Research

Research cruise complete

Staff from the Department of Biological Sciences are back in the UK after spending eight weeks conducting research in the Atlantic.

Mark Moore and David Suggett, both Research Fellows, were undertaking a groundbreaking study to assess the role of the ocean in removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The results will be used to look at uncertainties in the projected extent of rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations between now and 2100 and will help guide appropriate action.

Mark led the international team, which included scientists from the UK, USA and Canada, on the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) funded research cruise. He said: ‘Our role was to assess how wind-borne soil, mostly from the Sahara and Sahel regions of Africa, affects the activity of ocean microbes in the Atlantic Ocean. We conducted experiments to assess nutrient limitation of photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation.’

Pictured working in a specially equipped clean room (from left) are David Suggett, Matt Mills of Stanford University, Mark Moore and Eric Achterberg, University of Plymouth

‘But it was not all work and no play. Crossing the equator was celebrated with the time-honoured tradition of paying homage to King Neptune and paying penance through song, dance or poetry!’

Pollution and the press

An air pollution expert from the Department of Biological Sciences addressed members of the Institute of Physics on the history of air pollution.

In his lecture, 'Fog, smoke and the press in nineteenth century Britain,' Professor Ian Colbeck discussed how Parliament attempted to tackle the growing problem of air pollution in the 1800s and how writers of the day ensured pollution remained a hot topic for conversation.

Professor Colbeck explained: 'We often assume air pollution is a modern phenomenon but mankind has been burning biological and fossil fuels since the dawn of history. However, air quality worsened significantly due to the industrial revolution and was at its worst at the end of the nineteenth century.'

'Between 1844 and 1850 six Bills were introduced into Parliament to compel furnaces to consume their own smoke but all failed to pass into law. Although the anti-smoke lobby failed to get anywhere politically, it did cultivate a new social attitude toward air pollution aided by allies in the press.’

Professor Colbeck's lecture was one of a series of discussions at the 'History of Air Pollution' meeting.

Workers plan early retirement despite savings gap

Eight out of ten employees expect to retire before or on reaching the current state pension age.

But 40 per cent of people who are not yet retired have no form of pensions saving, a University researcher has found.

Professor Ruth Hancock’s findings are in stark contrast with the proposals made recently by Lord Turner’s Pensions Commission to raise the state pension age, potentially as high as 69.

The research was carried out by Professor Hancock, of the Department of Health and Human Sciences, and Miranda Phillips of the National Centre for Social Research, and was published last month in the 22nd report of British Social Attitudes.

It reveals that changes in public attitudes and behaviour will be needed to tackle the gap in pension provision.

The study showed that 37 per cent of current employees expected to retire before reaching pensionable age, while only 20 per cent expected to retire later than the current state pension age.

Support for increased government spending on pensions was high, at 73 per cent, but there was much less agreement about paying for it by raising taxes, or by cutting other social welfare benefits.

Professor Hancock said: ‘There isn’t a popular option. People want to have their cake and eat it – clearly they don’t want to work longer, they don’t want to pay higher taxes, but they do want better pensions.’

While half of those surveyed said they could not afford to save for retirement, nearly two-thirds said they found pensions too complicated to know the best thing to do.

Professor Hancock’s research showed that people were aware of shortfalls in their own pension, but were either choosing not to, or were not able to do anything about it.

The 22nd report of British Social Attitudes examines public attitudes towards the issues that have dominated the political agenda since 1997. For further information, see www.natcen.ac.uk.

Also in the printed January edition of Wyvern:

• Bookshelf
• Human rights expert negotiates with multinationals
• ISER investigates changing lifestyles