Studies on the population ecology of Upogebia deltaura (Leach) (Crustacea, Thalassinidea)

Upogebia deltaura was collected quantitatively and qualitatively between June 1980 and August 1982 from a level, sandy bottom at a 12 m depth in the archipelago of Lysekil (on Gullmarsfjorden) about 70 km north of Göteborg, in western Sweden. A total of 347 individuals were obtained. The deepest burrows reached a depth of more than 65 cm into the substrate. During the cold season, U. deltaura was situated much deeper in the substrate than it was during the summer, probably as a result of ‘hibernation’. The average density was 5·0 individuals 0·1 m⁻², and the maximum of 10 specimens was found in one 0·1 m² sample. Out of the 341 individuals identifiable as to sex, 186 (54·6%) were females and 155 (45·4%) were males. Berried females were found between May and August, and the average number of eggs carried was 4757. Ecdysis took place between May and August; most females moulted in the middle of June and most males about one month later, in mid July. The chelipeds of large males were proportionally bigger than were those of large females. Maximum total body length of the females was 65·7 mm, and that of the males was 65·3 mm.     

Devensian glacial events in Buchan (NE Scotland): A progress report on new OSL dates and their implications

Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of a series of glaciofluvial/glaciodeltaic sediments in central Buchan and Aberdeen has recently been undertaken. The aims of this project are to test the chronological model proposed by the most recent regional review and the suggestion that parts of Buchan may have remained ice-free during the last glacial maximum (late marine isotope stage (MIS) 3 and MIS 2 29–15 ka). The preliminary results indicate that during the Devensian (ca. 116–12 ka), extensive areas of Buchan may have been glaciated earlier than previously believed (possibly during MIS 4, 72–60 ka), but parts of the region show no depositional evidence of later glaciation. Some waterlain sediments from the Ugie Valley have yielded OSL ages indicating deposition during MIS 5d to MIS 5a (116–72 ka). We discuss whether the absence of overlying glaciogenic sediments at these locations raises questions about the reliability of the OSL ages or about existing models of the Devensian glaciation of Buchan.     

Sedimentology, stratigraphy, and glacier dynamics, western Scottish Highlands

Glacial sediments of the western Scottish Highlands are comprehensively described and characterized here for the first time, enabling the first glacial stratigraphy for the area to be proposed. This classification is based on the results of extensive geological mapping and field investigation of sedimentary sequences and their structures, X-ray diffraction and particle size distribution analyses, and comparison with deposits formed in contemporary glaciated environments. These new data are subsequently appraised in terms of their implications for late Pleistocene glacier evolution and dynamics. Together, the data suggest that much of the landscape is palimpsest, and can be attributed to the Weichselian (Late Devensian) glaciation. Subsequent glacier advance during the Younger Dryas did little to modify the area, suggesting that ice flow was dominated by sliding on a meltwater-lubricated rigid bed, with deformation of basal sediments playing a more limited role. Final deglaciation was marked by a significant increase in basal meltwater flux, reflecting the warming climate and increasing precipitation. These new palaeoglaciological and palaeoenvironmental insights advance our understanding of former glacier dynamics in the western Scottish Highlands, improve our knowledge of Pleistocene landscape evolution of this area, and enable comparisons to be made with sedimentary sequences elsewhere.     

Landslide events on the West Coast, South Island, 1867–2002

Abstract: A new landslide event inventory based on a literature search has been compiled for the West Coast of New Zealand. Rainfall has been identified as the most frequent reported landslide generating mechanism by far, followed by other/unknown means, then earthquakes. Small‐magnitude, high‐frequency, rainfall‐induced events have historically caused the most damage to property and infrastructure, with many of the region's highways and settlements being repeatedly affected by landslides. Since 1874, landslides have caused at least 36 fatalities in the region. More historical research is needed to fill chronological and geographical gaps in the record, and to complement scientific research. Such information is useful for hazard planning purposes.     

The Geography of Religious Affiliation in Scotland

Academic study of the relationships between geography and religion constitutes a long‐established subfield of cultural geography. The tradition is particularly strong in the United States where the seminal work of the Berkeley School stimulated a wealth of research on mapping the religious landscapes of North America. Religion has received far less attention within British human geography, due, in part, to the marginal position of religion within cultural geography and, in particular, to the absence of reliable, comprehensive data on religious affiliation. The present research overcomes these ideological and methodological obstacles to advance knowledge of the geography of religion in the United Kingdom. Employing data from the latest Census of Population, embedded within an established tradition of mapping geographies of religion, the research provides detailed analysis of the geography of religious affiliation in Scotland at the advent of the twenty‐first century.     

Fog harvesting: An alternative source of water supply on the West Coast of South Africa

Experiments conducted during the 1990s investigated the feasibility of using fog water to supplement existing water supplies in the arid west coast region of South Africa. Based on these results, a project was initiated aimed at implementing an operational fog water collection system to provide potable water to a small, water-poor rural community. A 70 m² fog water collector was subsequently erected on the crest of the hill located next to the mission station called Lepelfontein. The volume of water collected was measured by means of a water flow meter and a tipping bucket. An automatic weather station recorded rainfall, wind speed and direction. The data record spans the period September 1999–August 2001. This paper gives a brief overview of the methods used to select the experimental site and describes the design of the fog water collection system. This is followed by a detailed account of the water yields, the contribution of fog and rainfall to the total yield, the characteristics of wet events, the factors associated with water collection and water quality. On average, yields of around 4.6 l of water were collected per square metre of collecting surface per day with maximum daily yields approaching 4000 l. The quality of the water was excellent. It thus appears that fog water collection may have considerable potential as an alternative water source at many other locations on the west coast of South Africa. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The role of antelope trampling on scarp erosion in a hyper-arid environment, Skeleton Coast, Namibia

The role of animal trampling in a hyper-arid environment is evaluated. Field observations on fluvial terraces of the Uniab fan in Namibia suggest that animal impact on level surfaces with gravel armouring is minimal. However, animal trampling along tracks across scarp slopes results in scarp recess and initiate cutback development. With continued growth ephemeral fluvial processes become more dominant and obscure the animal impact. Animal trampling effects are pronounced in hyper-arid environments due to the low rates of other slope processes. However, it is argued that large herd migration may have contributed significantly to cutback development in other environments, especially in Africa, but may be very difficult to substantiate by landform analysis.     

New age estimates and climatostratigraphic correlations for the Borrobol and Penifiler Tephras: evidence from Abernethy Forest,Scotland

The emerging tephrostratigraphy of NW Europe spanning the last termination (ca. 15–9 ka) provides the potential for synchronizing marine, ice‐core and terrestrial records, but is currently compromised by stratigraphic complications, geochemical ambiguity and imprecise age estimates for some layers. Here we present new tephrostratigraphic, radiocarbon and chironomid‐based palaeotemperature data from Abernethy Forest, Scotland, that refine the ages and stratigraphic positions of the Borrobol and Penifiler tephras. The Borrobol Tephra (14.14–13.95 cal ka BP) was deposited in a relatively warm period equated with Greenland Interstadial sub‐stage GI‐1e. The younger Penifiler Tephra (14.09–13.65 cal ka BP) is closely associated with a cold oscillation equated with GI‐1d. We also present evidence for a previously undescribed tephra layer that has a major‐element chemical signature identical to the Vedde Ash. It is associated with the warming trend at the end of the Younger Dryas, and dates between 11.79 and 11.20 cal ka BP. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stable isotope tracers as diagnostic tools in upscaling flow path understanding and residence time estimates in a mountainous mesoscale catchment

δ¹⁸O measurements of precipitation and stream waters were used as a natural tracer to investigate hydrological pathways and residence times in the River Feshie, a complex mesoscale (231 km²) catchment in the Cairngorm Mountains of Scotland. Precipitation δ¹⁸O exhibited strong seasonal variation over the 2001–02 hydrological year, ranging from −6·9‰ in the summer, to −12·0‰ during winter snowfalls (mean δ¹⁸O −9·59‰). Although damped, this seasonality was reflected in stream water outputs at seven sampling sites in the catchment, allowing δ¹⁸O variations to be used to infer hydrological source areas. Thus, stream water δ¹⁸O was generally controlled by a seasonally variable storm flow end member, mixing with groundwater of more constant isotopic composition. Periodic regression analysis allowed the differences in this mixing process between monitoring subcatchments to be assessed more quantitatively to provide a preliminary estimate of mean stream water residence time. This demonstrated the importance of responsive hydrological pathways associated with peat and shallow alpine soils in the headwater subcatchments in producing seasonally variable runoff with short mean residence times (33–113 days). In contrast, other tributaries with more freely draining soils and larger groundwater storage in shallow aquifers provided more effective mixing of variable precipitation inputs, resulting in longer residence time estimates (178–445 days). The mean residence time of runoff leaving the Feshie catchment reflected an integration of these contrasting influences (110–200 days). These insights from δ¹⁸O measurements extend the hydrological understanding of the Feshie catchment gained from other hydrochemical tracers, and demonstrate the utility of isotope tracers in investigating hydrological processes at the mesoscale. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.