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Geophysical Modelling Of Magnetic Anomalies Over The Lizard Complex Ophiolite, Sw England, Dilan Toprak
Geophysical Modelling Of Magnetic Anomalies Over The Lizard Complex Ophiolite, Sw England, Dilan Toprak
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses
The Lizard ophiolite of SW England is a key geological terrane in the United Kingdom that represents a fragment of oceanic lithosphere emplaced northwards upon continental crust by thrust faulting during the evolution of the Variscan orogeny. The ophiolite consists of a sequence of serpentinized peridotites and overlying oceanic crustal rocks (mainly gabbros and dolerite dykes) that are well-exposed around the coastline of the Lizard peninsula but are poorly exposed inland. Aeromagnetic surveying (most recently during the Tellus SW campaign in 2013) shows a band of major magnetic anomalies that trends in a WNW-ESE direction over the peridotite outcropping at …
Historic And Prehistoric Volcanic Activity On St Kitts And Nevis, West Indies: Controls On Future Hazard, Amy Lea Peach-Gibson
Historic And Prehistoric Volcanic Activity On St Kitts And Nevis, West Indies: Controls On Future Hazard, Amy Lea Peach-Gibson
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses
Saint Kitts and Nevis lie in the northern part of the Lesser Antilles island arc, an archipelago formed by the subduction of the North American plate beneath the Caribbean plate. An integrated approach was undertaken to understand the most recent volcanic activity on the islands, and to assess likely future eruption styles and scenarios. A new analysis of archival records suggests that there may not have been activity at Mt Liamuiga in historic times. The 1690 activity may have been misattributed to St Kitts instead of Guadeloupe, whereas the 1843 activity remains unconfirmed. A field campaign characterised the nature of …
An Isotopic Analysis Of Carbon Dynamics In Sphagnum Peat, Jasper Michael Newman
An Isotopic Analysis Of Carbon Dynamics In Sphagnum Peat, Jasper Michael Newman
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses
Methane and carbon dioxide produced in peatlands can be held temporarily in dissolved surface waters and accessible to aquatic plants. The primary peat building plant in northern peatlands, Sphagnum moss, grows in these dissolved carbon rich waters. Understanding Sphagnum carbon cycles is key for radiocarbon dating, peatland restoration, and modelling of methane release from warming peatlands globally. This combined surface and multi‐proxy palaeoenvironmental study challenges common assumptions about the dissolved gas cycling in this semi‐aquatic environment. The Sphagnum associated methanotrophic communities within the water filled hyaline cells have commonly been linked to unusual 13C‐depleted measurements of Sphagnum carbon isotope ratios. …
The Baroque Photograph: Palermo, Street Photography, And The Fold., Martin Cole
The Baroque Photograph: Palermo, Street Photography, And The Fold., Martin Cole
School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses
The Baroque Photograph: Palermo, Street Photography, and the Fold. By Martin Cole. Abstract This practice-led research project comprises a body of photographs taken in the historic centre of Palermo, the capital city of the island of Sicily, together with a contextual essay. Taken over five years using handheld cameras, the images comprise an extended picture essay, the main output of which is a book. That book’s visual narrative is driven by what is identified as the baroque nature of the Palermo environment. As cultural artefact and living city, Palermo incorporates the three tropes of baroque culture identified by the cultural …
A Framework For Syncretic Pluriversal Narrative: Somaesthetics And Consciousness In Thai Design Education, Tommaso Maggio
A Framework For Syncretic Pluriversal Narrative: Somaesthetics And Consciousness In Thai Design Education, Tommaso Maggio
School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses
The investigation began by examining the diverse conceptions of creativity in the Western and Eastern hemispheres, specifically focusing on ‘Ex nihilo’ and ‘In situ’ (Ames) and how it is applied to creative education. The studies delved into the early modern art and design schools in Western countries, such as the German Bauhaus Art School (1919-33) and the Russian Vkhutemas Institute (1920-30), to gain a comprehensive understanding of how these experimental educational institutions influenced and continue to influence the contemporary global design education agenda. The thesis poses questions about how these approaches have been adapted within significantly different cultural contexts. The …
Reframing Museum Epistemology For The Information Age: A Discursive Design Approach To Revealing Complexity, Coral Manton
Reframing Museum Epistemology For The Information Age: A Discursive Design Approach To Revealing Complexity, Coral Manton
School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses
This practice-based research inquiry examines the impact of an epistemic shift, brought about by the dawning of the information age and advances in networked communication technologies, on physical knowledge institutions - focusing on museums. The research charts adapting knowledge schemas used in museum knowledge organisation and discusses the potential for a new knowledge schema, the network, to establish a new epistemology for museums that reflects contemporary hyperlinked and networked knowledge. The research investigates the potential for networked and shared virtual reality spaces to reveal new ‘knowledge monuments’ reflecting the epistemic values of the network society and the space of flows. …
The Postnatural Animal In Contemporary Art, Paul Finnegan
The Postnatural Animal In Contemporary Art, Paul Finnegan
School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses
The thesis uses art practice as a research method to propose novel characterisations of animal life. These characterisations aim to challenge an organicist image of non-human animals. The thesis considers animal bodies and behaviours as subject to aesthetic judgments that are underpinned by deeper ontological and epistemological commitments as to relations between nature and society, in which to be categorised as the former entails a series of privations in relation to the latter – the absence of freedom, subjectivity and creativity. Scholarly research on the history of the perception and conception of animal life within modernity, and subsequent challenges made …
Casting A Line To The Land: Narratologies Of Embodied Rituals And Connectivity To Place, Zoe Latham
Casting A Line To The Land: Narratologies Of Embodied Rituals And Connectivity To Place, Zoe Latham
School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses
This research argues for a re-conceptualisation and extension of place within architectural praxis that is reflective of broader discussions of meaning and environmental experience. This study examines the alignment between place and ritual theory as a way to better understand phenomenon that inform a greater connectivity between embodied and meaningful experiences with the environment. This will be explored through the act of fly fishing. Fly-fishing is relevant as the focus of the study owing in part to the author’s own experience as a fly angler. The relationship between the act of fly fishing, being part of nature and being in …
Constraining Historical Earthquake Sequences With Coulomb Stress Models: An Example From Western Türkiye, M. L. Diercks, Z. K. Mildon, S. J. Boulton, E. Hussain, C. Alçiçek, C. Yıldırım, T. Aykut
Constraining Historical Earthquake Sequences With Coulomb Stress Models: An Example From Western Türkiye, M. L. Diercks, Z. K. Mildon, S. J. Boulton, E. Hussain, C. Alçiçek, C. Yıldırım, T. Aykut
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
Knowledge of earthquake source faults is crucial for the calculation of robust Coulomb stress models. However, source faults are often poorly constrained, especially for pre-instrumental events, and these historical earthquakes are commonly studied with little or no consideration of other nearby events. We introduce an approach using Coulomb Stress Transfer (CST) modeling to investigate historical earthquake sequences and constrain possible source faults. Using historical and instrumental records from the Büyük Menderes Graben, western Türkiye, we create an ensemble of earthquake sequences featuring multiple rupture scenarios for individual earthquakes, and model both coseismic and interseismic CST. We filter and evaluate the …
Voices From The Field: Brexit, Citizenship And Agricultural Labour, Richard Yarwood, Gina Kallis, Leonie Boland
Voices From The Field: Brexit, Citizenship And Agricultural Labour, Richard Yarwood, Gina Kallis, Leonie Boland
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
Drawing on a case-study of Cornwall in the South-West of England, this paper has three main aims. First, it seeks to listen to the voices of migrant workers and, in doing so, learn more about their experiences of moving to, and working in, the British countryside. Second, it evaluates the impact of Brexit on their lives and, in particular, how it influences their decision to work in the UK or elsewhere. Finally, consideration is given to the significance of citizenship to their lives, both as a formal contract with the EU and as a lived experience.
An Analysis Of The Iranian Post-Earthquake Management And Structural Assessment System, Nirvan Razaghi-Kashani
An Analysis Of The Iranian Post-Earthquake Management And Structural Assessment System, Nirvan Razaghi-Kashani
School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses
This thesis investigated the theory and practice of structural assessment, as a component in a more extensive post-earthquake disaster management system. The research focused on Iran as a case study, and in particular the capital city of Iran (Tehran). This study aimed overview of the system used for post-earthquake disaster management and structural assessment in Tehran. This thesis examined three specific sub-components of the system, namely: The Earthquake Information Management System (EIMS), seismic hazard education programs, and initiatives to engage communities in the disaster management process. A blended phenomenological and ethnographic approach provided the basis for the analysis of collected …
Mega-Reservoir Regulation: A Comparative Study On Downstream Responses Of The Yangtze And Yellow Rivers, Xiao Wu, Yao Yue, Alistair G.L. Borthwick, Louise J. Slater, Jaia Syvitski, Naishuang Bi, Zuosheng Yang, Houjie Wang
Mega-Reservoir Regulation: A Comparative Study On Downstream Responses Of The Yangtze And Yellow Rivers, Xiao Wu, Yao Yue, Alistair G.L. Borthwick, Louise J. Slater, Jaia Syvitski, Naishuang Bi, Zuosheng Yang, Houjie Wang
School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics
Large reservoirs can considerably alter the water-sediment dynamics and morphology of alluvial rivers. Here we review the effects of two mega reservoirs operated with different regulation modes. The Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) on the Yangtze River has a typical anti-seasonal regulation mode, while the Xiaolangdi Reservoir (XLDR) on the Yellow River undergoes a swift drawdown process shortly before the flood season through the Water and Sediment Regulation Scheme (WSRS). We examine the influence of these regulation schemes on downstream water-sediment dynamics and find that vast sedimentation occurred in both the TGR (128.4 Mt./yr) and XLDR (210.2 Mt./yr). The two rivers …
The Propagation And Emplacement Mechanisms Of The Tenteniguada Volcanic Debris Avalanche (Gran Canaria): Field Evidence For Brittle Fault-Accommodated Spreading, Symeon Makris, Matteo Roverato, Alejandro Lomoschitz, Paul Cole, Irene Manzella
The Propagation And Emplacement Mechanisms Of The Tenteniguada Volcanic Debris Avalanche (Gran Canaria): Field Evidence For Brittle Fault-Accommodated Spreading, Symeon Makris, Matteo Roverato, Alejandro Lomoschitz, Paul Cole, Irene Manzella
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
The Tenteniguada volcanic debris avalanche deposit is located on the east of the island of Gran Canaria, Spain. Its internal structure is composed of a complex assemblage of extensional features and shearing structures including normal faults, horst and graben, brittle/ductile boudinage and clastic dike injections. Examination of these features in the field and evaluation of their distribution have allowed the generation of a new conceptual model for the transport and emplacement of this debris avalanche, and potentially others. In the majority of the deposit, the degree of disaggregation is low, with large portions of the original edifice preserved, although displaced …
Agricultural Systems Regulate Plant And Insect (Beetle) Diversity And Induce Ecosystem Novelty, Jessie Woodbridge, Ralph Fyfe
Agricultural Systems Regulate Plant And Insect (Beetle) Diversity And Induce Ecosystem Novelty, Jessie Woodbridge, Ralph Fyfe
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
Land-use change plays an important role in shaping plant and insect diversity over long time timescales. Great Britain provides an ideal case study to investigate patterns of long-term vegetation and insect diversity change owing to the existence of spatially and temporally extensive environmental archives (lake sediments, peatlands, and archaeological sites) and a long history of landscape transformation through agrarian change. The trends identified in past environmental datasets allow the impacts of land-use change on plant and insect diversity trends to be investigated alongside exploration of the emergence of ecological novelty. Using fossil pollen, insect (beetle), archaeodemographic, archaeobotanical and modern landscape …
Lead In Painted Surfaces And Dusts From Rented Urban Properties (Plymouth, Uk), Sarah Tooms, Alison Stokes, Andrew Turner
Lead In Painted Surfaces And Dusts From Rented Urban Properties (Plymouth, Uk), Sarah Tooms, Alison Stokes, Andrew Turner
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry has been used to measure lead (Pb) in painted surfaces and indoor dusts from 14 rented properties in the city of Plymouth, UK. Lead was detected in 78 out of 164 surfaces measured (and in 69 out of 150 interior surfaces) with an overall median concentration of 7100 mg kg−1 (range from 157 to 139,000 mg kg−1), and was detected in all but two properties that included one building constructed within the last 25 years. Selected measurements on an area basis (n = 48) returned Pb concentrations ranging from below 0.01 to 16.1 mg cm−2 that …
Physical And Biogeochemical Controls On Seasonal Iron, Manganese, And Cobalt Distributions In Northeast Atlantic Shelf Seas, Xue Gang Chen, Dagmara Rusiecka, Martha Gledhill, Angela Milne, Amber L. Annett, Aaron Joseph Beck, Antony J. Birchill, Maeve C. Lohan, Simon Ussher, Eric P. Achterberg
Physical And Biogeochemical Controls On Seasonal Iron, Manganese, And Cobalt Distributions In Northeast Atlantic Shelf Seas, Xue Gang Chen, Dagmara Rusiecka, Martha Gledhill, Angela Milne, Amber L. Annett, Aaron Joseph Beck, Antony J. Birchill, Maeve C. Lohan, Simon Ussher, Eric P. Achterberg
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
No abstract provided.
Air Quality And Mental Health: Evidence, Challenges And Future Directions, Kamaldeep Bhui, Joanne B. Newbury, Rachel M. Latham, Marcella Ucci, Zaheer A. Nasir, Briony Turner, Catherine O'Leary, Helen L. Fisher, Emma Marczylo, Philippa Douglas, Stephen Stansfeld, Simon K. Jackson, Sean Tyrrel, Andrey Rzhetsky, Rob Kinnersley, Prashant Kumar, Caroline Duchaine, Frederic Coulon
Air Quality And Mental Health: Evidence, Challenges And Future Directions, Kamaldeep Bhui, Joanne B. Newbury, Rachel M. Latham, Marcella Ucci, Zaheer A. Nasir, Briony Turner, Catherine O'Leary, Helen L. Fisher, Emma Marczylo, Philippa Douglas, Stephen Stansfeld, Simon K. Jackson, Sean Tyrrel, Andrey Rzhetsky, Rob Kinnersley, Prashant Kumar, Caroline Duchaine, Frederic Coulon
School of Biomedical Sciences
Background Poor air quality is associated with poor health. Little attention is given to the complex array of environmental exposures and air pollutants that affect mental health during the life course. Aims We gather interdisciplinary expertise and knowledge across the air pollution and mental health fields. We seek to propose future research priorities and how to address them. Method Through a rapid narrative review, we summarise the key scientific findings, knowledge gaps and methodological challenges. Results There is emerging evidence of associations between poor air quality, both indoors and outdoors, and poor mental health more generally, as well as specific …
Abandonment Of Fibreglass Reinforced Plastic Fishing Boats In Kerala, India, And Chemical Emissions Arising From Their Burning, N. Manju Lekshmi, Sreejith S. Kumar, P. Muhamed Ashraf, K. A.Martin Xavier, K. P. Prathish, S. V. Ajay, Leela Edwin, Andrew Turner
Abandonment Of Fibreglass Reinforced Plastic Fishing Boats In Kerala, India, And Chemical Emissions Arising From Their Burning, N. Manju Lekshmi, Sreejith S. Kumar, P. Muhamed Ashraf, K. A.Martin Xavier, K. P. Prathish, S. V. Ajay, Leela Edwin, Andrew Turner
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
Little information exists on the fate and impacts of boats constructed of fibreglass reinforced plastic (FRP) once they reach their end-of-life. In this study, the number of abandoned fishing boats constructed of FRP or constructed of plywood-wood and sheathed by FRP has been determined along the coast of Kerala, India, and chemical emissions have been estimated when boats are burned as a means of disposal. A total of 292 abandoned boats were observed across eight coastal transects constructed around selected landing centres, with abandonment ranging from 13 to 48 per km (average = 29 km−1). This results in the generation …
Climate Action And Sdg Synergies: Strengthening The Evidence Base For Synergistic Action, Souran Chatterjee
Climate Action And Sdg Synergies: Strengthening The Evidence Base For Synergistic Action, Souran Chatterjee
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
No abstract provided.
Unravelling And Understanding Local Perceptions Of Water Quality In The Santa Basin, Peru, Sally Rangecroft, Dextre R Maria, Isabel Richter, Bueno Cv Grados, Claire Kelly, Cecilia Turin, Beatriz Fuentealba, Hernandez M Camacho, Sergio Morera, John Martin, Adam Guy, Caroline Clason
Unravelling And Understanding Local Perceptions Of Water Quality In The Santa Basin, Peru, Sally Rangecroft, Dextre R Maria, Isabel Richter, Bueno Cv Grados, Claire Kelly, Cecilia Turin, Beatriz Fuentealba, Hernandez M Camacho, Sergio Morera, John Martin, Adam Guy, Caroline Clason
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
Water quality is an integral part of water security. Measuring the physico-chemical indicators for water quality can provide an objective picture of water health, but it does not provide information on lived experiences related to water quality, expectations of water resources, nor how the quality of water affects its usage. Perceptual information and traditional ecological knowledge on water quality can help to understand interactions between water and people, and thereby support locally appropriate sustainable water resource strategies. Accordingly, our project sought to collect and synthesise insights from local perspectives on water quality in the upper Santa River basin, Peru, a …
Assessing The Effects Of Single And Binary Exposures Of Copper And Lead On Mytilus Galloprovincialis: Physiological And Genotoxic Approaches, Charlotte Crowther, Andrew Turner, Michael N. Moore, Awadhesh N. Jha
Assessing The Effects Of Single And Binary Exposures Of Copper And Lead On Mytilus Galloprovincialis: Physiological And Genotoxic Approaches, Charlotte Crowther, Andrew Turner, Michael N. Moore, Awadhesh N. Jha
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
It is becoming increasingly recognised that contaminants are not isolated in their threats to the aquatic environment, with recent shifts towards studying the effects of chemical mixtures. In this study, adult marine mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) were exposed to two aqueous concentrations of the essential trace metal, Cu (5 and 32 μg L−1), and the non-essential metal, Pb (5 and 25 μg L−1), both individually and in binary mixtures. After a 14-day exposure, metal accumulation was determined in the digestive gland, gill and mantle tissues by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry following acid digestion, and a number of biochemical, neurotoxic and physiological …
Lead And Chromium In European Road Paints, Andrew Turner, Montserrat Filella
Lead And Chromium In European Road Paints, Andrew Turner, Montserrat Filella
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
Lead chromate was commonly employed as a pigment in coloured road markings until restrictions led to the development of safer alternatives. In this study, the presence and concentrations of Pb and Cr have been determined in 236 road paints of various colours sampled from streets, highways, footways and carparks from eleven European countries. According to energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, Pb was detected (>10 mg kg−1) in 148 samples at concentrations up to 17.2% by weight, and above 1000 mg kg−1 yellow was the dominant paint colour. Lead concentrations on an area basis varied from 0.02 to 8.46 mg cm−2 …
Resuspension Of Microplastics And Microrubbers In A Semi-Arid Urban Environment (Shiraz, Iran), Nafiseh Khodabakhshloo, Sajjad Abbasi, Andrew Turner
Resuspension Of Microplastics And Microrubbers In A Semi-Arid Urban Environment (Shiraz, Iran), Nafiseh Khodabakhshloo, Sajjad Abbasi, Andrew Turner
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
Although airborne urban particles are a concern for air quality and human health, little information exists on the levels and characteristics of microplastics (MPs) and microrubbers (MRs) in this setting. In the present study, MPs and MRs are quantified and characterised in road dusts and accumulations captured passively (and up to elevations of 177 cm above road level) in the steps of utility poles at 18 locations throughout the city of Shiraz, southwest Iran. Dust accumulation rates were greatest at road level (median = 45 g m−2 month−1) and declined with elevation (median = 2.0 g m−2 month−1 at 177 …
Orogenic-Orographic Feedback And The Rise Of The Central Andes, L. A. Evenstar, A. J. Hartley, A. E. Mather
Orogenic-Orographic Feedback And The Rise Of The Central Andes, L. A. Evenstar, A. J. Hartley, A. E. Mather
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
The rise of large mountain ranges is considered to be driven by tectonics potentially coupled with climate driven-erosion, although the role of this coupling remains uncertain. The arid climate of the Central Andes allows us to strengthen our understanding of the relative roles of these processes in mountain range development globally. Here we compile estimates of exhumation, sedimentation, aridity and surface uplift across the Central Andes for the last 50 Ma. We aim to place constraints on the relative timing of rock uplift (displacement of rocks with respect to the geoid), exhumation (displacement of rocks with respect to the surface) …
Entrainment And Horizontal Atmospheric Transport Of Microplastics From Soil, Sajjad Abbasi, Mahrooz Rezaei, Monireh Mina, Abdolmajid Sameni, Patryk Oleszczuk, Andrew Turner, Coen Ritsema
Entrainment And Horizontal Atmospheric Transport Of Microplastics From Soil, Sajjad Abbasi, Mahrooz Rezaei, Monireh Mina, Abdolmajid Sameni, Patryk Oleszczuk, Andrew Turner, Coen Ritsema
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
Soils are an important source of microplastics (MPs) to the atmosphere but the fluxes and mechanisms involved in MPs entrainment are not well understood. In the present study, a series of horizontally aligned sediment traps have been deployed at different heights within 1 m above the ground for a two-month period at various locations in an arid region (Sarakhs, Iran). MPs were isolated from sediments and were quantified and characterised according to size, colour, shape and polymer composition by established techniques. Most MPs were <250 μm in length, fibres were the most important shape, black and blue-green were the dominant colours, and polymer abundance decreased in the order polyethylene > nylon > polypropylene > polystyrene > polyethylene terephthalate. The distributions of sediment mass (range <0.01–9 g) and number of MPs (range = 0 to 21) were heterogeneous, both between sites and at the different heights sampled, and yielded median, vertically-averaged horizontal fluxes for the region of about 450 g m−2 d−1 and 2600 MP m−2 d−1, respectively. However, when data were pooled, the number of MPs normalised to sediment mass exhibited a significant inverse relationship with sediment mass, an effect attributed to the presence of ambient suspended MPs and sediment that are diluted by the suspension of soil and deposited MPs at higher wind speeds. The mechanisms of MP saltation and entrainment were not ascertained but a theoretical framework for threshold shear velocity based on regularly-shaped particles and density considerations is presented. Further experimental work is required to verify this framework, and in particular for fibrous MPs with different aerodynamic properties to soil particles.
Impacts Of Polyethylene Microplastics On The Microalga, Spirulina (Arthrospira Platensis), Sajjad Abbasi, Sahar Amiranipour, Javad Karimi, Sasan Mohsenzadeh, Andrew Turner
Impacts Of Polyethylene Microplastics On The Microalga, Spirulina (Arthrospira Platensis), Sajjad Abbasi, Sahar Amiranipour, Javad Karimi, Sasan Mohsenzadeh, Andrew Turner
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
Microalgae play a critical role in the food web and biogeochemical cycling and produce compounds that are commercially exploited. However, their reactions and responses to microplastic contamination are not well understood. In this study, the widely distributed and commercially important cyanobacterium, Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis), was exposed to different concentrations (1–100 mg L−1) of low-density polyethylene microplastics (<5 μm) over a 20-d period. Various end-points were combined with different microscopic techniques in order to examine physiological and biochemical effects and interactions between the plastic and microalga. Growth rate and photosynthetic activity decreased with increasing microplastic concentration, and a maximum inhibition ratio of about 9% was calculated from optical density measurements. Plastic concentrations above 10 mg L−1 resulted in oxidative stress and the intracellular production of proline. Fragmentation and swelling of trichomes and attachment of microplastics was observed in the exposures, and microplastics appeared to adhere or aggregate around fragmented or fragmenting regions. The latter effect may indicate trichome weakening by microplastics or their concentration around cytosolic debris; nevertheless, it provides a potential mechanism for internalisation of small particles. Although unrealistically high concentrations of well-defined microplastics have been employed, relatively small disruptions at the population level incurred by lower concentrations could have more serious implications for ecosystem services and functioning.
Influence Of Built Environment On Outdoor Thermal Comfort: A Comparative Study Of New And Old Urban Blocks In Guangzhou, Xingdong Deng, Weixiao Nie, Xiaohui Li, Jie Wu, Zhe Yin, Jiejie Han, Haonan Pan, Cho Kwong Charlie Lam
Influence Of Built Environment On Outdoor Thermal Comfort: A Comparative Study Of New And Old Urban Blocks In Guangzhou, Xingdong Deng, Weixiao Nie, Xiaohui Li, Jie Wu, Zhe Yin, Jiejie Han, Haonan Pan, Cho Kwong Charlie Lam
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
Urban populations face increasing heat stress in cities. However, the influence of the built environment of new and old urban blocks on pedestrian thermal comfort remains unclear. This study selected typical old (Yongqingfang) and new urban areas (Knowledge City) in Guangzhou, China, as our research sites. Through field monitoring and surveys, we used physiological equivalent temperature (PET) and thermal comfort vote (TCV) to evaluate outdoor thermal comfort by thermal walk experiments. We analyzed the relationships between built environment variables, meteorological variables, and pedestrian thermal comfort at the two sites. Our analysis revealed significant differences in the built environment and meteorological …
Occurrence And Characteristics Of Fibreglass-Reinforced Plastics And Microplastics On A Beach Impacted By Abandoned Fishing Boats: A Case Study From Chellanam, India, N. Manju Lekshmi, Sreejith S. Kumar, P. Muhamed Ashraf, S. P. Nehala, Leela Edwin, Andrew Turner
Occurrence And Characteristics Of Fibreglass-Reinforced Plastics And Microplastics On A Beach Impacted By Abandoned Fishing Boats: A Case Study From Chellanam, India, N. Manju Lekshmi, Sreejith S. Kumar, P. Muhamed Ashraf, S. P. Nehala, Leela Edwin, Andrew Turner
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
Plastics and microplastics have been quantified and characterised at disposal sites of abandoned fishing boats and along the high-water line (HWL) of a fish landing centre in Chellanam, India. Fibreglass-reinforced plastic (FRP) made a greater contribution to the plastic pool at the disposal sites (~ 4.5 n m−2 and 18 g m−2) than the HWL (~ 0.25 n m−2 and < 1 g m−2) and was an abundant component of the microplastic pool at the former. Infrared analysis of micro-sized FRPs revealed various resins (e.g., alkyd, polyester, epoxy), while X-ray fluorescence analysis of the painted surfaces of meso-sized FRPs returned variable concentrations of copper and lead. Concentrations of Pb were high enough to contaminate sand up to ~400 mg kg−1. The relatively high density of FRP and its association with glass fibres and metal-bearing paints results in particles with potentially very different fates and toxicities to more “conventional” (non-composite) thermoplastics.
Global Variability And Controls On The Accumulation Of Fallout Radionuclides In Cryoconite, Caroline C. Clason, Giovanni Baccolo, Edyta Łokas, Philip N. Owens, Przemyslaw Wachniew, Geoff E. Millward, Alex Taylor, Will H. Blake, Dylan B. Beard, Ewa Poniecka, Nick Selmes, Elizabeth A. Bagshaw, Joseph Cook, Ralph Fyfe, Melanie Hay, Deborah Land, Nozomu Takeuchi, Massimiliano Nastasi, Monica Sisti, Francesca Pittino, Andrea Franzetti, Roberto Ambrosini, Mauro B Di
Global Variability And Controls On The Accumulation Of Fallout Radionuclides In Cryoconite, Caroline C. Clason, Giovanni Baccolo, Edyta Łokas, Philip N. Owens, Przemyslaw Wachniew, Geoff E. Millward, Alex Taylor, Will H. Blake, Dylan B. Beard, Ewa Poniecka, Nick Selmes, Elizabeth A. Bagshaw, Joseph Cook, Ralph Fyfe, Melanie Hay, Deborah Land, Nozomu Takeuchi, Massimiliano Nastasi, Monica Sisti, Francesca Pittino, Andrea Franzetti, Roberto Ambrosini, Mauro B Di
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
The accumulation of fallout radionuclides (FRNs) from nuclear weapons testing and nuclear accidents has been evaluated for over half a century in natural environments; however, until recently their distribution and abundance within glaciers have been poorly understood. Following a series of individual studies of FRNs, specifically 137Cs, 241Am and 210Pb, deposited on the surface of glaciers, we now understand that cryoconite, a material commonly found in the supraglacial environment, is a highly efficient accumulator of FRNs, both artificial and natural. However, the variability of FRN activity concentrations in cryoconite across the global cryosphere has never been assessed. This study thus …
Accumulation Of Polystyrene Nanoplastics And Triclosan By A Model Tooth-Carp Fish, Aphaniops Hormuzensis (Teleostei: Aphaniidae), Maryam Saemi-Komsari, Reza Pashaei, Sajjad Abbasi, Hamid Reza Esmaeili, Reda Dzingelevičienė, Hadavand B Shirkavand, Kalako M Pasalari, Malgorzata Szultka-Mlynska, Renata Gadzała-Kopciuch, Boguslaw Buszewski, Andrew Turner
Accumulation Of Polystyrene Nanoplastics And Triclosan By A Model Tooth-Carp Fish, Aphaniops Hormuzensis (Teleostei: Aphaniidae), Maryam Saemi-Komsari, Reza Pashaei, Sajjad Abbasi, Hamid Reza Esmaeili, Reda Dzingelevičienė, Hadavand B Shirkavand, Kalako M Pasalari, Malgorzata Szultka-Mlynska, Renata Gadzała-Kopciuch, Boguslaw Buszewski, Andrew Turner
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
The presence and effects of nanoplastics (NPs; <1 μm) in the aquatic environment are a growing concern. In this study, a model tooth-carp fish, Aphaniops hormuzensis, has been exposed to different concentrations of fluorescent polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NP) in its diet (up to 5 mg kg−1) over periods of 28 d and the particle accumulation in different tissues determined. Accumulation was observed in both digestive and non-digestive organs, with concentrations greater in the gut, liver and gill (up to 400 μg kg−1 dw) than in the skin and muscle (<180 μg kg−1 dw), but no dependency on exposure time or dose was evident. The presence of the organic contaminant, triclosan (TCS), in the diet and at concentrations up to 0.5 μg kg−1 did not affect PS-NP uptake by A. hormuzensis, while TCS accumulation in the whole body increased with time (up to 10 μg kg−1) and, likewise, appeared to be unaffected by the presence of PS-NPs. These observations suggest that the two contaminants do not interact with each other or that any interactions have no impact on accumulation. The results of this study add to the growing body of evidence that NPs can be translocated by aquatic organisms after ingestion, and reveal that, for the species and conditions employed, nanoplastics are accumulated more readily than a widely used organic chemical.