A guest post from Daniel Grey, a Chartered and European Geologist with an interest in the investigation and remediation of land and water pollution. He has worked in this area for a Non-Governmental Organisation, Local Authority and the Private Sector. Land contamination can be a source of deep public concern. It’s understandable, with trigger words … Continue reading
A guest post from Professor Jeff Peakall, University of Leeds Professor Peakall’s Shell Lecture, ‘Rivers Under the Sea’, can be viewed on our YouTube channel: Channel networks are known from across the solar system. Rivers on Earth have long been key to human civilisation, with many of our great cities developing around them, and their … Continue reading
A guest post from Dr Helen Bridle, Royal Academy of Engineering and EPSRC Fellow at Heriot-Watt University. Her blog can be found here. What’s the issue? New tools to detect ocean microbes have recently been developed by researchers at the University of Southampton. The tiny microbes, known as phytoplankton, play several critical roles in the … Continue reading
A guest post from Dr Valerie McCarthy, Assistant Lecturer at Dundalk Institute of Technology, Ireland. Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems (GDEs) are geologically and physio-graphically complex and are recognised as an important but, nevertheless, poorly understood set of habitats. At a recent event organised by the Hydrogeological Group of The Geological Society, held at the at the … Continue reading
Minamata has become a word synonymous with disease. ‘Minamata disease’ was first identified in 1956, after years of chemical company Chisso discharging methyl mercury into Minamata Bay, Japan. It was a process that continued until 1968, and left over 2,500 people affected by mercury related diseases. Symptoms can range from ataxia, muscle weakness and damage … Continue reading
We’re returning to the Philippines for our fourth career blog, where scientists recognising the social impact of their work is more important than ever… Dr Carlos Primo C David, Geologist at the University of the Philippines, National Institute of Geological Sciences (UP NIGS) Carlos says: “I’ve always been curious about the environment that surrounds us … Continue reading
Hosepipe bans are becoming a familiar feature of summer, and with claims that 2012 could see ‘the worst drought in 30 years’, they are here again. Well timed, then, that the theme of a recent Geological Society conference was “Water Futures”. There is often confusion and misunderstanding about water supply in the UK and elsewhere, … Continue reading
The problem Coleridge’s Ancient Mariner faced, becalmed in the middle of the ocean, was that despite ‘water, water, everywhere’, none of it was suitable for drinking. The average human can survive for only a few days without access to clean drinking water. It is literally a vital resource. Continue reading
