Researchers have uncovered how animals in Antarctica managed to survive glacial periods thousands of years ago when sea-ice encroached on their habitats. DNA evidence indicates that sea creatures used a variety of techniques, from surviving in the deep sea, to retreating into pools of unfrozen seawater. Scientists hope that by looking back in time it will help predict the likely impact of global warming on the Southern Ocean.

Natural climate cycles have caused massive glaciations on 40,000 and 100,000 year cycles over the past five million years. At times of maximum glaciation, sea-ice extended out into the Southern Ocean blocking sunlight from the surface waters, preventing phytoplankton from photosynthesising and hence cutting the food chain off at its source.

Additionally, massive glaciers and ice-sheets extended far out onto the continental shelf, scoring the sea-floor and destroying the habitat of many animals.

Biologists have never understood how animals in the seas surrounding Antarctica survived these Pliocene-Pleistocene glacial cycles. Was all the fauna of the Southern Ocean destroyed? Were animals able to seek refuge in the deep sea and recolonise from there?  Or did marine animals seek refuge outside of the Southern Ocean and recolonise Antarctica from other Oceans?

In a paper published in Trends in Ecology & Evolution, researchers at National University of Ireland Galway and La Trobe University in Australia provide the answer.

Dr Louise Allcock, a zoologist from National University of Ireland Galway’s Ryan Institute, explains: “We found the answer in the DNA of animals that are found in the Southern Ocean today. I’ve been studying Antarctic octopuses for many years and looking at the patterns of variation in their DNA. As I looked at other people’s research on other animals, to compare their findings to my own, I noticed that there were some consistent patterns.  One of the patterns we saw was that some animals had very limited variation, with large numbers of individuals having exactly the same DNA sequence at a given gene region.  This is consistent with a population bottleneck – ie, a massive reduction in the number of individuals in a short space of time. We can tie this with the survival of a tiny population on the continental shelf during glacial maxima. And, in fact, there’s evidence from glaciology and other physical sciences that ‘polynyas’ – small areas free of sea ice – did persist during glacial maxima.”

This was not the only pattern that researchers found however. By examining all the available published research they were able to identify at least four different patterns, each one relating to a different survival and recolonisation strategy. This improved understanding of survival mechanisms and the interpretation of molecular data will help scientists predict the likely impact of global warming on the Southern Ocean.

According to Dr Jan Strugnell, of the Department of Genetics, at La Trobe University: “There has been a recent marked increase in the number of studies using DNA to try and better understand the processes that have shaped the evolution of different animal groups that live in the Southern Ocean.  By looking at all of these studies together, and taking into account their life history characteristics, we were able to detect patterns which give clues to how animal lineages have survived glacial cycles in the Southern Ocean.  The different patterns give signatures for survival in ice free refugia on the continental shelf for some animal lineages and for survival in deep sea refugia in others.”

NUI Galway’s Ryan Institute for Environmental, Marine and Energy Research will be officially launched on Tuesday, 10 July, by Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, the EU Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science. The Ryan Institute has over 300 researchers making it Ireland’s largest research institute to focus on some of the most pressing environmental and energy issues of the 21st century.

The official launch will coincide with a public symposium entitled ‘Green Shift, Blue Growth, Bright Future?’ featuring leading international experts in the environmental marine, energy and smart infrastructure research.

The symposium will be opened by Pat Rabbitte TD, Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. The keynote address, ‘A global perspective on the environment in 2040’, will be delivered by Dr Aaron Bernstein, Director of the Centre for Health and the Global Environment atHarvardMedicalSchool. He is co-author of the acclaimed book Sustaining Life, which examines the threats that diminishing biodiversity pose to human health.

Other speakers at the symposium will include: Dr Kristina Johnson, former Under Secretary for Energy at the Department of Energy inWashington,DC; Dr Diarmuid O’Donovan, Centre for Health from Environment, Ryan Institute; Dr Lisa Amini, Head of IBM’s Smarter Cities Technology Centre inDublin; and Dr Niall McDonough, European Science Foundation.

In the afternoon, sessions will focus on national and regional issues, with a specific focus on how Ryan Institute research can feed into regional development. Members of the Galway 2040 Initiative, whose supporters are interested in developing a vision and plan for sustainable development of Galwaycity and county, will be contributing strongly to the discussions.

Other high-profile guests and researchers will stimulate discussion on some of the most important technological, scientific and socio-economic global and local perspectives on environmental, marine and energy issues.

NUI Galway’s formal research in this area goes back to the early-1990s when a donation from Dr Tony Ryan, founder of Ryanair, was made in memory of his father Martin. The symposium is free and all are welcomed to be involved. Registration and programme details for the day can be found on www.conference.ie.

Wavebob has been recognised as one of Ireland’s leading engineering and research companies by winning the SmartBay Innovator of the Year Award. Wavebob was recognised for innovation, engineering and leadership in the emerging wave energy market.

Four additional companies were also recognised for their contribution to innovation and research by leading international companies. IBM presented an award to SonarSim; Intel presented an award to Episensor; Veolia presented an award to Techworks Marine; and Microsoft presented an award to IDS Monitoring – all members of the SmartOcean innovation cluster.

Andrew Parish, chief executive of Wavebob.

Ireland’s SmartOcean innovation cluster is a network of companies, academic research groups, and State agencies with a collective focus on the strategic development of Ireland’s Marine assets and resources. It is focused on leveraging technological innovation for economic impact. Within the SmartOcean Cluster, a wide range of technologies coalesce as new innovative products and solutions addressing new emerging markets.

Andrew Parish, chief executive of Wavebob, comments: “We are delighted to receive this award – it is great recognition from a cluster of companies all working together in the pursuit of commercial opportunities in the marine sector. We have benefited from being part of the SmartOcean innovation cluster through access to world class skill-sets and technology which co-exist in the SME and multinational companies in the cluster. This approach is directly in line with Wavebob’s strategy of working with strategic partners.”

The awards were announced following the Inaugural SmartOcean Innovation Exchange, as part of the SmartOcean Conference.  Sponsored by SmartBay Ireland, the event was hosted at the Ocean Wealth Pavilion of the Volvo-Global Business Village.

Declan Gavigan, a PhD student from NUI Galway’s College of Engineering and Informatics and the Ryan Institute, recently received the Top Young Engineers’ Award. He was awarded the prize for a paper he presented on ‘Strength and durability performance of stabilised soil block masonry units’ at the recent International Association of Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE) Conference.

This conference attracted 120 delegates from around 30 countries and included sessions on Sustainable Development and Structural Engineering; Structural Engineering and Renewable Energy Sources; Smart Structures, New Materials and Construction Techniques.

Dr Jamie Goggins, Chartered Engineer and Principle Investigator for this research project at NUI Galway, comments: “Declan’s paper on ‘Strength and durability performance of stabilised soil block masonry units’ is an important document in the research into stabilised soil blocks or SSBs as they are commonly known. Although there is ample literature on the application of SSBs in tropical countries, their potential use in a European climate has not been fully investigated. Declan is part of an NUI Galway Sustainability and the Built Environment research group, which is currently investigating the feasibility and suitability of SSBs for use in a European context through extensive testing in terms of durability, strength and appearance.”

Stabilised soil blocks are cost-effective masonry blocks formed by compressing a suitable mixture of soil, cement and water into a mould. These masonry units have a low impact on the environment, as their main component, the soil, is often sourced directly from the site of construction. SSBs are extensively used in the construction of both structural and non-structural elements in many developing countries. SSBs have less negative impact on the environment than alternative masonry technologies, such as clay fired bricks or concrete masonry blocks. The most commonly-used stabiliser used in the manufacture of SSBs is Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), which is their most expensive and energy-intensive ingredient. Replacing OPC with alternative waste materials and by‐products is a cost‐effective process, and their use in SSBs can benefit the environment, especially where disposal to landfill is the alternative.

The ability of blocks to resist prevailing rain, wetting and drying cycles, freezing and thawing cycles, and chemical attack are critical if there are to be applicable in a European climate. The extensive laboratory studies carried out as part of this research projects indicate that SSBs have adequate durability for typical use in the construction of buildings in Europe. In addition, the research has shown that SSBs containing waste materials and by-products as cement replacements can have adequate, and sometime superior performance to specimens containing OPC only as a stabiliser.

On the other hand, utilising waste products in the manufacture of the blocks such as pulverised fuel ash (pfa) from peat-fired power plants have been shown to reduce the performance of SSBs. As an output from this research project, the development of a comprehensive code of practice and design guidelines on the manufacturing and use of SSBs is envisaged to aid the future commercial development of SSBs.

This research project is associated with the priority thematic area ‘Sustainability and the Built Environment’ of the Ryan Institute at NUI Galway.

University of Leicester researchers are set to use new technology they have developed to monitor the impact of increased traffic on pollution levels in London during the Olympics. The 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games are expected to draw 11 million visitors from around the world to the UK’s capital for seven weeks, and 3 million extra car journeys are anticipated on the busiest day.

The team of researchers will use their CityScan technology, which gathers scattered sunlight to scan whole cities and take readings of air quality, to investigate the impact of this extra traffic on pollution. Rather than existing technology, which can only give an accurate reading for certain ‘hotspots’, CityScan can show the air quality over every point of the city – including individual roads, playgrounds and other buildings. It will also reveal the days and times when pollution levels are at their highest.

Sensors will be set up on a 30-storey building in North Kensington and a 14-storey building in Chelsea, in the west of the city, as well as a third location which is yet be determined.

The sensors will give readings of nitrogen dioxide, which is produced from traffic emissions and can decrease lung function and increase the risk from respiratory illnesses, including bronchitis and asthma.

The technology is already being tested in Leicester, and the scientists hope their findings will help councils all around the country improve environmental planning and traffic management issues.

Scientists and food industry experts in the UK are hatching a plan to turn egg shells into plastics that could be used to manufacture anything from food packaging to construction materials. They also hope to extract material from egg shells that may prove valuable in the pharmaceutical industry.

The Food and Drink iNet is funding a research project at the University of Leicester which is looking at eggs and egg shells in a new light. The project aims to find useful ways of recycling egg shells which are currently regarded as waste by food producers and which they have to pay to dispose of in landfill. The Food and Drink iNet coordinates specialist support to stimulate innovation in the food and drink sector to increase competitiveness, sustainability and growth.

Scientists in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Leicester, specialising in ‘green chemistry’ and sustainable materials are looking at how to extract glycosaminoglycans, proteins which are found in egg shells. GAGs are used in numerous biomedical applications and could prove useful in the pharmaceutical industry.

They are also hoping to identify ways to use the egg shells as fillers which could be used to ‘bulk up’ different grades of plastic, with all sorts of applications from ready meal food trays to shop fittings. The ultimate goal is to use the egg shells in packaging to protect egg products – giving a second lease of life to the egg shell in the very role it was created for – a true case of recycling.

New research suggests that melting sea ice is weakening the Arctic Ocean’s ability to capture and store atmospheric carbon. The study, carried out at the Catlin Arctic Survey’s Ice Base in March and April 2010 by a team at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Canada, focuses on the efficiency of an important biological ‘pump’ that captures atmospheric carbon near the sea surface and then draws it down and stores it on the sea floor.

Phytoplankton (plant plankton), near the sea surface, capture atmospheric carbon and store it as non-sinking microscopic particles. Although these particles do not themselves sink, their sticky nature means they can capture heavier organic debris and become sufficiently dense that they fall to the ocean floor as ‘marine snow’, effectively removing significant amounts of atmospheric CO2 to the deep ocean for thousands of years.

The findings also show that carbon-rich gel-like particles (so-called transparent exopolymer particles or TEPs) are stored in the sea ice during winter and are released into the water column during early spring. TEPs are an important feature in the carbon cycle as they both capture carbon and also give ‘marine snow’ its stickiness, enabling it to attract organic debris and therefore sink.

Future increases in surface freshwater from melting sea-ice will likely further strengthen water layering and could change carbon draw-down in the Arctic Ocean. Coupled with the continuing retreat of sea-ice, this has implications for the capacity of the Arctic Ocean to mitigate increasing atmospheric CO2 emissions via carbon capture.

The oceans represent the largest active carbon sink on earth, absorbing more than a quarter of the carbon dioxide that humans put into the air. According to a recent estimate, the Arctic is responsible for 5% to 14% of the world’s CO2 uptake, although it accounts for only 3% of its ocean surface area.

The Catlin Arctic Survey, sponsored by global specialty insurer and reinsurer Catlin Group, involves an ‘Ice Base’ and an ‘Explorer Team’.

New research at the University of Leicester in England is using nanotechnology to create energy efficient materials. With the increasing worldwide demand for energy there is a pressure to use the finite energy resources wisely whilst reducing one of the major areas of energy consumption, transportation, which accounts for more than 20% of the world’s total primary energy and produces much of the world’s pollution.

Alternative fuels, such as bio-fuels, hydrogen fuels, fuel cells and electric batteries, being developed by the automotive industry need further development and a considerable time for their full adaptation into transportation, including passenger cars, trucks, aircrafts and trains.

A postgraduate researcher with the Department of Engineering, Sinan Kandemir is fabricating light and strong resistant materials with nano-additives to create lighter components for automotive and aerospace industries that will help improve energy efficiency, minimise CO2 emissions and preserve the environment. By using a novel processing technique, ultrasonic method, to disperse aluminium-based nano-particles homogenously through the liquid, his research promises quicker results while the industry is making advances with alternative fuels.

“The Kyoto agreement and the European Commission suggest that the automotive manufacturers should reduce their vehicle weight to minimise CO2 emissions and conserve finite oil (fossil fuel) reserves,” Sinan Kandemir explains. “Although light materials, including aluminium and magnesium, have been proposed to replace denser materials, such as steel in the automotive industry, they exhibit low strength. Nano-sized ceramic particles can be incorporated into light metals to modify the physical properties of established materials in a huge variety of automotive components.”

He adds: “These nano-composite materials save weight and offer greater performance whilst contributing to the fuel efficiency and reducing green house gases released into the atmosphere.”

Research by a University of Leicester student has identified an environmentally friendly alternative to a major industrial use of oil. Abdelghaffar Abdelmalik, who is studying for a PhD in the University’s Department of Engineering, has discovered a way to treat palm kernel oil so that it can be used to insulate electrical transformers.

Transformers use petroleum-derived oil as insulation between electrical components but this makes them reliant on fossil fuels and also causes environmental problems if there is a leak. Abdelghaffar Abdelmalik is exploring the possibility of using a derivative of palm kernel oil which is environmentally friendly, non-toxic and has suitable properties such as low viscosity and low conductivity. This would extend the life of electrical transformers and greatly reduce the effects of leakage.

His research has already been acknowledged as significant by the Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation Society, part of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, which last year awarded him a $5,000 research grant to support his innovative work.

“The results of the work done so far are encouraging,” says Abdelghaffar Abdelmalik. “There are indications that this research may produce a sustainable and all-purpose electrical insulating fluid that would serve as an effective alternative to mineral-based insulating oil.”

Scotland can realise the employment, economic and environmental benefits of carbon storage. A consortium of Scottish Government, industry and researchers has shown that rocks deep beneath the Moray Firth are capable of storing decades of CO2 output from Scotland’s power stations. This emerging Carbon Capture and Storage {CCS} industry could create at least 13,000 new Scottish jobs by 2020.

These are key findings of the report, ‘Progressing Scotland’s CO2 storage opportunities’, which was recently published.

Detailed research calculates that rock, known as the Captain Sandstone, buried more than half a mile beneath the Moray Firth could store at least 15 years’, and potentially a century’s worth of CO2 output from Scotland’s power industry. Professor Eric Mackay from Scottish Carbon Capture and Storage (SCCS), says “This is an exciting and landmark moment in the development of carbon capture and storage. The Captain Sandstone is just one of many rock formations filled with salt water in the central and northern North Sea. We have shown that this is a feasible site that could store massive amounts of CO2, helping the UK meet its targets for carbon emissions reduction. The future potential for this and other areas of the North Sea is immense.”

The SCCS research, funded by Scottish Government and a group of businesses within the energy sector, also showed that carbon capture and storage could create 13,000 jobs in Scotland by 2020, and another 14,000 elsewhere in the UK, spread across a wide range of skills. This would increase in subsequent years. Properly developed, the UK’s share of worldwide carbon capture and storage business could be worth more than £10 billion a year by around 2025.

Professor Mackay continues: “Our research indicates CO2 output captured from a fossil fuel-fired power station, like the existing plant at Longannet or Peterhead or any future capture projects such as at Hunterston, could be stored beneath the North Sea. The unique combination of government, industry and research capability provides Scotland with the opportunity to lead the way in the development of CCS. We look forward to further assessment of this and other parts of the North Sea to maximise the economic benefits.”

Scottish Energy Minister Jim Mather says: “This latest research further strengthens Scotland’s position as the number one location for CCS technology development and deployment in the world. In depleted oil and gas fields and in its natural geology, the North Sea has an amazing carbon storage potential – the largest offshore storage capacity in Europe – offering up the prospect of thousands of new low carbon jobs being created in Scotland as CCS technology develops.”

Scotland’s potentially massive offshore CO2 storage capacity is of European significance. The European Union has specified that three of the eight CCS demonstrator plants that it will fund under its multi-billion euro demonstrator programme must inject into saline aquifers. The results from this study place Scotland in a strong position to secure future EU support for more detailed assessment of CO2 storage in saline aquifers.

To guarantee precise spending of EU research funds to help achieve the EU 2020 objectives in terms of wind energy production, 140 stakeholders have been selected as members of the EU’s Technology Platform for Wind Energy, supported by the European Commission and the 27 EU Member States.

The General Assembly of the Technology Platform (TPWind) is made up of stakeholders from industry, government, civil society, R&D institutions, finance organisations and the wider power sector, at both Member State and EU level.

Chairman of the Executive Committee is Henning Kruse, head of governmental affairs at Siemens Wind Power. The EU Member States will be represented by a Member States Group, chaired by the UK. An advisory board includes experts from the International Energy Agency and the European Network of Transmission System Operators (ENTSO-E) and other relevant stakeholders from the wind energy, ocean energy, steel, oil & gas and shipping sectors.

The newly selected group of the Technology Platform will coordinate the EU’s wind power research until 2014. It will ensure that EU funds are not double spent on same projects in different EU Member States. The wind energy sector has a budget of Eur6 billion for 2010 to 2020 under the ‘European Wind Initiative’ – a long-term, large-scale programme for EU wind energy R&D. EWI is rooted in the EU Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan) now being implemented by EU Institutions, Member States and TPWind.

Environmental engineers performing particle dispersion studies and other high performance environmental engineering research who need speed, accuracy and portability for their Fortran code can now obtain the newest release of what is widely regarded as one of the best checking compilers – Fortran Builder 5.2 (www.nag.com/market/np/fortranbuilder) from the Numerical Algorithms Group (NAG). This release features a virtually complete implementation of the latest Fortran 2003 standard and an integrated development environment.

NAG Fortran Builder is for the Microsoft Windows environment and provides a Fortran-aware editor, build system, GUI debugger and help system for Fortran. The NAG Fortran Compiler is also available for other platforms.

Key new NAG Fortran Compiler features include:

* More information, including line number, displayed in runtime messages

* More Fortran 2003 Features

* Quad precision real and complex

* I/O library multi-threaded for performance

* Improved RANDOM_NUMBER generator.

With origins in several UK universities, the Numerical Algorithms Group (www.nag.com) has its headquarters in Oxford, and is a not-for-profit organisation that collaborates with world-leading researchers and practitioners in academia and industry.