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The Evolution Of Southern Ocean Net Primary Production In A Changing Climate: Challenges And Opportunities, Alessandro Tagliabue, Thomas Ryan-Keogh, Alex Baker, Thomas S. Bibby, Chris Follett, Maeve C. Lohan, Alberto Naveira-Garabato, Daniel J. Mayor, Angela Milne, C. Mark Moore, Simon Ussher Dec 2025

The Evolution Of Southern Ocean Net Primary Production In A Changing Climate: Challenges And Opportunities, Alessandro Tagliabue, Thomas Ryan-Keogh, Alex Baker, Thomas S. Bibby, Chris Follett, Maeve C. Lohan, Alberto Naveira-Garabato, Daniel J. Mayor, Angela Milne, C. Mark Moore, Simon Ussher

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Net primary production in the Southern Ocean plays a critical role in governing ecosystem production, the biological carbon pump, and global biogeochemical cycles. Recent work has advanced our understanding of novel factors regulating Southern Ocean net primary production and the regional physiological adaptations employed by Southern Ocean phytoplankton in terms of their photosynthetic strategies and resource acquisition. Here we assess trends in Southern Ocean net primary production from different remote sensing algorithms and bgc-Argo floats to compare them to the latest Earth System Models used to forecast future changes under three different future climate scenarios. Overall, remote sensing and bgc-Argo …


Early Pottery At 11,200 Years Ago In The Southern Mongolian Plateau, Xiangge Zhang, Xujiao Zhang, Haoyue Zhang, Martin Stokes, Zhihu Sun, Jingwen Xu, Yifin Wang, Junlei Li, Haoshu Rao, Long Deng, Jingmin Guo, Xin Jia Dec 2025

Early Pottery At 11,200 Years Ago In The Southern Mongolian Plateau, Xiangge Zhang, Xujiao Zhang, Haoyue Zhang, Martin Stokes, Zhihu Sun, Jingwen Xu, Yifin Wang, Junlei Li, Haoshu Rao, Long Deng, Jingmin Guo, Xin Jia

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

he invention of pottery played a crucial role in human history, promoting human settlement and the transition to an agricultural society [1,2]. Pottery first emerged in East Asia during the Late Pleistocene/Paleolithic across a diverse range of environmental settings, becoming more widespread with the climatic warming of the Holocene/Neolithic [3]. The relatively cold Mongolian Plateau was a key region for early human adaptation. Here, numerous archaeological sites have been discovered since the Upper Palaeolithic, including the earliest pottery sites dating back to approximately 12,000 years ago in the northern areas [4,5]. However, no pottery sites predating 10,000 cal a BP …


Multiple Oceanic Sources Of Alkylamines In Southern Ocean Atmospheres, Manuel Dall´Osto, Mark F. Fitzsimons, James Brean, Preston Chebai Akenga, A. Jones, Tom Lachlan-Cope, Ana Sotomayor, Elisa Berdalet, Dolors Vaque, Roy M. Harrison, Karam Mansour, Matteo Rinaldi, Stefano Decesari, David Beddows, Marco Paglione Dec 2025

Multiple Oceanic Sources Of Alkylamines In Southern Ocean Atmospheres, Manuel Dall´Osto, Mark F. Fitzsimons, James Brean, Preston Chebai Akenga, A. Jones, Tom Lachlan-Cope, Ana Sotomayor, Elisa Berdalet, Dolors Vaque, Roy M. Harrison, Karam Mansour, Matteo Rinaldi, Stefano Decesari, David Beddows, Marco Paglione

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Measurements of pre-industrial conditions are of paramount importance for understanding historical climate change. The Southern Ocean and Antarctic continent are some of the least polluted environments on planet Earth. Alkylamines can rapidly partition into aerosols, increasing their mass, as well as form new particles altogether. We demonstrate the importance of pelagic “open ocean” (OO) and sympagic “sea ice” (SI) regions in supplying distinct organic nitrogen aerosol components. In the aerosol phase, dimethylamine (DMA) and trimethylamine (TMA) are both secondary, though DMA likely originates mainly from pelagic regions, while TMA is associated mainly with sympagic regions. Parallel measurements in ice and …


Biodiversity Performance Of Living Wall Systems In Urban Environments: A Uk Case Study Of Plant Selection And Substrate Effects On Multi-Taxa Communities, Paul Henry Lunt, James Buckley, Suzanne Mitchell, Gabriel Thomas, Elek Churella, Thomas Richard Murphy Dec 2025

Biodiversity Performance Of Living Wall Systems In Urban Environments: A Uk Case Study Of Plant Selection And Substrate Effects On Multi-Taxa Communities, Paul Henry Lunt, James Buckley, Suzanne Mitchell, Gabriel Thomas, Elek Churella, Thomas Richard Murphy

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Urban densification threatens biodiversity, yet conventional greenspace expansion is constrained by limited land availability. Living wall systems (LWS) offer potential biodiversity enhancement through vertical green infrastructure, though their ecological value remains underexplored. This study evaluated the biodiversity performance of three LWS in Plymouth, UK, using multi-taxa surveys to assess invertebrate communities, bird assemblages, and bat activity. A scoping review of 2638 publications revealed limited research on LWS biodiversity, with only 27% of biodiversity-focused papers referencing specific species. Field surveys employed standardised protocols including flower-visiting pollinator observations, spider assessments, soil invertebrate extraction using Tullgren funnels, acoustic bird monitoring, and bat emergence …


Headwater Drainage Evolution In A Foreland Basin System Usingsurfaces And Topographic Metrics (Zadorra River, Upper Ebro,Spain), Ivan Martin-Martin, Pablo G. Silva, Martin Stokes, Antonio Tarriño, Benito Abalos, Fernando Sarrionandia Dec 2025

Headwater Drainage Evolution In A Foreland Basin System Usingsurfaces And Topographic Metrics (Zadorra River, Upper Ebro,Spain), Ivan Martin-Martin, Pablo G. Silva, Martin Stokes, Antonio Tarriño, Benito Abalos, Fernando Sarrionandia

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Foreland basins are elongate depressions that develop around the flanks of collisional mountain ranges. Rivers are key agents that shape their landscape geomorphology and evolution. Their upstream headwater areas are geomorphologically dynamic locations prone to drainage network reorganisations via headward erosion by the foreland axial river. They are complex areas to investigate due to geological complexity, the absence of fluvial deposits and long timescales over which drainage evolution occurs. In this study, we examined the Zadorra River, a headwater tributary to the Ebro River that preserves a diverse number of different geomorphological features that record long-term drainage evolution. Four key …


Tsunami Simulation And Boulder Transport Across Contrasting Coastal Geomorphologies In Sanriku, Japan, Storm Roberts, Daisuke Sugawara, Hidetoshi Masuda, Sarah Boulton Dec 2025

Tsunami Simulation And Boulder Transport Across Contrasting Coastal Geomorphologies In Sanriku, Japan, Storm Roberts, Daisuke Sugawara, Hidetoshi Masuda, Sarah Boulton

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Tsunami boulders serve as crucial indicators for reconstructing past tsunami events, yet their full transport process remains poorly understood. This study investigates tsunami boulder transport at two geomorphically distinct field sites in Japan affected by the 2011 tsunami, integrating field data with a validated tsunami simulation to track wave parameters at every transport stage. The simulation was validated against eyewitness accounts, local reports, and offshore GPS buoy data. Near the shoreline at the Settai site simulated flow velocities reached a maximum of 7.55 m/s, compared to 6.51 m/s at Hoshiyama beach. Inland at Settai, a maximum 15.56 m/s flow velocity …


Life Cycle Assessment Comparing Electric And Petrol-Powered Rigid Inflatable Boats For Recreational And Harbour-Master Applications, Amir Bordbar, Badr Moutik, Adam Kyte, Simon Ussher, Keri Collins, Marcin Roszkowski, Tony Wilson, Sarah Fear Dec 2025

Life Cycle Assessment Comparing Electric And Petrol-Powered Rigid Inflatable Boats For Recreational And Harbour-Master Applications, Amir Bordbar, Badr Moutik, Adam Kyte, Simon Ussher, Keri Collins, Marcin Roszkowski, Tony Wilson, Sarah Fear

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

This study presents the first cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA), focusing exclusively on environmental impacts, comparing electric and petrol-powered rigid inflatable boats (RIBs) under low-usage recreational and high-usage harbour-master scenarios. The study follows ISO-compliant LCA methodology and emphasizes transparency in data and assumptions. Ten environmental impact categories were analysed, including global warming potential (GWP), particulate matter formation, acidification, eutrophication, ecotoxicity, and resource scarcity. Results show that switching to electric RIBs reduces GWP by 34 % for recreational and 52 % for harbour-master scenarios, despite higher production-phase impacts across all categories. The electric RIB delivers notable operational benefits in GWP and …


Light Or Acid? Suppressing Water Deactivation In Saf Production Via Phenyl-Mediated Charge Transfer In Wox/Zrox-Functionalised Pmos, Vannia C. Dos Santos-Durndell, Mark A. Isaacs, Jinesh C. Manayil, Lee J. Durndell Dec 2025

Light Or Acid? Suppressing Water Deactivation In Saf Production Via Phenyl-Mediated Charge Transfer In Wox/Zrox-Functionalised Pmos, Vannia C. Dos Santos-Durndell, Mark A. Isaacs, Jinesh C. Manayil, Lee J. Durndell

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

The aviation sector contributes ∼2.5 % of global energy-related CO2 emissions, driving demand for sustainable aviation fuel production (SAF) from biomass. However, water, whether intrinsic or produced in situ, often drives on-stream catalyst deactivation, reducing efficiency and creating barriers to process scale-up. Here, we present an exciting new approach using WOx/ZrOx-functionalised periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMO) photocatalysts that exhibit exceptional stability and performance under aqueous conditions. The incorporation of bis(triethoxysilyl)benzene (BTSB) into the PMO framework not only enhances surface hydrophobicity and acidity but also strategically positions organic π-conjugated phenyl groups next to WOx/ZrOx active sites. These phenyl moieties act as conductive …


Tectonic Modulation Of Caldera Volcanism On The South Aegean Island Arc, A Metcalfe, Tim Druitt, Katharina Pank, Steffen Kutterolf, Jonas Preine, Sarah Beethe, Axel K. Schmitt, Christian Hübscher, Paraskevi Nomikou, Thomas A. Ronge, Carole Berthod, Hehe Chen, Shun Chiyonobu, Acacia Clark, Susan Debari, Ralf Gertisser, Raymond Johnston, Olga Koukousioura, Michael Manga, Molly Mccanta, Iona Mcintosh, Ally Peccia, Masako Tominaga, Yuzuru Yamamoto, Adam Woodhouse, Alexis Bernard, Tatiana Fernandez-Perez, Christopher Jones, Kumar Batuk Joshi, Günther Kletetschka Dec 2025

Tectonic Modulation Of Caldera Volcanism On The South Aegean Island Arc, A Metcalfe, Tim Druitt, Katharina Pank, Steffen Kutterolf, Jonas Preine, Sarah Beethe, Axel K. Schmitt, Christian Hübscher, Paraskevi Nomikou, Thomas A. Ronge, Carole Berthod, Hehe Chen, Shun Chiyonobu, Acacia Clark, Susan Debari, Ralf Gertisser, Raymond Johnston, Olga Koukousioura, Michael Manga, Molly Mccanta, Iona Mcintosh, Ally Peccia, Masako Tominaga, Yuzuru Yamamoto, Adam Woodhouse, Alexis Bernard, Tatiana Fernandez-Perez, Christopher Jones, Kumar Batuk Joshi, Günther Kletetschka

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Many highly hazardous, caldera-forming explosive eruptions occur in extensional tectonic regimes, but the role of lithospheric rifting in modulating caldera volcanism remains enigmatic. IODP Expedition 398 deep-drilled the volcano-sedimentary infills of submarine half-grabens around Santorini caldera on the continental South Aegean Volcanic Arc. Here we use the volcanic tephra archives to produce a high-resolution eruptive chronostratigraphy for Santorini, to ground-truth seismic stratigraphy, and to extract an integrated timeline of volcano-tectonic couplings. The rift basins contain several submarine volcaniclastic megabeds from the caldera-forming eruptions of Santorini and one from the Kos caldera. The thickest megabed succession is < 250,000 yrs old and lies on a seismic reflection onlap surface that records a phase of rapid rifting. Sedimentation lagged behind subsidence during this rifting phase, creating bathymetric troughs. Integrating submarine core-seismic and onland datasets, we propose that rifting may have driven the transition of Santorini from a prolonged state of effusive and minor explosive activity (∼550 – 250 ka) typical of arc stratovolcanoes to one of repeated caldera-forming eruptions (<250 ka). Rapid rifting may have amplified the normal internal dynamics of the magmatic system in three ways, driving the volcano into a sustained, highly explosive state: (1) an increase in the supply of mantle-derived basalt, (2) enhanced shearing, permeability, and melt percolation in the transcrustal magmatic system, and (3) the development of horizontally extensive magma reservoirs. Broadly simultaneous transitions into caldera-forming activity of the widely separated Santorini and Kos Volcanoes suggest that the two magmatic systems are linked by plate-scale lithospheric stresses.


Rewilding Gender: Toward Relational Understandings Of ‘The Wild’, Kim Ward Nov 2025

Rewilding Gender: Toward Relational Understandings Of ‘The Wild’, Kim Ward

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

This commentary reframes gender and rewilding through a relational understanding of wildness. Moving beyond a binary lens of ‘the wild’, it examines how gendered relations shape rewilding's material, emotional, and epistemic dimensions. Centring relational wildness exposes how rewilding challenges masculine imaginaries of control and ownership while opening space for more equitable multispecies relations.


A Geological Carbon Cycle Sink Hosted By Ocean Crust Talus Breccias, Rosalind M. Coggon, Elliot J. Carter, Lewis Grant, Aled D. Evans, Christopher Lowery, Damon A.H. Teagle, Pamela Kempton, Matthew J. Cooper, Claire Routledge, Elmar Albers, Justin Estep, Gail Christeson, Michelle Harris, Thomas Belgrano, Jason Sylvan, Julia Reece, Emily Estes, Trevor Williams Nov 2025

A Geological Carbon Cycle Sink Hosted By Ocean Crust Talus Breccias, Rosalind M. Coggon, Elliot J. Carter, Lewis Grant, Aled D. Evans, Christopher Lowery, Damon A.H. Teagle, Pamela Kempton, Matthew J. Cooper, Claire Routledge, Elmar Albers, Justin Estep, Gail Christeson, Michelle Harris, Thomas Belgrano, Jason Sylvan, Julia Reece, Emily Estes, Trevor Williams

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Calcium carbonate precipitation in ageing ocean crust sequesters carbon dioxide dissolved in seawater through seafloor weathering reactions, influencing atmospheric CO2 concentrations on million-year timescales. However, this crustal carbon sink, and the extent it balances CO2 degassing during crustal formation at mid-ocean ridges, remain poorly quantified due to limited sampling of the vast ridge flanks where CO2 uptake continues for millions of years. Here we quantify the carbon sink hosted within talus breccias that accumulated through mass wasting 61 million years ago during rift faulting at the slow spreading Mid-Atlantic Ridge, cored during International Ocean Discovery Program South Atlantic Transect Expedition …


Thinning Antarctic Glaciers Expose High-Altitude Nunataks Delivering More Bioavailable Iron To The Southern Ocean, Kate Winter, John Woodward, Stuart A. Dunning, James R. Jordan, Joseph A. Graly, Matthew J. Westoby, Sian F. Henley, Robert Raiswell Nov 2025

Thinning Antarctic Glaciers Expose High-Altitude Nunataks Delivering More Bioavailable Iron To The Southern Ocean, Kate Winter, John Woodward, Stuart A. Dunning, James R. Jordan, Joseph A. Graly, Matthew J. Westoby, Sian F. Henley, Robert Raiswell

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Glacial systems entrain and transfer sediment, rich in essential nutrients, from continental sources to the ocean, where they are released by meltwater. In the Southern Ocean, primary producers are limited by the availability of micronutrients, like iron (Fe), so any increase in continental sediment supply could enhance primary productivity and subsequent drawdown of atmospheric CO2. Here we provide a systematic account of labile Fe concentrations in Antarctic continental sediments. Ferrihydrite and crystalline Fe (oxyhydr)oxides were extracted from 27 Antarctic samples collected from nunataks, lateral moraines and blue ice areas in the Sør Rondane Mountains, East Antarctica. We report …


Cultural Innovation Can Increase And Maintain Biodiversity: A Case Study From Medieval Europe, Adam Spitzig, Manfred Rösch, Jessie Woodbridge, Martin Bauch, Piotr Guzowski, Peter Erhart, Ralph Fyfe, Elena Marinova, Adam Izdebski Nov 2025

Cultural Innovation Can Increase And Maintain Biodiversity: A Case Study From Medieval Europe, Adam Spitzig, Manfred Rösch, Jessie Woodbridge, Martin Bauch, Piotr Guzowski, Peter Erhart, Ralph Fyfe, Elena Marinova, Adam Izdebski

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Numerous research efforts have used paleoecological data to reconstruct past biodiversity in Europe. In these projects, researchers have identified increases in biodiversity over the Holocene and hinted at a positive correlation with human population. These are important findings but are not easily translated into effective biodiversity conservation and restoration policy. We argue that, in order to better inform policymaking, studies of past biodiversity dynamics should include analyses of contemporaneous cultural phenomena in order to identify and describe specific anthropogenic drivers of past biodiversity changes. We present an example here, a case study from the Lake Constance region (southwestern Germany), one …


Integrating Heritage Assets Into Peatland Restoration: Finding, Assessing And Valuing The Palaeoenvironmental Archive, Heather Davies, Ralph Fyfe Nov 2025

Integrating Heritage Assets Into Peatland Restoration: Finding, Assessing And Valuing The Palaeoenvironmental Archive, Heather Davies, Ralph Fyfe

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Peatland restoration projects aim to improve the delivery of ecosystem services. Cultural heritage and Historic Environment assets are usually identified as co-beneficiaries of restoration but are not commonly well-integrated at the planning or design stages. This paper considers the heritage value of upland peatlands and methods for integrating these values in ecosystem services approaches. Taking Exmoor National Park as a case study, an extensive walkover survey identified 119 small mires and assessed their cultural heritage asset potential. Many were not previously recognised as part of the Historic Environment potential of the upland. A novel valuation system based on proximity of …


Phanerozoic Paleoenvironmental And Paleoclimatic Evolution In Svalbard, Aleksandra Smyrak-Sikora, Peter Betlem, Victoria S. Engelschiøn, William J. Foster, Sten Andreas Grundvåg, Mads E. Jelby, Morgan T. Jones, Grace E. Shephard, Kasia K. Śliwińska, Madeleine L. Vickers, Valentin Zuchuat, Lars Eivind Augland, Jan Inge Faleide, Jennifer M. Galloway, William Helland-Hansen, Maria A. Jensen, Erik P. Johannessen, Maayke Koevoets, Denise Kulhanek, Gareth S. Lord, Tereza Mosociova, Snorre Olaussen, Sverre Planke, Gregory D. Price, Lars Stemmerik, Kim Senger Nov 2025

Phanerozoic Paleoenvironmental And Paleoclimatic Evolution In Svalbard, Aleksandra Smyrak-Sikora, Peter Betlem, Victoria S. Engelschiøn, William J. Foster, Sten Andreas Grundvåg, Mads E. Jelby, Morgan T. Jones, Grace E. Shephard, Kasia K. Śliwińska, Madeleine L. Vickers, Valentin Zuchuat, Lars Eivind Augland, Jan Inge Faleide, Jennifer M. Galloway, William Helland-Hansen, Maria A. Jensen, Erik P. Johannessen, Maayke Koevoets, Denise Kulhanek, Gareth S. Lord, Tereza Mosociova, Snorre Olaussen, Sverre Planke, Gregory D. Price, Lars Stemmerik, Kim Senger

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Sedimentary rocks can provide information about the Earth paleoenvironment and are studied extensively to understand the causes and consequences of global climate changes in deep time. They facilitate long-time perspectives that constrain climate models and provide analogues for how Earth systems may respond to, and recover from, intervals of profound environmental change, including projected anthropogenic change. The Norwegian Svalbard archipelago offers an extensive Phanerozoic stratigraphic record that reflects the geological evolution of the northern flanks of continental assemblages that include Laurentia, Eurasia, and Pangea. Svalbard’s Phanerozoic sedimentary and paleoclimatic archive is controlled largely by Svalbard’s overall northward plate-tectonic motion from …


Quantifying The Seasonal Dynamics Of A Transitional Ice Cliff-Pond System On A Debris-Covered Glacier, Zhen He, Matthew Westoby, Shaoting Ren, Chuanxi Zhao, Yifei He, Tianzhao Zhang, Wei Yang Nov 2025

Quantifying The Seasonal Dynamics Of A Transitional Ice Cliff-Pond System On A Debris-Covered Glacier, Zhen He, Matthew Westoby, Shaoting Ren, Chuanxi Zhao, Yifei He, Tianzhao Zhang, Wei Yang

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Ice cliffs and supraglacial ponds are key drivers of mass loss on debris-covered glaciers. However, the relationship between melt ponds and adjacent ice cliffs has not been fully explored. We investigated the seasonal drainage patterns of a melt pond on the debris-covered Zhuxi Glacier in southeast Tibet and estimated the mass loss of its adjacent ice cliff during 2023-2024. Using hourly time-lapse photogrammetry we built a series of high-resolution point clouds to quantify the evolution of the ice cliff-pond system. Our findings indicate that subaerial melting and undercutting were the primary mechanisms of ice cliff mass loss during summer. In …


Measurement Of Soluble Aerosol Trace Elements: Inter-Laboratory Comparison Of Eight Leaching Protocols, Mingjin Tang, Morgane M.G. Perron, Alex R. Baker, Rui Li, Andrew R. Bowie, Clifton S. Buck, Ashwini Kumar, Rachel Shelley, Simon J. Ussher, Robert Clough, Scott Meyerink, Prema P. Panda, Ashley T. Townsend, Neil Wyatt Nov 2025

Measurement Of Soluble Aerosol Trace Elements: Inter-Laboratory Comparison Of Eight Leaching Protocols, Mingjin Tang, Morgane M.G. Perron, Alex R. Baker, Rui Li, Andrew R. Bowie, Clifton S. Buck, Ashwini Kumar, Rachel Shelley, Simon J. Ussher, Robert Clough, Scott Meyerink, Prema P. Panda, Ashley T. Townsend, Neil Wyatt

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

A range of leaching protocols have been used to measure the soluble fraction of aerosol trace elements worldwide, and therefore these measurements may not be directly comparable. This work presents the first large-scale international laboratory intercomparison study for aerosol trace element leaching protocols. Eight widely-used protocols are compared using 33 samples that were subdivided and distributed to all participants. Protocols used ultrapure water, ammonium acetate, or acetic acid (the so-called "Berger leach") as leaching solutions, although none of the protocols were identical to any other. The ultrapure water leach resulted in significantly lower soluble fractions, when compared to the ammonium …


Impact Of Macroporosity On The Transesterification Of Triglycerides Over Mgo/Sba-15, Thomas A. Bryant, Lois Damptey, Mark A. Isaacs, Christopher M.A. Parlett, Lee J. Durndell, Marta Granollers Mesa, Georgios Kyriakou, Karen Wilson, Adam F. Lee Nov 2025

Impact Of Macroporosity On The Transesterification Of Triglycerides Over Mgo/Sba-15, Thomas A. Bryant, Lois Damptey, Mark A. Isaacs, Christopher M.A. Parlett, Lee J. Durndell, Marta Granollers Mesa, Georgios Kyriakou, Karen Wilson, Adam F. Lee

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Biofuels are critical drop-in replacement energy sources to support the decarbonisation of hard-to-abate sectors such as aviation and marine shipping. Transesterification of non-edible oils is a well-established route to biodiesel as a versatile liquid transport fuel, but is challenging to scale using existing homogeneous liquid base catalysts. In this work, we report the synthesis, characterisation, and application of silica-supported MgO solid base catalysts for triglyceride transesterification with methanol and highlight the impact of silica pore structure on performance. True liquid crystal templating enables the one-pot synthesis of mesoporous MgO/SBA-15 catalysts with variable Mg content, or hierarchical macroporous–mesoporous MgO/SBA-15 analogues through …


Epigenetic And Genotoxic Effects Of Tritium In Marine Mussels: Comparing Waterborne And Metal-Associated Forms, Maria Florencia Ferreira, Andrew Turner, Mickaël Payet, Olivier Debellemaniere, Christian Grisolia, Veronique Malard, Michael N. Moore, Awadhesh N. Jha Nov 2025

Epigenetic And Genotoxic Effects Of Tritium In Marine Mussels: Comparing Waterborne And Metal-Associated Forms, Maria Florencia Ferreira, Andrew Turner, Mickaël Payet, Olivier Debellemaniere, Christian Grisolia, Veronique Malard, Michael N. Moore, Awadhesh N. Jha

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Tritium (3H), an isotope of hydrogen, is a by-product of the nuclear industry. Decommissioning and normal operations of nuclear facilities can generate tritiated stainless-steel particles (T-SSPs) that could be unintentionally released into the environment. Considering tritium's physicochemical properties and the proximity of nuclear facilities to water bodies, assessing the behaviour and potential effects of these particles in the aquatic environment is imperative. In the present study, marine mussels, Mytilus galloprovincialis, were exposed to: (a) hydrogenated, non-radioactive stainless-steel particles (H-SSPs) (10 mg L−1) (b) T-SSPs (1 and 10 MBq L−1) and (c) tritiated water (HTO) …


Hydrogen, Single-Carbon Compounds, And Thermal Regime In The Oceanic Ultramafic-Dominated Lithosphere: Insights From A Deep Borehole On The Atlantis Massif, Susan Q. Lang, C. Geoffrey Wheat, Kristin L. Dickerson, Mark K. Reagan, Ivan P. Savov, Jordyn A. Robare, William J. Brazelton, Johanna Suhonen, Oscar Cavazos, Andrew Mccaig, Peter Blum, Natsue Abe, Rémi Coltat, Jeremy R. Deans, Marguerite Godard, Barbara E. John, Frieder Klein, Rebecca Kuehn, Kuan Yu Lin, C. Johan Lissenberg, Haiyang Liu, Ethan L. Lopes, Toshio Nozaka, William Osborne, Andrew J. Parsons, Vamdev Pathak, Jessica Rodgers, Jeffrey S. Seewald, Kenneth W. Sims, Gordon Southam Nov 2025

Hydrogen, Single-Carbon Compounds, And Thermal Regime In The Oceanic Ultramafic-Dominated Lithosphere: Insights From A Deep Borehole On The Atlantis Massif, Susan Q. Lang, C. Geoffrey Wheat, Kristin L. Dickerson, Mark K. Reagan, Ivan P. Savov, Jordyn A. Robare, William J. Brazelton, Johanna Suhonen, Oscar Cavazos, Andrew Mccaig, Peter Blum, Natsue Abe, Rémi Coltat, Jeremy R. Deans, Marguerite Godard, Barbara E. John, Frieder Klein, Rebecca Kuehn, Kuan Yu Lin, C. Johan Lissenberg, Haiyang Liu, Ethan L. Lopes, Toshio Nozaka, William Osborne, Andrew J. Parsons, Vamdev Pathak, Jessica Rodgers, Jeffrey S. Seewald, Kenneth W. Sims, Gordon Southam

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Water that flows through permeable ultramafic rocks produces high abundances of molecular hydrogen (H2), methane (CH4), and other small organic molecules. Such products can fuel life in the rocky subseafloor, be extracted for energy, and may have played a role in pre-biological chemical synthesis on early Earth or other planetary bodies. The International Ocean Discovery Program drilled a new 1268-m-deep borehole (U1601C) into serpentinized mantle with minor gabbroic rocks on the Atlantis Massif, ∼800-m north of the Lost City hydrothermal field (30°N, Mid-Atlantic Ridge). Measured temperatures of the disturbed borehole reached 91.3 °C, and equilibrated temperatures …


Potentially Toxic Metals, Anthropogenic Microfibres And Other Microplastics In Sediments From A Small, Urban Estuary (Plym, Southwest England), Kwong Ricky Li, Andrew Turner Nov 2025

Potentially Toxic Metals, Anthropogenic Microfibres And Other Microplastics In Sediments From A Small, Urban Estuary (Plym, Southwest England), Kwong Ricky Li, Andrew Turner

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Anthropogenic microfibres (AMFs) and microplastics (MPs) are pervasive and ubiquitous environmental contaminants of growing concern. However, their study in geosolids, like sediments, is often conducted in the absence of other important geochemical and anthropogenic markers. In the present study, surface and subsurface sediments from the Plym Estuary, southwest England, have been analysed for AMFs and MPs along with organic matter (as loss on ignition; LOI), calcium, iron, manganese and potentially toxic metals (PTMs). The latter were heterogeneously distributed throughout the estuary because of multiple inputs and variations in sediment granulometry. AMFs were mainly constructed of cellulosic and petroleum-based polymers and …


Reply To The ‘Comment On “Why There Is No Evidence That Pyridine Killed The English Crabs”’, Alex Ford, Mark Fitzsimons, Crispin Halsall Oct 2025

Reply To The ‘Comment On “Why There Is No Evidence That Pyridine Killed The English Crabs”’, Alex Ford, Mark Fitzsimons, Crispin Halsall

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

We highlight that the commentary by Peters which uses a CREED/CRED risk assessment framework supports the previous government reports that rejected the pyridine hypothesis and considers the previous evidence as unreliable. This reaffirms our conclusions that pyridine didn't kill the Teesside crabs.


Understanding Extreme-Wave Hazards On High-Energy Coasts Requires A Standardised Approach To Field Data Collection: Analysis And Recommendations, Rónadh Cox, Mary C. Bourke, Max Engel, Andrew B. Kennedy, Annie Lau, Serge Suanez, Sarah J. Boulton, Maria Alexandra Oliveira, Raphaël Paris, Dimitra Salmanidou, Michaela Spiske, Wayne Stephenson, Storm Roberts, Adam D. Switzer, Nadia Mhammdi, Niamh D. Cullen, Masashi Watanabe Oct 2025

Understanding Extreme-Wave Hazards On High-Energy Coasts Requires A Standardised Approach To Field Data Collection: Analysis And Recommendations, Rónadh Cox, Mary C. Bourke, Max Engel, Andrew B. Kennedy, Annie Lau, Serge Suanez, Sarah J. Boulton, Maria Alexandra Oliveira, Raphaël Paris, Dimitra Salmanidou, Michaela Spiske, Wayne Stephenson, Storm Roberts, Adam D. Switzer, Nadia Mhammdi, Niamh D. Cullen, Masashi Watanabe

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Coastal boulder deposits provide vital information on extreme wave events. They are crucial for understanding storm and tsunami impacts on rocky coasts, and for understanding long-term hazard histories. But study of these deposits is still a young field, and growth in investigation has been rapid, without much contactbetween research groups. Therefore, inconsistencies in field data collection among different studies hinder crosssite comparisons and limit the applicability of findings across disciplines. This paper analyses field methodologiesfor coastal boulder deposit measurement based using an integrated database (ISROC-DB), and demonstrates inconsistencies in current approaches. We use the analysis as a basis for outlining …


On The Ecological Impact Of Prehistoric Hunter-Gatherers In Europe: Early Holocene (Mesolithic) And Last Interglacial (Neanderthal) Foragers Compared, Anastasia Nikulina, Anhelina Zapolska, Maria Antonia Serge, Didier M. Roche, Florence Mazier, Marco Davoli, Elena A. Pearce, Jens Christian Svenning, Dave Van Wees, Ralph Fyfe, Katharine Macdonald, Wil Roebroeks, Fulco Scherjon Oct 2025

On The Ecological Impact Of Prehistoric Hunter-Gatherers In Europe: Early Holocene (Mesolithic) And Last Interglacial (Neanderthal) Foragers Compared, Anastasia Nikulina, Anhelina Zapolska, Maria Antonia Serge, Didier M. Roche, Florence Mazier, Marco Davoli, Elena A. Pearce, Jens Christian Svenning, Dave Van Wees, Ralph Fyfe, Katharine Macdonald, Wil Roebroeks, Fulco Scherjon

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Recent studies have highlighted evidence of human impact on landscapes dating back to the Late Pleistocene–long before the advent of agriculture. Quantifying the extent of vegetation transformations by hunter-gatherers remains a major research challenge. We address this challenge by comparing climate-based potential natural vegetation cover with pollen-based vegetation reconstructions for the Last Interglacial and the Early Holocene. Differences between these datasets suggest that climate alone cannot fully explain the pollen-based vegetation patterns in Europe during these periods. To explore this issue, we used an upgraded version of the HUMan impact on LANDscapes (HUMLAND) agent-based model (ABM), combined with a genetic …


Plio-Quaternary Coastal Uplift Along The Western Iberian Margin: Insights From Dated Marine Terraces (Peniche, Portugal), M Gouveia, Pp Cunha, A Martins, Martin Stokes, A Gomes, Christophe Falguères, Pierre Voinchet, Jean-Jacques Bahain, Telom Pereira, Silvério Figueiredo, Qingfeng Shao, Olivier Tombret Oct 2025

Plio-Quaternary Coastal Uplift Along The Western Iberian Margin: Insights From Dated Marine Terraces (Peniche, Portugal), M Gouveia, Pp Cunha, A Martins, Martin Stokes, A Gomes, Christophe Falguères, Pierre Voinchet, Jean-Jacques Bahain, Telom Pereira, Silvério Figueiredo, Qingfeng Shao, Olivier Tombret

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

This study presents a detailed geomorphological and geochronological analysis of a marine terrace staircase developed into the Peniche Peninsula (Portugal), a rocky headland of Jurassic carbonate bedrock located in the central sector of the Western Iberian passive margin. The marine terrace levels are described morphologically and sedimentologically, but also dated using ESR and U-Series methodologies. The marine terrace staircase comprises six emerged levels ranging from 4 m (above mean sea level, asl) (Tm6) to 24–28 m asl (Tm1), inset into a summit wave-cut platform at 29–45 m asl (Pm). The marine terrace sediments are composed of rounded boulders to cobbles …


Vegetation Dynamics And Land-Use History During The Holocene In Corsica (Western Mediterranean): Regional Patterns And Local Landscape Transformation In Changing Coastal Ecosystems, Jordi Revelles, Ralph Fyfe, Matthieu Ghilardi, Andrés Currás, Federico Di Rita Oct 2025

Vegetation Dynamics And Land-Use History During The Holocene In Corsica (Western Mediterranean): Regional Patterns And Local Landscape Transformation In Changing Coastal Ecosystems, Jordi Revelles, Ralph Fyfe, Matthieu Ghilardi, Andrés Currás, Federico Di Rita

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

The archaeoecological research conducted in Corsica underscores the critical role of integrating palynological studies from sedimentary deposits to reconstruct past human-environment interactions. This approach sheds new light on evidence of farming activities and redefines archaeological territories and human occupation temporalities. Understanding the influence of human activities on coastal ecosystems requires outlining natural and climatic dynamics at a regional scale while evaluating landscape transformations at local scale, where human imprints are clearly evidenced. To achieve this, we applied quantitative methodologies to disentangle regional pollen loading from local vegetation signals. The Landscape Reconstruction Algorithm (LRA) was employed as an advanced tool to …


Examining The Role Of Social Environment On Covid-19 Infections And Vaccine Uptake Among Migrants In Japan: Findings From Nationwide Surveys In 2021 And 2023, Yuanyuan Teng, Clive E Sabel, Tomoya Hanibuchi, Tomoki Nakaya Oct 2025

Examining The Role Of Social Environment On Covid-19 Infections And Vaccine Uptake Among Migrants In Japan: Findings From Nationwide Surveys In 2021 And 2023, Yuanyuan Teng, Clive E Sabel, Tomoya Hanibuchi, Tomoki Nakaya

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Studies have shown that migrants and ethnic minority groups were disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, yet the role of the social environment in shaping their vulnerabilities remains underexplored in Japan. This study explored the experiences of migrants in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic and examined the association between social environmental factors (i.e., population density, neighborhood deprivation, ethnic density, and social networks) and both COVID-19 infections and vaccination uptake. Two nationwide online surveys were conducted in 2021 and 2023 to capture migrants' experiences and analyze these associations during the middle and waning stages of the pandemic. Modified Poisson regressions with …


Biodiversity Performance Of Living Wall Systems In Temperate Urban Environments: Plant Selection And Substrate Effects On Multi-Taxa Communities: Biodiversity Performance Of Living Wall Systems In Urban Environments, Paul Lunt, Thomas Murphy, James Buckley Sep 2025

Biodiversity Performance Of Living Wall Systems In Temperate Urban Environments: Plant Selection And Substrate Effects On Multi-Taxa Communities: Biodiversity Performance Of Living Wall Systems In Urban Environments, Paul Lunt, Thomas Murphy, James Buckley

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Urban densification threatens biodiversity, yet conventional greenspace expansion is con-strained by limited land availability. Living wall systems (LWS) offer potential biodiversity enhancement through vertical green infrastructure, though their ecological value re-mains underexplored. This study evaluated the biodiversity performance of three LWS in Plymouth, UK, using multi-taxa surveys to assess invertebrate communities, bird assemblages, and bat activity. A scoping review of 2,638 publications revealed limited research on LWS biodiversity, with only 27% of biodiversity-focused papers referencing specific species. Field surveys employed standardized protocols including flower-visiting pollinator observations, spider assessments, soil invertebrate extraction using Tullgren funnels, acoustic bird monitoring, and bat emergence …


Increasing Tree Size Across Amazonia, Adriane Esquivel-Muelbert, Rebecca Banbury Morgan, Roel Brienen, Emanuel Gloor, Simon L. Lewis, Kyle G. Dexter, Everton Almeida, Edmar Almeida De Oliveira, Esteban Álvarez-Dávila, Atila Alves De Oliveira, Ana Andrade, Simone Aparecida Vieira, Luiz Aragão, Alejandro Araujo-Murakami, Eric Arets, Luzmila Arroyo, Gerardo Aymard-Corredor, Olaf Banki, Plinio Barbosa De Camargo, Jorcely Barroso, Lilian Blanc, Foster Brown, José Luís Camargo, Wendeson Castro, Victor Chama Moscoso, Jérôme Chave, Ezequiel Chavez, James Comiskey, Antônio Carlos Lola Da Costa, Jhon Del Aguila Pasquel Sep 2025

Increasing Tree Size Across Amazonia, Adriane Esquivel-Muelbert, Rebecca Banbury Morgan, Roel Brienen, Emanuel Gloor, Simon L. Lewis, Kyle G. Dexter, Everton Almeida, Edmar Almeida De Oliveira, Esteban Álvarez-Dávila, Atila Alves De Oliveira, Ana Andrade, Simone Aparecida Vieira, Luiz Aragão, Alejandro Araujo-Murakami, Eric Arets, Luzmila Arroyo, Gerardo Aymard-Corredor, Olaf Banki, Plinio Barbosa De Camargo, Jorcely Barroso, Lilian Blanc, Foster Brown, José Luís Camargo, Wendeson Castro, Victor Chama Moscoso, Jérôme Chave, Ezequiel Chavez, James Comiskey, Antônio Carlos Lola Da Costa, Jhon Del Aguila Pasquel

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Climate change and increasing availability of resources such as carbon dioxide are modifying forest functioning worldwide, but the effects of these changes on forest structure are unclear. As additional resources become available, for example, through CO2 fertilization or nitrogen deposition, large trees, with greater access to light, may be expected to gain further advantages. Conversely, smaller light-suppressed trees might benefit more if their light compensation point changes, while bigger trees may be the most negatively impacted by increasing heat and drought. We assessed recent changes in the structure of Earth’s largest tropical forest by analysing 30 years of Amazonian …


Spatial And Temporal Distribution Of Large (1–5 Mm) Microplastics On The Strandline Of A Macrotidal Sandy Beach (Polzeath, Southwest England) And Their Association With Beach-Cast Seaweed, Catherine Beale, Andrew Turner Sep 2025

Spatial And Temporal Distribution Of Large (1–5 Mm) Microplastics On The Strandline Of A Macrotidal Sandy Beach (Polzeath, Southwest England) And Their Association With Beach-Cast Seaweed, Catherine Beale, Andrew Turner

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous and persistent contaminants of the marine environment, but a clear understanding of their cycling, fate, and impacts in coastal zones is lacking. In this study, large MPs (1–5 mm) were sampled spatially and temporally from the strandline of a macrotidal, sandy beach (Polzeath) in southwest England. MPs encompassing a diversity of sources were categorised by morphology (foams, nurdles, biobeads, fragments, fibres, films) and quantified by number and mass, with a selection analysed for polymer type. A total of about 17,600 particles of around 350 g in mass were retrieved from 30 samples over a period of …