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Cryogenic cave carbonates (CCCs) are a type of speleothem, typically dated with 230Th/U disequilibrium methods, that provide evidence of palaeo-permafrost conditions. In the field, CCCs occur as distinct patches of millimetre- to centimetre-sized loose crystals and crystal aggregates on the floors of cave chambers, so they lack a framework that would allow ages to be validated by stratigraphic order. Correction factors for the initial 230Th (230Th0) are often based on the bulk-earth-derived initial 230Th/232Th activity ratio ((230Th/232Th)0), which is a well-established approach when 230Th0 is moderately low. For samples with elevated levels of 230Th0, however, accuracy can be improved by constraining (230Th/232Th)0 independently. Here, we combine detailed morphological observations from three CCC patches found in Water Icicle Close Cavern in the Peak District (UK) with 230Th/U analyses. We find that individual CCC crystals show a range of morphologies that arise from non-crystallographic branching in response to the chemical evolution of the freezing solution. Results of 230Th/U dating indicate that samples with a large surface area relative to the sample volume are systematically more affected by contamination with 230Th0. By fitting isochrons to these results, we test whether the CCCs in a patch formed during the same freezing event, and demonstrate that (230Th/232Th)0 can deviate substantially from the bulk-earth-derived value and can also vary between the different CCC patches. Where CCCs display elevated 230Th0, isochrons are a useful tool to constrain (230Th/232Th)0 and obtain ages with improved accuracy. Detritus absorbed to the crystal surface is shown to be the most likely source of 230Th0. Our results suggest that some previously published CCC ages may merit re-assessment, and we provide suggestions on how to approach future dating efforts.

The discharge from most karst springs exhibits a consistent and reasonably predictable response to recharge but a few exhibit short-term (‘rhythmic’) changes in flow that are commonly attributed to the geometry of feeder conduits and the action of siphons. This paper investigates water flow in a karst system that exhibits rhythmic and episodic changes in discharge due to variations in flow from two phreatic conduits (Main Rising (MR) and Whirlpool Rising (WR)) that pass through Speedwell Cavern en route to the springs. Water tracing experiments indicate that the conduits receive both allogenic and autogenic recharge. Flow dynamics and conduit behaviour were investigated using high-resolution (2-min) water depth data collected from MR and WR between 2012 and 2015 (when MR was dominant) and between 2021 and 2023 (when WR was dominant). Water depths were also logged in a cave at the upstream end of a conduit draining to both MR and WR and at springs. The short-term temporal variability in water depths at both MR and WR is greater than any documented in previous studies. This is attributed to conduit bedrock geometry and changes in conduit permeability due to sediment accumulation in phreatic loops, which together influence the response to recharge.

These Guidelines are intended to help improve the conservation and management of geoheritage and geodiversity in protected and conserved areas and recognition of the interrelationships and interactions with biological features and processes. They are not a textbook on geoconservation management practice, but rather set out the essential background, context and principles. The use of best practice examples from around the world will hopefully give users renewed confidence in looking after geoheritage and in connecting geoconservation with biodiversity conservation.

Cryogenic Cave Carbonates (CCCs) are a type of speleothem, typically dated with 230Th/U disequilibrium methods, that provide evidence of palaeo-permafrost conditions. In the field, CCCs occur as distinct patches of millimetre- to centimetre-sized loose crystals and crystal aggregates on the floor of cave chambers, lacking a framework to validate ages by stratigraphic order. Correction factors for initial 230Th (230Th0) are often based on the bulk-earth derived ratio of initial 230Th/232Th activity ((230Th/232Th)0), which is a well-established approach when 230Th0 is moderately low. For samples with elevated levels of 230Th0, however, accuracy can be improved by constraining (230Th/232Th)0 independently. Here, we combine detailed morphological observations from three CCC patches found in Water Icicle Close Cavern in the Peak District (UK) with 230Th/U analyses. We find that individual CCC crystals show a range of morphologies that arise from non-crystallographic branching in response to the chemical evolution of the freezing solution. Results of 230Th/U dating indicate that samples with a large surface area relative to the sample volume are systematically more affected by contamination with 230Th0. By fitting isochrons to these results, we test whether the CCCs in an individual patch formed during the same freezing event, and demonstrate that (230Th/232Th)0 can deviate substantially from the bulk-earth derived value and also vary between the different CCC patches. Where CCCs display elevated 230Th0, isochrons are a useful tool to constrain (230Th/232Th)0 and obtain ages with improved accuracy. Detritus absorbed to the crystal surface is shown to be the most likely source of 230Th0. Our results suggest that some previously published CCC ages may merit re-assessment and we provide suggestions on how to approach future dating efforts.

Globally, near-surface permafrost is likely to warm, thin or disappear in many areas subject to future climate warming and wetting, creating a positive atmospheric feedback where the permafrost is rich in carbon. Unfortunately, substantial uncertainty exists as to the extent and timing of thawing in response to atmospheric forcing. Cryogenic cave carbonates (CCCs), a recently described type of speleothem, precipitate when cave ice forms and thus provide opportunities to constrain periods when permafrost was present at a given cave site. Here, we present a unique dataset comprising 38 230Th/U ages of CCCs from two caves in the Mendips, southwest England (51°N), and two caves in the Peak District, central England (53°N), all of which are currently ice-free. Whilst many ages are clean, reliable and high precision, the accuracy of those containing initial 230This improved greatly by constructing isochrons and applying further statistical methods.The ages of CCCs reveal two distinct periods of isothermal permafrost conditions, peaking during i) the early Bølling–Allerød interstadial at approximately 14,463 ± 145 yBP* and ii) the late Younger Dryas around 11,719 ± 229 yBP. Such isothermal conditions (i.e., where values of mean annual ground temperature are commonly a fraction of a degree below 0°C and exist through much of the depth profile of permafrost) are thought to represent the later stages of permafrost warming prior to its disappearance. We attribute this isothermal, disequilibrium permafrost evolution during the last deglaciation of the British–Irish Ice Sheet to climatic variations linked to North Atlantic sea-ice extent and seasonality.*years before 1950

Recent studies have clarified the global distribution of carbonate and evaporite karst and global utilisation of karst waters. This study provides an initial assessment of the extent to which UNESCO protected area designations cover areas with karst (carbonate and evaporite), and hence the groundwaters that they contain. There are four UNESCO protected area designations: Biosphere Reserves (BR), Ramsar Sites (RS), UNESCO Global Geoparks (UGGp) and World Heritage Properties (WHP). Following analysis of data on the protected area websites, databases have been compiled listing sites in each category that contain, or are thought to contain, carbonate or evaporite karst. The total numbers are: 151 BR in 62 countries, total area 42,181,357 ha; 124 RS in 55 countries, total area 4,766,652 ha; 61 UGGp in 21 countries, total area 10,892,586 ha and 56 WHP in 35 countries, total area 43,478,128 ha. This list includes 32 protected areas with multiple designations and the area of overlap is estimated to be 14,684,072 ha, leaving 86,634,650 ha in 360 individual areas that may contain karst with groundwater. However, in most cases only part of each protected area is underlain by carbonate or evaporite rocks and, as the areas are sometimes reported as a core and sometimes as core+buffer, the total protected area will be less than the combined total area. There are 86 countries in which there is at least one UNESCO protected area with karst.

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

© 2018 Elsevier Ltd Oxygen and carbon (δ18Ο/δ13C) isotope, growth rate and trace element data are reported for a U-Th dated, annually-laminated stalagmite, GM1 from Goda Mea Cave, Ethiopia. The stalagmite grew intermittently around the last interglacial. The proxy records are used to develop a conceptual growth model of the stalagmite and to assess its potential for revealing a climate signal in this climatically sensitive northeastern African region during an important period in the evolution of Homo sapiens and dispersal of Anatomically Modern Humans out of Africa. Speleothem deposition is of short-duration occurring at ∼129 ka, ∼120 ka, in an undated growth phase, and at ∼108 ka; probably due to tectonic activity. δ18Ο composition is very stable within growth phases (1σ variability < 0.76‰), as are Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca, all indicative of well-mixed source-waters. A shift to positive δ18Ο values and increased variability in Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca prior to growth hiatuses is observed, indicating a loss of the well-mixed water source prior to growth cessation. Mean δ18Ο composition (−3.82 to −7.77‰) is lower than published modern and Holocene stalagmites from the region. Geochemical data, statistical analyses, and a conceptual model of stalagmite growth, demonstrate that climatic conditions recorded by GM1 were wetter than the Holocene. The ∼129 ka growth phase particularly presents an annual record of the relative Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) position. The GM1 record, the oldest high-resolution continental climate record from Ethiopia so far published, presents evidence that any early human migrations which occurred during MIS 5 are likely to have occurred during a wet event in northeast Africa.

(IF 6.44; Q1); International audience; Karst aquifers provide drinking water for 10% of the world’s population, support agriculture, groundwater-dependent activities, and ecosystems. These aquifers are characterised by complex groundwater-flow systems, hence, they are extremely vulnerable and protecting them requires an in-depth understanding of the systems. Poor data accessibility has limited advances in karst research and realistic representation of karst processes in large-scale hydrological studies. In this study, we present World Karst Spring hydrograph (WoKaS) database, a community-wide effort to improve data accessibility. WoKaS is the first global karst springs discharge database with over 400 spring observations collected from articles, hydrological databases and researchers. The dataset’s coverage compares to the global distribution of carbonate rocks with some bias towards the latitudes of more developed countries. WoKaS database will ensure easy access to a large-sample of good quality datasets suitable for a wide range of applications: comparative studies, trend analysis and model evaluation. This database will largely contribute to research advancement in karst hydrology, supports karst groundwater management, and promotes international and interdisciplinary collaborations.

These Guidelines are intended to help improve the conservation and management of geoheritage and geodiversity in protected and conserved areas and recognition of the interrelationships and interactions with biological features and processes. They are not a textbook on geoconservation management practice, but rather set out the essential background, context and principles; summarise relevant material to make it more readily accessible to users in one volume; and provide links to the key literature and additional sources that include detailed practical guidance. The use of best practice examples from around the world will hopefully give users renewed confidence in looking after geoheritage and in connecting geoconservation with biodiversity conservation.

Karst aquifers provide drinking water for 10% of the world’s population, support agriculture, groundwater-dependent activities, and ecosystems. These aquifers are characterised by complex groundwater-flow systems, hence, they are extremely vulnerable and protecting them requires an in-depth understanding of the systems. Poor data accessibility has limited advances in karst research and realistic representation of karst processes in large-scale hydrological studies. In this study, we present World Karst Spring hydrograph (WoKaS) database, a community-wide effort to improve data accessibility. WoKaS is the first global karst springs discharge database with over 400 spring observations collected from articles, hydrological databases and researchers. The dataset’s coverage compares to the global distribution of carbonate rocks with some bias towards the latitudes of more developed countries. WoKaS database will ensure easy access to a large-sample of good quality datasets suitable for a wide range of applications: comparative studies, trend analysis and model evaluation. This database will largely contribute to research advancement in karst hydrology, supports karst groundwater management, and promotes international and interdisciplinary collaborations., Measurement(s)hydrographic feature • fluid flow rateTechnology Type(s)digital curationFactor Type(s)geographic location • yearSample Characteristic - Environmentkarst • spring • groundwater Machine-accessible metadata file describing the reported data: 10.6084/m9.figshare.11336507

The duration, intensity and frequency of hydrological droughts are predicted to increase significantly over the 21st century globally, threatening the long-term stability of lotic communities. In this paper we examine the recovery and recolonization of macroinvertebrate taxa in ephemeral and near perennial reaches of the River Lathkill (UK) after a supra-seasonal drought event. Following flow resumption, species accumulation (recolonization) occurred rapidly over a 4-month period, with a steady increase observed thereafter. Taxonomic richness was significantly higher in the section with near perennial flow after the first month of the study than the naturally ephemeral reach. Serial correlation was observed in the near perennial section but not in the upstream ephemeral reach. Serial correlation in the near perennial section may reflect: (1) the ongoing process of recovery or (2) the macroinvertebrate community following a new ecological trajectory. Our results suggest that supra-seasonal droughts may cause initial reductions in lotic diversity during stream desiccation events but may re-set ecological succession and/or temporarily provide new ecological niches, thereby supporting increased taxonomic diversity when the full range of hydrological conditions are considered. Quantifying the recovery of ecological communities following supra-seasonal drought can provide information to help develop ecologically effective conservation and management strategies.

Background Suicide with accompanying homicide is frightening and ill understood. Aims To raise professional awareness of its complexities and difficulties and identify areas for developing research. Method A Crime in Mind seminar was held in London in December 2018, with four expert presentations and discussion. This paper draws on that seminar and supplementary literature. Findings Homicide/suicide is very difficult to predict and thus prevent. Victims and perpetrators may have a dependency relationship. Better training, especially of general practitioners, may increase the likelihood of detecting signs of despair and delusional ideas. Psychiatrists should be more alert to fixed delusions and homicidal thoughts. Individual assessment and management alone is unlikely to be sufficient. Public health strategies are likely to be important too. Weapons control is vital. Employers of people with great personal responsibility and special access to potentially lethal tools, such as airline pilots, and perhaps clinicians, should have regular, compulsory, mental health checks. Conclusions Six points of clinical importance emerged, including lowering the threshold for diagnosing delusional disorder and the establishment of anti-violence clinics.

In 1998 the Australian Government released ‘Australia’s Ocean Policy: Caring, Understanding, Using Wisely’ (Environment Australia 1998a). The policy, released in the International Year of Oceans, r...

We anticipate that conventional management approaches will be insufficient to protect coral reefs, even if global warming is limited to 1.5 °C. Emerging technologies are needed to stem the decline of these natural assets.

Developing enduring capacity to monitor ocean life requires investing in people and their institutions to build infrastructure, ownership, and long-term support networks. International initiatives can enhance access to scientific data, tools and methodologies, and develop local expertise to use them, but without ongoing engagement may fail to have lasting benefit. Linking capacity development and technology transfer to sustained ocean monitoring is a win-win proposition. Trained local experts will benefit from joining global communities of experts who are building the comprehensive Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS). This two-way exchange will benefit scientists and policy makers in developing and developed countries. The first step toward the GOOS is complete: identification of an initial set of biological Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs) that incorporate the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Essential Biological Variables (EBVs), and link to the physical and biogeochemical EOVs. EOVs provide a globally consistent approach to monitoring where the costs of monitoring oceans can be shared and where capacity and expertise can be transferred globally. Integrating monitoring with existing international reporting and policy development connects ocean observations with agreements underlying many countries' commitments and obligations, including under SDG 14, thus catalyzing progress toward sustained use of the ocean. Combining scientific expertise with international capacity development initiatives can help meet the need of developing countries to engage in the agreed United Nations (UN) initiatives including new negotiations for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction, and the needs of the global community to understand how the ocean is changing.

Concern over the deterioration of the oceans has generated a demand for a system able to assess ocean health globally, and approaches to assess ocean health globally and an observing system delivering the data to support this assessment are now being developed. In parallel with public health systems, a system to assess ocean health should evaluate the occurrence and severity of a set of syndromes of concern through a series of indicators composed from a parsimonious set of ecosystem essential ocean variables delivered by a coherent and robust observing system. The development of such approach for the global assessment of ocean health will help inform policies acting upon the drivers causing ocean syndromes and help ensure a healthy ocean for all.

International audience; Sustained observations of marine biodiversity and ecosystems focused on specific conservation and management problems are needed around the world to effectively mitigate or manage changes resulting from anthropogenic pressures. These observations, while complex and expensive, are required by the international scientific, governance and policy communities to provide baselines against which the effects of human pressures and climate change may be measured and reported, and resources allocated to implement solutions. To identify biological and ecological essential ocean variables (EOVs) for implementation within a global ocean observing system that is relevant for science, informs society, and technologically feasible, we used a driver-pressure-state-impact-response (DPSIR) model. We (1) examined relevant international agreements to identify societal drivers and pressures on marine resources and ecosystems, (2) evaluated the temporal and spatial scales of variables measured by 100+ observing programs, and (3) analysed the impact and scalability of these variables and how they contribute to address societal and scientific issues. EOVs were related to the status of ecosystem components (phytoplankton and zoo-plankton biomass and diversity, and abundance and distribution of fish, marine turtles, birds and mammals), and to the extent and health of ecosystems (cover and composition of hard coral, seagrass, mangrove and macroalgal canopy). Benthic invertebrate abundance and distribution and microbe diversity and biomass were identified as emerging EOVs to be developed based on emerging requirements and new technologies. The temporal scale at which any shifts in biological systems will be detected will vary across the EOVs, the properties being monitored and the length of the existing time-series. Global implementation to deliver useful products will require collaboration of the scientific and policy sectors and a significant commitment to improve human and infrastructure capacity across the globe, including the development of new, more automated observing technologies, and encouraging the application of international standards and best practices.

The extent of increasing anthropogenic impacts on large marine vertebrates partly depends on the animals’ movement patterns. Effective conservation requires identification of the key drivers of movement including intrinsic properties and extrinsic constraints associated with the dynamic nature of the environments the animals inhabit. However, the relative importance of intrinsic versus extrinsic factors remains elusive. We analyze a global dataset of ∼2.8 million locations from >2,600 tracked individuals across 50 marine vertebrates evolutionarily separated by millions of years and using different locomotion modes (fly, swim, walk/paddle). Strikingly, movement patterns show a remarkable convergence, being strongly conserved across species and independent of body length and mass, despite these traits ranging over 10 orders of magnitude among the species studied. This represents a fundamental difference between marine and terrestrial vertebrates not previously identified, likely linked to the reduced costs of locomotion in water. Movement patterns were primarily explained by the interaction between species-specific traits and the habitat(s) they move through, resulting in complex movement patterns when moving close to coasts compared with more predictable patterns when moving in open oceans. This distinct difference may be associated with greater complexity within coastal microhabitats, highlighting a critical role of preferred habitat in shaping marine vertebrate global movements. Efforts to develop understanding of the characteristics of vertebrate movement should consider the habitat(s) through which they move to identify how movement patterns will alter with forecasted severe ocean changes, such as reduced Arctic sea ice cover, sea level rise, and declining oxygen content., Workshop funding was granted by the University of Western Australia (UWA) Oceans Institute, the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). A.M.M.S. was supported by Australian Research Council Grant DE170100841 and an Indian Ocean Ocean Marine Research Centre (UWA, AIMS, Commonwealth of Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) fellowship. J.P.R., V.M.E., and J.F.G. were supported by Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI, Spain) and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) through project Spatiotemporality in Sociobological Interactions, Models and Methods (SPASIMM) (FIS2016-80067-P AEI/FEDER, European Union), and by research funding from KAUST. J.P.R. was supported by Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte (Formación de Profesorado Universitario Grant, Spain). D.W.S. was supported by the UK Natural Environment Research Council and Save Our Seas Foundation. N.Q. was supported by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (Portugal). M.M.C.M. was supported by a Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de pessoal de Nível Superior fellowship (Ministry of Education).

Unusual speleothems, associated with hyperalkaline (pH > 12) groundwaters have formed within a shallow, abandoned railway tunnel at Peak Dale, Derbyshire, UK. The hyperalkaline groundwaters are produced by the leaching of a thin layer (3-type groundwaters and degassing of CO2. Stalagmites within the Peak Daletunnel have grown rapidly (averaging 33 mm y–1), following the closure of the tunnel 70 years ago. They have an unusual morphology comprising a central sub-horizontally-laminated column of micro- to nano-crystalline calcium carbonate encompassed by an outer sub-vertical assymetricripple-laminated layer. The stalagmites are composed largely of secondary calcite forming pseudomorphs (3·6H2O), withminor volumes of small (

Hays, Graeme C. et al., It is a golden age for animal movement studies and so an opportune time to assess priorities for future work. We assembled 40 experts to identify key questions in this field, focussing on marine megafauna, which include a broad range of birds, mammals, reptiles, and fish. Research on these taxa has both underpinned many of the recent technical developments and led to fundamental discoveries in the field. We show that the questions have broad applicability to other taxa, including terrestrial animals, flying insects, and swimming invertebrates, and, as such, this exercise provides a useful roadmap for targeted deployments and data syntheses that should advance the field of movement ecology., Workshop funding was granted to M.T., A.M.M.S., and C.M.D. by the UWA Oceans Institute, the Australian Institute of Marine Science, and the Office of Sponsored Research at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).

Background Forensic psychiatry was long regarded as sufficiently defined by the laws of a country to be restricted by national boundaries in all but a few areas. European Union (EU) employment rights and travel facilities have changed that within the EU. Aims The goal of this research is to explore the role and development of a network of teachers and trainees in forensic psychiatry. Information and discussion European Union countries differ widely in the extent to which they recognise forensic psychiatry as a specialty and thus also in the amount of training clinicians receive before they present themselves as expert witnesses in court, or develop or run services, or manage and treat individual offender patients. Nevertheless, a summer seminar for practicing clinicians, who also present evidence to court and for bodies considering discharge of potentially dangerous patients, has proved a useful forum for joint ‘European learning’. Participants have left with a sense of improved understanding of their own law and practices as well as new perspectives on what works for offenders with mental disorder. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.