Centre for the Observation and Modelling of Earthquakes, Volcanoes and Tectonics
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Geological factors in the sustainable management of mine water heating, cooling and thermal storage resources in the UK
Full text linkRe-use of the UK's coal mine water heating, cooling and thermal storage resource is increasing in scale and the number of schemes. The upwards trajectory requires 3D planning, regulation and licensing to manage sustainable deployment. We review geological factors controlling thermal and flow processes in the anthropogenically-altered subsurface, critical for resource management with multiple users of the same space. Potential interactions of mine water geothermal schemes with the wider environment are also summarised, leading towards concepts of 3D mine water thermal blocks, protection zones, or management strategies integrating heating, cooling and storage demands.
Factors such as the magnitude, extent and timescale of thermal processes to underpin management approaches are poorly quantified by data measured at-scale under varying pumping rates and thermal loads. We demonstrate early insights of how two infrastructures, the UK Geoenergy Observatory in Glasgow and the Coal Authority's Mine Water Heat Living Lab in Gateshead, can measure and monitor heat-flow processes in real world settings to provide an evidence base. For example, a thermal storage test at Glasgow showed rapid temperature changes in the rock and mine workings at the re-injection borehole and indicated an influence of lithologically-controlled transmissivity and thermal conductivity on temperature dissipation and recovery
Metacommunity structural changes of Antarctic benthic invertebrates over the late Maastrichtian
Full text linkSeymour (Marambio) Island, Antarctica has one of the most expanded onshore Cretaceous–Paleogene sedimentary successions in the world. The deposition of the López de Bertodano Formation (~70–65.6 Ma) covered a time of fluctuating sea temperatures, including cold snaps, and warming linked to Deccan Traps volcanism. Here, we study community dynamics of uppermost Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Antarctic invertebrates using fossils from the Zinsmeister Collection, Paleontological Research Institution, USA, in order to assess ecological complexity prior to the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) mass extinction. Our data set consists of 7400 fossils from 85 genera across bivalves, gastropods, cephalopods, echinoderms, brachiopods, scaphopods, polychaetes and octocorals, from 324 localities within six informal sub-units, KLBs 5–9. Due to positional uncertainty of the KLB boundaries, we performed sensitivity analyses to ensure robust results. We found that the number of significantly non-random taxonomic co-occurrences and complexity increased throughout this period. To investigate metacommunity structure that may arise from taxa interactions or environmental filtering, we used the Elements of Metacommunity Structure framework, where we found that taxa replacement, rather than nestedness, increased through time, also highlighting complexity. However, our sensitivity analyses found that our metacommunity results could not be distinguished from sampling biases in the most conservative sensitivity test. Thus, whilst we can be confident that ecological complexity increased throughout the Maastrichtian, the detailed community mechanisms behind this increase cannot be firmly established; nonetheless, this result reinforces the presence of a single, rather than two-fold, K–Pg extinction in the southern high latitudes
Co-benefits reveal the true value of blue ecosystems
No full textBlue carbon ecosystems provide a nature-based solution to climate change due to high rates of carbon sequestration. Green finance mechanisms are crucial tools to enable the conservation and restoration of these ecosystems. Only considering carbon provides an incomplete argument for investment, and the case for blue carbon ecosystems can be greatly improved by including multiple co-benefits (e.g., pollutant breakdown). A rapid evidence assessment of the monetary value of blue carbon ecosystems’ co-benefits was undertaken. The inclusion of co-benefits resulted in the monetary value of saltmarsh increasing by an order of magnitude, the value of seagrass increasing 50 times, and the value of oyster beds and kelp increasing by more than two orders of magnitude. The inclusion of co-benefits significantly increases the overall value and has significant potential to influence financing of blue carbon ecosystems. The findings highlight key data gaps and six key recommendations for future research
Thermal response of heterolithic deposits in flooded coal mines: implication for heat storage potential
No full textHeat transfer rates are critical to underground heat storage recovery potential and sustainability of thermal abstraction for heating and cooling buildings. A 17-day heat injection – abstraction experiment into a flooded, disused mine working was conducted at the UK Geoenergy Observatory in Glasgow. Analysis of the thermal response of different lithologies intersected by an injection borehole during and after a heat injection experiment is used to quantify the heat exchange between rock mass and circulating mine water. The monitoring data from Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS) has been analysed and numerical models using COMSOL Multiphysics were developed to characterise the rates and controls on thermal processes during heat injection and recovery. The results suggest the key control of the borehole construction on the temperature change in the first 10 hour of heat injection. In the long term, the thermal response mainly depends on the thermal conductivity of the lithologies. The radial heat transfer reaches a steady charging rate of 23 W/m2 and 16 W/m2 in the sandstone and clay intervals, respectively, and a maximum of 14 W/m2 and 10 W/m2 at the start of recovery. This is accompanied by upward heat diffusion/convection from the mine working. This study demonstrates the ability of DTS to identify lithological heterogeneities at a high resolution, and the importance of considering the overburden structure and lithology for thermal storage applications
Integrated carbon isotope stratigraphy and biostratigraphy of Cenomanian to Turonian carbonates from Jordan – An updated age model and sequence stratigraphic correlations with Oman
Full text linkA new integrated age model of the uppermost Albian to Coniacian Ajlun Group in West-Central Jordan is presented based on four complete outcrop sections along a ∼124 km N–S transect. Carbon isotope curves from this work are integrated with published carbon isotope data and constrained by new and existing nannofossil and ammonite biostratigraphy. Key identified carbon isotope events include the Mid-Cenomanian Event 1 (MCE 1), the Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 (OAE 2) at the Cenomanian/Turonian boundary and the Pewsey Event in the middle Turonian. The findings of this study corroborate and revise previous chemostratigraphic definitions in the study area, while also demonstrating a coeval origin of different lithostratigraphic units within the Ajlun Group. On the Arabian Plate scale, a detailed (3rd order) sequence stratigraphic correlation is made between Jordan and time-equivalent strata from the well-studied Natih Formation in Oman. These correlations help to evaluate the relative contributions of eustasy and tectonics on different plate tectonic settings, since the northeastern and eastern margins were heavily influenced by tectonic processes associated with the closure of the Neo-Tethys Ocean. In Oman, the creation of increased accommodation space (ca. 40 m) is observed relative to Jordan commencing in the interval between the MCE 1 and OAE 2. This suggests the onset of tectonic precursor events in Oman during the middle to late Cenomanian interval before the main tectonic phase in the Turonian, resulting in the termination of shallow water carbonate deposition. In contrast, Jordan remained in a largely passive margin setting
Agriculture on wet peatlands: the sustainability potential of paludiculture
Full text link•CONTEXT: Humanity must overcome the polycrisis of biodiversity loss, climate change and pollution. These challenges are especially urgent in peatlands, which develop slowly under waterlogged conditions, function as landscape filters and store large amounts of carbon. Drainage for agriculture, forestry or peat extraction leads to severe socio-ecological impacts, including greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity loss, land subsidence, higher flood and drought risks and downstream pollution.
•OBJECTIVE: This study evaluates paludiculture as an innovative wet agricultural land use that maintains wet peatlands, offers economic alternatives to drainage-based systems and reduces environmental impacts.
•METHODS: We reviewed and synthesized ecological and socio-economic evidence from low- and high intensity paludiculture practices to assess their potential to balance human needs with peatland conservation.
•RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Paludiculture is a promising new agricultural land use that effectively reduces greenhouse gas emissions, supports biodiversity restoration and contributes to climate mitigation and sustainable development. Our findings show direct and indirect contributions to ten UN Sustainable Development Goals: no poverty, good health, clean water, clean energy, innovation, sustainable cities and communities, responsible production, climate action, life below water, and life on land. Nonetheless, challenges remain regarding economic viability, land-use competition and management.
•SIGNIFICANCE: Paludiculture shows how wetland agriculture can create new revenue opportunities combined with ecological protection. By contributing to both climate and biodiversity goals, it is a sustainable alternative to drainage-based peatland use
Microplastics in the air: weather and polymer influences on deposition trends across a rural–urban gradient
Full text linkAtmospheric microplastics are an emerging concern, yet their deposition dynamics across different landscapes and weather conditions remain poorly understood. We investigated microplastic deposition along a rural-to-urban gradient in England, sampling Wytham Woods (rural), Summertown (suburban), and Oxford City (urban) every 2–3 days from May to July 2023. Using high-resolution μFTIR spectroscopy, we quantified 21 polymer types across four size fractions (25–50 μm, 50–75 μm, 75–100 μm, and >100 μm) and analysed their deposition patterns in relation to weather variables. Deposition rates varied from 12 to 500 particles/m2/day, with Wytham Woods recording the highest overall deposition and Oxford City exhibiting the greatest polymer diversity. The 25–50 μm size fraction dominated in all sites, comprising up to 99 % of total deposition during high-concentration events. Polymer prevalence varied by site, with polyethylene terephthalate most abundant in Wytham Woods, polyethylene in Summertown, and ethylene vinyl alcohol in Oxford City. Weather conditions influenced deposition trends. Higher atmospheric pressure suppressed deposition, while increased wind speed and winds from the northeast enhanced it. Rainfall reduced overall deposition but increased the proportion of larger microplastics (50–75 μm). These findings challenge the assumption that urban areas consistently experience the highest microplastic loads, emphasising the impact of weather patterns on microplastic dispersion and deposition. This study highlights the need for further research into long-term deposition patterns of microplastics, focusing on specific polymer types and sizes, and their relationship with short-term and seasonal weather variations across diverse landscapes
Airborne radiometric data: in search of the lost peatlands, Anglesey, North Wales
Full text linkSoil carbon plays a crucial role in maintaining soil health, regulating water retention, and overall ecosystem function, while also acting as a carbon sink that can mitigate climate change. Updating peat information has become a priority in relation to carbon accounting. Soils attenuate radiometric flux by virtue of their bulk density and water saturation. The largest contrasts are associated with high carbon, wet peat zones. A revised attenuation theory demonstrates the response continuum of all soils and defines their response over the full range of saturation levels. The theory can be applied to any form of radiometric survey data. The relevance of the attenuation properties of airborne radiometric data to peat mapping is well established. Mainly due to survey height, the spatial resolution of the radiometric data is limited. It has been argued that conventional peat mapping has omitted many potential areas of peat, often excluded on the basis of depth. These smaller pockets of the carbon store have been termed the lost peatlands. A new observational and adaptable assessment of the peat extent across Wales has recently been published. An existing small airborne survey is used to provide an attenuation assessment of peat extents in relation to the control provided by the new map. Many of the peat zones are small (<0.05 km2) and are detected on only one or two flightlines. The large support volume (footprint) of airborne measurements provides a moving-average of subsurface contributions. Despite this, the attenuation response appears sufficient to either confirm or reject the evidence of a peat zone. The data also suggest many other areas of potential peat
Effect of water pressure on bitumen and expelled oil biomarker evolution: insights from laboratory simulation experiments
No full textBiomarkers are powerful tools to assess thermal maturity of oil and rock extracts and for oil-source rock correlation.
While temperature effects on biomarker evolution have been widely studied, the impact of pressure
remains largely underexplored. This study examines the effect of high water pressure (up to 900 bar) on
biomarker maturation in expelled oil and extracted bitumen from pyrolysis experiments on a rock sample from
the Campanian–Maastrichtian Duwi Formation, Red Sea Basin, Egypt. Extracted bitumens exhibited higher
maturity under anhydrous conditions compared to low-pressure hydrous samples, and this was more pronounced
at 350◦C. The extracted bitumen displayed higher biomarker maturity ratios than the corresponding expelled oil
at 350◦C, likely due to prolonged interactions of the bitumen with the rock mineral matrix. In contrast, δ13C
values were similar for extracted bitumen and the corresponding expelled oil. At 320◦C, high pressure reduced
values of biomarker maturity ratios, particularly C31–C35 homohopane isomerisation, Ts/Tm, Ts/H30, and C29Ts/
H29 ratios, whereas sterane ratios remained unaffected. At 350◦C, pressure effects were less significant, with
some anomalous variations, suggesting a non-systematic influence on biomarker maturation at higher temperatures.
These findings demonstrate the complex role of pressure in biomarker evolution, emphasising the need to
consider pressure in biomarker-based maturity assessment, particularly in overpressured basins and deep petroleum
systems, where high pressure may be a dominant factor. Based on 12 source-related biomarker and
isotopic ratios, chemometric analysis reveals that artificially generated oils and South Malak-1 oils from
southwestern onshore Gulf of Suez are quite different, and both groups differ significantly from other natural oils
from the central and northern parts of the basin. This may be due to facies variations and the effects of mixing
from multiple source horizons under natural subsurface conditions
Biometeorological feedbacks on peatlands: raising the water table to reduce meteorologically-related stress on cattle
Full text linkPeatland restoration is an important mitigation action in the fight against climate change. Researchers encourage farmers to rewet deep-drained lands on organic soil to a shallow water table depth (WTD) to reduce carbon emissions. Raising WTD under grasslands will likely affect local air temperature (TA) and increase relative humidity (RH), with uncertain consequences during heat waves on cattle welfare. We used WTD, TA and RH data (both measured between 1.25 and 2 m above ground) from 22 peatland sites globally to evaluate peatlands’ overall Temperature Humidity Index (THI), an indicator correlated to cattle welfare used in dairy farms (THI>68 increases heart rate, breathing rate and reduces milk yield). We compared them with THI at state weather stations located on neighbouring lands with short grass on non-organic soil, and assessed the impact of WTD.
At most sites, peatlands with shallow WTD had lower TA, higher RH, and an overall lower THI than surrounding lands, compared to those with deep WTD. In most cases, THI decreased with increasing WTD, especially at night in the temperate region, except for coastal peatlands. Shallow and submerged sites had 20 % less hours with stressful meteorologic conditions (high THI) than surrounding areas. In contrast, the number of hours with high THI did not change significantly on peatlands with WTD under 20 cm below ground level compared to control sites. Our results confirm the influence of WTD on local temperature and THI, and suggest that raising WTD on drained peatlands will slightly improve cattle welfare with reduced THI during heat waves, but also acknowledge that local geographic characteristics add complexity to this relationship. Our research indicates that raising WTD to ground level in sections of grasslands could provide “heat wave shelters” and increase cattle resilience to climate change while contributing to the global reduction of carbon emissions
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