Emma Cochrane successfully defended her PhD thesis in Thurso on 19 Aug. 2010.

Silvia Batchelli successfully defended her PhD in Inverness on 1 Sep. 2010.

A North group is leading research into the amount of carbon released into the air from peat bogs

26 August 2010 15:38 GMT

A Thurso-based research team is being asked to help quantify carbon-absorbent properties of the flow country.

The move is aimed at highlighting how important the expanse of blanket bog is to realising Scottish and UK Government climate change targets.

A conservation body is taking the initiative which it believes can help make the case for a new round of public funding to restore damage done to the 400,000 hectare site.

An official from the International Union for Conservation of Nature was in north Sutherland today to discuss a tie-up with North Highland College's Environment Research Institute.

The visit of Clifton Bain, the director of the IUCN's UK peatland programme, coincided with the launch of a public consultation into its commission of inquiry into peatland restoration.

Mr Bain said its efforts have been boosted by the recent agreement to include peatland restoration in Government climate change programmes.

This extends retrospectively to 1990, the base year for the international drive to curb carbon emissions. He said climate change scientists believe that 10% of emissions to the atmosphere are caused by damage to peat bogs.

Millions of pounds of public money has been spent in recent years in the flow country to cut down trees and block drains installed from a major upsurge in private forestation in the 1980s and 1990s.

This has led to 10,000 hectares being restored though three times that area remains to be done with no money yet committed. Edinburgh-based Mr Bain believes the ERI is ideally sited and resourced to carry out the research required.

Stuart Gibb, director of the ERI - part of the UHI Millennium Institute network - is seeking to firm up funding to go ahead with a research project.

He said the international importance of the flow country is growing as people realise the vital role blanket peatlands can play in climate change. MSP Rob Gibson, a member of the cross-party climate change committee, is in no doubt about its significance.

Mr Gibson said the research project would be of great interest to scientists and politicians in many other countries.

Resource from STV News.

PhD and researcher Opportunities - Marine Renewable Energy and the Environment

Full descriptions of these projects and details of how to apply can be found at Recruitment section.

Part of talk by Prof. John McClatchey.

Please visit the link. 

As wave, tidal and offshore wind-power generation technologies are rolled out across the Scottish Highlands and Islands, a Caithness organisation is creating a team of more than 20 experts to carve a specialism in addressing the new industry's environmental issues.

The Environmental Research Institute is putting together the specialist academics, technical and support staff to tackle areas including assessing wave and tidal resources, monitoring ecological and wildlife impacts of power devices, and planning for environmental and community sustainability.

"Despite rapid development of marine generating devices - often pioneered in this region - knowledge of environmental issues is much less advanced and we have the opportunity to establish academic leadership in this field," said ERI Director, Professor Stuart Gibb.

ERI is to open the £3million Centre for Energy and the Environment at its location in Thurso, beside the Pentland Firth which this month became the location of the world's first commercial wave and tidal leasing round, for major energy developments on ten sites from Caithness to Orkney.

With a management team in place and £4million funding for a multi-topic research project, ERI are now recruiting a programme leader and researchers. The £4million will fund the Marine Renewable Energy and the Environment (MaREE) programme, which ERI will lead, in partnership with the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) in Dunstaffnage, Argyll.

Professor Gibb said: With some of the world's best natural resources and a leading-edge in renewables technologies, the Highlands and Islands region is developing a worldwide reputation in the marine renewables sector. Our role is to advance understanding of the, often complex and challenging, marine environmental issues.

"This task will bring significant numbers of new knowledge-based jobs to the area. Through them we aim to achieve the highest academic standards and ensure the value of the work - from contributing to sustainable development to engaging our young people through the education sector - is fully realised"

In just a decade, ERI, together with SAMS, has achieved recognition for high academic standards through the national Research Assessment Exercise programme, which has classified 85 per cent of its work as of international quality, ranking it second only to Edinburgh University in its field in Scotland, and 13th in the UK.

Funding for the MaREE programme, which will account for about 13 of ERI's new team, including four PhD students, has come from the EU, Scottish Funding Council and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. Apart from personnel, it enables the two institutes - both partners in UHI, the emergent University of the Highlands and Islands - to acquire key equipment, from an undersea remotely operated vehicle to imaging sonar, for use from their coastal survey vessels.

ERI's Centre for Energy and the Environment, a sustainably-designed complex of laboratory, workshop, seminar and other resources is due for completion before the end of the year.

The Crown Estate's wave and tidal leasing round for the Pentland Firth, announced on March 16, allowed developers to enter planning consent processes - including environmental assessments - on 10 different marine sites from Caithness to Orkney. Their total proposed installed capacity by 2020, at 1.2 gigawatts, is similar to that of a large nuclear power station.

Resource from HI energy

ERI and SAMS now seek to appoint dynamic, enthusiastic and well-motivated research scientists to address environmental research priorities in the following areas:

• Climatology, physical oceanography and remote sensing (ERI)
  
• Marine ecology and environmental impacts (SAMS & ERI)
  
• Sustainable development (ERI)

For further information on these exciting opportunities and details of how to apply to either institution please visit recruitment section.

Intertidal rocky shores can be stressful places for the organisms that live there. Rock temperatures may change by > 30 °C over a few minutes as the tide comes in, surfaces are submerged or exposed to air and desiccating conditions for hours on end and of course there are huge physical forces exerted by breaking waves. Exploration of these shores often reveals striking aggregations of animals, typically in association with some topographic feature of the shore, e.g. crevices, pits, hummocks or rockpools (Figure 1). Why might this be? Such associations are normally assumed to be because these features ameliorate conditions or provide a valuable resource, such as food or shelter from predators. Some of the most common assumptions are that crevices provide habitat that is cooler and more humid than surrounding areas and where animals are less likely to be dislodged or damaged by waves. Assumptions are frequently made about what affects the distributions of animals, but these are seldom backed-up by empirical evidence and data are few.

Cracks and crevices are often prevalent features on rocky shores. To understand better their effects on environmental conditions, a series of experiments was done over two years on rocky shores near Sydney in New South Wales, Australia (Figure 2). Two approaches were used: i) artificial habitats constructed on sandstone slabs where physical structure (e.g. size, height on shore, orientation, etc.) could be carefully controlled (Figures 3 & 4) and ii) natural features randomly selected from those available on rocky shores. Conditions were then measured in these artificial or natural habitats on several occasions during different seasons, at different heights on the shore and during different stages of the lunar cycle (i.e. during spring or neap tides).

Unsurprisingly, crevices had strong influences on temperature, humidity, water flow, wave forces and amounts and types of micro-algae (which are food for many grazing animals). In general and as anticipated, crevices were cooler, more humid, had less physical stress from water movement and had more micro-algae than areas away from crevices. How these variables varied was, however, far from straightforward. For instance, temperatures in crevices were less than open areas nearby, but the difference in temperature between the two habitats was heavily dependent on season, height on the shore, and whether it was a spring or a neap tide. Rates of water flow and forces exerted by breaking waves were typically less in artificial crevices than elsewhere on the experimental slabs, but orientation of the crevice influenced the magnitude of this difference. In a few instances, rates of water flow were greater inside than outside of crevices, presumably because some topographic configurations cause water to surge or be channelled through these crevices.

The global climate is predicted to change, with rising temperatures and more frequent, intense storms. Strategies for conservation and management will need to adapt and evolve if they are to remain useful. If we are to predict how organisms living on rocky shores will respond to these changes, we need to understand their responses to the range of conditions found under the present climate. Data of the type collected in this study will help us to understand the distributions of animals from time to time and place to place caused by their responses to the environment, thus contributing to our ability to maintain viable and functioning ecosystems in a rapidly changing world.

Resource from JMBA Global Marine Environment ISSUE 10 AUGUST 2009

Dr François Muller, Environmental Research Institute, UHI Millennium Institute
Visited: Professor Chon-Lin Lee, National Sun Yat-Sen University and Dr Tien-His Fang, National Taiwan Ocean University, Taiwan

This visit allowed the Scottish and Taiwanese partners to combine their efforts
and analytical methodologies towards a better understanding of the behaviour
and transport pathways of terrestrial humic substances in the marine environment.  These substances carry substantial amounts of nutrients, contaminants and essential trace elements from land to sea, potentially influencing the ecology of an entire coastal region.

Seawater samples were collected off the north coast of Scotland in September 2008.  Frozen portions of these samples were flown to Taiwan the following month. Laboratory experiments were conducted which included direct fluorescence measurements, as well as time-series experiments in which changes in the metal-binding properties of humic substances were tracked over time.

Two Taiwanese PhD students were invited to carry out field and laboratory work in Thurso from March to May 2009. Their planned work focused on the binding of organic pollutants to colloids found in suspension within a river plume, and how this binding changes as the water mass travels seawards from the river mouth.

Ambassador case study July 09

Ambassadors - Angus Jackson, Kathleen McDougall, Robbie Mutton, Angela Squier, Martina Burtscher, Irina Foss all the Environmental Research Institute

Event - Caitness County Show

Date - 18 July 2009

STEM ambassadors from ERI (Environmental Research Institute) attended the Caithness County Show in Wick on Saturday 18 July 2009, bringing a marine theme to the agricultural show. With display tanks and touch tanks, show goers were introduced to marine life from the rocky shore including crabs, fish, limpets, winkles, whelks, sea anemones, sea hares and seaweed, first hand. There were also display materials about some related aspects of research at ERI, including the extraction of novel compounds from seaweed and the use of crab shell to remove heavy metals from waste water. Sharing a tent with North Highland College and the Caithness Young Farmers, there was lots of activity throughout the day and overall a very successful event – despite the wet weather! We're hoping for sunshine in Thurso for the show in 2010!

NB crab shell display materials provided by Ian Rae

Resource from STEM North of Scotland

One of the main purposes of the RSE International Programme is to award short term travel grants to enable Scottish researchers to establish links with colleagues in other countries with a view to a long lasting collaboration, through joint publications and joint applications for longer term funds. These International Exchange Awards are available to all researchers of at least postdoctoral level, not only to Fellows of the RSE. These awards are perhaps particularly appropriate for younger members of research groups to facilitate establishing international connections.

Scottish-based host: Dr Stuart Gibb, Environmental Research Institute, UHI Millennium Institute

Visitor: Professor Chon-Lin Lee, Department of Marine Environment & Engineering, National Sun Yat-sen University, Taiwan

During Professor Lee’s visit to Scotland, visits took place to the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), Oban, UHI Executive Office, Inverness and the Environmental Research Institute, Thurso. There was a familiarisation tour of SAMS with Dr Anuschka Miller and a welcome from the Director, Professor Graham Shimmield FRSE. In Inverness a meeting was held with Professor Robert Cormack FRSE, Principal, UHI Millennium Institute, and in Thurso meetings were held with a number of staff and the visitor was given a tour of the research facility. Overall the visit was considered highly successful by both sides and it was a platform from which further collaboration can be developed.

Following the visit, a Memorandum of Understanding is to be signed between the ERI and the Department of Marine Environment & Engineering. The MoU records the intention to promote academic, educational and technical exchange between the institutions though staff and student exchanges, co-operative research and exchange of academic materials.

For more detail, please visit RSE newsletter (pdf).

The Royal Society of Edinburgh

Researcher probes impact of sex-change pollutants on shrimps

A Highland researcher is at the forefront of international efforts to gauge the impact of sex-changing pollutants on invertebrates such as shrimps.

Alex Ford, who is based at Thurso in Caithness,is researching the gender-bending process to come up with an early warning system.
His focus has been on shrimps, and he has just returned from studying a bisexual freshwater colony in Virginia. That visit came shortly after he was in Brazil where he presented his latest findings to peers from throughout the world.

Mr. Ford, 32 an ecotoxicologist, is a member of the cosmopolitan team at North Highland College’s Environmental Research Institute. The reproductive abnormalities which pollutants can cause on shrimps and other invertebrates is a relatively new field or research, but one which he believes needs to be undertaken to defuse an environmental time bomb. Since the early 1990s, certain chemicals have been identified which can interfere with the sexuality of alligators, fish and turtles. This causes an imbalance in the natural mix of male and female hormones,which in some cases been linked to dramatic population loss.

Mr Ford said:“Crustaceans such as shrimps, crabs and snails play a phenomenally important part in the natural world. They are towards the bottom of the chain and, if it goes beyond a certain tipping point for the crustaceans, it could have a catastrophic effect on creatures father up the chain.”

He said a type of paint used on the hulls of boats contained a chemical which converted the female hormone oestrogen into the male hormone testosterone, and led to local colonies of sea snails being wiped out.

Mr Ford is shortly to examine the impact of pollution on shrimp colonies in the Baltic Sea. He is also to travel to Portugal and the Arctic. His research is the topic of his talk at the Orkney Science Festival on August 31.

The Press and Journal

Environmental Research Institute, based at North Highland College UHI,and project partner Heriot-Watt University.

The strategic research development grant from the Scottish Funding Council was announced yesterday. The grant will enable four new research appointments,including two at the ERI in Thurso.

The funding and associated developments will underpin the multi-disciplinary,strategic research programme in marine renewable energy being undertaken by Marine Renewable Developments Scotland (MRedS), which links government bodies, public and private stakeholder interests, and the renewable and petroleum industry sectors.

ERI director Dr Stuart Gibb said: “The Scottish Executive wants40 per cent of Scotland’s electricity to be generated from renewable resources by 2020. It is widely acknowledged that marine energy may hold the key to achieving these targets and the dynamic conditions of the Pentland Firth presents unrivalled opportunities for research and development.

“This programme contributes to the aspiration of establishing Scotland at the forefront of research,development and certification of marine energy devices. It secures a unique trans-Pentland Firth partnership between Heriot-Watt University, the European Marine Energy Centre and UHI, providing a focal point for the development of research capacity and expertise in marine renewable energy for Scotland.”

Heriot-Watt’s Professor Jon Side added: “The funding of four new key research posts will make a big difference to our work. It will allow us to bring together existing areas of academic and industrial expertise and resources, and use that critical mass as a platform for future marine renewable's research projects and activities.”

UHI eCompass

Efforts to create what has been described as a "world-leading" centre of marine renewable energy have secured a £1m funding package. UHI Millennium Institute and Heriot-Watt University are project partners in the Environmental Research Institute (ERI) in Thurso.

They hope the Scottish Funding Council's contribution will advance work already going on there. The centre studies the capabilities of wave and tidal power technologies.

'Dynamic conditions'

The package will fund four new research appointments.

ERI director Dr Stuart Gibb said: "The Scottish Executive wants 40% of Scotland's electricity to be generated from renewable resources by 2020.

"It is widely acknowledged that marine energy may hold the key to achieving these targets and the dynamic conditions of the Pentland Firth presents unrivalled opportunities for research and development."

BBC News

The spin-offs to Caithness from a research and-development role in marine energy were highlighted at Monday's forum in North Highland College in Thurso. Public-sector agencies working to counter the rundown of Dounreay believe it represents one of the best sources of hope in the drive to regenerate the economy.

However, Deputy First Minister Nichol Stephen and community representatives agreed that the opportunity needs to be seized quickly if the area is to harvest the benefits of the technology.

The groundwork is being done on the back of a £1 million grant by the Scottish Funding Council to research the potential for marine energy projects in Scotland. Part of this involves North Highland College UHI and Heriot Watt University examining different devices and the effect on the marine ecology.

The NHC principal Rosemary Thompson said it is hoped to work with Orkney-based EMEC and Caithness based firms in the design and manufacture of tidal-powered devices in the Pentland Firth. The goal, she said, is to emulate Denmark's success in cornering the market in producing wind turbines. The development would be complemented by the establishment of a marine energy and environment centre in Caithness. Mrs Thompson said: "With Government funding for the technical development,I think this can become a reality."

John Farquhar, the Scottish area director of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, pointed out that the Pentland Firth is one of the world's top five sites for tidal energy. He believes the scheme is the only initiative proposed so far on the scale needed to help counter the rundown in employment at Dounreay. He describes it as a "transformational" project with the potential to create hundreds of jobs. "It's a unique selling point," he said of the firth's energy potential. "It's a unique attribute that Caithness has and, when the resource is exploited,we want to be at the forefront of the design and manufacture of the devices." Mr Farquhar also believes the Caithness end of what is envisaged as a joint venture with Orkney would have a key role in plugging the new green energy into the national grid.

The group set up to progress the plans has a target of producing at least1000 megawatts from the firth by 2020. Mr Farquhar said: "That is challenging but it needs to be, given the timescale of job losses at Dounreay."

Mr Stephen said it is essential Scotland establishes a lead in the production of wave and tidal energy devices. He said the Scottish Executive is fully behind efforts to develop the technology, having last month awarded £14 million to progress nine projects in the field. "This is a once-in-a generation opportunity and I think Caithness should be part of that, particularly with the opportunities that existing the Pentland Firth," he stated. Mr Stephen said that on a visit to Japan he established that industrialists there know about the potential of the firth. "My great concern is that they will exploit it before us," he said. "If we leave it any longer than five to 10 years to get our act together,we'll have missed the opportunity and the rest of the world will move in." He said he will ask Highlands and Islands Enterprise to support the project under way in the Far North.

After learning that a locally-based company did not know about the latest funding round, Mr Stephen pledged to extend the deadline to allow applications from it and any other firms to come in. He explained: "We'll keep the fund open for another three to six months and will try and fast-track any solid scheme which is submitted." Mr Stephen had earlier heard of two initiatives to create new developments in Caithness from its long-standing nuclear link.

The Highland Council's Caithness area convener, Councilor David Flear, said a bid is being made to make the county the base for the UK's national nuclear archives. The £40 million project, which would also incorporate the North Highland Archive, has the potential to create 20 jobs. Mr Flear said he is also pressing for the UKAEA to relocate its headquarters from Oxfordshire to Caithness.

The Highland Council, Highlands and Island Enterprise and the NDA have set up a task force to progress ways of diversifying the economy. They are working to a blueprint produced by the Caithness Socio-Economic Strategy Group which is chaired by local MP John Thurso who, along with MSP Jamie Stone,hosted Monday's conference. John Thurso said: "We now have the mechanism and funding in place and we're in the process of recruiting people. "We've put the strategy in place and we're now doing the hard bit of turning the mission statement into an actual product, with a bottom line. It would have been lovely if this had happened a year or so ago but it's happening now."

Caithness Courier

Ferry companies, offshore oil operators and flood- prone coastalcommunitiesin the north of Scotland are among those at the centre of a long-term weather warning issued by scientists.

A newly-launched study predicts the recent storms and severe flooding to hitparts of the region will become more frequent as the effects of climate changekicks in. And it warns that the trend towards higher and choppier seas could lead to moreferry disruptions and downtime for offshore oil operators.

With sea levels rising, ports and settlements beside the the coast will alsohave to review their flood defences if they are not to suffer the consequences. The message comes in the first annual report card issued by the Marine ClimateChange Impacts Partnership.

The publicly-funded initiative pulls together research from throughout the UKto provide the first “idiot’s guide”-style check list of thepotential dangers ahead. Among those who contributed to the work were scientists based at The EnvironmentalResearch Institute in Thurso.

Speaking after Wednesday night’s launch in London, David Woolf, a seniorresearcher at the ERI, said people are going to have to get used to living withmore frequent storms and flooding.

A trained oceanographer, he has particularly focused his research on the seaand wind trends off the north and west coasts of Scotland. Dr Woolf (43) said all indications are that the recorded increase in stormy weatherin recent decades is not only going to continue but become more intense. He said it is not possible to say the trend stems from global warming. “It might not be an inevitable consequence of global warming,” hesaid “It could be part of a natural cycle, but the likelihood is that therewill be more stormy weather and, along with the high winds and high waves, wetterwinters.” Dr Woolf said this has obvious implications for sea-going vessels and offshoreinstallations, including oil rigs and fish farms. “All the engineering design standards are based on what was expected onthe basis of the thelast 100 years, “ he said. “With the new weather projections emerging, it might well be necessaryto review the standards being used.” He said that ferry companies in the Western and Northern Isles are going to haveto shell out considerably more for new higher-spec vessels to minimise disruptionin their schedules. Oil installations will also have to be designed to withstand more frequent extremeconditions if shutdowns are to be minimised. Likewise, public authorities need to reassess the resistance of coastal defences. He said: “ There are economic issues to be faced by any individual or companymaking their living from the sea.”

Analysing climate change has been one of the main issues for the ERI since itopened six years ago. Director Stuart Gibb says people who live and work along the north and west coastare all too aware of the changes that have been occurring. But he said the report, for the first time, seeks to quantify and interpret thetrends and assess the risk of various scenarios coming to pass.

Dr Gibb said: “The whole issue of climate change is rising up the political,social and economic agenda. “We’ve a real focus on how the climate along the north and west coastsis changing and to gauge how this is affecting the environment and the peoplewho live and work in the area. “The message is that climate change is not something for the future. It’ssomething we need to deal with here and now.”

The MCCIP’s report card can be accessed via its website, www.mccip.org.uk

The Press and Journal

Thurso High School pupilsClaire Gardener (left) and Megan Coghill, both S6, took part in the NuffieldBursary over the summer, carrying out a scientific research project atthe Environmental Research Institute in Thurso and gained very valuableexperience of lab work and research processes.

Claire and Megan presented their summer projects at the education centre in Edinburgh Zoo on Friday, September 1.

The event was a celebration of work done by 60 pupils from all around Scotland.Various projects, supported by businesses, universities and research centreswere on display.

The Nuffield Bursary awards which support these activities are extremely importantfor future generations of scientists.

Caithness Courier

Prince Charles yesterday launched a new tourism strategy to boost the economyof the north Highlands.

A year ago the prince visited the Castle of Mey in Caithness to launch theMey Selections brand, which promotes local produce as part of his North HighlandInitiative (NHI).Yesterday he was back at his beloved grandmother’sformer home to announcethe second phase of his project – the Pleasure in the Extreme label.

The prince said MeySelections, which markets beef, lamb and cheeses from the region, hadseen a turnover of £2million in its first year, with an extra £150,000going into the farmer’s pockets. It is hoped the new tourism brand willalso reap great rewards for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross-shire.

The prince said NHI aimed to promote and develop the economy of the region inrelation to agriculture, tourism and the built environment.

He said the North Highlands Tourism Operators Group, set up in 2004, now hadmore than 150 members, including representatives from the hotels, bed and breakfasts,historic castles and other organisations.

Charles said; “I have always believed there to be in safety in numbers.People start paying more attention when you all co-operate together. So the potentialfor tourism growth is enormous.” He said the strategy was based on threekey strands – to present the north Highlands as one distinctive region,to encourage people to stay longer and spend more, and to persuade them to spreadtheir visits throughout the year.

The new brand focused on the physical and environmental extremes that existedin the north highlands, he said.
He wishes the tourism operators at the launch every possible success and toldthem he looked forward to returning next year to see the results.

Hilda Morrison, of Shormary self-catering, Scarfskerry, near Thurso, said theprince spoke to her about the need for training in the hospitality industry. “Hewas very interested and agreed that more training was necessary to improve thequality of the service we provide to visitors to boost tourism business in thearea,” she said.

And Fred Fermor, whose company John O’ Groats Ferries runs wildlife cruses,said; “This group has strength in numbers and the royal seal of approvalrounds it off nicely.”

Earlier in the day, the prince visited the Environmental Research Institute atThurso, where he was met by two animal rights protesters campaigning againstthe use of bearskins worn by the guards outside Buckingham Palace.

Joan Sim, 21 , from Thurso, was accompanied by Clair Hughes, 23 also of Thurso,dressed as a black bear on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals(Peta). Ms Sim carried a placard displaying the words “Bear Hugs, NOT BearSkins” and Miss Hughes held a sign saying “Save my skin.” Theyhoped to persuade the prince to use his influence with the Queen and the Ministryof Defence to switch to fake fur for the guardsmen’s headwear.

The prince, wearing a Lord of the Isles Kilt, seemed unaware of the protest ashe was introduced to local dignitaries by Caithness Lord Lieutenant Anne Dunnett.He was then given a tour of the Environmental Research Institute and introducedto staff by its director Dr Stuart Gibb.

After the visit, Dr Gibb said;” The EnvironmentalResearch Institute onlyopened in 2000. This high-profile visit by Prince Charles is further evidenceof the progress in developing the centre and its profile we have made since thistime.

“ We now have almost 30 highly-motivated staff and research students engagedon addressing a range of topical environmental issues such as climate change,water quality and renewable energy.

“ It was a real pleasure to show the prince around the centre. He demonstratedboth a keen interest and a considerable insight into the environmental issueswe discussed.”

The Press and Journal

Caithness has the resources and assets needed to exploit the energy potential of the tidal flow in the Pentland Firth.

That was the message local MP John Thurso delivered during Scottish Questions in the House of Commons this week, when he pressed the case for investment in tidal energy in a question to the new Secretary of State for Scotland, Douglas Alexander.

He said: "may I draw the minister's attention to the research that has been undertaken by the Environmental Research Institute of the North Highland College in Thurso on the energy that exists in the tidal flow in the Pentland Firth?

Is he aware that companies would like to exploit that, and what can he do to offer assistance, especially in conjunction with the Department for Trade and Industry, to further such projects, which represent a real opportunity to use the skills of the workforce from the decommissioning at Dounreay?"

Speaking after the session John Thurso said: " The Pentland Firth offers one of the best, if not the best, opportunity for exploiting tidal power in the UK.

"In addition to this natural resource, we have two important further assets. The first is excellent people, in that we have highly-skilled engineers and scientists experienced in the energy field. The second is the combination of the North Highland College in Thurso and the Environmental Research Institute, which between them offer an unrivalled academic base.

"It is important that the Government and DTI are fully aware of the potential and offer support.

"The minister's response was positive and I will certainly be taking up his offer to brief him further. I will also be pressing this with DTI."

John o'Groat Journal

Research will look to renewables

Two new research programmes with UHI Millennium Institute will help to put the Highlands and Islands at the forefront of Scotland's drive to generate electricity from renewable sources.

Both are being co-ordinated by North Highland College UHI from it's Environmental Research Institute (ERI) in Thurso, and will support 10 post-graduate placements of 12 months each and 12 research positions at masters level for 12 or 24 months.

Funded by the European Social Fund and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the programmes will support research opportunities in renewable energy generation, developing local skills in generating electricity from wave, tidal, wind, solar, biomass and waste energy sources.

Project co-ordinator Richard Hunt said: "Politicians and scientists recognise that the Highlands and Islands hold the key to Scotland meeting it's target of generating 40 per cent of it's electricity from renewable sources by 2020."

He continued: "These new programmes will ensure that local graduates will be at the forefront of this opportunity."

North Highland College UHI is committed to developing research and training services which address the needs of the Highlands and Islands.

Aiming to research, develop and implement the use of renewable energy in the Highlands and Islands, the new projects will be delivered across the region at UHI partners Shetland College, Lews Castle College, Orkney College and the Scottish Association for Marine Science at Dunstaffnage, near Oban.

Mr Hunt, who has worked extensively within the generation industry and renewable fields, joined the Thurso team from Scottish Power.

He explained: "We want to develop local skills within the workforce, so each placement will be undertaken in partnership with existing commercial, stakeholder and regulatory bodies.

"The outcome of the research will be delivered at regular public events throughout the region."

Rosemary Thompson, principal of North Highland College UHI, said the projects would advance the ability of the Highlands and Islands to develop indigenous expertise in renewable energy.

Dr Stuart Gibb, director of the ERI, said: "The Scottish Executive has set ambitious goals for the generation of renewable energy in Scotland.

"These innovative programmes, and the recruitment of Richard Hunt as project co-ordinator, are a clear demonstration of UHI's ability to respond to key issues which affect the future sustainability of the Highlands and Islands region."

Caithness Courier

Jack McConnell announced a £300,000 grant for the world's first testing centre for wave and tidal energy technology yesterday as he stressed his determination to see Scotland become an international leader in renewables.

The funding for the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney will allow the centre to establish the first quality control standards, setting the benchmark for the entire industry, and further establish it as a worldwide centre of excellence.

The First Minister said: "I want to see Scotland lead the world in renewable energy. We may be a small country, but our renewable energy potential is massive. Scotland has both the natural resources and the talent to make that happen. In the Highlands and Islands alone, we have enormous wind, wave, tidal and biomass resources. I am determined to see Scotland exploit this huge potential."
However the Scottish Greens attacked the money as a "drop in the ocean" and said it is a tiny fraction of the ammount of support needed to get the marine energy properly off the ground in Scotland.

They said Scottish marine energy companies such as Ocean Power Delivery are having to go to Portugal and South Africa to get government support to develop commercial-scale projects. There is no commercial scheme yet under way in Scotland.
Eleanor Scott MSP, the Green MSP for the Highlands and Islands said: "We need a lot more than small ammounts of money and much more urgently.

"There's always the risk that good Scottish ideas will end up being manufactured abroad and we miss out on the jobs potential. What is the first Minister going to doto ensure this does not happen?"

Meanwhile, two new research programmes at the UHI Millennium Institute, the organisation bidding to become a university of the Highlands & Islands by 2007, will help the renewables drive in the region.

Funded by the European Social Fund and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), the programmes will support research opportunities in renewable energy for over 20 graduates.

They will seek to develop local skills in generating electricity from wave, tidal, wind, solar, biomass and waste energy sources. Both are being co-ordinated by the North Highland College from its Environmental Research Institute in Thurso.

Richard Hunt, the project co-ordinator, said : "Politicians and scientists recognise that the Highlands and Islands hold the key to Scotland meeting its target of generating 40 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020"

The Scotsman

Young scientists of the future learned yesterday about some of the most innovative research work taking place in the Highlands.

Researchers from the UHI Millennium Institute and a number of local companies showcased their work and products at the Ramada Hotel, Inverness as part of National Science Week.

Elizabeth Barron, one of the event organisers and a lecturer at the centre for rural resource management at Inverness College UHI, said: "A wide range of scientific research is taking place across the Highlands and Islands in institutions such as the Scottish Association for Marine Science UHI at the Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory, Oban and the Environmental Research Institute at the North Highland College UHI, Thurso.

"Although there are events which bring researchers together, there are limited opportunities for the public to become involved.

"We believe this is contributing to the brain drain which takes many young people in the Highlands away from the area. This event allows researchers from across the network to demonstrate to the public, including school students, some of the groundbreaking work being undertaken in the region."

Emma Cochrane, a PhD research student at the Environmental Research Institute, part of North Highland College in Thurso, was showcasing a project which involves using natural products such as crab shell. She demonstrated how ground up crab shell can be used to extract impurities in contaminated water leaving the liquid clean. Emma said that the product had a lot of potential and could also possibly be used to clean distillery waste in the whisky making process. She said: "We've had school classes and members of the public popping in and they all seemed very interested. I think a lot of people don't realise that this type of research is going on in the Highlands so it's nice to be able to tell them about it."

The event continues today at the Ramada.

Short presentations on the renewable energy potential of the region including wave, wind and biomass took place at Inverness College last night.

The Press and Journal

Funding boost as Thurso Institute aims to be centre of excellence

Thurso's Environmental Research Institute is set for another wave of expansion with 12 new high-calibre specialists being recruited to boost it's trailblazing research.

The Institute has gone from strength to strength since starting up six years ago in the former West Public School in the town's Castle Street.

Public-sector funding of £2.1million is being used to support the latest growth in the operation, which is a campus of the North Highland College. It is part of over £11 million allocated to the research network operated by UHI.

The ERI currently employs 15 in a range of high-tech fields, with it's work on climate change last year attracting international attention.
Advertisements are being placed to fill the 12 new posts as part of it's drive to bolster it's growing reputation as a centre of excellence.

It is seeking research fellows and senior resaerch fellows to work in areas including environmental microbiology, meteorology and climate resaerch.

A post-doctoral research associate in biogeochemistry, a PhD studentship and laboratory and ICT technicians are also being sought.
ERi director Stuart Gibb said yesterday the funding package had been secured through an extensive and concerted effort across the UHI network. He added: "The ERI is becoming a vibrant and dynamic centre of research in the environmental sciences. This exciting funding package will allow us to attract new staff, improve our facilities and enhance our research capabilities.

"It is a huge boost towards our aspiration of creating a recognised centre of excellence for the environmental sciences here in Caithness."

The UHI funding is designed to develop the research capacity of its network over the next four years and will helpits bid to secure university status by next year.

The overall funding package includes £5 million from Highlands and Islands Enterprise; £3 million from the Scottish Funding Council; and £1.45 million from the European Regional Development Fund.

Professor Bob Cormack, the UHI principal, said the new posts were another important step towards university status.

He said: "We are striving to become one of the foremost research-based universities in the world, and we believe we can attract some highly talented specialists who will be impressed by the work already going on around our network.

"The Highlands and Islands are a natural laboratory of international importance and our ongoing research already reflects that.

"Our increased commitment to research will bring high-quality jobs to the area and will generate significant economic development."

John o'Groat Journal

Three North Lib Dem MPs yesterday dropped by Thurso’s Environmental Research Institute during a tour of the Far North. The Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross MP John Thurso hosted what was a fact-finding trip for his colleagues Alistair Carmichael and Danny Alexander.

ERI head, Stuart Gibb showed the trio round the centre, which opened five years ago after a £1.6 million revamp of the town’s West Public School.

The centre, which carries out leading-edge research into environmental research and climate change, has 20 staff, including seven PhD students.

Dr. Gibb said: ”When the ERI opened five years ago we set out to establish a vibrant and dynamic research centre that addressed contemporary environmental issues. In the coming years we aim to build recognition for the ERI as a centre of excellence in environmental science and create high-quality employment and training opportunities right here in Caithness.”

John Thurso said the centre is an invaluable asset in the area. Mr Carmichael, MP for Orkney and Shetland, described his visit as “a real eye-opener”. He said that, along with trail-blazing research into renewable energy in Orkney, the ERI is helping create a cluster of academic excellence in the Far North. Mr Alexander, MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, said he was impressed by the quality and range of research which was of international importance.

Thurso's two surviving Victorian schools are handsome buildings, far more attractive than those utilitarian structures that replaced them at Pennyland and Mount Pleasant. It is appropriate that the former schools were put back into use as educational establishments of a different kind: the Miller Institution became the town's library and, more recently, the West Public School in Castle Street was transformed into the Environmental Research Institute (ERI).

It was in 2000, following a £1.6 million restoration and upgrading, that the ERI, part of Thurso's North Highland College - one of the academic partners in the University of the Highlands and Islands Millennium Institute - was opened.

Over the past five years the ERI has carried out a wide range of environmental research, working closely with universities and other research institutions and organisations both in the UK and abroad.

Tackling environmental issues that affect Highland industries such as distilling, agriculture and aquaculture forms an important part of it's work. Current key research areas include climate and environmental change; seeking new ways of dealing with solid and liquid waste; environmental sensitivity and risk; and investigating natural products for possible pharmaceutical use.

In association with it's research work the ERI is actively involved in education and training activities which include HNC, HND, degree and postgraduate programmes. it provides, too, high-quality research opportunities for European Union students.

More than 20 people are currently engaged in research at the ERI. Some are experienced researchers whilst others are working towards their doctorates. Since opening, staff have been recruited not only from Caithness and across the UK but from France, Spain, Norway, Switzerland and Japan. A sign of the institute's fast-growing reputation both in the UK and abroad was the response to an advertisement for the appointment of five postgraduate researchers: there were over 400 applicants.

One admirable aspect of the ERI is the series of seminars it runs on environmental issues which the public are free to attend. The seminars are usually timed to start in the late afternoon and last for about an hour.

A week ago the subject was the Munsary peatlands, north of Lybster, now a nature reserve owned and managed by Plantlife.

Tonight's presentation (at 4:30pm) is entitled "All Change in the Arctic" and explores some of the recent environmental changes taking place, traces their origins and their wider implications, and looks at some future scenarios. If you are interested just turn up and you will be warmly greeted with a glass of wine and a nibble before procedings begin.

Caithness Courier

A Thurso-based scientific expert is to take part in a special conference on how global climate change could affect the Moray Firth area.

John Coll, of the Environmental Research Institute UHI, will join fellow climate change expert James Curran, of SEPA, to lead discussions at the event, which takes place at the Highland Council chambers in Inverness next week.

The Moray Firth Partnership conference will also feature a presentation from Talisman Energy on the Beatrice wind farm demonstration project.

John Coll recently hit the headlines as co-author of a report which warned that the devastation caused by this January's storms could be just a taste of things to come.

Delegates at the conference will discuss what local people in the area can do to prevent such devastation in the Moray Firth and attend a workshop to find out more.

Vanessa Halhead, joint partnership manager at the Moray Firth Partnership, said the conference will be of interest to anyone who wants to find out about some of the most vital issues facing the Moray Firth.

She said: "As well as the plenary and workshop on climate change, delegates will be able to hear about the Beatrice wind farm demonstrator project direct from Talisman Energy UK.

"The day will be packed with interesting discussions about the future of our area, including workshops on coastal heritage and Moray Firth fisheries."

She continued: "At the end of the day delegates will be able to attend a presentation on the future of the Moray Firth, followed by a debate, where they will be able to raise any topics they wish and contribute to planning the future work of the Moray Firth Partnership."

The Moray Firth Partnership's annnual conference will be opened by Maureen Macmillan MSP and is supported by Chevron Texaco.

For more information about the conference and tickets, log on to http://www.morayfirth-partnership.org/ or call 01463 225530.

John o'Groat Journal

This week the UHI North Highland College is celebrating the appointment of it’s first Visiting Professor. Barbara Brown, an Emeritus Professor in Tropical Marine Biology, will work with environmental scientists at the college’s Environmental Research Institute to investigate the effects of climate change on coral reefs.

Prof. Brown is internationally recognised for her work on coral reefs and is a current contributor to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and part of the World Bank Study Group on Coral Bleaching. On the appointment she commented, ‘I was honoured to be invited to be a Visiting Professor by the UHI Millemmium Institute and to be part of a vibrant and rapidly evolving research group at the Environmental Research Institute. I have collaborated with Dr. Stuart Gibb over the last seven years on the effects of climate change on coral reefs and look forward to some exciting research over the next few years with Stuart and his colleagues’.

Dr.Stuart Gibb, Director of the ERI said ‘Barbara is internationally renowned for her work on coral reefs. We are absolutely delighted with her dicision to join us and take this to be a reflection of our growing maturity and credibility as a research organisation’.

Over the last few decades coral reefs, renowned for their stunning beauty and extraordinary bio-diversity, have been under increasing threat due to rising sea temperatures induced by global warming. ‘Coral bleaching’ is an early warning sign of rising sea temperatures and indicates the corals are under stress. ‘Bleaching’ involves the corals losing their characteristic colours through demise of their symbiotic coloured algae. ‘Coral bleaching has repeatedly occurred around the world, with the latest major bleaching episode being in 1998 when many coral reefs in the Indian Ocean were severely damaged as a result.

The group’s studies will focus on the island of Phuket, on the west coast of Thailand, which took the full force of the recent Indian Ocean tsunami. While some reefs have been badly affected, others have shown little or no impact from the tsunami waves.

Prof. Brown is about to return to Phuket to survey the level of damage. Before departing she said, ‘Preliminary surveys suggest our study reefs remain intact while providing a buffer against which the strength of the waves was dissipated before hitting the shore. A sea defence function is a very important role of coral reefs and one which could be seriously affected by anticipated climate change’.

John o'Groat Journal

The thrushes are singing in the trees, frogs are spawning in the pond, bees are buzzing round the garden and daffodils are opening their trumpets in the flowerbed. Scottish winters are not what they used to be.

The authors of a new report that claims the country now has a similar climate to that on the south coast of England a decade ago have calculated that spring is now arriving in Scotland significantly earlier.

The seven-year study, compiled by the Woodland Trust, proves that the season began four weeks earlier in 2004 than it did in 1920. Spring 2005 could be the earliest yet.

A series of sightings support the claim that the country is experiencing warmer winters, including the discovery of bumblebees and ladybirds in December, four months before they would usually be expected.

Frogspawn was found in Inverness-shire on January 16, the earliest date ever recorded in that part of the country, and several peacock butterflies were spotted in Edinburgh 12 weeks ahead of schedule.

Several species of birds, including swallows, song thrushes and housemartins, have also appeared well before they were expected.
The findings will be presented to the intergovernmental panel on climate change next month.

“The Scottish climate is getting warmer and is starting to mirror the climate in the rest of the UK,” said Nick Collinson, a policy adviser with the trust. “Judging on the basis of insects, spring now occurs in central Scotland when it did on the south coast of England 10 years ago.

“Just like the rest of the Britain, Scotland is having a very mild start to 2005 and this is the sort of early spring we can expect in the future and is confirmed in climate change scenarios.”

Scientists are concerned that, with global warming disrupting the natural progression of the seasons, species will start to die out. Dutch scientists have found evidence that great tits are hatching their young early, once the glut of winter month caterpillars has passed.

There are also fears that, as ladybirds are coming out of hibernation earlier, the aphids they eat will not be around to sustain them, leaving them facing starvation.

David Mitchell, the curator at the Royal Botanic gardens in Edinburgh, said that exotic plants are now surviving the Scottish winter out of doors. The chusan palm, usually found in south China, is thriving on the edge of the Highlands at the Explorer’s Garden in Pitlochry.
A tree fern that grows in the South Pacific has survived this winter out of doors at the botanic gardens in Edinburgh.

“Our winters are milder, wetter and we do not get the long periods of frost. As a result the soil is warmer, triggering plant growth sooner. Gardeners are taking advantage of these climate changes and are now contemplating plants they would not have tried five years ago,” said Mitchell.

John Coll, a climate impact researcher at the University of the Highlands and Islands, believes that plants are also growing at higher altitudes and could threaten the Cairngorms’ arctic environment.

“My own figures show that in 2050 the treeline will rise from its current 300m to 450m,” said Coll.

“Less snow also means that vegetation in the snowbed could be under threat.”

The climatic changes are affecting the Scottish skiing industry, with less snow resulting in a slump in the number of skiers visiting the Highlands. From a high of 650,000 in 1980, the number of skiers plummeted to an all time low of 200,000 last year.

It has also been proposed that mountain hares, water voles, snow bunting and crossbills could be relocated to Iceland and Scandinavia to prevent them becoming extinct.

Paul Lamarra, The Sunday Times

Latest battering 'just a taste' of the future

Scotland's coastal communities have long had their own language of understatement for the weather, so familiar are they with the worst that winter can throw at them. But the devastating storms of the last week and a warning from scientists that they may just be a taste of what is to come have shaken many of the country's most exposed centres of population, and raised serious concerns about how to protect them from possibly huge disruption and damage.

"It was just hellish," said Hugh Dan MacLennan, spokesman for the ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne, of the hurricane-force winds that battered the north-west. "The skippers have never seen anything like it. The biggest ship in the world could not have gone out in it. I don't think anyone is under any illusion now after last week." It was the first time in living memory that all of Calmac's services had been suspended because of bad weather.

From his tracking station at Thurso's Environmental Research Institute, John Coll and his colleagues from the Southampton Oceanography Centre have been watching wave and weather patterns in the north Atlantic and have noticed an increasingly clear pattern in recent decades of more frequent and more intense Atlantic cyclones, and a growth in wave heights of some 10% to 15% in the last 40 years. The seas are getting stormier, they say, with the inevitable result of more frequent disruption to communities and transport networks. "In the past decade there have been more intensive storms coming in," said Mr Coll. "We have to be careful and not be alarmist. [Last week] was a severe storm, but it doesn't have to be that severe in the context of ferries to start disrupting services. "Lifeline services to the Western Isles are already heavily subsidised to maintain and link communities. If the intensity of this recent storm is repeated with greater frequency, the level of subsidy may have to rise to provide bigger boats to protect timetables and maintain communities."

Calmac, and the Scottish executive, say it's not that simple. "There may be changes coming and it's helpful that people can understand the science, because it's not us using the weather as an excuse," said Mr MacLennan. "Bigger is not necessarily best. You can't build a boat as big as you want. If someone says you have to replace your fleet, we're talking silly money."

Communities along the north-west coast are also taking stock of what the storms and the researchers' predictions might mean. Yesterday more than 1,000 people attended the funeral of a family of five who were washed from a road on South Uist by huge waves as they tried to flee rising waters in the storms.

Some on South Uist say they had repeatedly raised concerns about the exposed coastal road near the village of Eochar where Archie MacPherson, his wife, Murdina, their two children, Andrew, seven, and Hannah, five, and Mrs MacPherson's father, Calum Campbell, are thought to have been overcome by the waves. The Western Isles council says it is waiting for the police report to establish exactly where the family were when they were swept away.Officials say coastal protection is a complex issue. To build coastal defences on such vulnerable roadways could cost as much as £1m a mile.

"For an island area, coastal erosion is a major problem," said a council spokesman, Nigel Scott. "Obviously the council is limited in what it can do in terms of coastal protection, because frankly we could spend our entire budget on coastal protection.

"But having said that, it doesn't mean that we won't look at specific problems. You can't protect the entire coastline, so we have to prioritise."

The Scottish executive, which sent a minister to the Hebrides after the first storm, has been making sympathetic noises about funding and support, but the money it has offered would not stretch far along the western coastline.

On Monday, the deputy minister for environment and rural development, Lewis Macdonald, said the executive was committed to helping local authorities protect communities from flooding. He said it had made £89m available over the next three years for flood defences and coastal protection.

Any request from the Western Isles council for funding for new coastal protection would be given the closest attention.

The council has set up a taskforce to look at the damage caused by the storms and what might be done if they recur. "I have been here 10 years and I have never seen weather like it," said Mr Scott. "It was just incredible. Someone said it was the worst weather for 20 years; I think it was more than that."

Kirsty Scott, The Guardian

Scientists warned yesterday that climate change would bring more frequent storms to Scotland, and a government minister said the country had to learn lessons from the recent severe weather.

Their comments came as islanders prayed after last week's tragedy on South Uist, where one of the worst storms in living memory saw Atlantic waves sweep Archie and Murdina MacPherson, their children Andrew and Hannah, and grandfather Calum Campbell to their deaths half a mile from their home.

Nicol Stephen, transport minister, said the Scottish Executive would have to learn from the storms. He told BBC Radio Scotland: "Of course, we've got to learn lessons from all of this. Virtually the whole of the transport system in Scotland at one point came to a halt. We've got to learn from that because the weather is becomming even more exreme. "When you have a situation where there is 100mph winds, the sort of strong conditions that we haven't seen in Scotland for a long time, there are going to be problems". Scientists in Thurso and Southampton agree. Their work suggests climate change will drive up winter wave heights off western Scotland.

Researchers at Thurso's Environmental Research Institute, part of the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) network, and Southampton Oceanography Centre have studied the impact of the sea on costal communities and lifeline ferry services, making use of data from satellites. Their findings point to more frequent disruption to communities and transport networks. "Our modelling work indicates that the large wave heights which presently disrupt ferry services may be set to increase in the furure" said Dr David Woolf, of the Southampton Oceanography Centre.

John Coll, of UHI, added: "Lifeline services to the Western Isles are already heavily subsidised to maintain and link communities. If the intensity of this recent storm is repeated with greater frequency in the future, the level of subsidy may have to rise to provide bigger boats to protect timetables and maintain communities."

On South Uist, Father Michael MacDonald, parish priest at Lochdar, the scene of the tragedy, said prayers had united people yesterday.

"The majority of our people are people of very deep faith, irrespective of denomination. I think that this is what our people turn to and we turn to what is familiar. "What is familiar to us is the holding of our religious services, the celebration of our masses, the whole atmosphere of prayer and our confidence that the grace of God will out in the end, somehow or another in a manner which we may not understand completely."

The Rev Jacqueline Petrie held two services at South Uist Church of Scotland parishes at Daliburgh and Howmore, where Mr MacPherson's father, Davie, is an elder. Ms Petrie said of the tragedy: "I wouldn't say it's rocked my own faith, but it's pushed me back on the support of God. This disaster has left the community shocked and shattered".

David Ross, The Herald

The Highland Biostatistics Group is holding a workshop on 'Monitoring and Surveillance' at the Environmental Research Institute (ERI), North Highland College, Thurso, on Wednesday December 8th, starting at 1pm. The meeting includes an introduction to the work of the ERI, talks on surveillance (from the Scottish Agricultural College & Highland NHS Board) and monitoring (from the Lighthouse Research Station & Environmental Research Institute), and an opportunity to discuss common issues, approaches and solutions. The meeting will end at 5.30pm. There is no charge to take part in this meeting. All, including new faces, are welcome.

A group of scientists at the Environmental Research Institute (ERI) in North Highland College has been putting an N2 MaxiFlow nitrogen generator from In House Gas through its paces researching trace pollutants in the environment. Dr. Kenny Boyd, Principal Investigator, explained: “We work on a broad range of environmental pollution projects, including evaluating the different pesticides that are used in fish farming and assessing the levels of pharmaceutical drugs, such as aspirin and antibiotics, found in domestic waste water.”

“We wanted a safer and more cost-effective source of nitrogen for our mass spectrometers than the bottled gas we were using and evaluated a number of generators from different manufacturers. We chose the N2 MaxiFlow from In House Gas because it was competitively priced, had a good warranty and the application specialists were willing to perform a difficult installation that involved drilling through a three foot brick wall.”

“The generator requires very little routine maintenance, which has freed up our time to do other things, and has removed all of the problems associated with using bottled gas. For example, we were using up to five bottles of nitrogen a week, which was proving expensive, and if the gas ran out during an experiment we would have to begin all over again. In addition, wheeling the bottles from the outside storage area through the institute was a huge health and safety risk.”

Kenny concluded: “The support we get from In House Gas is very good and there is an specialist only 60 miles away if we need help, which is very close considering how far North we are.”

International Labmate

Three young chemistry students from Thurso have been given a taste of science outside the school lab in a tie-up with a locally based research team.

Karen Black (16) and 17-year-olds Matthew Maycock and Amy Sutherland are the latest high school pupils to take up summer placemants with North Highland College UHI's Environmental Research Institute (ERI). The trio carried out fieldwork on three separate projects as part of bursaries awarded by the Nuffield Foundation. They have since written up their reports and received certificates from the National Science Trust, set up during the Second World War by the founder of Morris Motors. The advent of the ERI has increased opportunities for senior secondary science students to take part in the scheme. The trio worked under the supervision of PhD students based at the Thurso centre which carries out a range of trail-blazing research.

Karen's project focused on measuring ammonium nitrate and phosphate levels in local watercourses, including the River Thurso, Thurso Bay, Loch Calder, Loch Watten and Loch Stemster. Matthew was involved in working out a way of extracting and quantifying any pharmaceuticals found in water supplies. Reassuringly, he was unable to find any trace of the commonly used painkiller, paracetamol, in the River Thurso. Amy worked on a project designed to detect and quantify the presence of pesticides in marine sediments. All three have successfully completed their stints, which involved presenting their findings to staff at ERI. They have been invited to an event in Edinburgh to celebrate the achievements of the latest batch of Nuffield bursary students in Scotland. Their placements also earned them Gold Crest awards with the Brittish Association for the Advancement of Science.

Matthew said: "It was a brilliant experience. We are lucky to getthe opportunity to do the research on our own doorstep."

Karen added: "It was great to get the chance to find out what it's like to work in a laboratory and carry out live research."

The ERI is committed to continuing it's link with local high schools. Principal investigator Dr. Kenneth Boyd said: "We're very keen to make our resourses available for this sort of thing. "It giges the pupils a chance to find out what it is like to work in a real laboratory and it also gives our PhD students the opportunity to supervise somebody."

Dr. Boyd said he was very impressed by the enthusiasm and initiative shown by the Thurso High School trio.

Caithness Courier

Global warming could lead to an increase in the storminess that disrupts the ferry services that are critical to Scottish island communities, says Tyndall research that has assessed changes in wave height with fluctuations in winter weather patterns. The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is one of the oldest recognised weather patterns and it determines whether winters in Northern Europe will be wet and warm, or cold and dry. It's influence on winter weather has increased in recent decades, although it is not clear whether this is specifically linked with global warming.

Tyndall researcher John Coll at the Environmental Research Institute of the University of the Highlands and Islands said "the lifeline ferry services to the islands are already heavily subsidised - one possibility might be the need for bigger and more expensive boats". The findings result from the application of a new methodology for local scenarios of climate change, sea level and wave heights, analysed along with data on weather-related disruptions of ferry crossings. The methodology has been developed by Mikis Tsimplis and David Woolf from Southampton Oceanography Centre as a component part of a large-scale Tyndall assessment of the vulnerability of the UK coast to climate change.

"Moving away from regional case-studies, the overall influence of the NAO's impact on sea levels around the UK coast is likely to be small. Nevertheless, wave heights at the North East atlantic will continue to increase further," says Mikis. His recently completed research shows that sea level, wave heights and extreme surges along the north European coast are positively correlated with the winter behaviour of the NAO, and southern Europe's coastal weather is negatively correlated with the NAO. The UK is located between these positive and negative influences and so the overall impact is smaller than for other European coastlines.

Scientists in Caithness have embarked on a project to establish if seaweed in the Highlands could be a source of natural antibiotic drugs. And another pioneering study is seeking to gauge the amount of used medicines which may find their way into Scottish reservoirs.

The team of postgraduates, based at the Environmental Research Institute in Thurso, is carrying out the research under the guidance of research director Dr.Stuart Gibb and his colleagues. They include five young scientists recruited from more than 650 who applied from the UK and abroad for the posts.

Their trailblazing work is being made easier thanks to new detection equipment worth £200,000. It includes a high-resolution chromatographic mass spectrometer which can break down complex mixtures and identify and quantify individual components.

Dr Gibb said: "It's the most sensitive technology available to research scientists today."

Used to uncover drugs cheats in sport, the machine can process a vast array of natural compounds, including herbicides, pesticides, drugs and vitamins. It operates at the level of nanogrammes per litre, which means that it could pick up and identify a teaspoonful of material in a tank the size of 1,000 Olympic-size swimming pools.

Swiss postgraduate student Diane Ruchonnet is in the throes of examining seaweed samples taken from Thurso beach. Her quest is to expose particular constituents of the seaweed to bacteria to establish whether they could be harvested to serve as an antibiotic.

Dr Gibb said the project was particularly exciting as it could create an opening for a new local business. He added: "In a lot of the projects we have started up, we have an eye on the commercial opportunities that could be developed."

Spaniard Carolina Nebot is carrying out the first study in Scotland to monitor for the presence of prescribed drugs in Scottish waters. It follows a re-assessment of the potential risk associated with traces of used drugs, such as antibiotics, steroids, hormones, analgesics and tranquillisers resurfacing in the human environment. Of particular concern are pain-killers and anti-inflammatory and anti-epileptic drugs which are not fully broken down by sewage treatment works.

Iain Grant, The Press and Journal

Sophisticated new detection equipment worth £200,000 is enabling a team of Caithness-based scientists to embark on a number of trailblazing projects. Scientists at the Environmental Research Institute (ERI) have embarked on a project to establish if seaweed in the Highlands could be a source of natural antibiotic drugs. And another pioneering study is seeking to gauge the amount of used medicines which may find their way into Scottish reservoirs. A cosmopolitan team of post-graduates based at the ERI's base in Castle Street in Thurso is carrying out the research under the guidance of research director Dr.Stuart Gibb and his colleagues. They include five young scientists recruited from more than 650 who applied from UK and abroad to fill the posts.

The ERI is part of North Highland College and is gearing towards playing a major part in the college's role within the planned University of the Highlands and Islands. New equipment comprises a high-resolution chromatographic mass spectrometer which can break down complex mixtures and identify and quantify individual components. Dr Gibb said: "It's the most sensitive technology available to research scientists today." Used to uncover drugs cheats in sport, the machine can process a vast array of natural compounds, including herbicides, pesticides, drugs and vitamins. It operates at the level of nanogrammes per litre, which means that it could pick up and identify a teaspoonful of material in a tank the size of 1000 Olympic-size swimming pools. The German-made machine was funded by the UHI Millennium Institute, the European Regional Development Fund, the UK Strategic Infrastructure Fund and Caithness and Sutherland Enterprise.

And in another project, Swiss post-graduate student Diane Ruchonnet is in the throes of examining seaweed samples taken from Thurso beach. Her quest is to expose particular constituents of the seaweed to bacteria to establish whether they could be harvested to serve as an antibiotic. Dr Gibb said the project is particularly exciting as it could potentially create an opening for a new local business. He said: "In a lot of the projects we have started up, we have an eye on the commercial opportunities that could be developed. We are very keen to make a contribution towards the sustainability of the area and the local economy." And he stressed the seaweed project shows the merit of having an environmental institute in the far north. Dr Gibb added: "One of the main advantages of having the institute in this area is that we have such wonderful natural resources on our doorstep. Where better to site an environmental lab?" Spaniard Carolina Nebot is carrying out the first study in Scotland to monitor for the presence of prescribed drugs in Scottish waters. It follows a re-assessment of the potential risk associated with traces of used drugs, such as antibiotics, steroids, hormones, analgesics and tranquillisers resurfacing in the human environment.

Of particular concern are pain-killers and anti-inflammatory and anti-epileptic drugs which are not fully broken down by sewage treatment.

Iain Grant, The Press and Journal

Global warming is likely to increase disruption to lifeline ferry services around the west coast of Scotland, at a cost of tens of millions a year, according to new research.

Scottish scientists used satellites to monitor wave heights around the Western Isles and predict how they might be affected by climate change. Their results, due to presented at a conference in Vancouver next month, suggest that small increases in wave height could cause a large rise in cancellations. They conclude bigger, more expensive boats may be needed to protect timetables, increasing pressure on subsides. The research is part of a UK-wide project co-ordinated by the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research. Although the west of Scotland is believed to be protected from rising sea levels, fishing, tourism and aquaculture could all be affected by climate change.

Scientists at the University of Highlands and Islands and Southampton Oceanography Centre analysed nine years of data to assess wave heights in the Sea of the Hebrides. Ferries from Oban to Barra and South Uist pass through these waters, while services to Coll and Tiree are exposed to similar conditions. Already about one in 20 services can be cancelled, diverted or delayed by more than an hour in a bad year. The study found wave heights above four yards tended to be associated with disruption. A model was then used to measure the impact of changes to the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), a natural and recurring pressure pattern.

John Coll (Environmental Research Institute, Thurso) one of the authors, said: “Most of the global climate models simulate an increase in the NAO index. When the NAO is more positive we tend to get more Atlantic cyclones and westerly storms coming our way. ”With those come coastal impacts, Such as disruption to ferries and flights.”

In other words, their model suggested that small increases in the NAO could push significant wave heights above the critical four-yard mark far more frequently. They estimate that disruption to services already costs £10m a year.

Rob Crilly, The Herald

These two senior pupils from Thurso High School, Jordan MacLean and Amy Adam, were successful in gaining Nuffield science bursaries this summer. The bursaries gave them the opportunity to work five weeks at the Environmental Research Institute of North Highland College.

Both students worked on projects researching methods of removing heavy-metal pollutants from industrial waste water. Jordan’s project investigated the use of crab shell as a natural bio-sorbant, while Amy’s project was working with tree bark and heather. Both students enjoyed having the opportunity to see what the work of a research scientist involves.

”It was a valuable experience working in the real scientific world,” said Amy.

Jordan commented: “It was really good because it allowed me to see what a career in science would be like.”

Thurso High is pleased that the ERI continues to offer local students such opportunities through its continued sponsorship of the bursary scheme.

For more information about the Nufield Foundation please click on the following link... http://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/

Caithness Courier

A Thurso-based researcher has just returned from an expedition which took her deep into the Arctic Circle as part of a project to cast new light on climate change and the effects of pollution.

Mona Larsen was part of a 25-strong scientific team that gathered samples of microscopic marine life which provide telltale signs of the impact of environmental change. She and her colleagues stopped off in the world’s most northerly settlement at Spitsbergen during their 16-day foray in the Artic Ocean. Mona, a laboratory technician at North Highland College’s Environmental Research Institute, travelled with her colleagues on the British Antarctic Survey vessel, RRS James Clark Ross. The vessel sailed from Leith on the mission which was co-ordinated by the Scottish Association for Marine Sciences.

Also aboard were two postgraduate students from East Anglia University, Susanne Kadner and Martin Johnson, who are attached to the ERI. Danish-born Mona, who lives in Keiss, returned to her day job exhausted but exhilarated by her experience. Mona, who has spent most of her life in arts and crafts, switched to science when she did a chemistry course at the college in the 1987. Based at the ERI since it opened two years ago, her previous fieldwork has involved collecting seawater from the Pentland Firth and seaweed and other specimens from north coast beaches. She jumped at the chance to go on the Arctic mission. Mona was surprised at the calm seas the vessel encountered, with the only slightly unsettling moments being when they ran into ice fields.

”It was really calm and quiet so when the boat hit ice it seemed an almighty crash,” she said. “It was quite spectacular.” The vessel, which is strengthened to deal with such conditions, was making its first trip to the Arctic zone.

Mona's job was to gather samples of phytoplankton – tiny, single-celled plants form the basis of the food chain in the oceans. Data gathered from them can be used to improve our understanding of many issues, from fisheries to climate change. They are viewed by scientists as a key regulator of global warming. Mona reckons she has taken back from the edge of the ice floes between 450 and 500 samples, which are preserved in liquid nitrogen.

Others on the trip took other samples from the sea as well as from the seabed and the air. The vessel stopped off for a spell at Spitsbergen, which has been used as a starting point for many famous Arctic expeditions. Though just 1231km from the North Pole, the island is in the Gulf Stream and so the temperature during the visit seldom fell below five degrees Celsius while they enjoyed endless hours of daylight. None of the team was allowed to venture out of the research base on Spitsbergen without an armed escort because of the island’s less-than-friendly population of polar bears. Apart from the constant presence of puffins and other sea birds, there were occasional sightings of whales while the vessel at one point bisected a school of 500 or so dolphins. Mona's sleep patterns were disturbed through her work demands and the lack of darkness. She said: “It was a strange environment to live in. We were very much on our own and we seldom saw another boat during the trip. It was quite tiring but exhilarating at the same time”

Dr Stuart Gibb, head of the ERI, said its involvement in the expedition is another example of the fruits of the tie-ups it has established with UHI Millennium partners such as SAMS. The trip is part of SAMS’ Northern Seas research programme to establish how marine life is responding to environmental and man-made change.

Dr. Gibb said: “This was a great chance for Mona to become involved in a piece of world-class science and she has certainly grasped the opportunity. ”Mona’s work is quite pivotal and she has returned with an excellent set of samples.”

The mother of two teenagers is now hard at work in her lab at the ERI analysing the results – a task which will take her several months.

Iain Grant, The Press and Journal

A Thurso based researcher has just returned from an expedition which took her deep into the Arctic Circle as part of a project to cast new light on climate change and the effects of pollution. Mona Larsen was part of a 25 strong team who gathered samples of microscopic marine life which provide tell-tale signs of the impact of environmental change. She and her colleagues stopped off in the world's most northerly settlement at Spitzbergen during their 16 day foray in the Arctic Ocean.

Mona, a laboratory technician at North Highland College's Environmental Research Institute, travelled with her colleagues on the British Antarctic Survey vessel, RRS James Clark Ross. The vessel sailed from Leith on the mission, which was co-ordinated by the Scottish Asssociation for Marine Sciences. Also aboard were two post graduate students from East Anglia University, Susanne Kadner and Martin Johnson, who are attached to the ERI.

Danish born Mona, who lives in Keiss, returned to her day job exhaused, but exhilarated, by the experience. Mona, who spent most of her life in arts and crafts, switched to science when she did a chemistry course at the college in 1987. Based at the ERI since it opened two years ago, her previous fieldwork has involved collecting seawater from the Pentland Firth and seaweed and other specimens from north coast beaches. She jumped at the chance to go on the Arctic mission. Mona was surprised at the calm seas the vessel encountered, with the only slightly unsettling moments being when they ran into ice-fields. "It was really calm and quiet so when the boat hit ice, it seemed like an almighty crash. It was quite spectacular." The vessel, which is strengthened to deal with such conditions, was making her first trip to the Arctic zone.

Mona's job was to gather samples of phytoplankton - tiny, single-celledplants that form the basis of the food chain in the oceans. Data gathered from them can be used to improve the understanding of many issues, from fisheries to climate change. They are viewed by scientists as a key regulator of global warming. She reckons she has taken back from the edge of the ice floes between 450 and 500 samples, which are preserved in liquid nitrogen.

The mother of two is now hard at work in her lab, at the ERI, analysing the results - a task which will take her several months.

For further information,Mona.Larsen@thurso.uhi.ac.uk

Iain Grant, The Press and Journal

A research institute in the Scottish Highlands has set up the country’s first service specialising in sediment analysis for emamectin benzoate, the active constituent of Slice in-feed sea lice treatment for farmed salmon. The Thurso-based Environmental Research Institute (ERI), which is part of the North Highland College and the UHI Millennium Institute (UHI), also plans to extend the service to offer fish tissue analysis for emamectin.

Salmon farmers using any of the anti-sea lice treatments currently licensed for use in Scotland – including the two in feed ones, Slice and Calicide – must obtain a discharge consent for each product from SEPA (the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency). This means that SEPA must establish safe environmental levels, and monitor to ensure these are not exceeded. Because Slice is effective against all parasitic stages of lepeophtheirus salmonis, and is reported to be effective over a long period (manufacturers Schering-Plough say there are cases where it has remained effective for up to 20 weeks after treatment) it has proved a popular choice with Scottish salmon farmers. However the time taken for SEPA to complete the modelling process used to determine discharge consents means that an uncleared backlog of applications has built up since Slice was launched on the UK market. Indeed the problem had reached such proportions that SEPA has recently run workshops in the use of its DEPOMOD model, to enable farmers and consultants to do the modelling themselves. The accredited analysis required has also proved a headache for the industry. This is a situation which ERI hopes to remedy.

Independent analysis

ERI manager Dr Stuart Gibb told Intrafish: “We’ve established an analytical service to provide a fully-accredited, independent analysis of the environmental impact of emamectin. The salmon farming industry is crucially important to the Highlands and Islands – about 70% of the 6,500 people employed in the industry live in remote areas. At the ERI and UHI we are attempting to initiate research and associated activity that meets the needs of the region. We therefore felt that we had a role to play in providing this service to such a significant industry.”

Service to be expanded

Dr Gibb continued: “We had several organisations requesting environmental impact analysis of Slice. We also understood that nowhere in Scotland was performing this analysis and with a backlog of consent applications, the need for such a service was urgent. In response we have invested in an analytical facility and expertise to provide high-quality, accredited service. By providing completely independent service we feel that we will help ease the apparent gridlock in the industry surrounding the use of emamectin. Where possible, we hope to develop this responsive approach to further address the needs of the aquaculture industry.”

ERI has sent out a mail-shot to salmon producers, to assess interest in providing other analytical services.

”We’re also looking to provide accredited analysis of emamectin in fish tissue, which will allow the suppliers to put an additional quality assurance on their product,” added Dr Gibb.

The EU has placed upper limits for medicine residue in farmed fish in the form of MRLs (Maximum Residue Levels). These are based on scientific assessments of what concentrations of medicine residue can exist in food products without producing significant negative human health effects.

In last year’s national Research Assessment Exercise, which rates universities research record, the UHI came out with the highest results in Scotland for environmental sciences.

Other members of the UHI include the North Atlantic Fisheries College in Shetland, Dunstaffage Marine Laboratory (Scottish Association for Marine Science), and Seafish Aquaculture.

IntraFish

The development of the North Highland College’s Environmental Research Institute in Thurso has continued with the appointment of its first two PhD students.

Both are registered at the University of the Highlands and Islands and will work towards their doctorates over the next three years. They will be supervised by Dr Stuart Gibb, of the ERI.

Dr Gibb said that advertisements for the positions had attracted candidates from throughout Scotland and the UK and as far afield as the Netherlands, Portugal, Malaysia, Canada and Nigeria. This, he said, demonstrated the level of interest in the research programmes of the ERI and UHI.

Ian Rae, an honours graduate in Environmental Science from the University of Aberdeen, will investigate the “Use of natural products in the purification of potable waters and treatment of wastewaters.”

In many parts of the Highlands and Islands the supply and treatment of water to required environment standards presents unique challenges. Dr Gibb says the team at the ERI believes an attractive solution to this problem may lie in the use of naturally occurring materials to remove the unwanted contaminants and pollutants.

The overall aim of this project is to investigate the potential of locally sourced materials for the remediation of potable and wastewaters. Ultimately it is hoped the project will yield economic and environmental benefits locally.

John Coll, an honours graduate in Environmental Science and Biology at the University of Stirling, will be studying “Changes in land use in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland associated with global climatic.”

Dr Gibb points out that although some consensus is being reached over global climate change, the regional impacts are more uncertain. “This is true for the Highlands and Islands where complex weather systems and topography have resulted in an inadequate assessment of the effects of climatic variability,” he said.

”The Highlands and Islands is also an economically and environmentally sensitive, often marginal, region which is dominated by rural communities, highly reliant on the use and management of natural resources such as agriculture, forestry, fisheries, conservation and tourism.

”The consequences of global change in this region are thus potentially far reaching. The overall objective of this studentship is to model and predict shifts in land use in the Highlands and Islands resulting from various climate-change scenarios and to assess the environmental, social and economic consequences of these changes.”

The projects will be undertaken within the UHI schools of Natural System Sciences and Sustainable Rural Development and will see the ERI forge links with the universities of Stirling and East Anglia among others.

College manager Rosemary Thompson said: “These developments reflect the growing profile of new opportunities available through the participation in a wide range of environmental European Projects as well as the UHI project.

“These include studies of ‘Waste management strategies for sparsely populated areas, Use of renewable energy and the Re-Use of cut-over peat land.’ The ERI provides the natural focus for these activities.”

John o'Groat Journal