Establishing relationships between morphology and behaviour in response to environmental selection pressures are crucial to understand the evolution of diversity within groups such as the hominoids. Muscle architecture (fascicle length and physiological cross-sectional area) fro…
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Producing reliable estimates of changes in precipitation at local- and regional-scales remains an important challenge in climate change science. Statistical downscaling methods are often utilised to bridge the gap between the coarse resolution of General Circulation Models (GCMs…
The root cause of the majority of environmental problems lies not in surface manifestations such as carbon dioxide and ozone, but with social and cultural factors that encourage people to consume far more than they need. Environmental education can be divided into two main kinds…
The concept of uncertainty plays a significant role in higher education in the 21st century. However; the pedagogy of uncertainty tends to focus on ontology and the feelings of uncertainty experienced by teachers and students, as opposed to treating it as an epistemological conc…
Natural aquatic colloids (solids with dimensions between 1 nm and 1 micron) were studied in cave waters that feed secondary carbonates [speleothems]. Results show that during hydrologically quiescent periods, trace metal (Tr) binding (e.g. Cu, Ni, Co) is dominated by humic-like,…
This thesis presents the results of a 6-year research project to investigate the radioecology of temperate coastal sand dunes. Samples (n = 617) of soil, water and biota were collected from the Drigg coastal sand dunes (West Cumbria, UK) between February 2005 and October 2007. B…
Exposed Riverine Sediments (ERS) are highly dynamic habitats that support large numbers of rare and scarce invertebrates. ERS are characterised by a high diversity of microhabitats and microclimates. The thesis aimed to assess ERS habitats at a micro, patch and reach scale addre…
The work investigates if fly ash from Ekibatuz Power Plant can stabilise low concentrations of mercury in the environment and prevent it from becoming soluble in water and in preventing it transforming into the methylated form. The work demonstrates that mercury bound to fly ash…
In the United Kingdom a large proportion of agricultural land is laid to grass which is used for grazing and also harvested for animal feed. Grass is also potentially the crop most suited to energy production in the UK because of its high yield, low maintenance and suitability f…
Heavy metals in air, soil and water are a global problem and present a growing threat to the environment. These metals may have profound consequences for birds and can cause a number of sub-lethal effects, such as decreased reproductive success. The concentrations of selected he…
In the UK, the domestic sector accounts for around 30% of fuel-use and energy related carbon emissions, and therefore has the potential to deliver significant reductions in carbon dioxide emissions. The purpose of this work is to form and examine various heat and electricity sup…
Food sovereignty is an alternative agricultural and rural development paradigm advocated by the international peasant movement La Vía Campesina. This investigation analyses food sovereignty through a historical cross-scale analysis focusing on the livelihoods of peasants in the …
Recalcitrant organic compounds remain a key challenge in landfill leachate management as they are resistant to microbial degradation and have potential to damage the water environment. Conventional leachate characterisation methods are time consuming and limited by their inabili…
Dealing with municipal solid waste has become a problematic issue in the United Kingdom (UK). With actions to mitigate the potentially adverse impacts of climate change debate and space for, and costs of, landfill becoming critical, a landfilldominated strategy is no longer acce…
Over the past decade, there has been an ever increasing interest in the relationship between weather and climate and how they are portrayed artistically. The representations of skies, atmosphere, weather, climate and climate change through a variety of artistic media have been c…
This thesis assesses seasonal hydrological prediction in Great Britain. Firstly, the study evaluates river flow prediction using climate model output to drive a rainfall-runoff model in the Dyfi basin, Wales. Results show that climate model precipitation can not skilfully simula…
British wetlands are used by many different resident and migratory wildfowl species for some or all of the winter months. The Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) is a scheme set up with the objectives of assessing the size of waterbird populations, determining trends in numbers and distr…
This thesis aims to develop the foundations for a new validation strategy for route-based road weather forecasts that will enable validation of route-based models at a vastly improved spatial and temporal resolution, and in doing so provide a tool for rapid appraisal of new mode…
Nanotechnology, a new science discipline, which studies design, characterization, production and applications of materials with sizes 1-100 nm, has marked a new breakthrough in technological development. It promises to revolutionise many aspects of modern life. However, with inc…