Living Sustainably: A complete guide to surviving a changing planet

A new course has been launched for Michaelmas term 2011 Living Sustainably: A complete guide to surviving a changing planet. The 5ECTS module is part of Trinity College’s Broad Curriculum programme where interdisciplinary courses allow experts from one discipline offer a unique perspective for students in different disciplines on contemporary issues. Professor Nick Gray has been working on the problems of sustainability for over three decades and looks at the facts behind current global problems and how the individual and community can make a difference. The course is supported by its own blog.

Irish EPA Drinking Water Quality Report

Copyright EPA

Yesterday the Environmental Protection Agency published its annual report on the quality of Irish drinking water quality for the period 2008/2009. The report covers 944 public water supplies and shows problems of faecal contamination and high trihalomethanes in some supplies. The number of private group water schemes where E. coli was detected dropped from 134 in 2008 to 87 in 2009 with17% of all private group water schemes identified as microbially compromised at least once during 2009. The EPA indicated improvement is required in the compliance of aluminium and turbidity parametric values. At the end of 2010 there were 264 supplies requiring remedial action to bring them up to standard.

TCD Avoca Mines/River Publications

Several people have asked for a list of the Internal Reports that we have published on the Avova Mines and its impact on the Avoca River.  These were done mainly in the 1990's with more recent research published in journals.  There is also significant work availble in thesis format.  Below is a list of the internal reports that are available.  There are two reports which were Governmnet Reports that are confidential and so are not included both dealing with plans to rehabilitate the mines.

• Sullivan, M. and Gray, N.F. (1992) An evaluation of the fisheries potential of the Avoca catchment. Technical Report 9, Water Technology Research, Dublin, 47pp.
• Gray, N.F. (1995) Flow calculation in the River Avoca: flow calculation and flow data. Technical Report: 10, Water Technology Research, Trinity College, University of Dublin, Dublin. (ISBN 1-872220-11-8) Revised July, 1995.
• Gray, N.F. and Doyle, T.M. (1995) Characterisation of acid mine drainage generating sites. Technical Report: 11, Water Technology Research, Trinity College, University of Dublin, Dublin. (ISBN 1-872220-12-6)
• Gray, N.F. (1995) Water quality of the surface waters at Avoca Mines and the Avoca River: Intensive sampling period May to October, 1994 (Interim report). Technical Report: 12, Water Technology Research, Trinity College, University of Dublin, Dublin. (ISBN 1-872220-13-4)
• Gray, N.F. (1995) Main adit flow and metal discharge rates. Technical Report: 13, Water Technology Research, Trinity College, University of Dublin, Dublin. (ISBN 1-872220-14-2)
• Gray, N.F. (1995) Field assessment of acid mine drainage contamination in surface waters. Technical Report: 14, Water Technology Research, Trinity College, University of Dublin, Dublin. (ISBN 1-872220-15-0)
• Kilroy, A. and Gray, N.F. (1994) A review of treatability, toxicity and biodegradability test methods. Technical Report: 15, Water Technology Research, Trinity College, University of Dublin, Dublin. (ISBN 1-872220-16-9)
• Gray, N.F. (1995) Influence of secondary sulphate mineral formation on the impact of acid mine drainage to surface waters. Technical Report: 16, Water Technology Research, Trinity College, University of Dublin, Dublin. (ISBN 1-872220-17-7)
• Byrne, C. and Gray, N.F. (1995 ) Environmental impact of acid mine drainage on the Avoca River: Effects of habitat types on biological monitoring of the macro invertebrate fauna. Technical Report: 17, Water Technology Research, Trinity College, University of Dublin, Dublin. (ISBN 1-872220-18-5
• Byrne, C. and Gray, N.F. (1995) Environmental impact of acid mine drainage on the Avoca River: Acute toxicity experiments in the field using macro invertebrates. Technical Report: 18, Water Technology Research, Trinity College, University of Dublin, Dublin. (ISBN 1-872220-19-3)
• Herr, C. and Gray, N.F. (1995) Environmental impact of acid mine drainage on the Avoca River: Metal fluxes in water and sediment. Part I Introduction to metal accumulation in riverine sediments. Technical Report: 19, Water Technology Research, Trinity College, University of Dublin, Dublin. (ISBN 1-872220-20-7).
• Herr, C. and Gray, N.F. (1995) Environmental impact of acid mine drainage on the Avoca River: Metal fluxes in water and sediment. Part II Metal contamination of riverine sediments. Technical Report: 20, Water Technology Research, Trinity College, University of Dublin, Dublin. (ISBN 1-872220-21-5).
• Herr, C. and Gray, N.F. (1995) Environmental impact of acid mine drainage on the Avoca River: Metal fluxes in water and sediment. Part III Metals in water and suspended particulate matter.Technical Report: 21, Water Technology Research, Trinity College, University of Dublin, Dublin. (ISBN 1-872220-22-3).
• Gray, N.F. (1995) An objective index for the assessment of the contamination of surface and ground waters by acid mine drainage. Technical Report: 22, Water Technology Research, Trinity College, University of Dublin, Dublin. (ISBN 1-872220-23-1)
• Gray, N.F. (1995) A substrate classification index for the visual assessment of the impact of acid mine drainage in lotic systems. Technical Report: 24, Water Technology Research, Trinity College, University of Dublin, Dublin. (ISBN 1-872220-25-8)
• Doyle, T.M. and Gray, N.F. (1995) Protocol for monitoring and predicting the impact of acid mine drainage: Designing and setting up a geographical information system (GIS). Technical Report: 25, Water Technology Research, Trinity College, University of Dublin, Dublin. (ISBN 1-872220-26-6
• Sullivan, M., Gray, N.F. and O'Neill, C. (1995) Synoptic overview of the Avoca-Avonmore catchment and the Avoca Mines. Technical Report: 26, Water Technology Research, Trinity College, University of Dublin, Dublin. (ISBN 1-872220-27-4)
• Gray, N.F. and Sullivan, M. (1995) The environmental Impact of acid mine drainage. Technical Report: 27, Water Technology Research, Trinity College, University of Dublin, Dublin. (ISBN 1-872220-28-2)
• Herr, C. and Gray, N.F. (1995) Protocol for monitoring and predicting the impact of acid mine drainage: sediment sampling. Technical Report: 28, Water Technology Research, Trinity College, University of Dublin, Dublin. (ISBN 1-872220-29-0) 
• Gray, N.F. (1995) Procedure for the estimation of the impact of acid mine drainage to surface waters. Technical Report: 29, Water Technology Research, Trinity College, University of Dublin, Dublin. (ISBN 1-872220-30-4)
• O'Neill, C., Herr C. and Gray, N.F. (1995) A survey of soil and vegetation in the area surrounding the East Avoca Mine, Co. Wicklow. Technical Report: 31, Water Technology Research, Trinity College, University of Dublin, Dublin. (ISBN 1-872220-32-0)
• Gray, N.F. (1995) Biorehabilitation of the acid mine drainage phenomenon by accelerated bioleaching of mine waste: Executive summary of the work done at Trinity College, Dublin. Technical Report: 33, Water Technology Research, Trinity College, University of Dublin, Dublin. (ISBN 1-872220-34-7).
• Herr, C. and Gray, N.F. (1995) Seasonal variation of metal contamination in riverine sediments of the Avoca River with regard to seasonal differences. Technical Report: 34, Water Technology Research, Trinity College, University of Dublin, Dublin. (ISBN 1-872220-35-5).

PAST Statistical Software

We use a wide range of statistical packages at TCD but I always recommend students on my courses to use PAST (PAlaeontological Statistics). It’s an easy to use and robust software package that can be downloaded free from the Internet. There are no strings attached and it is a very simple and quick download. It is incredibly versatile and carries a wide range of statistical applications. I use it primarily for multivariate analysis and the calculation of a wide number of diversity indices. The package has been developed and is run by Oyvind Hammer who is based at the Natural History Museum of the University of Oslo, who is to be highly commended for his constant enthusiasm and helpful advice which is so freely given to users A new version (2.07) is now available incorporating many new features making it even more sophisticated while retaining its ease of use. It is supported by a series of downloadable pdf manuals. Download here.

National Policy Statement for Wastewater

The UK Government are carrying out a consultation process to in relation to their National Policy Statement for Wastewater.  The aim of the policy statement is to prevent environmental damage and/or poor water quality through the adequate provision of waste water infrastructure. The statement will identify the strategic need for a new waste water infrastructure.  The consultation process will continue to the end of February. Link

American Mink in the River Dodder

Yesterday students from my undergraduate freshwater biology course and myself were out surveying the River Dodder in the heart of suburban Dublin. To our surprise we were able to observe mature American Mink patrolling the opposite bank completely at home and oblivious to all the activity going on. I have very rarely seen mink in the wild and was surprised to see it so well adapted to its urban environment. This voracious predator has had devastating impact on river wildlife, especially water voles, which are now classed as endangered, as well as wildfowl (e.g. moorhens, coots, widgeon and teal) and of course fish. It is perhaps our most problematic invasive species. This sighting comes at a time when the University of Aberdeen is leading a major eradication scheme in a number of Scottish rivers. So far 10,000 sq km of land in north-east Scotland has been cleared of mink. Below is an excellent video from the BBC of biologist Jamie Urquhart (River Don Trust) showing science reporter Rebecca Morelle how the mink are caught.