collected during five surveys within a 5 km reach of a typical temperate lowland agricultural river system. Solids were analysed by gamma (⁷Be and ²¹⁰Pb_ex) and inductively coupled plasma (ICP, trace metals …

Languaging The Infrathin Of The Everyday Un/Clear, Claire Walsh, Edward Reardon

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

This paper plays within the moments felt as subject(ivity) formed within actual events, moments Whitehead describes as actual occasions. Moments pulled away from creative becoming, the Deleuze/Guattari conceptualisation of affect, their immanently relational nonbeing, to attune, or retune, into conformations acceptable to what Moten and Harney speak into as logistical capitalism and its assemblage of the ‘proper way to do things’.It is a thinking within the comprehensibility of logistical capitalism aiming “...to straighten us out, untangle [unravel] us...in the constant measure and regulation of flesh and earth,” conversing with Manning’s concept of the clear – the violent colonial destruction of …

Doing Doctorates Differently: The Parapedagogic Potentialities Of The Phd Process, Helen Bowstead, Ken Gale, Mary Catherine Garland, Claire Walsh

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

Coming together in this conference collectivity, these are doctorates that in their doing – thinking, researching, writing, supervising, assessing, publishing – live by “no preexisting rules, processes, methods, categories or ‘determining judgement’.”1 They are doctorates that “cannot be taught or learned.”23 Such PhDs – thesis’ refusing to (con)form – in their ever probing, in-forming, stubborn curiousness of problematics living beyond solution driven research, lead to transformative moments in the act of learning, that in their difference are “...made sense of, not in terms of what [they] mean but in terms of what [they] do.”4Yet in their difference, doctorates working within …

Divergent Bodyminds: Kin In The Difference, Ruth Churchill Dower, Claire Walsh

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

In breaking the habit of ‘making sense’ typified by normative, neurotypical modes of engagement with the world, neurodiverse sociality performs a treachery in relation to prescriptive, dominating forms of normative reality. Within this conference paper, a modest site of resistance, a reconsideration of neurotypical normative reality takes place, extending beyond the boundaries underpinning neurotypical hegemonic discourse about ‘human’ reality, identity and existence: rescinding the neurotypical “normative standard for human experience” requiring the mapping of bodies in advance, to foreground bodies in excess, neurodiverse bodies subject to patterns and rhythms that defy stable or coherent identification. As bodies “always extending beyond …

Ambient Writing In A Terrain Of Threatened Subjectivity: Unfolding Codes, Tainted Models And Holey Spaces, Phil Smith

School of Art, Design and Architecture

No abstract provided.

Tattooed Geographies: Exploring Tattoos And Its Relationship With Breast Cancer And Emotional Well-Being, Pearlin Teow

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

This thesis examined the lived experiences of breast cancer through the lens of survivability. Drawing on the embodied, spatial, temporal, emotional-affective experiences of women after the end of breast cancer treatment, this thesis unpacks the geographies present within the everyday life of living with, through and on from breast cancer. This thesis also examined how women living with breast cancer engaged with different forms of breast cancer related tattoos to understand and negotiate with their lived experiences. It also examined the different spaces and relations of care present within the practice of breast cancer related tattooing. Methodology wise, this research …

Novel Insights Into The Palaeomagnetism Of Serpentinized Peridotites From The Troodos And Oman Ophiolites, James Hepworth

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Large volumes of mantle peridotite are exposed at the Earth’s surface in ophiolites, becoming vulnerable to the concurrent chemical alteration processes of serpentinization and carbonation. Serpentinization frequently results in the production of secondary magnetite that can record the direction of the Earth’s magnetic field at the time of its formation, allowing palaeomagnetism to be used as a tool to investigate this process. Many ophiolites also experienced large-scale tectonic rotations during their evolution. In some cases, the timing of these rotations is well-documented palaeomagnetically, potentially allowing the timing of different phases of serpentinization to be constrained if the magnetization directions of …

An Investigation Of The Biogeochemical Exchange Of The Macro Plant Nutrients Phosphorus And Nitrogen On Rewetted Peat Soil On The Somerset Levels And Moors., Natasha Underwood

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Phosphorus, an essential nutrient for life, excess phosphorus is a common ecological concern in watercourses worldwide leading to eutrophication and pollution of natural water systems. In the UK, eutrophication of freshwater systems is one of the most common cause of water bodies not achieving good ecological status by the Environment Agency. The Somerset Levels and Moors (SLMs) condition status is described, by Natural England and the Environmental Agency, as ‘unfavourable declining’ due to the phosphate levels being up to three times higher than the Common Standards Monitoring Guidance targets of 0.1 mg/l total phosphate. Housing development on the SLMs has …

Glaciers As A Secondary Source Of Anthropogenic Contaminants: An Emerging Socio-Environmental Challenge, Dylan Beard

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Glaciers provide vital ecosystem services, including water resources, habitat provision, and food and energy security. Once considered pristine, glaciers are now known to accumulate various contaminants, including fallout radionuclides (FRNs) and potentially toxic elements (PTEs), which can pose risks to downstream communities when released through meltwater. This thesis examines the accumulation and potential release of contaminants from glacial environments, with a focus on cryoconite, a contaminant-rich material found on glacier surfaces.Primary data collection and laboratory analyses were conducted on cryoconite samples from the High Arctic and the Peruvian Andes to assess spatial variability in contaminant levels and chemical availability. Additionally, …

Evaluating Sediment Storage Time For Improved Management Of River Basin Pollution, Enrique Munoz Arcos

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Excess fine sediment supply and associated contaminants can have detrimental effects on water quality and river ecology, with sediment deposition on, and subsequent infiltration into, streambed substrate impacting riverine habitats. Significant research has assessed the magnitude, controls, and impacts of fine sediment in river channels. Assessment of the associated time scales, however, across these three domains has received less attention due in part to the complexity of river basin sediment dynamics. Fallout radionuclides (FRNs) applied as particle tracers in aquatic ecosystems can address this challenge. Herein, this research aimed to evaluate sediment storage time through application and development of FRN …

From Wells To Well-Being: Overcoming Challenges For Sustainability In Energy And Geosciences, Maria Angela Capello

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

This thesis explores and proposes solutions to critical gaps in the geosciences profession and the energy sector, summarizing and expanding upon 14 prior published works by the researcher. The gaps addressed are particular relevant to gender inclusion in oil and gas, communication of the value proposition of energy and geosciences to other disciplines, policy makers, and society at large, and how to expand geosciences positive impact in progressing the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).The research methods utilized in the 14 selected prior published works include qualitative and quantitative research, namely: surveys, statistical analysis, literature review, archival research, focus …

Characterization And Photodegradation Of Isolated Chemical Classes From Crude Oil., Alex Mead

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Compounds in crude oil are photoactive and can be toxic to marine ecosystems. However, chemical characterisation of crude oil poses a significant analytical challenge owing to its complexity. This challenge is further exacerbated by the photodegradation of crude oils in the environment. The aim of the work herein was to first isolate and characterise targeted fractions from crude oil and then assess the fractions after photodegradation, to better understand the composition of crude oil and photochemical transformation of individual chemical classes.Isolation of target fractions was achieved by validating a solid phase extraction (SPE) method using ion exchange SPE to fractionate …

Stakeholder Engagement In Commercial Art Galleries In Damascus, Syria, Mohamadia Alnasan

Plymouth Business School Theses

Commercial art galleries (CAGs) are economic and cultural entities at the same time. They depend on stakeholder engagement to thrive and reach success and sustainability. This thesis researches stakeholder engagement in CAGs in Damascus, Syria. Regarding methodology, the thesis adopts case study as a research strategy covering nine commercial art galleries in Damascus as case studies. It conducted 27 face-to-face semi-structured interviews with gallerists and stakeholders, including artists, collectors, critics, and visitors, and 9 participant observation to collect on-site data. It uses thematic and content analysis. The thesis establishes stakeholders for CAGs, examines factors influencing stakeholder engagement according to gallerists …

Exploring University Students’ Reasons For Not Working While Studying: Implications For Employability, Carl Evans, Jonathan Lean

Plymouth Business School

The purpose of this paper is to examine the behaviours and perceptions of university students who do not work part-time while studying. A structured, online questionnaire was issued to Business Management students at a UK university. A total of 123 responses were received, of which 64 indicated that they were not working while studying. While non-working students were mindful of the importance of work to developing employability skills, greater importance was attached to their degree studies. Most work to date has focused on the motivations and behaviours of university students who undertake work while studying. Little work has been carried …

Salinity Controls On Steel Biocorrosion Relevant To The Disposal Of High-Level Radioactive Waste, M. N. Rose, C. Boothman, S. Shaw, K. Morris, D. L. Engelberg, M. T. Bailey, J. R. Lloyd

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

In a geological disposal facility (GDF) for spent fuel and high-level radioactive waste, the canister serves as one of the main engineered barriers. The resistance of the canister to degradation processes such as microbially influenced corrosion (MIC) needs be characterised to support GDF environmental safety cases. Here the impacts of salinity on sulfate-reducing bacterial (SRB) activity and associated MIC were explored in 84-day batch incubations at 30 °C. A 5 % standard bentonite slurry (MX80) in a low-salinity (0.1 g l⁻¹ NaCl) artificial groundwater containing lactate added as an electron donor provided suitable conditions for the proliferation of SRB. …

Elevated Co2 Increases The Canopy Temperature Of Mature Quercus Robur (Pedunculate Oak), William Hagan Brown, Emanuel Gloor, Ralph Fyfe, A. Rob Mackenzie, Nicholas J. Harper, Peter Ganderton, Kris Hart, Giulio Curioni, Susan Quick, Scott J. Davidson, Emily Yetton, Jen L. Diehl, Sophie Fauset

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

The canopy thermal response of natural forests to elevated CO₂ (eCO₂) is an understudied biophysical feedback in the global climate system. We investigated the effects of eCO₂ (150 μmol mol⁻¹ above ambient) on canopy temperature (T_can) dynamics of mature (> 175 years) Quercus robur (oak) at the Birmingham Institute for Forest Research Free Air CO₂ Enrichment (BIFoR-FACE) facility in Staffordshire, England, during the growing seasons of 2021, 2022 and 2023. We employed long-term, high-frequency thermal infrared (TIR) imaging to measure T_can. Our results show that daily maximum oak T_{can …}

Nature Contact And Health Risk Behaviours: Results From An 18 Country Study, Leanne Martin, Mathew P. White, Sabine Pahl, Jon May

School of Psychology

Emerging evidence suggests that residential greenspace is associated with a lower prevalence of health risk behaviours, but it remains unclear whether these effects are generalizable across countries or different types of nature contact. Using representative cross-sectional samples from 18 countries/regions, we examined the associations between two types of nature contact (greenspace, nature visits), current smoking and everyday drinking. After controlling for a range of covariates, greenspace was inversely associated with current smoking and everyday drinking. Visiting natural spaces at least once a week was linked to a lower prevalence of current smoking, but unrelated to everyday drinking. Increasing residential greenspace …

The State Of Temperate Rainforest In South West England, Thomas Murphy, Katerina Chernyuk, Marcin Roszkowski, Shaun Lewin, Paul Lunt, James Buckley

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Temperate Rainforest is a biome of global significance which is rare and declining, yet supports endemic biodiversity and offers a range of co-benefits including carbon sequestration, natural flood management, climate moderation, and human well-being. The UK hosts a very large proportion of European bioclimatic space suitable for the development of Temperate Rainforest, yet very little of this woodland remains. In SW England, Temperate Rainforest habitat is mostly dominated by oak woodland (NVC communities W11 and W17) and occupies a broad but fragmented distribution across the region. SW temperate rainforest is exposed to a range of current and future threats and …

Global And Regional Estimation And Evaluation Of Suitable Roof Area For Solar And Green Roof Applications, Diana Ürge-Vorsatz, Souran Chatterjee, Luisa F. Cabeza, Gergely Molnár

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Buildings contribute to 40% of energy consumption and 30% of CO₂ emissions in 2019 globally, therefore it is necessary to exploit different solutions to decrease the corresponding energy demand, including green and cool roofs as well as on-site energy generation. To evaluate the potential of such technologies, one major input data for models and calculations is the available roof area, yet the literature shows a huge knowledge gap in this regard. Therefore, this paper contributes to filling this gap by estimating the roof availability over the period 2022–2060, using the detailed regional projections of the BISE (Building Integrated Solar …