Our very own Dr Lisa Baldini is making the Teesside University headlines with her research project aiming to reconstruct past climate change in West Africa. The full Teesside University press release can be found here.
New Study Addresses Nitrogen Accumulation in Soils for Better Environmental Management
A TU-Durham University collaboration has yielded a detailed nitrogen budget to assess how nitrogen moves across different land uses in a large, mixed land-use UK catchment. This newly published work highlights the importance of accurately measuring nitrogen (N) accumulation to mitigate its harmful impacts on climate and ecosystems.
The Trent catchment, known for its extensive water quality monitoring, provided a unique opportunity to map nitrogen flows and pinpoint where accumulation occurs. One key finding was the higher nitrogen build-up in grassland subsoils compared to arable land, revealing the complex interactions between land use, nitrogen, and soil health.
Excess nitrogen in soil can lead to water pollution, loss of biodiversity, and increased greenhouse gas emissions, making proper nutrient management essential. This study advances our understanding of nitrogen dynamics, providing valuable information toward sustainable environmental management. Continue reading “New Study Addresses Nitrogen Accumulation in Soils for Better Environmental Management”
Teesside Researchers Head Underground in Central Africa to Study Past Climate
Why would anyone venture into caves to study the climate? The answer lies in palaeoclimatology—the science of past climates. At Teesside University, our Environmental Science team studies climate patterns to help communities prepare for future changes.
Dr. Lisa Baldini and Dr. Jens Holvoeth focus on reconstructing past climates – Lisa examines stalagmites, while Jens studies sediment cores. These ‘archives of past climate’ offer vital insights into climate trends before the Industrial Era began, giving us a baseline to understand today’s changes.
Dr. Mehnaz Rashid specialises in climate modeling and GIS, focusing on the tropics, where unpredictable rainfall can devastate subsistence farming. Meanwhile, Dr. Adrian Dye, our glaciologist, studies glacier response to rising temperatures, especially around sea ice, to predict future ice sheet collapse. We also have resident experts in soils, peatlands, agriculture, greenhouse gases, and microbiology—all of these are critical components of the Earth’s climate system.
This summer Dr. Baldini headed underground in tropical Central Africa with her PhD student (a Teesside Environmental Management MSc graduate) and local researchers. Here, in Dengui Cave (Gabon) she explains how stalagmites preserve a record of past climate in their chemistry, helping us understand how rainfall and temperature patterns have shifted over centuries.
At Teesside, we’re committed to tackling climate change—past, present, and future. Come join our Environmental Science BSc or Environmental Management MSc course so you can help make a difference too.
A Special Lecture at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
Dr Oluseye Oludoye recently had the privilege of delivering a special lecture at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. Invited by the Department of Environmental Science, Oluseye’s lecture focused on “Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) in Pro-environmental Research to Reduce Single-Use Plastic (SUP) Waste.”
In his talk, Oluseye explored how TPB can be used to analyze and promote pro-environmental behaviours, particularly to reduce the prevalence of single-use plastics, which substantially threaten ecosystems worldwide.
Drawing from his recent research, Oluseye shared key findings on the effectiveness of TPB in predicting and influencing behaviours that contribute to SUP waste reduction. His research highlights the potential for TPB to inform public policy, guiding the development of strategies that can effectively encourage more sustainable consumer practices. Oluseye emphasised the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in addressing environmental challenges, advocating for policies informed by robust scientific research and tailored to the cultural and social contexts in which they are implemented.
This opportunity was made possible through the support of the Faculty of Science at Chulalongkorn University, facilitated by the Sci-Super Plus grant, which funded Oluseye’s trip. This opportunity not only underscored the global relevance of his work but also strengthened the academic and research ties between Teesside University and Chulalongkorn University, paving the way for future collaborations in environmental science.
Pic 1: Giving lecture
Pic 3: Group Photo
Pic 4: Group Photo
Pic 2: Q&A Session
Green Jobs for Nature: MSc Student perspective on employability
New Study Examines University Students’ Attitudes Toward Single-Use Plastics
The widespread use of single-use plastics (SUP) is a growing environmental issue, particularly in Thailand, where plastic waste poses significant challenges. A recent study by Dr Oluseye Oludoye, focusing on Thai university students, explores the factors influencing their efforts to reduce plastic consumption, offering valuable insights for promoting sustainability. Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour, the research examined how attitudes, perceived control, and social influences affect students’ intentions at different stages of behaviour change.
The findings show that while positive attitudes towards reducing SUP are important, they only encourage action among students already contemplating change. In contrast, students’ belief in their ability to make a difference—perceived behavioural control—proved crucial across all decision-making stages. Social influences also played a key role in shaping initial attitudes, highlighting how peer dynamics can motivate change.
These insights are essential for educators and policymakers aiming to foster sustainable behaviours. Campaigns tailored to different stages of behaviour change can be more effective, and leveraging social influence through student-led initiatives could further encourage action. The study also suggests that reducing SUP might inspire students to adopt other sustainable practices. Overall, this research enhances our understanding of engaging young adults in environmental efforts and paves the way for a more sustainable future.
Continue reading “New Study Examines University Students’ Attitudes Toward Single-Use Plastics”
New research tackles single-use plastics in Thailand
In our ever-evolving world, environmental sustainability has become a crucial topic of discussion. One of the most pressing challenges we face is the issue of single-use plastics (SUP). These materials, while convenient, have become pervasive in daily life, and their environmental impact is significant. In this context, a recent collaborative study shines a light on the pro-environmental behaviour (PB) of Thai communities regarding the reduction of SUP, particularly in food packaging.
Published in Scientific Reports, part of the Nature journal portfolio, the study was led by Oluseye Oludoye from Teesside University in collaboration with partners from Université Catholique de Louvain (Belgium), University of Lagos (Nigeria), Chulalongkorn University (Thailand), and University of California Davis (USA). It examined how residents from rural (Sichang Island) and urban (Nonthaburi city) areas of Thailand approach SUP reduction and what motivates their behaviour.
The study found that morality significantly influenced SUP reduction in both, rural and urban areas, but with an interesting twist. Rural residents were more driven by rational decision-making, while urban residents were motivated by moral values when choosing to reduce their plastic use. These insights are invaluable for policymakers looking to develop targeted sustainability initiatives that resonate with the specific motivations of different communities.
As we continue to face environmental challenges, knowing what motivates people to reduce plastic use can help create better solutions and encourage more sustainable habits in our everyday lives.
Continue reading “New research tackles single-use plastics in Thailand”
Internal Talk – Dr Ernesto Saiz val
The group heard from Dr Ernesto Saiz Val, with a talk entitled ‘N-biogeochemistry and new low-cost analytical methods for in-situ environmental monitoring’.
Ernesto’s work focuses on low cost, reliable and portable devices for soil field work, devices to measure pH, ammonia, potassium and nitrate were shown and a great explanation of the future potential of this work.
If you want to know more – see Dr Saiz Val’s research page – https://research.tees.ac.uk/en/persons/ernesto-saiz-val/publications/
New Publication: Diversity of selected toll-like receptor genes in cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) and African leopards (Panthera pardus pardus)
Leopards (Panthera pardus) and cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) face several threats including habitat destruction, human-wildlife conflict, and infectious disease. Dr Desiré Lee Dalton (Lecturer, Teesside University) and collaborators investigated the diversity of genes involved in the initial detection and defence against infectious diseases in modern Southern African cheetahs and leopards as well as historic cheetah samples and samples of different cheetah subspecies. We found that diversity was lower in cheetah than in leopards. In addition, historic cheetahs from all subspecies exhibited greater genetic diversity than modern Southern African cheetahs. Thus, indicating that cheetah have further lost diversity recently as a result of a population declines within the last 150 years. These results have identified that Southern African cheetahs may not be able survive future infectious diseases.
If you’d like to read more about this research, you can access the paper from the publisher’s website with this link.
Seminer update – Dr Oluseye Oludoye
On 8th February 2024 we had a fascinating internal seminar talk by Dr Oluseye Oludoye on Pro-Environmental Behaviour Towards Sustainable Food Systems.
Oluseye introduced us to his research including pesticide, cocoa flavours, and plastic chemistry. The talk introduced the team to how people consider use of pesticide, but more importantly the impact of usage on the environment, including soil health. The talk encouraged the group to think about economics, biodiversity and climate change, a really thought provoking and insightful lunchtime session.
New paper: Rapid deterioration in buried leather: archaeological implications
This recent paper was the accumulation of work by Helga Halldorsdottir with TU Earth and Environment researchers, Gillian Taylor and Rhys Williams (now at Loyola Maryland University), involving some huge data sets and really novel results. The experiment set-up was amazing…
The research used non-destructive Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR)-Attenuated Total Reflectance (ATR) analysis to reveal fascinating insights into how leather decays over time. The research focused on vegetable-tanned and archaeological leather from the Roman site of Vindolanda, UK. By analysing leather at different stages—raw, tanned, buried, and archaeological—the study observed how burial in wet soil leads to rapid changes, particularly the breakdown of lipids, while collagen remains intact. The findings suggest that de-tanning occurs quickly in waterlogged conditions, making archaeological leather resemble untanned leather.
One of the most interesting takeaways is that modern unburied leather doesn’t provide an accurate comparison to ancient samples, but experimentally buried leather does. Although de-tanning happens soon after burial, vegetable-tanning still plays a role in long-term preservation. The research also hints that mineral components in the leather may influence its preservation. Overall, the study highlights the complexity of leather decay and opens up new possibilities for understanding how ancient materials survive over time.
If you want to learn more about the research, you can read the paper in the journal RSC Advances here.