Research News
Research reveals ice sheet stability in West Antarctica under threat
An international team of researchers has warned that the stability of a part of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is potentially under threat following a survey of the Institute and Möller ice streams.
The team, which included Dr David Rippin, from the University of York’s Environment Department, surveyed the thickness of the ice streams which feed the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf to determine the underlying landscape.
Details of the research, which received support from the UK Natural Environment Research Council, are published in Nature Geoscience this week.
The research, which was led by the University of Edinburgh, involved carrying out an airborne geographical survey across a previously poorly understood region of West Antarctica – the Weddell Sea Embayment.
Until now, attention has been focussed on ice-sheet changes in the Siple Coast and the Amundsen Sea embayment sectors of West Antarctica. Little attention has previously been given to this third sector. However, the team’s work revealed a steep reverse slope and a large subglacial basin here (around the size of Wales) upstream of where the West Antarctic Ice Sheet meets the Weddell Sea. This is significant because such a reverse slope facilitates accelerating ice-sheet decay as the grounding line retreats across a deepening bed.
Dr Rippin played a significant role in processing and analysing the data. He said: “The reverse slope here is particularly steep and our measurements showed that the bed is fairly smooth, with little in the way of ‘pinning points’ that could delay retreat of the ice sheet. Taken together with projected increasing melt rates, this raises concerns about the future of the Weddell Sea Sector of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.”
The article “Steep reverse bed slope at the grounding line of the Weddell Sea sector in West Antarctica” is published in Nature Geoscience at http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ngeo1468
The study involved researchers from the Environment Department, University of York; School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh; School of Geosciences, University of Aberdeen; British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge; Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter; Institute of Geophysics, University of Texas, USA.
York research highlights potential benefits of off-road cycle routes
Research suggests that using off-road cycle routes in York significantly reduces cyclists' exposure to air pollution compared with on-road cycle lanes.
Scientists from the University of York’s Environment Department, working in collaboration with City of York Council, monitored exposure to the air pollutant nitrogen dioxide (NO2) on both on and off-road cycle routes in the city over a two-month period.
The study, published in the Journal of Environmental Monitoring, shows the mean concentration was reduced by 29 to 41 per cent, while the total dose of NO2, (taking into account the duration of the cycle journeys), was reduced by seven to 35 per cent when cycling on off-road routes in York.
Nitrogen dioxide is a major urban pollutant, mainly emitted from vehicles. High doses of the pollutant can inflame the lungs, while prolonged exposure to lower doses can reduce the ability of the lung to function, especially in people with weak respiratory immune systems, such as asthmatics and senior citizens.
The research, carried out with the City of York Council Environmental Protection Unit, provides a simple and cost effective method for other local authorities to quantify the exposure of cyclists to the air pollutant NO2. York researchers extended the authority’s existing diffusion tube network which is used to routinely monitor air pollution across the city.
Tom Bean of the University of York’s Environment Department said: “Our study aimed to develop and apply a simple monitoring method that could be routinely used by transport and air quality planners in local authorities to estimate the difference in exposure of cyclists to NO2 between on-road and off-road routes.
“Other local authorities could readily conduct similar studies by extending their existing diffusion tube networks. In York we found that using off-road cycle routes led to a significant reduction in the concentration and exposure to nitrogen dioxide compared to on-road routes, proving that the provision of additional off-road cycle routes has benefits beyond improved road safety.”
York is regarded as one of the best cycling cities in the UK and was recently awarded Cycling City status.
In York we found that using off-road cycle routes led to a significant reduction in the concentration and exposure to nitrogen dioxide compared to on-road routes
Tom Bean
Mike Southcombe, Environmental Protection Manager for City of York Council, said: “I welcome this report, but off road cycling may not be practical in all parts of the city, therefore the aim must be to reduce traffic pollution throughout York. The Environmental Protection Unit of City of York Council is developing a Low Emission Strategy to reduce harmful emissions from traffic and other sources and carbon dioxide emissions.”
The University of York researchers cycled three typical commuter routes each morning. For each journey, an on-road and off-road route version of the journey was used, giving six routes in total. Measurements of NO2 concentrations were taken at regular intervals along all six routes.
York has an existing network of over 300 NO2 diffusion tubes in and around the city as part of the City of York Council’s air quality monitoring strategy. For the purposes of the study, 50 additional tubes were added to fill gaps along the six cycle routes.
Department explores links between chemical contamination of the environment and poverty levels in South Asia
At the end of November, members of the Department travelled to New Delhi and participated in an International Workshop on the links between chemical contaminants in the environment and poverty. This workshop, which was attended by scientists, policy makers and NGOs from Europe and Asia, is part of a UK Ecosystem Services and Poverty Alleviation Programme project which is led by Dr Alistair Boxall in the Department.
The workshop was hosted by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and involved a series of presentations and group discussion sessions. The workshop participants concluded that man-made and natural chemical contaminants in the S. Asian environment are contributing to the degradation of ecosystems in the region and this is probably contributing to health problems within the local population and exacerbating the level of poverty.
Over the coming months, the Department will be working with many of the workshop attendees to develop a large consortium project to urgently address this issue. A key component of this follow-on project will be the identification of potential mitigation and adaptation options to reduce chemical contamination of ecosystems in S. Asia and to help improve levels of poverty in the region in the future.
York ranked number 2 in the UK for ecological and environmental research
In a recent survey published in the Times Higher Education, the University of York has been ranked 2nd best in the UK and 17th in the world in the area of environmental and ecological sciences.
A total of 52,900 institutions from across the world were included in the survey which was assessed based on the impact of scientific publications coming out of each institution. York was ranked above other leading ecological and environmental research institutes, including the Universities of East Anglia, Lancaster, Cambridge and Imperial College.
The survey analysed the average number of times research papers (in the areas of biodiversity, climate change as it affects the environment, environmental toxicology, fishery studies, hydrology and water resources, plant sciences and forestry studies, soil science and zoology) were cited by other scientists, during the period from January 2000 to February 2010.
The University of York published 441 journal in the environmental and ecology category and these papers were cited in other research papers on more than 9500 occasions; achieving an average of 22.06 citations per paper. The ranking by citation impact seeks to reveal heavy hitters based on per paper influence, not mere output.
This is a fantastic result for the University and the Environment Department and demonstrates that the environmental and ecological research performed at the University is some of the best in the world.
Icelandic Volcano's wakeup call
Sifting through the ashes
The eruption of Eyjafjallajökull (Aya-feeyalla-yurkul), the Icelandic volcano, caused wide spread disruption in April this year. Against the chaos of a flightless sky and millions of stranded travellers,the secondary effects of the eruption rippled across the globe. Meanwhile, just 20 to 50 miles from the volcano, Icelandic communities were blanketed in ash, in some areas by as much as 15cm deep.
Within a few days of the eruption, staff from the Environment Department flew out to Iceland on a NERC Urgency Grant. The team was led by Dr Pierre Delmelle, an expert in the environmental effects of volcanic gases and tephra - rock fragments. The eruption would give him the rare opportunity to collect and analyse fresh volcanic ash, soil and water samples.
"Volcanic ash has an immediate and direct effect on livelihood. It is also a considerable health hazard and those living beneath Eyjafjallajökull's ash plume may have been at risk from an invisible foe: fluoride,"explains Dr Delmelle.
In spite of its deadly effects, the properties of volcanic fluoride and its potential impact are poorly understood.
Once on the ground, Dr Delmelle and PhD student Julie Calkins found many of the streets deserted with just clean-up crews in yellow protective suits and face masks hosing the ash from houses and roads. Only the most resilient farmers had stayed on to cope with life under the ash cloud. Using a local cottage as a base, the scientists set up a laboratory in the kitchen where they were close enough to observe the ash cloud and collect the falling ash, and, at times, hear and feel the explosions.
"Fluoride produced by volcanic activity is deposited into the environment by rain or ashfall. It is highly reactive and in high concentrations extremely toxic to plants, animals and humans," says Dr Delmelle, citing the infamous eruption of the Laki fissure in Iceland in 1783. This event devastated agriculture, killed off half the livestock and resulted in a famine in which nearly a quarter of the people died. Recent research suggests that fluoride poisoning could also have played a part in the high death tolls in both humans and animals.
In spite of its deadly effects, the properties of volcanic fluoride and its potential impact are poorly understood in Iceland and other countries such as the UK, where ash from past Icelandic eruptions is found.
The Environment Department team hopes that the data generated from the project will provide a new and vital insight into the source, behaviour and environmental hazards posed by volcanic fluoride and improve the information supplied to risk managers dealing with volcanic crises in Iceland and elsewhere.
