Light Pollution in the UK and Ireland.

Light pollution is becoming a growing problem with the globalization of our planet. Otherwise known as skyglow, this term is used for the amount of light that enters into the night sky from artificial light sources- the most prominent of these sources typically come from cities. Through some of my own research for prior projects and papers, I've found that factories, industrial parks, and roadways are also large suppliers of light pollution.

One of the things I noticed about the skyglow in the UK and Ireland is that the seemingly constant cloud cover acts very similarly to a mirror. It sends a lot of the light from earth right back down. As you can see from the map above, with the red color indicating the heaviest amount of light pollution and the black signifying very little to no light pollution, there are very few parts of either of these countries which are not effected by skyglow.

So what does this mean? Yah, sure. You can't see the stars (which should bum you out enough in itself!). But another major issue with light pollution is that it messes with animals' migration patterns and sleep schedules. For example, the other day in Princes Gardens close to Edinburgh Castle, a fox walked within about 6 feet of us sitting on a park bench at 2:30 in the afternoon. While Muk was swearing up and down that the fox was probably rabid, I think that the fox looked to be a little younger than fully adult and had it's days and nights turned around. This is likely due to the light pollution from the city of Edinburgh. (I'll post pictures of this encounter later.)

In terms of the recession though... it would be beneficial to cut back on light pollution since lights require electricity and electricity requires money.

Red Squirrels

We were all watching the news the other day and a bit about a sighing of an ill Red Squirrel came on. A man spotted the squirrel dying due to the invasive Gray Squirrel. When the Gray Squirrel were introduced foreign  diseases came along too, the Gray Squirrels are immune to these diseases, but the Red Squirrels are not.

Ireland is very green but some deforestation has been in effect, most of the woodland in Ireland are in small patches throughout the country. The Red Squirrels spend most of their time in trees, the invasive Gray Squirrels are larger and are more dominant and are able to feed on nuts and fruits before they are ripe (Red's are not able to). So the Red's either come to death by disease or by low food supply.

The economy in the UK is having a hard times, so the funding for saving endangered species is being depleted. Some conservationist don't know if it is best to try and repopulate the Red Squirrels or to kill off the Grey's.

Either way the Red Squirrels are in much danger, and the environment may be at mercy if the specie goes extinct.

Tuk 

Arthur's Seat

While in Edinburgh we decided we couldn't pass up the opportunity to climb to Arthur's Seat. Arthur's Seat is the main peak of a cluster of hills situated about a mile from Edinburgh Castle. It was created by an extinct volcano which was eroded by a glacier, forming rocky crags and the basalt cliffs of Arthur's Seat. We experienced many people and dogs utilizing the trails up the mountain, encountered a few joggers, a once at the top had a stunning view of the city below. Once we reached the top it had become so windy we had to hold on to some stone pillars so that we would not go flying away over the rocks.

Arthur's Seat has many cultural meanings for the people of Edinburgh. For instance, Scotland's 12th-century king was said to have encountered a stag while out hunting beneath Arthur's Seat. Having fallen from his horse and about to be gored, he had a vision of a cross appearing between the animal's antlers, before it inexplicably turned away, leaving him unharmed. The king, believing his life had been spared through divine intervention returned to found Holyrood Abbey whose coat of arms is now a cross framed by antlers. Another tradition was for young girls to bathe their faces in celebration of May Day in the loch at the base of the hill.

Climbing Arthur's Seat was such a breath- taking experience. It was intensely wonderful to be able to see the harbor, the city, the castle, and lush green landscape from this one hilltop. It was interesting to see all of these different landscapes and environments thriving so close to one another.

The Hypothetical Biodiversity of Loch Ness

Everyone knows about the sea serpent that is supposed to be hiding in the depths of the Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. The Loch Ness Monster, affectionately deemed Nessie, has been sighted on multiple occasions but his/her existence has never been proven. Theories ranging from Nessie being a mythical creature like a kelpie or dragon, to the monster being a "left over" dinosaur, have sought to explain the rumors. This post will rely on one assumption: that the Loch Ness Monster does actually exist. So what would happen if Nessie were to die?

First and foremost, we need to take a look at the actual habitat. Loch Ness is the second biggest lake by surface area in Scotland, but due to it's great depth, it is the largest by volume- it contains more water than all the freshwater lakes in England and Wales combined. It has several rivers and the Caledonian canal as primary inflows and it has the River Ness as it's primary outflow. Being a freshwater lake, this means there are fish species like trout, salmon and pike and plant species like freshwater algae and even water lilies. 

Secondly, one would have to determine what exactly Nessie had been eating all these years. Because most of the foremost scholars (I use this term loosely...) of the Loch Ness Monster believe that the creature would probably be omnivorous, eating both plants and animals, I'm inclined to agree with this. Therefore, if Nessie were to die, there would be a larger population of both plants and animals in the Loch Ness due to the absence of one of the habitats largest predators. As well, because of the Loch Ness's inflow from multiple rivers, it's likely that more animals will come into the loch in the days of post-mortem Nessie because it's likely that such a monster was very territorial and because of it's supposed size, would probably need a lot of territory. 

And last in this blog, we'd have to think about what would happen to the remains of Nessie. Certainly, he/she would have to decompose. If the monster is big enough, it's rotting carcass could actually pollute the water supply. If this occurs, more delicate creatures like certain types of bugs and small fish, could possibly die out as a result. 

And that's all today on the hypothetical biodiversity of Loch Ness.

Cuts in Scotland are effecting the protection of their Endangered Species

We are in Edinburgh, it is darn cold but we are still having a good time and learning much.

But this post topic is one I've looked into before I started this travel. As beautiful and clean as Scotland is they are still in a recession, and unfortunately nature conservation is at mercy.

Scottish ministers have warned executives in Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) that its budget would be cut by at least 20% over several years in favor of other policy budgets.

In 2011 there was a budget cut of 10%, this coming year (2012) the SNH will be given its new budget, it's braced for cuts of up to 10%, about 6 million (pounds) in funding.

The agency fears that Scotland will soon fail to meet the legal obligations, that may have them facing court proceedings from the European commission.

As important as bouncing back from the recession is, it's not as important as saving the native species of Scotland. Species such as the red squirrel, sea eagles, and beavers are being threatened, and invasive species populations are increasing such as the signal crayfish, American mink, rhododendron and the Japanese knot weed.

This post is more of making this subject to be know than to have an ending at the moment, but all that can be done is to hope that the Scotland parliament will understand you can't bring back species once they are gone and how important species are to the environmental balance.

Tuk
: )

Thames River

As we were touring London, with Luk being the perfect little tour guide, we frequently came across the Thames River. As we were walking across the Millennium Bridge, I was intrigued to find an anchored barge of sorts that had a sign floating behind it stating: "I eat rubbish! this device restores vitality to the Thames collecting 40 tonnes of rubbish every year." Nine of these informational and waste collecting barges have been place along the Thames River by an environmentalist group in an effort to decrease pollution.

After Roman conquest, London became a center for guilds, livery companies, and merchants. The Thames river provided a means of transport for boats carrying cargo and people. As a result, the water became very polluted and by 1610 the water was no longer fit for drinking. The New River company was established to supply clean water to the general population but with the open drains flowing into the river this proved to be difficult and disease ensued. The stench coming off of the water was so terrible that in 1858 the House of Commons had to be abandoned. By the middle of the 19th century, the rise in sewage carried into the Thames river by the Fleet river caused all of the fish to die and consequently all of the birds that fed off the fish to die or transfer to other less polluted areas.

Eventually three criteria for improvement were established: the water must always be able to sustain fish at every tide level, the river must support fauna on the bottom of the river, and all toxic and non-biodegradable waste must be taken out of the water. As a result, aquatic life was able to develop and now attracts more than 10,000 birds, the occasional seal may be spotted swimming about in the water, and it is now one of the cleanest rivers in the world. The Thames River obviously plays a crucial part to daily life in London, not only for the animals and plants but also for the people. Studies reveal that the city has sunk more than fifteen feet since it was conquered by the Romans. Even a slight change in the Earth's climate would have a devastating effect on London since the river is such a crucial part of the city's development and the city could sink even further. If the climate does become warmer London could be completely submerged by 2100.

London!

For all those out there who know absolutely nothing about me at all, the first time I left my native state of Virginia was when I moved to London to go to college for a few months. So you could say that London has a pretty special place in my heart. It's a pretty cool place, I think! You're never going to see such diverse people all in one city- you'll never hear so many languages spoken in one place. Because of this diversity, among other reasons, I personally think that London is one of the best capitals in Europe.

The overall rate of unemployment in the UK is right at 8.3%. For comparison, the USA is at 8.6%, Greece is at 18.3% and Spain is at 22.8%. This is keeping in mind that the natural rate of unemployment (the percentage of unemployment that is deemed non-cyclical and therefore acceptable) is 5%. Even with the UK having a comparably low rate of unemployment anyway, London itself has proven to be particularly buoyant, even through these bad times. Many members of the EU have flocked to London with attempts to find work. A British woman who we met in Greece talked about the heightened sense of racism throughout the European Union; she stated that even in the best of times, Greeks, as well as Brits, could be racist. With many members of poorer European Union countries coming to better off members for work, the racial tension has increased. This immigration, among other reasons, has led to a higher rate of unemployment for UK natives aged under 24. We've all heard about the summer riots in London that caused a lot of chaos and damage, and a major catalyst of these conflicts was unemployment.

The point of this post: Increased racism has become a major social consequence of the recession in the European Union.