Little is known about the development of the modern oceanic climate regime of northwest Europe in deep time. During the Neogene (23.03-2.588 Ma), the British Isles had a unique location on the northwest edge of the Eurasian continent forming a peninsula separating the Atlantic Ocean from the North Sea (Harzhauser & Piller, 2007). Neogene sediments of the UK are therefore ideal for understanding the development of Neogene oceanic climates.The modern European climate experiences a prevalence of the westerlies in winter with summer climates being highly latitudinally diverse. Western coastal areas, such as the UK, experience an oceanic, or maritime, climate with highly latitudinally diverse summer climates relative to southern Europe with its Mediterranean climate and dry summers and the subhumid-semi-arid continental climate of eastern Europe (Rohli & Vega, 2008;Vines, 1985). However, during the late Middle Miocene (Serravallian, 13.82-11.62 Ma) summer precipitation patterns suggest Europe was instead dominated by a trade wind system flowing from the northeast to southwest, whilst the Late Miocene was controlled by the westerlies (Böhme, 2004;Quan et al., 2014). However, much of this work is based upon the central European basins and does not, potentially, reflect terrestrial environments with a strong oceanic control. In addition, the majority of terrestrial paleoclimate reconstructions are generated through the Co-existence Approach (Burls et al., 2021;Utescher et al., 2014). Whilst this has given us unprecedented understanding of terrestrial climate development (e.g., Utescher et al., 2017), the reconstruction of a Abstract Neogene sediments in the UK are ideally situated for understanding the early development of hydrological dynamics and atmospheric circulation that led to the modern oceanic climate of northwest Europe. Onshore Neogene fossiliferous deposits in the UK are limited to the solution pipe fills at Trwyn y Parc in Anglesey (Middle Miocene), the Brassington Formation of Derbyshire (Serravallian-Tortonian), and the Coralline Crag Formation (latest Zanclean-earliest Piacenzian) and Red Crag Formation (Piacenzian-Gelasian) in southeast England. Palynoflora from these localities can be used to provide snapshots into the climate at the time of deposition, however, palaeobotanical-based reconstructions are typically lacking in their poor estimation of error. Therefore, we present the first pre-Quaternary application of two terrestrial climate reconstruction techniques: CREST (Climate Reconstruction SofTware) and CRACLE (Climate Reconstruction Analysis using Coexistence Likelihood Estimation), that use Bayesian and likelihood estimation probability respectively to generate a new palaeoclimate reconstruction, and compare this to Co-existence Approach reconstructions from the UK and continental Europe. Our study shows how Mean Annual Temperature (MAT) declines by 3°-6°C, Mean Annual Precipitation (MAP) declines by 480-600 mm and Precipitation Seasonality approximately halves throughout the Neogene. CREST and ...

The Trwyn y Parc solution pipes on the Isle of Anglesey, Wales, UK are one of only three onshore Miocene fossil flora bearing sites. Here we revise the palynostratigraphy and present new palaeoclimate data for this geoheritage site. By comparison to palynological data from northern Europe the age has been refined from Miocene to Middle Miocene, possibly Langhian. This is confirmed by palaeoclimate reconstructions comparable to the German Middle Miocene, especially the Langhian after the Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum (MMCO). This new information not only confirms the regional importance of Trwyn y Parc, but shows it to be of national importance Our findings show that this Regionally Important Geodiversity Site (RIGs) is of national importance as it is the oldest onshore fossiliferous Neogene deposit in the UK. Based on this, and the unique fossil flora preserved at Trwyn y Parc, the site has significant geoheritage value and should be upgraded to Geological Conservation Review (GCR) status and subsequently protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

Whether honeybees utilize oilseed rape, and thus come into contact with 10 neonicotinoid pesticides, has been questioned in the UK. Here we report the 11 melissopalynology of honey samples taken from hives in the northeast of the UK 12 from 2014-2015. The results show that Brassica pollen is predominant in honey 13 extractions from June, following the mass bloom of oilseed rape. Honey extractions 14 from July and September show more diverse sources of nectar from entomophilous 15 crops, weeds and garden plants. Our results clearly show that honeybees will 16 extensively utilise oilseed rape mass blooms in Spring and any change in the current 17European Union moratorium on neonicotinoids should be carefully considered. We 18 also confirm the importance of gardens (when planted with "bee friendly flowers") in 19 sustaining pollinators within suburban to rural environments. 20 21

No abstract

Difficulty in obtaining and maintaining an adequate plant stand in directly seeded cabbage led to the investigation of possible causes of plant loss. A series of experiments was conducted evaluating the effect of six rates (0, 0.28, 0.41, 0.56, 0.84, 1.12 kg·ha–1 a.i.) of trifluralin on cabbage stand. The treated area was irrigated immediately after planting; one-half of the area received overhead irrigation and the other half received furrow irrigation. Activated charcoal as a slurry was sprayed at the rate of 336 kg·ha–1 directly into the seed furrow on half the plots receiving the higher trifluralin rates. Plots treated with trifluralin at rates of 0.56, 0.84, and 1.12 kg·ha–1 had lower plant populations if activated charcoal was not applied. Grass, broadleaf, and sedge weed control was as effective with 0.28 and 0.41 kg·ha–1 of trifluralin as it was at the higher rates of 0.56, 0.84, and 1.12 kg·ha–1. Plant population was not affected as much by trifluralin rates when furrow irrigation was used as compared with overhead irrigation. Producers should be careful not to exceed 0.41 kg·ha–1 of trifluralin on cabbage directly seeded into light-textured soils, because reduced stands can be expected.