Deliberating stratospheric aerosols for climate geoengineering and the SPICE project

Increasing concerns about the narrowing window for averting dangerous climate change have prompted calls for research into geoengineering, alongside dialogue with the public regarding this as a possible response. We report results of the first public engagement study to explore the ethics and acceptability of stratospheric aerosol technology and a proposed field trial (the Stratospheric Particle Injection for Climate Engineering (SPICE) ‘pipe and balloon’ test bed) of components for an aerosol deployment mechanism. Although almost all of our participants were willing to allow the field trial to proceed, very few were comfortable with using stratospheric aerosols. This Perspective also discusses how these findings were used in a responsible innovation process for the SPICE project initiated by the UK’s research councils

The European Space Agency standard for space packet utilisation

This paper presents the ESA concept for the use of CCSDS defined Telemetry and Telecommand Packets at the application level. These Packets are used to monitor and control remotely a space born application. This concept is defined in a Packet Utilisation Standard (PUS) which should become applicable for all ESA missions using Packets. The production of this standard is under the responsibility of an ESA standardization group called 'COES'

U-Pb Ages of Lunar Apatites

Apatite is one of the minerals that is rarely utilized in U-Pb geochronology, compared to some other U-rich accessory phases. Relatively low U concentration, commonly high proportion of common Pb and low closure temperature of U-Pb system of apatite inhibit its application as geochronological tool when other minerals such as zircon are widely available. However, zircon appear to be restricted to certain type of lunar rocks, carrying so called KREEP signature, whereas apatite (and whitlockite) is a common accessory mineral in the lunar samples. Therefore, utilizing apatite for lunar chronology may increase the pool of rocks that are available for U-Pb dating. The low stability of U-Pb systematics of apatite may also result in the resetting of the system during meteoritic bombardment, in which case apatite may provide an additional tool for the study of the impact history of the Moon. In order to investigate these possibilities, we have analysed apatites and zircons from two breccia samples collected during the Apollo 14 mission. Both samples were collected within the Fra Mauro formation, which is interpreted as a material ejected during the impact that formed the Imbrium Basin

Heavy Isotope Composition of Oxygen in Zircon from Soil Sample 14163: Lunar Perspective of an Early Ocean on the Earth

Thirty oxygen analyses of a large (sub-millimetre) zircon grain from the lunar soil sample 14163 have been determined using CAMECA 1270 ion microprobe. The sample 14163 was returned form the Fra Mauro region by Apollo 14 mission. Zircon grain of 0.6-0.8 mm in size extracted from the sample was imaged using CL detector fitted to the Philips Electron Microscope in order to reveal internal structure. Oxygen isotopes have been analysed during two sessions. The first set of data was collected using the original mount where the grain was set in the resin attached to the glass slide. This resulted in the two complications: (i) standard zircon has to be analysed from the separate mount and (ii) the lunar zircon grain was rased in the holder compared to the standard. In order to investigate, if the elevated oxygen compositions observed during this session could have resulted from this difference in geometric configuration during the standard and sample analyses, the lunar zircon was extracted from the original mount, remounted with the standard chip in the new resin disk and reanalysed during the second session. All analyses made during the first session show delta O-18 values heavier than 6.0%. The second set of data has a wider spread of delta O-18 values with some values as low as 5.6%. Nevertheless, a half of observed delta O-18 values in this set is also higher than 6.0%. Slightly lighter oxygen compositions observed during the second session indicate possible dependence of measured delta O-18 values on the geometry of analysed samples. Presence of zircons with similar heavy oxygen isotope compositions on the Moon, which neither had liquid water or felic crust similar to that on the Earth nor ever developed regime similar to plate tectonics, suggests that other mechanisms can be responsible for elevated delta O-18 values in zircons. This implies that there is no support for the presence of an ocean on the surface of the early Earth and as the ocean appears to be an essential ingredient for the plate tectonics, there is no basis for belief that this mechanism was operating in the early history of the planet

Electron effective mass in Al0.72_{0.72}Ga0.28_{0.28}N alloys determined by mid-infrared optical Hall effect

The effective electron mass parameter in Si-doped Al$_{0.72}$Ga$_{0.28}$N is determined to be $m^\ast=(0.336\pm0.020)\,m_0$ from mid-infrared optical Hall effect measurements. No significant anisotropy of the effective electron mass parameter is found supporting theoretical predictions. Assuming a linear change of the effective electron mass with the Al content in AlGaN alloys and $m^\ast=0.232\,m_0$ for GaN, an average effective electron mass of $m^\ast=0.376\,m_0$ can be extrapolated for AlN. The analysis of mid-infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements further confirms the two phonon mode behavior of the E$_1$(TO) and one phonon mode behavior of the A$_1$(LO) phonon mode in high-Al-content AlGaN alloys as seen in previous Raman scattering studies

Creating a national citizen engagement process for energy policy.

This paper examines some of the science communication challenges involved when designing and conducting public deliberation processes on issues of national importance. We take as our illustrative case study a recent research project investigating public values and attitudes toward future energy system change for the United Kingdom. National-level issues such as this are often particularly difficult to engage the public with because of their inherent complexity, derived from multiple interconnected elements and policy frames, extended scales of analysis, and different manifestations of uncertainty. With reference to the energy system project, we discuss ways of meeting a series of science communication challenges arising when engaging the public with national topics, including the need to articulate systems thinking and problem scale, to provide balanced information and policy framings in ways that open up spaces for reflection and deliberation, and the need for varied methods of facilitation and data synthesis that permit access to participants' broader values. Although resource intensive, national-level deliberation is possible and can produce useful insights both for participants and for science policy.Natural Environment Research CouncilLeverhulme TrustWelsh GovernmentUS National Science Foundatio

Messing with nature? Exploring public perceptions of geoengineering in the UK

Anthropogenic influence on the climate – and possible societal responses to it – offers a unique window through which to examine the way people think about and relate to the natural world. This paper reports data from four, one-day deliberative workshops conducted with members of the UK public during early 2012. The workshops focused on geoengineering – the deliberate, large-scale manipulation of the planetary environment – as one of three possible responses to climate change (alongside mitigation and adaptation). Here, we explore one of the most pervasive and wide-ranging themes to emerge from the workshops: whether geoengineering represented an unprecedented human intervention into ‘nature’, and what the moral consequences of this might be. Using the concept of ‘messing with nature’ as an analytical lens, we explore public perceptions of geoengineering. We also reflect on why ‘messing with nature’ was such a focal point for debate and disagreement, and whether the prospect of geoengineering may reveal new dimensions to the way that people think about the natural world, and their relationship to it

Epidemiology of unintentional fatal drowning among migrants in Australia

Objective: This study aimed to describe the epidemiology and risk factors contributing to drowning among migrants in Australia. Methods: A total population retrospective epidemiological study of unintentional drowning deaths in Australia between 1 July 2009 and 30 June 2019 of people born outside Australia (migrants). Cases were extracted from the National Coronial Information System. Descriptive statistics, chi-square and relative risk were calculated. Crude drowning rates were based on country of birth and population in Australia. Results: There were 572 migrant deaths over the study period, 28.9% of total drowning deaths, 82.9% were male. Twenty-one per cent were aged 25–34 years and 40.8% had lived in Australia for 20+ years. Migrants at highest risk of drowning were from: South Korea (2.63/100,000 95%CI: 0.85–8.25), Taiwan (2.29/100,000 95%CI: 0.27–13.44), and Nepal (2.15/100,000 95%CI: 0.23–11.55). Migrants were more likely to drown when around rocks (p<0.001) compared with Australian-born people, who most frequently drowned in rivers (p<0.001). Conclusions: Migrants are not over-represented in drowning statistics. However, unique trends were found for drowning among migrants based on country of birth and length of time in Australia. Implications for public health: Holistic drowning prevention strategies and policies are required to effectively lower drowning risk among migrant communities