Browsing the BGS News Archive - Site updates

Showing rows 31 to 40 of 354 (pages : 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 )

19 November 2012

Open-loop ground source heat pumps (GSHP)

UPDATES

Open-loop ground source heat pump. (Image: courtesy of US Department of Energy.

Site update

Groundwater temperatures are relatively stable at depths of 10-15 m below ground surface (approximating the annual air temperature at that location) and with further depths increase according to the geothermal gradient (UK average 3ºC per 100 m depth).

As a result, there is a temperature difference between above-ground (air) temperatures and below-ground (including groundwater) temperatures for most of the year, with the ground/groundwater being colder than air during summer and warmer than air during winter.

Ground source heat pump (GSHP) systems exploit this natural temperature difference for heating or cooling demands.

In open-loop systems, groundwater is abstracted at ambient temperature from the ground, passed through a heat pump before being re-injected back into the ground or discharged at the surface.

For buildings with heating/cooling demands of 100 kW or more (e.g. a large office building), such open-loop GSHPs can be more economic than closed-loop systems.

More about Open-loop ground source heat pumps (GSHP)

15 November 2012

The Anthropocene | Landscape impact

UPDATES

Site update

Human driven biological, chemical and physical changes to the Earth's system are so great, rapid and distinct that they may characterise an entirely new epoch – The Anthropocene.

New web pages that show selected BGS research and further information:

Landscape impact: how humans transform the landscape
Earliest evidence of anthropogenic impact: indicators for early human transformation of the landscape
Mapping anthropogenic impact: how can evidence of the Anthropocene be mapped?
Preservation of anthropogenic deposits and features: where and how might anthropogenic deposits be preserved?
The Anthropocene and the future: how population growth might affect the scale of landscape transformation

More about The Anthropocene

30 October 2012

GeoBritain map

UPDATES

Site update

The British Isles host a wide range of fascinating geology providing secret walks through breathtaking scenery, literary inspiration, idyllic holiday destinations and the building materials for historic monuments.

Use the GeoBritain map to browse geology groups, museums, discovery centres, geoparks and other important geological sites open to the public.

If we haven t included your event, group or site, please let us know!

30 October 2012

Eddleston: groundwater-surface water interaction on an upland floodplain

UPDATES

Site update

The Eddleston Water Floodplain Project is a joint effort by a number of organisations to investigate and reduce the impact of flooding in the Eddleston catchment, a large part of which has been supported and funded by the Scottish Government.

The Eddleston Water is a small, upland tributary of the River Tweed in the Scottish Borders, which has been selected as a demonstration research catchment by the Scottish Government for promoting Natural Flood Management.

Over time, as in many rural valleys, the course of the Eddleston Water has been channelised and straightened, and the land has been drained to improve agricultural production.

Such changes have caused a loss of habitat diversity, and have increased the amount of rainwater run-off and the speed at which it flows through the catchment, which have led to an increased risk of flooding in Eddleston village and the town of Peebles downstream.

More about Eddleston: groundwater-surface water interaction on an upland floodplain

26 October 2012

L'Aquila Trial Verdict

UPDATES

Site update

The announcement that six Italian scientists and one government official have been charged with manslaughter following the L'Aquila earthquake in 2009 in Italy may have grave implications for scientists who try to provide advice on low probability events such as earthquakes in the context of high uncertainties but also high consequences. The charges alleged that members of the National Commission for Forecasting and Predicting Great Risks who held a meeting in L'Aquila the week before the earthquake provided incomplete, imprecise and contradictory information and failed to adequately evaluate and communicate the risk to the local population . Here we present some of the scientific background to the case.

16 October 2012

JISC-funded project: GB/3D type fossils online

UPDATES

Digital fossil model viewed as an anaglyph

Site update

The GB/3D type fossils online project, funded by JISC, aims to develop a single database of the type specimens held in British collections, of macrofossil species and subspecies found in the UK, including links to photographs (including anaglyph stereo pairs) and a selection of 3D digital models.

More about JISC-funded project: GB/3D type fossils online

15 October 2012

Physical properties and behaviour of UK rocks and soils

UPDATES

Site update

The BGS Geotechnical and Geophysical Properties and Processes Team characterises the major bedrock formations and superficial deposits in the UK, in terms of their physical (geotechnical) properties and mechanical behaviour (e.g. strength, density and porosity).

Selected research includes:

Engineering geology maps of the United Kingdom
Bedrock formation studies: Gault, Lias, Lambeth, Mercia Mudstone and Sherwood Sandstone groups

More about Physical properties and behaviour of UK rocks and soils

11 October 2012

Join the ASK Network, Glasgow

UPDATES

Site update

Join the ASK Network to help develop and exchange datasets and methods about the ground beneath Glasgow and beyond.

ASK - or Accessing Subsurface Knowledge - is a new data and knowledge exchange network between public and private sectors developed by BGS and Glasgow City Council.

Knowledge of the subsurface is key to delivering successful construction and regeneration projects - poor understanding of ground conditions is widely recognised as the largest single cause of project delay as well as overspending.

The ASK Network will be launched by the BGS and Glasgow City Council (GCC) at a workshop at the Lighthouse, Glasgow on 16 November 2012.

Who should attend?

public and private sector subsurface data holders
building and construction contractors and consultants
industry regulators
local authorities
urban regeneration companies

More about the ASK Network

10 October 2012

Shrink-swell and climate change

UPDATES

Site update

New research into shrink swell and climate change has linked extended periods of low rainfall to high levels of shrink-swell subsidence claims on the clay soils of the South East of the UK. The study shows that two years with low average rainfall can put the soils system into an ‘overdraft’ situation, and even if a large amount of rainfall is experienced, we could still be in the red. It has also demonstrated the importance of temperature on shrinking and swelling clays, with warmer summer temperatures related to larger peaks in shrink-swell and subsidence insurance claims.

10 October 2012

High-frequency Magnetometers

UPDATES

Site update

In June 2012, the BGS Geomagnetism team installed two high frequency (100 Hz) induction coil magnetometers at Eskdalemuir Geophysical Observatory in the Scottish Borders. The coils were installed on the Eskdalemuir observatory site, an electromagnetically quiet region of the UK. The coils (white tube, Figure 1) were placed under a protective wooden covering in an empty field (Figure 2) and are linked to the internet via a computer system in the seismic vault about 100 metres away. A small breakout box and digitiser lie close to the coils (Figure 3). The data from the induction coils are returned on an hourly basis to BGS Edinburgh.

Showing rows 31 to 40 of 354 (pages : 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 ) back

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