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By putting public engagement at the heart of our deep-sea research, we have delivered benefits to society of generating inspiration and curiosity about science, raising public awareness of our research insights and their context, and providing cultural enrichment by supporting lifelong learning. We have achieved these impacts through: interactions with print, online, and broadcast media that have brought our research to millions; series of talks and events that have inspired specific audiences of tens of thousands; and a network of interactive online resources that has enabled people worldwide to share in our exploration of deep-ocean environments and their biodiversity.
The results of commissioned research by Aberystwyth University (AU) have shaped decision-making that led to the relocation of refugee Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian (RAE) communities in Mitrovica, northern Kosovo. In 2009/2010 AU research unequivocally identified the source of elevated lead (Pb) levels in soils that had been blamed for high infant and adult mortality rates in RAE refugee camps, and established that Roma Mahalla had sufficiently low soil Pb levels to permit the construction of a purpose-built housing development for the RAE communities. Following the relocation of the RAE families to Roma Mahalla in 2010/2011 there has been a significant reduction in blood Pb levels in children with no reported deaths attributable to Pb poisoning. This AU research project has had a demonstrable positive impact on life quality and human health of the resettled RAE communities living in Mitrovica.
Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) are a serious risk to human health and the sustainability of the aquaculture industry. Research by Prof. Davidson has improved understanding of temporal and spatial trends in marine HABs and detection of toxins in farmed shellfish. Knowledge gleaned from this research has been adopted by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in the design of the HAB Monitoring Programme for Scotland. Prof. Davidson leads the FSA HAB Monitoring Programme. The research findings also underpin the Crown Estate's finfish monitoring programmes and are used to advise aquaculture businesses on ways to reduce economic impact of HAB events.
Research into the characteristics and remediation of mining pollution has had sustained and significant impacts (2008 - 2013) on environmental policy and practice at regional, national and international scales. Impacts, all with documentary evidence, include:
In May 2013 the UN Environment Programme's Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants agreed to ban the widely-used flame retardant Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), following evidence that there may be harmful human exposure. Since the Convention came into force in 2004, only 21 compounds have had their use either banned or tightly restricted under its terms. Research findings from Stuart Harrad and his group at the University of Birmingham formed a significant element of the case used to support the ban on HBCD. Harrad's group provided the first measurements made anywhere in the world on concentrations of individual HBCD isomers in indoor dust leading to the realisation that the ingestion of indoor dust was a significant pathway of human exposure to HBCD. The group has also contributed important evidence of the capacity of HBCD to bioaccumulate and of its environmental persistence.
Researchers in the Earth Surface Processes and Environmental Change (ESPEC) Research Group have communicated Quaternary geology to user communities explicitly guiding the location of sites for mineral extraction and infrastructure (airports / wind turbines) in terrestrial and offshore environments. This ranges from contract investigations in Wales, English Heritage Aggregate Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF) research in Kent, Sussex and Lancashire to the current NERC BRITICE-CHRONO Consortium. The understanding provided has informed infrastructural and mineral resource planning, aiding mitigation for heritage and environmental assets. Data are embedded in National and Regional Planning (e.g. Welsh Assembly, Lancashire County Council, Natural England, English Heritage).
Managing and conserving the marine environment requires defining what constitutes healthy ecosystems and understanding the effects of pollution. Edinburgh Napier University (ENU) research defining `undesirable disturbance' allowed the United Kingdom (UK) to mount a successful defence at the European Court of Justice in 2009 against alleged infraction of UK obligations under the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive. This saved UK taxpayers £6 billion in estimated additional costs. The European Union (EU) Marine Strategy Framework Directive uses a definition of good status for pelagic habitats derived from work at ENU, which benefits policy makers and marine stakeholders by facilitating the establishment of Marine Protected Areas.
Dr Ceri Lewis' research expeditions to the Canadian High Arctic to investigate impacts of ocean acidification, have informed educational material, introducing oceans education to schools, both nationally and internationally. Lewis worked with Digital Explorer, a non-profit organisation, to provide free lesson plans and multi-media resources on ocean acidification and Arctic climate change to classrooms, both nationally and internationally. The resulting education resources, informed by Ceri's fieldwork, are already being used by 1,225 UK secondary schools (i.e. 30% of secondary schools in the UK), reaching over 658,000 pupils within the first year of being launched. These school resources are also being used internationally including a training programme in Alaska and outreach examples across Europe.
UK and international government departments, agencies and the nuclear industry have benefitted from improved understanding of environmental radioactivity and the development of novel, in situ gamma spectroscopy by researchers at the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre (SUERC, University of Glasgow). The provision of advice and novel data has helped to develop management, monitoring, regulation and human dose assessments for authorised and accidental releases of radionuclides, and to build plans for geological disposal facilities for high and intermediate level radioactive waste.
Research at Loughborough University during the REF period (and extending back at least three decades beyond that) has had a significant impact on national and international policy decisions governing the management of radioactive waste, one of the Grand Challenges facing society. The Unit's research ranges from deep geological disposal to abatement of marine discharges and remediation strategies for industrial radioactive waste, the latter safeguarding the competitiveness of the oil & gas and mineral processing sectors. This input has been crucial for revising the new Environmental Permitting Regulations and International Basic Safety Standards. Many of the Unit's doctoral graduates occupy important decision-making roles at key organisations such as the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), Sellafield, Environment Agency, CEA (France) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).