Nessletter - No 118 - 1993

Magazine Overview

Title: NESSLETTER
Issue: 118
Volume: Jol 94
Date: August 1994
Publisher: NESS INFORMATION SERVICE
ISSN: 0264-7001

This issue of the NESSLETTER focuses extensively on the Loch Ness Project, detailing its published papers and ongoing research. The cover headline highlights the "LOCH NESS PROJECT," and the document type is identified as a magazine issue.

Loch Ness Project: A Comprehensive Research Initiative

The article begins by acknowledging receipt of the Loch Ness Project's published papers, totaling over 270 pages. While some technical aspects, like chemical analysis, are complex, the author expresses great interest, believing that understanding the loch's environment is key to solving the mystery of the 'monster.'

The research covers a wide range of topics, including:

• Introduction: Historical background and recent work.
• Hydrography: Loch Ness Bathymetric and Seismic Survey '91.
• Chemistry: Results of a water chemistry study.
• Sediments: Review of current work and preliminary reports on sediment cores.
• Contaminants: Analysis of PCBs and PAHs.
• Profundal Zone: Studies on benthic ostracods and the fauna of Loch Ness and Loch Morar.
• Pelagic Zone: Food and feeding relationships, spatial distribution, and diurnal migration of pelagic fish and zooplankton.
• Spatial Diversity: Fish habits and explanations for spatial biomass gradients.

The introduction notes that the current research builds upon pioneer hydrographic surveys from over ninety years ago by Sir John Murray and Laurence Pullar. It also references the multi-disciplinary survey of 1977-80 by Dr. Peter Maitland, which served as a definitive background. The article highlights two anniversaries in 1993: 125 years since the 'Inverness Courier' first mentioned the loch's tradition (1868), and sixty years since the same newspaper coined the term 'Monster' (1933).

Despite the loch's tradition, the article suggests that scientific reticence has not been the primary issue. Instead, the inadequacy of freshwater sampling equipment for deep-water conditions (up to 200 meters) and windy surface conditions posed challenges. The project has attracted trained engineers and mounted large-scale expeditions, utilizing novel methods for acoustic and underwater camera monitoring. Marine equipment was adapted for freshwater use, and a gravity-coring apparatus was developed for deep-water collection. The wide bore (10.3cm) of the corer was designed to collect large volumes of sediment for detecting chemicals.

The project benefits from a permanent loch-side presence at the Official Loch Ness Exhibition Centre, provided by Mr. R.A. Bremner. This allows Adrian and Maralym Shine, along with John Minshull, to conduct field-work, supported by annual volunteers. The project has seen significant collaboration, with forty collaborators responding and at least seventeen B.Sc., M.Sc., M.Phil., and Ph.D. dissertations and theses completed or in preparation, many of which contributed fieldwork.

Sediment Analysis and Historical Reconstruction

The sediment group is also coordinated by the Environmental Change Research Centre at University College London. Presentations were made at various international meetings, including the British Ecological Society and the Societas Internationalis Limnologae.

The 1991 Bathymetric and Seismic Survey aimed to resolve controversy over the maximum depth of Loch Ness and prepare for deep-coring. This 'Rosetta Project' is designed to complement the European Community Rebecca Project. The survey, conducted by Dr. Bryan Woodward from Loughborough University of Technology, involved five days of data collection. Despite challenging winter conditions, the survey lines were calculated to cover depths below 50m, utilizing US Dept. of Defense NAVSTAR global positioning satellites. Over 200,000 Giga Bytes of seismic profile data were recorded, showing a positive similarity to 1903 surveys. The regularity of the loch basin was confirmed, with some acoustically difficult rocky side-walls and a confirmed gully near Urquhart Bay.

The maximum depth recorded in the North Basin was 745ft (226.96m), slightly less than previous measurements. The South Basin's maximum depth was 726ft (221m), also slightly less than earlier findings. In May 1992, students from the University of Wolverhampton collected water samples and performed chemical analysis, collecting data from 81 input streams, the River Ness, and both loch basins. The results, though incomplete, suggest considerable potential for catchment-based studies of water chemistry.

The sediment mapping and coring programmes are contributing to the understanding of Loch Ness, which holds Britain's largest volume of fresh-water. The article notes that many smaller lochs have become acidified, some losing their fish populations. While Loch Ness shows little evidence of acidification, likely due to its sheer volume, it is susceptible to atmospheric contamination. Microscopic 'carbonaceous particles' from burning fossil fuels, particularly oil, have increased dramatically in sediments since about 1940, with a peak in the 1970s.

The silica frustules of diatoms within the sediments remain intact, allowing for pH reconstruction. Acidity has remained relatively constant since 1850, agreeing with the present pH of 6.5. Pollen grains from the Loch catchment's vegetation provide a record of events over thousands of years, showing a shift from tree pollens to herbs and cereals. New species of conifers were found in plantations. The sediment dating, using the radio-isotope 210Pb, has established a chronology back to 1839, covering changes brought by industrialization. The 1963 peak of nuclear bomb fall-out and the Chernobyl incident are clearly recorded in the sediment layers.

The bulk of the sediments are derived from terrestrial vegetation. The loch's catchment influences the sediment character, with prevailing weather patterns directing water and organic material, particularly peat and leaves, into the loch. A sediment map shows that each inlet contributes different characteristics to the sediment build-up. The rise on the loch bed opposite Foyers is composed of coarse mica sand, while at Invermoriston, vegetable detritus is more prevalent. Clays are exposed at shallow depths at the northern end towards Dores. Sediments are focused towards the deeper water, with sedimentation rates exceeding 1.0cm per year in the North Basin.

The 200m plus depths provide a stable resting place for silts and clays, preserving characteristic light/dark laminae. These laminae are precipitation-controlled and offer insights into the annual features of the sediments. A Ph.D. thesis is dedicated to this, and the 'Project Hour-Glass' has been deployed to monitor sediment monthly. Loch Ness is considered a premier site for studying climate change in Great Britain, with its laminated sediments providing a catalogue of information about the history of Loch Ness, starting with glacial clays deposited 12,000 years ago.

The Project's long-core programme (Rosetta) aims to recover pollen and mineral records from these clays, potentially revealing events like the Loch Lomond stadial and post-glacial productivity bursts, and whether the sea once entered Loch Ness.

In 1990, a distinctive light grey clay layer was discovered in sediment cores, initially observed at 30-50cm depth throughout the North Basin. This layer, initially thought to be part of the thick clay layer, was strongly suggested to be a major flood event by 210Pb dating, occurring in the 19th century. Throughout the summer of 1992, the clay layer was traced along and across the loch. A transect of three cores showed the clay layer to be thickest nearest Urquhart Bay, capping sand layers. The sand layer tapered away from the bay, and the clay thinned to the north and south. This is thought to be the result of a massive outwashing event. A study of 27 short cores revealed a more complex disturbance than first observed, with the grey clay layer overlying a fining upwards section of dark brown silts in the North Basin. This is suggested to be a turbidite current triggered by the flood, plunging down the slopes of Urquhart Bay and cutting a gully at the base of the wall.

In the narrower South Basin, a thicker sequence of material was found, capped by a much thinner, clear, light clay layer. This is attributed to the extraordinary conditions of the great flood of 1868, originating not only from rivers but also extending across the loch from the Horseshoe Scree. The particles of sand were deposited first, followed by silts, twigs, vegetable matter, and finally, clay particles settled to blanket the basin floors.

The northerly location of the loch makes it possible to relate tephras (microscopic glass shards) found within the sediments to Icelandic volcanic eruptions and the first depopulation of the Highlands during the Bronze Age, which coincided with a 'volcanic winter'.

Conclusion and Future Work

In conclusion, 'Loch Ness' should not be seen as untouched and pristine. It is a time capsule, packed with information about broad events, including human activities and environmental changes. The sedimentary records provide a 'remorsless treatise' on cause and effect, confirming humanity's power to alter the environment. Much information is yet to be extracted.

In June of the current year, the Project successfully recovered an Em core from their fixed station in mid-loch, south of the Clansman. The bottom 1.5m of this core appears to be glacial clay, possibly reaching the 'bottom'. However, traces of grit suggest a layer of glacial clay overlying the lowest sediment layers, potentially indicating the re-advance of ice during the Loch Lomond stadial. There is also a theory that ice-dammed lakes in the Great Glen could have caused the release of water, leading to cataclysmic events and raised beaches.

The core has been divided for analysis by Wolverhampton and Plymouth Universities. The submarine was used minimally, primarily to check the corer's position and remove the safety catch.

The author provides personal notes on their schedule, including being at Loch Ness, attending a chalet, and visiting Invermoriston campsite. Contact details for subscriptions and correspondence are provided.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the scientific investigation of Loch Ness, the detailed analysis of its sediment layers as a historical record, and the broader implications for understanding climate change and past environmental events. The editorial stance is one of rigorous scientific inquiry, aiming to uncover the loch's history and environment through detailed data collection and analysis, while acknowledging the enduring mystery of the 'monster' as a cultural phenomenon intertwined with the scientific study.