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OxCal is the most popular software package world-wide for calibrating and analysing dates within the carbon dating process, enabling the accurate dating of objects from the past. The brainchild of Prof. Christopher Bronk Ramsey, Director of the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit (ORAU), OxCal is based on chronologies refined by the use of Bayesian statistical methods, and provides users with access to high-quality calibration of chronological data, now the basis for global chronologies. It is available online and free to download, and has played a highly significant role in establishing the ORAU as one of the pre-eminent international radiocarbon dating facilities. Funded by the NERC, and used widely within professional archaeology as well as other disciplines, OxCal has also played a key role in research projects (within Oxford and beyond) brought to the attention of the general public by the media.
Innovative geochemical research led by Selby at Durham has permitted savings of up to $70M in global mineral and petroleum exploration programmes (e.g., Andes of S. America; West of Shetlands oilfields). Selby's research has developed a unique geochemical toolbox using rhenium, osmium, platinum and palladium that constrain more accurate geological models leading to better reserve predictions. The toolbox provides previously unavailable geological time constraints and source identification of resources (e.g., copper, gold, crude oil) that gives mineral and/or petroleum companies an enhanced economic advantage by improving reserve estimates and/or reducing exploration budgets and/or minimising the environmental impacts of exploration.
Palaeoenvironmental research in the Ica Valley of Peru's southern coast is revealing how agriculture acted with climate change to trigger major social upheaval in the past. This history is informing and educating people and policy-makers in the present, thereby sustaining sympathetic land use for the future. Specific impacts include a Defra-funded project on Peruvian biodiversity by the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew (RBG), the implementation of Peruvian decrees regarding education and forest conservation, and the establishment of forest-management agreements with major landowners.
Research on faults and fluid flow led by the University of Leeds has dramatically increased the ability of the petroleum industry to predict the impact of faults on fluid flow in petroleum reservoirs. The work has allowed the industry to reduce the risks associated with the exploration of fault- bounded reservoirs, and to identify areas of un-drained reserves in producing reservoirs. The research has won a series of important industrial and academic awards, and has provided a platform for the growth of Rock Deformation Research, a successful consultancy spin-out company whose turnover rose from £1.93 million in the period 2008-2010 to £4.0 million today.
University of Leeds Research has been used by its specialist Turbidites Research Group (TRG) to underpin consultancy work for oil companies that has, in turn, steered them to make high-value decisions. Examples include an oil well placement, the development of an oil field, and a decision to only partially develop another. The TRG has been funded by 14 oil companies since 1992, and its annual income has risen from £125k/yr prior to 2008 to £380k/yr during the REF period. It is estimated that the cumulative value of oil company decisions based on TRG research exceeds several hundred million dollars. Following the impact, Leeds have replicated the TRG business model to form new specialist industrial research groups that have each generated further impact.
The 2010 Eyjafjallajökull and 2011 Grímsvötn eruptions in Iceland were stark reminders that global society is increasingly vulnerable to volcanic hazards. Research at the University of Leeds has shown that volcanic gases and airborne particles could be a significant health hazard to humans — potentially more fatal than seasonal `flu. Leeds scientists used computer models to demonstrate that a long-lasting, gas-rich eruption in Iceland could degrade air quality and lead to well over 100,000 deaths across Europe. In January 2012, the number of potential fatalities was used as evidence by the UK government for the decision to add large-magnitude effusive Icelandic eruptions to the UK National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies as a high priority risk with potentially widespread effects on health, agriculture and transport. Leeds researchers continue to advise the UK government on the mitigation of potential volcanic hazards through the Civil Contingencies Secretariat.
The longevity of volcano impact monitoring projects is a strong argument for the involvement of citizen scientists and volunteers. Professor Rymer and colleagues have run several long-term volcano projects in collaboration with the charity Earthwatch. Over 500 citizen scientists have collected geophysical and environmental data since 2000. The work has impacted on the lives of the volunteers, who are engaged and enthused by scientific research, park wardens in Nicaragua who continue to monitor long-term SO2 release, and authorities in Costa Rica, Iceland, Italy and Nicaragua who use the citizen science data to mitigate the environmental effects of persistent volcanism.
The Caistor Roman Town Project has transformed understanding of one of East Anglia's most significant archaeological sites and has informed the management strategies of the site's principal stakeholders (South Norfolk Council, Norfolk County Council, Norfolk Museums Service and the Norfolk Archaeological Trust) in relation to presentation and interpretation. The project epitomises `citizen science', engendering sustained community involvement in archaeological research (c. 230 volunteers contributing over 35,000 hours), including the establishment of a charity that has enabled the volunteers to develop and support further community archaeology initiatives in the region. More than 15,000 visitors to excavations over 12 weeks and widespread coverage through internet, print news and television have broadened international understanding of archaeology and the site.
Prof. White's research, and the associated computer algorithms he has developed,have played a key role in decision-making in the petroleum industry, particularly as the search for new resources has moved into increasingly hostile and remote regions on deep-water continental margins, where the uncertainty of exploration involves multi- million pound risks. The key to reducing the geological element of that risk is a detailed understanding of the structure and evolution of the thinned crust and lithosphere that underlie these margins. Prof. White's insights, algorithms and methodology are used by hydrocarbon companies, in particular BP Exploration, to predict hydrocarbon potential and to gain access to exploration acreage.
Leicester's world-leading research into exceptionally well preserved fossils has crucially underpinned the successful establishment of a new UNESCO World Heritage Site in China. The Chengjiang Fossil Site in Yunnan Province is officially recognised by UNESCO as having "Outstanding Universal Value", containing fossils of soft-bodied sea-life dating from 530 million years ago. The fossils occur in a region where the minerals industry is a key economic driver: granting of World Heritage Site (WHS) status has removed the threat of encroaching commercial mining activities, secured conservation of the site, and paved the way for further sustainable, non-invasive tourism. The same research serves as a vehicle for raising awareness about the evolution of life, the history of biodiversity and the importance of `blue skies' research in the UK.