BES-TEG aimed at promoting and facilitating communication and interaction between tropical ecologists to enable inter-disciplinary transfer and development of knowledge and skills; and provides support for early career researchers while filling-in policy gaps. After six successful Early Career Research Meetings, BES-TEG are organizing a 7th meeting schedule to take place at the University of York, […]
Identification help: Freshwater bryozoa statoblast from East Africa
Identified! This is a statoblast of the species Lophopodella capensis or possibly Lophopodella stuhlmani. Some information on the distribution of this freshwater bryozoa can be found here. Bryozoa statoblasts like these were found in the late Holocene sediments of Nyabuiyabui Swamp, a freshwater swamp on the Mau Escarpment in Kenya, at 2900 m asl. If it is […]
Sediment analyses at Aberystwyth University
By: Colin Courtney Mustaphi and Esther Githumbi July 16, 2014 X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) is a technique that yields detailed information on the geochemistry of sediment cores and can be useful for characterising depositional environments and for palaeoenvironmental interpretations. The XRF analysis was performed at the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences at Aberystwyth University in Wales, UK, […]
POLLEN PROCESSING USING HF DIGESTION
SEDIMENT DESCRIPTION Sediment colour is described using the Munsell soil colour charts as the core is extruded. Colour and the point of any colour change are noted in the core log book which also holds the routine sediment analysis data. Troels-Smith description of the sediment may also be needed, in which case the project leader […]
POLLEN PROCESSING FOLLOWING THE HEAVY LIQUID SEPARATION
Accumulated sediments contain plant macro and microfossils; lakes, swamp and bog sediments trap evidence from the surrounding environments for paleoenvironmental reconstruction. The plant microfossils provide evidence of historical changes in the surrounding environment. These sediments are the indicators studied in palynology which is concerned with the structure and formation of the pollen grains Pollen analysis can […]
Project Overview – Resilience in East African Landscapes (REAL)
Project summary The strong temporal dynamics of the East African landscape and natural-resource distributions have always encouraged people to innovate and adapt to changing conditions. However, the realities of current social and environmental changes are occurring at unprecedented rates and amplitudes. Increasing population growth, changes in patterns of land tenure, industrialization, weak systems of governance, […]
CHIESA Vegetation from space and from the ground Workshop
Between the 17th to 22nd March 2014, several members of the REAL group (Aynalem, Chris, Christine and Esther) participated in the Vegetation from space and from the ground workshop (KITE-CHIESA). This workshop was facilitated by Dr. Phil Platts and Dr. Marion Pfeifer. The course provided an introduction to the use of Earth Observation (EO) products in the […]
Survey of Kenya visit
The Survey of Kenya, with headquarters in Nairobi, was involved in field mapping alongside the Directorate of Overseas Surveys and Directorate of Colonial Surveys during British colonial rule and remains the main centre of geospatial information in Kenya. The Survey maintains the air photography, maps, cadastrals and geospatial data of Kenya and is an important […]
Obsidian tools
Obsidian is a volcanic extrusive rock with a glassy texture that is very hard and dense. The volcanic glass is usually black in colour, but it can also be dark green and brown. In rare cases trace elements of mineral crystals can cause obsidian to reflect light in various colours, or even the colour spectrum […]
CLOSED Call for applicants: REAL project PhD at the University of York
Marie Curie Early Stage Researcher Department Environment Based at University of York – Heslington Campus Hours of work Full-time Contract status Fixed term Salary £37,822 – £40,687 a year Apply by 30/05/2014 Role Description [Job post LINK] The KITE research group in the Environment Department, University of York, has a research position in Environmental Modelling […]
Nyabuiyabui Swamp fieldwork
Nyabuiyabui swamp field work was carried out between 10-12/04/2014 by Colin Courtney Mustaphi, Esther Githumbi who were accompanied by Rebecca Muthoni (Intern at National Museums of Kenya) and Joseph Mutua (BIEA). Nyabuiyabui Swamp is located in Mau forest, Kiptunga block and permission to carry out the field work was granted by the KFS. It […]
Amboseli fieldwork
Assorted REALers accompanied Esther and Colin on their fieldwork trip to the Amboseli region. Two swamps were targeted for analysis, resulting in some beautiful cores and a ton of fun, all under the watchful eye of Mount Kilimanjaro. Further activities included mapping the sediment depth, taking pictures with the trusted Quad “Don’t land me in […]