Search

Chironomids have been used extensively for reconstructing past temperatures from the late glacial chronozone but far less work has focused on their use as temperature proxies throughout the Holocene, and little work has been undertaken within the UK. Northern England does have many detailed palaeoclimate records, although the majority of these are reconstructions from ombrotrophic peat bogs, which yield a combined temperature and precipitation proxy record. A lake sediment core from Talkin Tarn, dating back 6000 years, was therefore analysed for chironomid remains in an attempt to produce a Holocene temperature reconstruction. Although chironomids have been shown to respond to air temperature by many modern training sets, it is also known that they can respond to other environmental factors. Pollen and loss-on-ignition analyses were therefore undertaken to ascertain whether the lake had been subjected to major environmental changes. Some anthropogenic changes in land use were detected, which may have affected the lake water chemistry and sediments, but they seem to have had little direct impact on the chironomid fauna for the majority of the record. Part of the geology of the catchment is limestone, which suggests that the lake may be buffered against any changes in pH. A chironomid-inferred mean July temperature transfer function from a Norwegian training set was applied to the chironomid data and produced a reconstruction with significant fluctuations throughout the later Holocene, which were associated with cold and warm stenotherms within the assemblages. The uppermost chironomid sample from the lake core (less than 100 years old) has a reconstructed temperature of 14.6 °C (± sample-specific error of 1.18 °C), which compares well with the contemporary mean July average of 14.8 °C. It is therefore concluded that chironomids can be used to reconstruct Holocene temperature, provided the site is well-buffered in relation to pH changes and can be shown not to have been influenced to any great extent by anthropogenic disturbance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The plant macrofossil records from three raised bogs from western and central Ireland and from Cumbria were compared to investigate variations in the character and timing of the fen-bog transition (FBT). Two modes of raised or ombrotrophic peat formation were recognized. In the first mode the transition develops through a sedge-fen stage directly to raised-bog lawn, maintaining a near surface water table throughout the FBT (Abbeyknockmoy Bog). The second mode is characterized by a switch from fen or reedswamp to a dry Eriophorum-dominated mire type, suggestive of low or unstable water tables (Mongan Bog and Bolton Fell Moss). Comparisons with the Holocene effective precipitation record suggest that the type of transition and its timing may be affected by the prevailing climate regime. All that is required for ombrotrophy is a separation of the growing peat surface from the influence of ground and surface waters. This separation may be achieved by rapid peat accumulation in a moist climate, the accumulation of decay-resistant Eriophorum. vaginatum hummocks or by a lowering of the water table, leading to a 'perched peat bed'. In the latter two cases, a 'pseudo-raised bog' community often persists, laying down highly humified peat, until increased oceanicity enables Sphagnum. to dominate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Women's Health Strategy 2022 aims to improve access to Women's Healthcare needs, with menopause care being a key component to optimise. This strategy encourages the 'expansion of women's health hubs around the country and other models of "one-stop clinics," bringing essential women's services together to support women'. 1 A service evaluation was completed at a local women's health hub in Oxfordshire to review referrals for specialist menopause care. The hub managed 75.1% (970/1291) of referrals in-house at the point of triage. Of these 970 menopause consultations, 10.7% (104/970) were referred onwards for secondary care management, with the remainder 89.3% (866/970) managed within the women's health hub. The service evaluation shows successful application of a local women's health hub in improving access to menopause care., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Dr Katie Barber has received honoraria for teaching, research, and education from Besins, Exeltis, Astellas, Gedeon Richter, Theramex, and Viatris.