What's Lurking in Our Ice, Mud & Rivers?

Rivers often look clean, but DNA can tell a very different story. Using Microbial Source Tracking (MST), we can trace where faecal pollution really comes in our rivers (e.g. wildlife, livestock, or even humans). Isabel explores how citizen scientists across the UK are helping collect and analyse DNA from rivers to uncover pollution sources and protect our rivers health.

Rapid landslides (debris flows) usually contain a mix of soil particle sizes, saturated with a high proportion of water. Often larger coarse particles, such as boulders, are the cause for concern and rightly so. However, small particles, such as clays, are just as important. These tiny particles also have a role in determining the natural hazard’s speed and reach. This talk will cover debris flow motion, and some physical experiments to determine how significant microscopic particles are. Featuring slow motion videos!

When most people picture the Arctic, they think snow. Lesser known is the essential vegetation of the Arctic which helps make the Arctic one of the largest soil carbon stores. Concerningly, Arctic vegetation is undergoing rapid change resulting from climate change, putting critical soil carbon stores at risk and leading to local and global impacts. This talk will demonstrate the global benefits of Arctic vegetation and soil, the increasing threats they face and the challenges of Arctic fieldwork.