Controls on near-bed oxygen concentration on the Northwest European Continental Shelf under a potential future climate scenario

Dissolved oxygen concentrations in the ocean are declining on a global scale. However, the impact of climate change on oxygen in shelf seas is not well understood. We investigate potential future changes in oxygen on the northwest European continental shelf under a business as usual greenhouse gas emissions scenario (Representative Concentration Pathway RCP8.5). Regions of the European shelf are thermally stratified from spring to autumn, which can cause oxygen depletion in sub-pycnocline waters. A transient climate-forced model simulation is used to study how the temperature, salinity and concentration of near bed dissolved oxygen change over the 21st century. In warming and freshening water, the oxygen concentration declines in all shelf regions. The climate change signal emerges first in salinity, then in temperature and finally in near bed oxygen. Regions that currently experience oxygen depletion (the eastern North Sea, Celtic Sea and Armorican shelf) become larger in the future scenario and oxygen depletion lasts longer. Solubility changes, caused by changes in temperature and salinity, are the dominant cause of reducing near bed oxygen concentrations in many regions. Until about 2040 the impact of solubility dominates over the effects of the evolving ecosystem. However, in the eastern North Sea by 2100, the effect of ecosystem change is generally larger than that of solubility. In the Armorican Shelf and Celtic Sea the ecosystem changes partially mitigate the oxygen decline caused by solubility changes. Over the 21st century the mean near bed oxygen concentration on the European shelf is projected to decrease by 6.3%, of which 73% is due to solubility changes and the remainder to changes in the ecosystem. For monthly minimum oxygen the decline is 7.7% with the solubility component being 50% of the total

Factors associated with midwives\u27 job satisfaction and intention to stay in the profession: An integrative review

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To conduct an integrative review of the factors associated with why midwives stay in midwifery. BACKGROUND: Midwifery retention and attrition are globally acknowledged as an issue. However, little is known as to why midwives stay in midwifery as the focus has previously focussed on why they leave. DESIGN: A structured six-step integrative review approach was used, and this involved the development of a search strategy, study selection and critical appraisal, data abstraction and synthesis, interpretation of findings and recommendations for future practice. METHODS: The review was conducted using the databases MEDLINE, CINAHL and PsychInfo. Included studies were in the English language with an unlimited publication date. RESULTS: Six studies were included in this review: one qualitative, two quantitative and three using mixed methods. Seven themes emerged from synthesisation of the data reported for the six included studies that together help answer the question of why midwives stay in midwifery. CONCLUSION: This integrative review has highlighted some important factors that assist in answering the question why midwives stay in midwifery. However, it has also highlighted the need for quality data that reflects the range of contexts in which midwifery is practised. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: There is an abundance of literature focussing on why midwives leave the profession; however, the gap exists in the reasons why midwives stay. If we can uncover this important detail, then changes within the profession can begin to be implemented, addressing the shortage of midwives issue that has been seen globally for a large number of years

Geogenic factors as drivers of microbial community diversity in soils overlying polymetallic deposits

This study shows that the geogenic factors landform, lithology, and underlying mineral deposits (expressed by elevated metal concentrations in overlying soils) are key drivers of microbial community diversity in naturally metal-rich Australian soils with different land uses, i.e., agriculture versus natural bushland. One hundred sixty-eight soil samples were obtained from two metal-rich provinces in Australia, i.e., the Fifield Au-Pt field (New South Wales) and the Hillside Cu-Au-U rare-earth-element (REE) deposit (South Australia). Soils were analyzed using three-domain multiplex terminal-restriction-fragment-length-polymorphism (M-TRFLP) and PhyloChip microarrays. Geogenic factors were determined using field-mapping techniques and analyses of >50 geochemical parameters. At Fifield, microbial communities differed significantly with geogenic factors and equally with land use (P 0.2 m) differed significantly with lithology and mineral deposit (P < 0.05). Across both sites, elevated metal contents in soils overlying mineral deposits were selective for a range of bacterial taxa, most importantly Acidobacteria, Bacilli, Betaproteobacteria, and Epsilonproteobacteria. In conclusion, long-term geogenic factors can be just as important as land use in determining soil microbial community diversity