Water temperature dynamics in High Arctic river basins

Despite the high sensitivity of polar regions to climate change and the strong influence of temperature upon ecosystem processes, contemporary understanding of water temperature dynamics in Arctic river systems is limited. This research gap was addressed by exploring high-resolution water column thermal regimes for glacier-fed and non-glacial rivers at eight sites across Svalbard during the 2010 melt season. Mean water column temperatures in glacier-fed rivers (0.3-3.2 °C) were lowest and least variable near the glacier terminus but increased downstream (0.7-2.3 °C km ). Non-glacial rivers, where discharge was sourced primarily from snowmelt runoff, were warmer (mean: 2.9-5.7 °C) and more variable, indicating increased water residence times in shallow alluvial zones and increased potential for atmospheric influence. Mean summer water temperature and the magnitude of daily thermal variation were similar to those of some Alaskan Arctic rivers but low at all sites when compared with alpine glacierized environments at lower latitudes. Thermal regimes were correlated strongly (p<0.01) with incoming short-wave radiation, air temperature, and river discharge. Principal drivers of thermal variability were inferred to be (i) water source (i.e. glacier melt, snowmelt, groundwater); (ii) exposure time to the atmosphere; (iii) prevailing meteorological conditions; (iv) river discharge; (v) runoff interaction with permafrost and buried ice; and (vi) basin-specific geomorphological features (e.g. channel morphology). These results provide insight into the potential changes in high-latitude river systems in the context of projected warming in polar regions. We hypothesize that warmer and more variable temperature regimes may prevail in the future as the proportion of bulk discharge sourced from glacial meltwater declines and rivers undergo a progressive shift towards snow water and groundwater sources. Importantly, such changes could have implications for aquatic species diversity and abundance and influence rates of ecosystem functioning in high-latitude river systems

UK Business perceptions of sustainability: A psychological examination of theory and practice

The increasing levels of sustainability rhetoric emanating from the UK government and business organisations appear to indicate that the sustainability paradigm has been embraced by UK Business. The degree of this acceptance is examined through the analysis of the annual Britain’s Most Admired Companies (BMAC) survey conducted by the British Chartered Management Institute (CMI) between the periods 1994-2011 involving on average two hundred and thirty eight companies per survey. The analysis demonstrates that on every occasion the corporate social and environmental category has ranked last amongst corporate managements’ perceptions. These perceptions are evaluated through applying the lens of psychological sustainability and through the education and knowledge of corporate management where traditional financial and management paradigms still dominate. An exception to this status quo is the Co-Op Bank which has dominant sustainability credentials but which has been consistently ranked lower in the overall survey

All systems GO for understanding mouse gene function

It is widely supposed that the tissue specificity of gene expression indicates gene function. Now, an extensive analysis of gene expression in the mouse reveals that quantitative measurement of expression levels in different tissues can contribute powerfully to the prediction of gene function

Electrometry of a single resonator mode at a Rydberg-atom–superconducting-circuit interface

The electric-field distribution in a single mode of a λ/4 superconducting coplanar waveguide (CPW) microwave resonator has been probed using beams of helium Rydberg atoms. In the experiments the atoms were prepared in the 1s55s3S1 Rydberg level by laser photoexcitation. They then traveled over the CPW resonator that was fabricated on a NbN superconducting chip operated at 3.8 K. The resonator was driven at its third-harmonic frequency, near resonant with the two-photon 1s55s3S1→1s56s3S1 transition at ω55s,56s/2=2π×19.556499 GHz. The coherence times of the atom–resonator-field interaction were determined at selected locations above the resonator by time-domain measurements of Rabi oscillations and found to be up to 0.8μs for Rabi frequencies of ∼2π×3 MHz. The coherence times of the atomic superposition states, generated following the interaction of the atoms with the microwave field in the resonator, were inferred from high-resolution cavity-enhanced Ramsey spectra to be ∼2.5μs. These Ramsey spectra also allowed the measurement of residual uncanceled dc electric fields of 26.6±0.6 mV/cm at the position of the atoms ∼300μm above the surface of the superconducting chip. These results represent an essential step toward applications of hybrid systems, comprising Rydberg atoms coherently coupled to superconducting microwave circuits, in quantum optics and quantum information processing

New observations on Saturnella saturnus (Steinecke) Fott: the first British record of a little-known enigmatic ‘green’ alga

Saturnella saturnus was discovered in March 2014 in open-water pools on blanket peatland at the Moor House - Upper Teesdale National Nature Reserve, straddling Cumbria and County Durham in NE England. This is the first record for the British Isles of a little-known alga known previously only from a few peat bog areas, mainly in mainland Europe. The literature is reviewed and new observations presented on its morphology and reproduction based on LM examination of living cells. New observations on the chloroplast structure and cytoplasmic inclusions (especially oil droplets) are discussed in relation to the findings of earlier studies. Doubt attaches as whether it is a chlorophyte or a xanthophyte and the identity of small spherical inclusions that have been frequently interpreted as autospores. It occurs in Upper Teesdale in pools that are that are small, relatively newly formed and mostly well-oxygenated. Also discussed is its relationship to Trochiscia, another coloniser of peatland pools. Photographic images are presented for the first time and comments made on its ecology in the context of blanket bog conservation projects and apparent rarity

Experimental evidence that predator range expansion modifies alpine stream community structure

Climate change is projected to facilitate altitudinal range expansions of ‘lowland’ taxa, creating novel species interactions. However, how range shifts will alter biotic interactions and community structure in alpine streams is not well understood. In the Pyrénées, climate-induced physicochemical habitat change is hypothesized to facilitate the colonization of high-altitude streams by Perla grandis, a carnivorous stonefly. A field-based experiment was conducted in mesocosm channels beside a hillslope spring (2000 m asl) in the Taillon-Gabiétous catchment, French Pyrénées. The influence of P. grandis predation on community structure, feeding trait composition, body-size spectrum, and algal chlorophyll a concentration was examined. Gut contents were analyzed and used to identify consumed prey. Total invertebrate density was not significantly reduced by P. grandis, but Baetis spp. densities were depressed in the treatment channels through a combination of direct consumption and predator avoidance (emigration/drift). However, despite fewer grazers in the predator treatment channels, the magnitude of the trophic cascade effect on basal resources (measured as chlorophyll a density) was comparable between treatment and control channels. The results of this experiment suggest that size/species-specific predation, intraguild predation, and interference competition are the likely mechanisms that altered the body-size spectrum in treatment channels. In synergy with climate-driven physicochemical habitat change, the extinction risk of some range-restricted taxa (prey and other predators) could be increased where P. grandis colonization occurs. Hence, conservation efforts are required to ensure that additional anthropogenic stressors (e.g., nutrient enrichment, cattle trampling, hydropower development, ski runs, and tourism) are limited to minimize further pressures on these unique and sensitive habitats

Evaluation of turbulence closure models under spilling and plunging breakers in the surf zone

Turbulence closure models are evaluated for application to spilling and plunging breakers in the surf zone using open source computational fluid dynamics software. A new library of turbulence models for application to multiphase flows has been developed and is assessed for numerical efficiency and accuracy by comparing against existing laboratory data for surface elevation, velocity and turbulent kinetic energy profiles. Out of the models considered, it was found that, overall, the best model is the nonlinear k - ϵ model. The model is also shown to exhibit different turbulent characteristics between the different breaker types, consistent with experimental data

Resource use data by patient report or hospital records: Do they agree?

Background: Economic evaluations alongside clinical trials are becoming increasingly common. Cost data are often collected through the use of postal questionnaires; however, the accuracy of this method is uncertain. We compared postal questionnaires with hospital records for collecting data on physiotherapy service use. Methods: As part of a randomised trial of orthopaedic medicine compared with orthopaedic surgery we collected physiotherapy use data on a group of patients from retrospective postal questionnaires and from hospital records. Results: 315 patients were referred for physiotherapy. Hospital data on attendances was available for 30% (n = 96), compared with 48% (n = 150) of patients completing questionnaire data (95% Cl for difference = 10% to 24%); 19% (n = 59) had data available from both sources. The two methods produced an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.54 (95% Cl 0.31 to 0.70). However, the two methods produced significantly different estimates of resource use with patient self report recalling a mean of 1.3 extra visits (95% Cl 0.4 to 2.2) compared with hospital records. Conclusions: Using questionnaires in this study produced data on a greater number of patients compared with examination of hospital records. However, the two data sources did differ in the quantity of physiotherapy used and this should be taken into account in any analysi