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This study explored the disposal strategies of menstrual sanitary products through in-depth semi-structured interviews with women aged 18–30 years. There have been many educational campaigns to improve solid waste disposal, but inappropriate disposal and blockages are still a major problem for the water industry. While quantitative studies exploring self-reporting of flushing norms have been conducted, there is evidence to suggest that these results may not take into account the complex set of socio-cultural factors associated with menstrual product disposal. Bridging this gap, the interviews undertaken in this work revealed that although all participants had a desire to dispose responsibly, their ability to utilise solid waste streams or to minimise waste by using reusable products was not always possible because they felt, to some degree, restricted by the wider societal requirements for discretion and the design, accessibility and availability of bins and bathroom facilities. Based on these findings, industry recommendations are suggested.

Student engagement is intrinsically linked to two important metrics in learning: student satisfaction and the quality of the student experience. One of the ways that engagement can be influenced is through careful curriculum design. Using the knowledge that many students are ‘assessment-driven’, a low-stakes continuous weekly summative e-assessment was introduced to a module. The impact this had on student engagement was measured by studying student activity within the module virtual learning environment. It was found that introduction of the e-assessments led to a significant increase in virtual learning environment activity compared to the virtual learning environment activity in that module the previous year, and also compared to the virtual learning environment activity of two other modules studied by the same student cohort. As many institutions move towards greater blended or online deliveries, it will become more important to ensure that virtual learning environments encourage high levels of student engagement in order to maintain or enhance the student experience.

Student engagement is an important issue in higher education, and is related to the quality of the student experience. Increasing student engagement is one way of enhancing quality at a higher education institution. An institution is able to influence student engagement in a number of ways, one being through curriculum design. The use of a low-stakes continuous weekly summative e-assessment had a positive influence on student engagement in an optional level 5 (second year) undergraduate geography module. Students considered their increased engagement was a direct consequence of this assessment method. It was also found that students thought they improved their learning, particularly their understanding, as a result of the continuous assessment. This study suggests that carefully designed assessments can be used to increase student engagement and learning, and, as a result, contribute to improving the quality of the overall student experience.\ud Keywords : continuous assessment, student engagement, student views

A multiproxy Lateglacial environmental record is presented for a ca. 3.5-m lacustrine sequence retrieved from a small basin (ca. 2 km2) at Thomastown Bog in County Meath, Ireland. Sediment chemistry, pollen, chironomid and stable isotope data provide a detailed picture of catchment and lake system changes from the end of the last glacial (GS-2a) to the early Holocene that correspond closely to existing local and regional models of climate change. Concomitant adjustments in independent proxy records are matched to the NGRIP oxygen isotope curve giving 12 event-episodes ranging from major climatic shifts to lower amplitude, centennial- to sub-centennial-scale adjustments, including a previously unreported regressive period of landscape instability during the north-west European ‘Rammelbeek Phase’. The study emphasizes the potential of palaeoenvironmental reconstruction from sediment chemistry where the sediment mixing system reflects autochthonous versus allochthonous inputs. The investigation also indicates problems of interpreting isotope data derived from bulk marl due to possible lag effects controlling the delivery of soil and groundwater and multiple sources of HCO3– (aq.). These research findings have implications for core site selection and for studies attempting to use stable isotopes for correlation purposes.

Subfossil chironomids can provide both qualitative and quantitative reconstructions of past climatic and environmental conditions. Chironomid data are frequently used in palaeoecological and palaeoclimate studies, however geomorphological studies using chironomid data are currently few. Chironomid records are produced from lacustrine and alluvial sediments; these terrestrially based reconstructions can be of benefit to geomorphologists. In order to increase geomorphologists’ awareness of the potential of chironomid data this paper discusses the technique, with a particular focus on geomorphological applications. Chironomids and chironomid analysis are briefly introduced, and the methods used, both in the field and the laboratory, are outlined. Geomorphological studies which have utilised existing chironomid data, including glacial geomorphological, sea level and palaeohydrological studies, are discussed, as well as a chironomid study which produced data specifically aimed at investigating changing sea level. It is hoped that further applications for chironomid data in geomorphological studies will emerge.

The aim was to investigate the potential use and the student experiences of using virtual reality (Oculus Rift) devices for field trips. Virtual reality field trips have been used by a number of HE institutions for a number of reasons: To give students the opportunity to prepare for a ‘real-life’ field trip (risk assessments, kit selection, project preparation etc)To allow students to reflect on a recent field tripTo provide an additional field trip experience without incurring extra costs for the student or institutionTo improve accessibility to field work experiencesTo allow distance learning students to participate in field work Computer-based (virtual reality) field trips have in the past been perceived negatively by students, often due to a poor representation of reality. Currently these field trips take place in 3D environments on a 2D computer screen. There has been an emphasis on enhancing the realism of these virtual field trips. The recent release of Oculus Rift, a relatively low-cost virtual-reality headset which tracks the user’s head movements, allowing users to ‘walk through’ a virtual landscape immersively, offers an opportunity to further improve the virtual reality field trip experience. Thirteen Environmental and Geographical Sciences student volunteers tested the Oculus Rift. The students used the Oculus Tuscany Demo software to work around a landscape, spending between 10 and 30 minutes in the landscape. No students had used an Oculus Rift previously. After using the devices they fed back through a questionnaire their views on its use from a learner's perspective.

Background: The relative frequency of wind- and animal-pollinated plants a non-randomly distributed across the globe and numerous hypotheses have been raised for the greater occurrence of wind pollination in some habitats and towards higher latitudes. To date, however, there has been no comprehensive global investigation of these hypotheses. Aims: Investigating a range of hypotheses for the role of biotic and abiotic factors as determinants of the global variation in animal vs. wind pollination. Methods: We analysed 67 plant communities ranging from 70º north to 34º south. For these we determined habitat type, species richness, insularity, topographic heterogeneity, current climate and late-quaternary climate change. The predictive effects of these factors on the proportion of wind- and animal-pollinated plants were tested using correlations, ordinary least squares (OLS) and logistic regression analyses with information-theoretic model selection. Results: The proportion of animal-pollinated plant species was positively associated with plant species richness and current temperature. Furthermore, in forest, animal pollination was positively related to precipitation. Historical climate was only weakly and idiosyncratically correlated with animal pollination. Conclusion: Results were consistent with the hypothesised reduced chance for wind-transported pollen reaching conspecific flowers in species-rich communities, fewer constraints on nectar production in warm and wet habitats, and reduced relative effectiveness of wind dispersal in humid areas. There was little evidence of a legacy of historical climate change affecting these patterns.

Background: The relative frequency of wind- and animal-pollinated plants a non-randomly distributed across the globe and numerous hypotheses have been raised for the greater occurrence of wind pollination in some habitats and towards higher latitudes. To date, however, there has been no comprehensive global investigation of these hypotheses. Aims: Investigating a range of hypotheses for the role of biotic and abiotic factors as determinants of the global variation in animal vs. wind pollination. Methods: We analysed 67 plant communities ranging from 70º north to 34º south. For these we determined habitat type, species richness, insularity, topographic heterogeneity, current climate and late-quaternary climate change. The predictive effects of these factors on the proportion of wind- and animal-pollinated plants were tested using correlations, ordinary least squares (OLS) and logistic regression analyses with information-theoretic model selection. Results: The proportion of animal-pollinated plant species was positively associated with plant species richness and current temperature. Furthermore, in forest, animal pollination was positively related to precipitation. Historical climate was only weakly and idiosyncratically correlated with animal pollination. Conclusion: Results were consistent with the hypothesised reduced chance for wind-transported pollen reaching conspecific flowers in species-rich communities, fewer constraints on nectar production in warm and wet habitats, and reduced relative effectiveness of wind dispersal in humid areas. There was little evidence of a legacy of historical climate change affecting these patterns.

Every year the British Exploring Society takes large groups of young people (ages 16-25) on expeditions to remote areas of the world. The expeditions focus on adventure, science and media activities and are undertaken in wilderness environments. The nature of these expeditions allows many young people to be introduced to, and take part in, various scientific projects. In 2016 the expeditions were based in the Amazon (Manu, Peru) and the Himalayas (Ladakh, India). \ud \ud The scientific programmes of the two expeditions included geomorphological projects. In Peru the project explored the link between vegetation density, soil structure, and micro-climate along an anthropogenic gradient extending from a human inhabited area through to pristine primary rainforest. In India the project focused on recent environmental change in the Indian Himalaya, with geomorphological mapping a key component of the project. This will be combined with remote sensing data and palaeolimnological research. \ud \ud Through the inclusion of such fieldwork on the expeditions more young people will be introduced to a number of geomorphological ideas and techniques. It is hoped that there will be a number of benefits of participating in real-world research including: an increased interest and understanding of the natural environment; the acquisition of new fieldwork and scientific skills; the development of science communication skills; and something different to put on the CV!

A geomorphological research project was undertaken during a youth expedition to the Indian Himalaya in July - August 2016. The expedition visited the Suru Valley, Ladakh, an area of high altitude desert. The area receives low amounts of precipitation which mostly falls as snow in winter. As a result meltwater (from glaciers and snow) makes a substantial contribution to the discharge of rivers, providing an important water resource for many communities. Most glaciers in the Himalayas are thought to be in a state of negative balance; however a recent study reported that many Himalayan glaciers are stable. These findings are controversial and further studies are needed. \ud \ud The overall aim of this project is to investigate recent glacial and environmental change in the Indian Himalaya by combining geomorphological mapping with recent lacustrine palaeoenvironmental data. The work reported here covers two of the project's objectives: \ud • to produce geomorphological maps from remotely sensed data and field mapping \ud • to engage young people with geomorphological research \ud \ud Prior to the expedition a number of participants mapped the geomorphological features of the wider area from Google Earth imagery. This produced a geomorphological base-map which was ground-truthed on the expedition. Future work will integrate fieldwork with remote sensing to reconstruct the former extent of glaciers in the area, contributing to our understanding of environmental change in the Indian Himalaya. Through their participation in geomorphological research in a challenging wilderness environment this group of young people developed new skills and discovered that science does not only occur in laboratories.

This research will review novel methodologies for understanding the behaviour of microbial communities and their role in pollution storage. Freshwater sediments are inhabited by attached microbial communities (biofilms) which are responsible for the majority of a river's metabolic activity. Biofilms thus provide valuable information on the environmental quality of the river and its surrounding areas. Despite remediation of freshwater sediments, biofilms can still store large quantities of pollutants. Biofilms have the exceptional capacity to adjust to new conditions including natural and anthropogenic environmental disturbances. Gaining a more comprehensive understanding of biofilm behaviour is therefore fundamental to developing improved management strategies. The initial focus of this research will be in the River Doe Lea in North East Derbyshire. The River Doe Lea extends 18km from the South at its source near Tibshelf, to the North at its discharge at the River Rother. In the 1990s the River was famed for having the highest level of dioxins in the world, 27 times higher than the second most polluted. The acute cause of this was a single pollutant event, however the river has also been subjected to long term anthropogenic pollution through industry, agriculture, transport (railways, M1) and wastewater pollution. While previous studies by the Environment Agency have focused on the flow, chemical, biological and ecological quality of the river, no research has been conducted into the role and behaviour of biofilms.

A comprehensive database of paleoclimate records is needed to place recent warming into the longer-term context of natural climate variability. We present a global compilation of quality-controlled, published, temperature-sensitive proxy records extending back 12,000 years through the Holocene. Data were compiled from 679 sites where time series cover at least 4000 years, are resolved at sub-millennial scale (median spacing of 400 years or finer) and have at least one age control point every 3000 years, with cut-off values slackened in data- sparse regions. The data derive from lake sediment (51%), marine sediment (31%), peat (11%), glacier ice (3%), and other natural archives. The database contains 1319 records, including 157 from the Southern Hemisphere. the multi-proxy database comprises paleotemperature time series based on ecological assemblages, as well as biophysical and geochemical indicators that reflect mean annual or seasonal temperatures, as encoded in the database. This database can be used to reconstruct the spatiotemporal evolution of Holocene temperature at global to regional scales, and is publicly available in Linked Paleo Data (LiPD) format.