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Professor Swindles of Leeds university geography department
Professor to speak at the Friends of Ilkley Moor AGM
"Oasis in a desert" is the title of a research project that has just started on Ilkley moor.
Scientists from the universities of Leeds, Sheffield and York with support from Friends of Ilkley Moor and Bradford Council Countryside service will be taking an in-depth look at Crawshaw moss, an active peat bog on the north eastern edge of the moor.
Associate Professor Graeme Swindles of Leeds university geography department will be introducing this research at the Friends of Ilkley Moor AGM at the Clarke Foley Centre on Friday 12 April at 7.30pm.
The moss is one of the few active peat bogs on the moor and the title of the project refers to the question as to why this bog has survived when most others on the moor have not. Dr Swindles will try and answer this question by leading the multi-disciplinary team.
It will trace the history of the bog since the last ice age. Analysis of peat cores will reveal the different vegetation types in the bog and the surrounding area and Friends of Ilkley Moor have donated £500 for the carbon dating of the cores as well as allowing access to the detailed aerial photography of the moor that they commissioned last summer.
The team includes archaeological experts who will try and tie the changes in vegetation to human activity on the moor since the early bronze age. Other scientists will be looking at the greenhouse gases both locked in the moss and being given off. Hydrologists will look at water quality, how the bog functions and whether more can be done for it to retain water to help with flood mitigation in the Wharfe valley.
The AGM is free and open to all, cheese/biscuits and drinks will be provided free.