Establishing tephrostratigraphic frameworks to aid the study of abrupt climatic and glacial transitions: a case study of the Last Glacial-Interglacial Transition in the British Isles (c. 16-8 ka BP)

Distally dispersed tephra layers have become an important tool in the investigation of palaeoenvironmental and archaeological records across the globe. They offer possibilities for the synchronisation and improved chronological control in those records to which they can be traced and hence contribute to an improved understanding of the pattern and timing of environmental and archaeological change during periods of rapid climatic adjustment. However, their use as robust isochronous markers for synchronising records is frequently compromised by uncertainties relating to stratigraphical context, precise chronology and chemical composition. Here we collate and review the tephrostratigraphical information dating to the Last Glacial-Interglacial Transition (LGIT; c. 16-8 ka BP) in the British Isles based on published and unpublished records obtained from 54 sites. Based on details of their stratigraphic position, chronology and chemical composition, we propose that 26 individual eruption events may be represented in this collective record which spans the LGIT. The great majority of these eruptives can be traced in origin to Iceland, but we also report on the recent discoveries of ultra-distal tephra from the North American Cascades range, including for the first time the Mount St Helens J Tephra at a site in southern Ireland. These particular ultra-distal discoveries have resulted from a reinterpretation of older data, demonstrating the potential importance of ‘unknown’ analyses in older tephra datasets. The outcome of this review is a comprehensive but provisional tephrostratigraphic framework for the LGIT in the British Isles, which helps to focus future research on parts of the scheme that are in need of further development or testing. The results, therefore, make an important contribution to the wider European tephrostratigraphic framework, while adding new discoveries of transcontinental isochronous tephra markers

Population, Land Use and Deforestation in the Pan Amazon Basin: a Comparison of Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Perú and Venezuela

This paper discusses the linkages between population change, land use, and deforestation in the Amazon regions of Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Perú, and Venezuela. We begin with a brief discussion of theories of population–environment linkages, and then focus on the case of deforestation in the PanAmazon. The core of the paper reviews available data on deforestation, population growth, migration and land use in order to see how well land cover change reflects demographic and agricultural change. The data indicate that population dynamics and net migration exhibit to deforestation in some states of the basin but not others. We then discuss other explanatory factors for deforestation, and find a close correspondence between land use and deforestation, which suggests that land use is loosely tied to demographic dynamics and mediates the influence of population on deforestation. We also consider national political economic contexts of Amazon change in the six countries, and find contrasting contexts, which also helps to explain the limited demographic-deforestation correspondence. The paper closes by noting general conclusions based on the data, topics in need of further research and recent policy proposals.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/42720/1/10668_2003_Article_6977.pd

Review of the Predatory Bird Monitoring Scheme (PBMS)2006.

The Wildlife and Pollution contract supports the long-term monitoring programme called the Predatory Bird Monitoring Scheme (PBMS) which monitors selected pollutants, pesticides and biocides in predatory birds in Britain. The programme was started in the early 1960s and was instrumental in securing the phased withdrawals of the permitted uses of organochlorine (OC) insecticides. It has since provided a measure of the effectiveness of regulatory bans in reducing the exposure of wildlife. The PBMS subsequently expanded to encompass a range of other contaminants and pesticides (specifically polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), mercury (Hg) and second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides, thereby reflecting contemporary conservation and regulatory concerns. The PBMS is run by the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH). The other long-term funding stakeholder is the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) and the yearly results of the PBMS monitoring are reported to the JNCC. The data from the scheme enables the JNCC and Country Agencies to monitor trends, asses risk to wildlife, and advise on the effectiveness of measures to restrict the use and entry into the environment of particular compounds

Effect of baseline lipid levels I: influence on plasma total cholesterol and triglyceride changes during treatment of hypertension with a combination of hydrochlorothiazide and amiloride [Moduretic]

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