The Chemical Industries Association (CIA) welcomes today’s preliminary findings of the EU Commission’s energy sector inquiry. The CIA represents one of the most energy intensive sectors in the UK. This is a most vital issue for our members.

This winter has seen UK prices for both gas and electricity reach unprecedented levels as markets worried over possible gas shortages. Prices have been wholly uncompetitive with those available to Continental competitors. Despite UK prices u

When people think of NASA, they usually think of space exploration. But NASA also explores our home planet, and the results of that exploration help other agencies provide substantial benefits to our society and economy. An example of NASA’s Earth research leading to new benefits is in the area of the control of non-native plants such as the plants that may be reducing water supplies in the western United States.

NASA makes its earth observations, modeling and computational capabilit

The long journey of particles near the ocean floor and its relevance for carbon burial

German and British scientists have studied the ocean off south-western Africa and have discovered that particles are transported to the deep ocean over thousands of years before being deposited on the seabed. This discovery may increase our understanding of how the oceans act as carbon dioxide sinks and how oil deposits form.

Areas of extremely high marine productivity are confined t

Humans are performing a high-stakes climate experiment by burning fossil fuels that release heat-trapping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The outcome of that experiment is uncertain and computer models can do only so much to predict the future.
So scientists have been paying increasing attention to the geologic past, searching for possible lessons from ancient episodes of warming driven by natural processes which also might include emission of greenhouse gases. The research, discussed in

During empirical research in Benin, Dutch-sponsored researcher Esaïe Gandonou demonstrated that farmers in underdeveloped parts of developing countries make little extra effort to control soil erosion if the market to which they sell their products becomes more accessible. Although the incomes of the farmers improve, this does not lead to substantial increase in erosion control measures.

Benin is one of the poorest countries in the world. Sustainable land use is therefore even more imp

According to Dutch researcher Michiel Helsen, annual and seasonal temperature fluctuations are not accurately recorded in the composition of the snow of Antarctica. His research into the isotopic composition of the Antarctic snow has exposed the complexity of climate reconstructions.

Polar ice caps contain valuable information about the earth’s climate. Helsen investigated the extent to which meteorological data are stored in the composition of snow in order to improve the i

German and British scientists have studied the ocean off south-western Africa and have discovered that particles are transported to the deep ocean over thousands of years before being deposited on the seabed. This discovery may increase our understanding of how the oceans act as carbon dioxide sinks and how oil deposits form.

Areas of extremely high marine productivity are confined to small sections of modern continental margins. Despite their limited size, these areas are co

The winter blanket of snow covering the Alps is stunningly beautiful– and incredibly dangerous. In 2004-2005, 26 people died in avalanches in Switzerland alone. The victims range from occasional snow-boarders catching some powder off-piste to backcountry ski guides with years of experience. In this mountainous country, avalanches also pose a serious public danger. They can bury people in their homes, cut off access roads or even flatten whole villages. Scientists have put great effort into tryin

Marine ecologists are working with fisheries across Europe to further understanding of natural and human influences on decreasing fish populations.

Work has begun in the North East Atlantic, Baltic, North East Atlantic and Iberian Sea area to increase the level of scientific information available to fisheries. This will allow the fishing industry to produce new strategies for providing fish stocks for human consumption. Professor Chris Frid from the University’s School of Biolog

The University of Liverpool is offering a new form of equine cataract removal surgery on a routine basis, which could save the sight of thousands of horses.

Professor Derek Knottenbelt from the University’s Division of Equine Studies and Professor David Wong from the Ophthalmology Research Unit, have developed a unique approach to cataract removal operations combining techniques used on humans and animals. The new surgery is proving consistently successful in restoring complet

Five years after warning that the famed ice fields on Tanzania ’s Mount Kilimanjaro may melt, Ohio State University researchers have sadly found that their prediction is coming true.

And the impact of the loss of that ice atop Africa ’s highest peak – disregarding the loss of tourism that will follow the vanishing ice – could add to the heavy drought burden already facing those living near that mountain.

For Lonnie Thompson, professor of geological scie

A team of international researchers has revolutionised the opportunities for water industry software developers. They have developed a new toolkit that, for the first time, provides a common standard for linking essential computer programmes that help balance our water supplies against the demand from domestic, leisure and industrial users.

The Open Modelling Interface (OpenMI) will not only make life easier for thousands of water and environmental managers across Europe, it will open u

Scientists from Bournemouth University and the University of Southampton have devised a new method of examining how much of the earth’s surface is covered by vegetation and assessing the state of health of the foliage. The European Space Agency (ESA) has recognised the value of this information which is likely to be a vital tool for researchers examining models of terrestrial productivity, gas exchange and climate change.

Dr Jadunandan Dash from the School of Geography and Visiting Pro

New species of fish, seaweeds found on Caribbean’s Saba Bank

An underwater mountain that forms the world’s third-largest atoll has some of the richest diversity of marine life ever found in the Caribbean, according to scientists who recently explored the area.

The two-week expedition in January encountered new species of fish, seaweed and other ocean life at little-studied Saba Bank Atoll, a coral-crowned seamount 250 kilometers southeast of Puerto Rico in the Dutch Wind

When fishing boats return with catches of increasingly less-valuable fish, the commonly held notion is that the more valuable species have been fished out. This, however, wasn’t true in two-thirds of the world’s large marine ecosystems selected for study by University of Washington researchers.

Instead, the composition of what was landed changed because fishermen chose to target additional kinds of fish. Landings of the more valuable fish remained the same, or even increased, but that

A landslide expert at Durham University, UK, is warning that further disasters are waiting to happen in North Pakistan because of the unstable ground conditions created by last October’s earthquake.

Professor Dave Petley, of the International Landslide Centre in Durham’s top-rated Geography Department, has returned from the earthquake zone after a reconnaissance mission with an US colleague. They have sent an urgent report to the Pakistan authorities with warnings and a