Centre for the Observation and Modelling of Earthquakes, Volcanoes and Tectonics
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The Sherwood Sandstone Group – Not just a big red sponge…
Full text linkThe Sherwood Sandstone Group (SSG) is a major UK aquifer supporting public water supply, agriculture, and river flow across central and northern England. As climate-driven droughts increase, sustainable aquifer management is more critical than ever
Geophysical Survey and Monitoring of Transportation Infrastructure Slopes (TISs): A Review
Full text linkThis review examines the application of the geophysical methods for Transportation Infrastructure Slope Monitoring (TISM). In contrast to existing works, which address geophysical methods for natural landslide monitoring, this study focuses on their application to infrastructure assets. It addresses the key aspects regarding the geophysical methods most employed, the subsurface properties revealed, and the design of monitoring systems, including sensor deployment. It evaluates the benefits and challenges associated with each geophysical approach, explores the potential for integrating geophysical techniques with other methods, and identifies the emerging technologies. Geophysical techniques such as Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT), Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves (MASW), and Fiber Optic Cable (FOC) have proven effective in monitoring slope stability and detecting subsurface features, including soil moisture dynamics, slip surfaces, and material heterogeneity. Both temporary and permanent monitoring setups have been used, with increasing interest in real-time monitoring solutions. The integration of advanced technologies like Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS), UAV-mounted sensors, and artificial intelligence (AI) promises to enhance the resolution, accessibility, and predictive capabilities of slope monitoring systems. The review concludes with recommendations for future research, emphasizing the need for integrated monitoring frameworks that combine geophysical data with real-time analysis to improve the safety and efficiency of transportation infrastructure management
Pollution source delineation of emerging organic contaminants in groundwater using cumulative distribution functions
No full textA statistical approach that utilises cumulative distribution functions (CDFs) has proven effective for establishing threshold values that can be used to identify and delineate potential contamination sources in groundwater studies. Although this approach has been widely applied in the hydrogeology field, its application to understand sources of emerging organic contaminants (EOCs) in groundwater research has not yet been explored. This study used CDF approach to establish local EOC threshold values. As a novel approach, established local EOC thresholds were compared against conventional tracers such as Cl, NO3, and Cl/Br ratio to delineate contamination sources. The estimated threshold values for atrazine, bisphenol A, carbamazepine, and caffeine were 0.0032 µg/L, 0.033 µg/L, 0.0054 µg/L, and 0.01 µg/L respectively, and were linked to sites with anthropogenic influence. Most groundwater samples collected near residential areas were characterised by Cl/Br mass ratio < 88, placing them under a type 1 water based on Cl vs NO3 relationships, indicating less contamination. These samples, however, displayed atrazine, bisphenol A, and carbamazepine concentrations above the estimated threshold suggesting influence by runoff from domestic and agricultural emissions. Groundwater samples from areas near mine tailings, mineral processing, and paper manufacturing plants were classified as type 2 water likely reflecting industrial and domestic discharge and mining influences. These sites also displayed high bisphenol A and caffeine concentrations. The identified EOC threshold values have potential applications to assess anthropogenic pollution at local level. This type of approach could be extended and form the basis for developing regional thresholds for better water resource management
UK hydrological outlook - August 2025
Full text linkThe Hydrological Outlook provides an insight into future hydrological conditions across the UK. Specifically, it describes likely trajectories for river flows and groundwater levels on a monthly basis, with a particular focus on the next three months.
Well established monitoring programmes provide the current status of both river flows and groundwater levels at many sites across the UK, and data from these programmes provide the starting point for the Outlook. A number of techniques are used to project forwards from the current state and results from these are used to produce a summary that includes a highlights map
Assessing the relative roles of systemic, non-systemic and transovarial transmission pathways for severe fever with thrombocytopaenia syndrome virus and its implications for future research and intervention strategies
No full textSevere fever with thrombocytopaenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) was identified by the World Health Organization as a priority pathogen due to its high case-fatality rate in humans and rapid spread. It is maintained in nature through three transmission pathways: systemic, non-systemic and transovarial. Understanding the relative contributions of these transmission pathways is crucial for developing evidence-informed public health interventions to reduce its spillover risks to humans. Using next-generation matrices, sensitivity analyses, elasticity analyses and random forest models, we estimated the basic reproduction number R0, relative contribution of each pathway, and identified the most sensitive model parameters across 27 scenarios. Results showed that R0 ranged from 0.72 to 2.08 across scenarios, increasing with higher tick abundance and longer viraemia. Transovarial transmission dominated in 26 scenarios, while the importance of the other two varied, with non-systemic transmission more important under high tick abundance, short viraemia or aggregated tick distribution. R0 dropped below 1 in all scenarios when transovarial transmission was excluded. These findings emphasize the need for interventions targeting transovarial transmission, such as reducing female adult tick survival and limiting large vertebrate host movement, and underscore the importance of laboratory studies measuring sensitive parameters including transovarial transmission efficiency, tick survival probabilities and the duration of viraemia and potential for non-systemic transmission for key animal host species with high seroprevalence rates
The genome sequence of the knot grass moth, Acronicta rumicis Linnaeus, 1758 (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)
Full text linkWe present a genome assembly from an individual female Acronicta rumicis (Knot Grass moth; Arthropoda; Insecta; Lepidoptera; Noctuidae). The assembly contains two haplotypes with total lengths of 582.86 megabases and 528.05 megabases. Most of haplotype 1 (99.6%) is scaffolded into 32 chromosomal pseudomolecules, including the W and Z sex chromosomes. Haplotype 2 was assembled to scaffold level. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled, with a length of 15.39 kilobases. This assembly was generated as part of the Darwin Tree of Life project, which produces reference genomes for eukaryotic species found in Britain and Ireland
Spatial Characteristics and Dynamic Mechanisms of the Antarctic Slope Current in the Ross Sea
No full textCoupled with the Antarctic Slope Front (ASF), the Antarctic Slope Current (ASC) mostly encircles Antarctica and has variable structures. Two regimes of the ASC/ASF have been identified in the Ross Sea, but the spatial characteristics of the ASC/ASF have not been depicted in detail, and the dynamical mechanisms of the two ASC/ASF regimes are still unclear. Using an eddy-permitting coupled regional ocean-sea ice-ice shelf model, we investigate the spatial characteristics and energetics of the ASC/ASF in the Ross Sea. Based on the simulated results, two distinct structures of the ASC/ASF have been identified in two regimes: (a) in Regime I, the westward ASC is characterized by a surface-intensified flow, predominantly driven by the barotropic pressure gradient; (b) in Regime II, the ASC is characterized by a bottom-intensified westward flow, dominated by the baroclinic pressure gradient, especially prominent where Dense Shelf Water (DSW) overflows. Furthermore, by conducting an energy budget analysis in the framework of the Lorenz Energy Cycle, we found that in Regime I the ASC is maintained by Ekman transport that piles up water against the slope and drives a conversion from Mean Kinetic Energy (MKE) to Mean Available Potential Energy (MAPE), whereas in Regime II the ASC is strengthened as a bottom-intensified current through DSW overflows, which release MAPE into MKE
Certification of Iceland Tholeiitic Basalt IAG BNA ‐1 Using the Geo PT Proficiency Testing Certification Protocol
No full textThe certification protocol developed for the Geo PT proficiency testing programme was applied to the certification of Iceland Tholeiitic Basalt IAG BNA‐1. Certified values for eight major element oxides and twenty‐nine trace elements were reported together with fourteen indicative values. Metrological traceability was demonstrated in part by the excellent agreement between Geo PT assigned values and certified values for the established certified reference material BRP‐1 (Basalt Ribeirão Preto), which was distributed for co‐analysis with BNA‐1 in Round 54 of the Geo PT programme. A comparison shows clear similarities, but some differences when the composition of BNA‐1 was compared with values for USGS BIR‐1 (Reykjavik Iceland Basalt), which originated from the same quarry near Reykjavik in Iceland. An assessment of quality factors for IAG BNA‐1 shows that BNA‐1 certified values are fully compatible with usage involving the assessment of data submitted by laboratories that routinely analyse silicate rocks to the Geo PT ‘research laboratory’ standard of performance
Seasonal analysis of Southern Ocean copepod ecology using a moored sediment trap
Full text linkThe Southern Ocean is a globally significant site of carbon sequestration with the copepod community exerting a strong influence on the carbon flux. Currently, a holistic understanding of Southern Ocean copepod ecology is limited by a lack of data, particularly during winter. This study analyzed the composition and abundance of copepods caught in a sediment trap (400 m depth) in the Northeast Scotia Sea, providing a view of year-round copepod community dynamics. We found strong seasonal trends in abundance and composition of copepod taxa, with Calanus simillimus and Metridia spp dominating throughout. The capture of Metridinidae copepods likely occurred as they carried out their pronounced diel vertical migrations (DVM). The disproportionate abundance of male specimens of Metridia spp., as well as another member of the Metridinidae, Pleuromamma robusta, indicates sex-specific differences in their DVM ranges, with males remaining deeper. The C5 developmental stage of C. simillimus showed a distinct seasonal pattern, characterized by high abundances in autumn followed by low numbers in winter. We propose that this reflects an autumnal seasonal descent beyond which their fate could be one of three scenarios. Firstly, that these individuals seasonally migrate deeper than the sediment trap depth but remain active and feed on deep particulate matter. Secondly, that they become dormant whilst at this depth and respire their fat reserves. Thirdly, that they become dormant but at shallower depths, at and around the depth of the sediment trap, where they remain static and are not captured. Each of these scenarios has different implications for the seasonal carbon flux generated by C. simillimus. This study highlights the importance of understanding species-specific copepod ecology and emphasizes the need to collect ecological data over full annual cycles
Prevalence and consequences of microplastic ingestion in the world's southernmost insect, Belgica antarctica
No full textPlastic pollution has reached the remote terrestrial ecosystems of Antarctica, but the extent to which microplastics are affecting native terrestrial invertebrates has not been assessed. Using Antarctica's only endemic insect, the chironomid midge Belgica antarctica, as a focal species, the objectives of this study were two-fold: 1) Investigate the physiological consequences of polyethylene microplastic exposure in a laboratory setting and 2) Determine the extent to which field-collected larvae contain ingested microplastics. We exposed B. antarctica larvae to ingestible polyethylene microplastic beads (∼27–45 μm diameter) at various concentrations (up to 2000 mg kg−1 substrate) for 10 days. Ingestion of beads was only observed at the two highest concentrations, and survival and metabolic rates were unchanged across all concentrations. While carbohydrates and proteins stores were unaffected by plastic exposure, lipid stores tended to decrease with increasing plastics concentration. For Objective 2, field-collected larvae from 13 islands were screened for microplastics with two approaches, either imaging digestive samples with μ-FTIR and μ-Raman microscopy or spotting digested guts onto glass filters and scanning with μ-Raman. While the latter approach was inconclusive, two of the 29 larvae (7 %) imaged with μ-FTIR had potential plastics, and one of these particles was confirmed as plastic using μ-Raman. Thus, the presence of plastics in larvae is likely rare at present, although our results do provide further evidence that microplastics can enter Antarctic food webs. Taken together, our results indicate that high concentrations of plastics can have physiological consequences, although it appears unlikely that these levels are currently approached in the field
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