Lower Devonian volcanic rocks in the northern British Isles, especially Scotland, show extensive evidence for contemporaneous subaerial weathering. Basalt and andesite lavas were altered to red iron oxides, commonly accompanied by calcite. Measurement of carbonate contents in 104 samples over a region of 100,000 km2 show an average of 13% calcite. Weighted for outcrop thickness, this represents an estimated 7.3×1016 moles CO2, extracted from surface waters and ultimately the atmosphere. The time frame for this drawdown is difficult to constrain, but complete weathering of a one-metre unit over 1000 years would involve CO2 consumption comparable with the highest rates determined in modern basaltic watersheds. These data demonstrate that volcanic activity can be a major sink, as well as a source for CO2, and provide a data set for modelling of CO2 flux during episodes of volcanic activity in the geological record. The high capacity of the Devonian lavas for CO2 drawdown emphasises the potential of basalts for CO2 sequestration.

A palynological study of the upper Silurian Öved–Ramsåsa Group in Skåne, Sweden yields a well preserved spore assemblage with low relative abundances of marine microfossils. In total, 26 spore taxa represented by 15 genera were identified. The spore assemblage is dominated by long-ranging cryptospore taxa, and the trilete spore Ambitisporites avitus-dilutus. However, key-species identified include Artemopyra radiata, Hispanaediscus lamontii, H. major, H. verrucatus, Scylaspora scripta and Synorisporites cf. libycus. Importantly, Scylaspora klintaensis was identified, allowing correlation with the Klinta 1 drillcore (Skåne). A Ludlow age is inferred for the exposed succession, which agrees well with previous conodont stratigraphy. The organic residue is dominated by phytodebris and spores, but with high relative abundances of acritarchs at two levels, possibly related to flooding surfaces.

Based on the palynofacies analysis, a near-shore marine environment is proposed. The close proximity to land is inferred by the high proportions of spores, and the dispersed assemblage most likely represents the local flora growing on delta plains. The palynological signal also infers a stable terrestrial environment and vegetation, in contrast to unstable conditions in the marine environment characterised by ooid formation in an evaporitic environment. Comparisons with coeval spore assemblages from Gotland, Avalonia and Laurentia show relatively close similarities in taxonomic composition at the generic level.

The sculpture and histology of osteostracan head shields and trunk squamations from the Silurian of Estonia are described, illustrated and used for the identification of disarticulated microremains collected from outcrop sections and numerous drill cores in Estonia and Latvia over the last 40 years. The scattered osteostracan material contains thousands of specimens of scales and shield fragments. The sculpture and histology of species of the previously identified eight genera in the region (Tremataspis, Dartmuthia, Saaremaaspis, Oeselaspis, Aestiaspis, Thyestes, Procephalaspis, Witaaspis) are redescribed, together with Ateleaspis, found in Estonia for the first time. The sculpture on the cornua of several taxa is described for the first time. The new taxa Tremataspis perforata sp. nov., Dartmuthia procera sp. nov., Eldaaspis miklii gen. et sp. nov., Tahulaspis ordinata gen. et sp. nov., Tahulaspis praevia gen. et sp. nov., Meelaidaspis gennadii gen. et sp. nov. and Ohesaareaspis ponticulata gen. et sp. nov. are established, based upon sculpture and histological characteristics of the exoskeleton. The supraoral field with denticles of that field are described for the first time in Oeselaspis pustulata, as is the supraoral plate with buccal denticles in Meelaidaspis gennadii gen. et sp. nov. Thin sections of all taxa (except of Witaaspis) have been studied. This work sheds light on East Baltic osteostracan biodiversity from the Maasi Beds of the Jaagarahu Stage, Sheinwoodian, lower Wenlock up to the Ohesaare Stage, upper Přidoli, Silurian.

Micro computed tomography has revealed as yet undescribed internal braincase anatomy of the tetrapodomorph fish Gogonasus andrewsae from the Frasnian Gogo Formation, Paddy's Valley, Kimberley Region, Western Australia. The complete material, including the cranial cavities and channels for blood vessels and nerves, reveals several notable features inside the endocranium. The ethmosphenoid unit includes a median capsule, which lies underneath the median postrostral and rostral series. Based on innervation and association with cutaneous vessels, potential electroreceptive function is inferred for this capsule. Several regions of poor ossification, including foramina for the glossopharyngeal and abducens nerves, as well as the apparent suture separating the ethmoid from the sphenoid portions of the braincase, are possibly indicative of early ontogenetic features. Former interpretations of the course for the superficial ophthalmic nerve inside the nasal capsule of Osteolepis and Gyroptychius may be incorrect, with new research supporting a path through the nasal septum, as in Gogonasus.

Sand waves are well known indicators of a mobile seabed. What do we expect of these features in terms of migration rates and seabed scour? We discuss these effects on seabed structures, both for the Oil and Gas and the Windfarm Industries, and consider how these impact on turbines and buried cables. Two case studies are presented. The first concerns a windfarm with a five-year gap between the planning survey and a subsequent cable route and environmental assessment survey. This revealed large-scale movements of sand waves, with the displacement of an isolated feature of 155 m in five years. Secondly, another windfarm development involved a re-survey, again over a five-year period, but after the turbines had been installed. This showed movements of sand waves of ∼50 m in five years. Observations of the scour effects on the turbines are discussed. Both sites revealed the presence of barchans. Whilst these have been extensively studied on land, there are few examples of how they behave in the marine environment. The two case studies presented show that mass transport is potentially much greater than expected and that this has implications for choosing turbine locations, the effect of scour, and the impact these sediment movements are likely to have on power cables.

Brachiopods are among the most common components of the Late Ordovician benthic faunal assemblages recorded in the Faraghan Mountains, Zagros Ranges, Iran. A total of 19 species referable to 16 genera are identified, including seven new species; namely Drabovia elegans, Hibernodonta bonehensis, Hedstroemina zakeenensis, Jezercia faraghani, Protomendacella multicostata, Tafilaltia dargazensis and Tafilaltia seyahouensis. Reported brachiopod assemblages are oligotaxic (2–3 species per assemblage) to monotaxic. The only exception is the medium diversity Aegiromena-Hedstroemina Association, with up to ten species, which occurs at the lower part of the A. nigerica Zone. Low diversity patterns were probably controlled by the palaeogeographical position of the region in high southern latitudes throughout the Ordovician. Paterula sp. and Iranospirifer sp. are the only brachiopods documented from the Silurian (Llandovery) Sarchahan Formation. This paper gives the first detailed report of shelly fossils from the Llandovery ‘hot shale’ of the Arabian margin of Gondwana. Most of the Katian genera, and many of their species, are shared with neighbouring high- to mid-latitude peri-Gondwanan margins, including Morocco, Spain, France, Sardinia and Bohemia.

Chondrenchelys problematica, from the Viséan (Holkerian) of Scotland, is the earliest holocephalan known from extensive cranial and postcranial material. Here, we provide a comprehensive new description of this taxon using three new specimens, in which we observe many morphological features for the first time. Much of the cranial morphology is closer to that of living chimaeroid holocephalans than was previously appreciated. For this reason, we provide original figures illustrating the chondrocranium of a hatchling Callorhinchus milii demonstrating these similarities. In Chondrenchelys, although the jaw articulation is positioned at the posterior margin of the orbit, the high-walled lamina orbitonasalis and densely-mineralised antorbital crest provide evidence for forward rotation of the jaw adductor musculature. Preserved foramina for the efferent superficial ophthalmic nerves show that the sensory organs on the rostrum were enervated in a manner similar to modern sharks, with the ophthalmic nerves not enclosed in an ethmoid canal, as in modern holocephalans. The conjunction of numerous distinctly holocephalan features with those that are otherwise general to Chondrichthyes demonstrates a decoupling of several of the structural conditions that characterise the distinctive morphological complex of the extant holocephalan skull. The anguiliform postcranium is more elongate than previously reconstructed, and it is now clear that the axial skeleton extended beyond the posterior extremity of the elongate dorsal fin. Morphological characters are reviewed with a view to further phylogenetic analyses. We recommend using the appearance of Chondrenchelys at 336.5 Ma as a hard minimum age for the last common ancestor of elasmobranchs and chimaeroids, because of its secure association with other holocephalans, and current uncertainties concerning elasmobranch stem lineage membership.

This study presents sedimentological, palaeoecological and geochemical data from a shallow Mediterranean coastal lagoon which has been severely influenced by human intervention over the last 70 years. The Gialova Lagoon is protected by international conventions and is listed in the Natura 2000 European Community Network as Special Protection Area (SPA) and Site of Community Importance (SCI). The spatial variability of sediment characteristics such as grain size, total organic carbon (TOC) and moment measures, mean, sorting, kurtosis and skewness were calculated. Moreover, micro- and macrofossil and sediment geochemical analyses were carried out on six gravity core samples. Study of the above parameters indicates that the anthropogenic impact and intervention are reflected in the micro- (ostracods, foraminifera, charophytes) and macrofossil (molluscs) taxa corresponding to different depositional environmental facies, representing a brackish lagoon with the influence of (a) fresh water inflow, (b) shallow marine environment and (c) hypoxic and dystrophic conditions. The geochemical characteristics and the calculation of the degree of sediment contamination using enrichment factors (EF), contamination factors (Cif) and the index of geo-accumulation (Igeo) indicate a recent relative improvement of the lagoon towards the upper layers of the gravity cores, rendering the lagoon as unpolluted to moderately polluted. This combinatorial study of sediment geochemical characteristics, as well as the downcore micro- and macrofossil assemblages, can be considered as a baseline for future monitoring in accordance with European Union directives, and for any future engineering interventions for the lagoon environmental maintenance and conservation; as this is the first time that geochemical and downcore palaeoecological data have been presented from this lagoon.

Predictive modelling of deep-sea species and assemblages with multibeam acoustic datasets as input variables is now a key tool in the provision of maps upon which spatial planning and management of the marine environment can be based. However, with a multitude of methods available, advice is needed on the best methods for the task at hand. In this study, we predictively modelled the distribution and extent of three vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) at the assemblage level (‘Lophelia pertusa reef frameworks’; ‘Stylasterids and lobose sponges’; and ‘Xenophyophore fields’) on the eastern flank of Rockall Bank, using three modelling methods: MaxEnt; RandomForests classification with multiple assemblages (gRF); and RandomForests classification with the presence/absence of a single VME (saRF). Performance metrics indicated that MaxEnt performed the best, but all models were considered valid. All three methods broadly agreed with regard to broad patterns in distribution. However, predicted extent presented a variation of up to 35 % between the different methods, and clear differences in predicted distribution were observed. We conclude that the choice of method is likely to influence the results of predicted maps, potentially impacting political decisions about deep-sea VME conservation.

Recent advances in marine acoustic survey and land-based topographic monitoring technologies have resulted in increasingly cost-effective data acquisition in coastal areas. The DEFRA-funded National Network of Regional Coastal Monitoring Programmes of England are, for example, utilising swath bathymetry and airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) technology more routinely to survey the coastal zone around the coastline of England. The demand for data processing, visualisation and interpretation techniques to keep pace with such advances in data acquisition is clear. This study discusses collection and processing techniques for such data on the south coast of Dorset, England, which have enabled the production of a seamless, high spatial resolution digital elevation model across the coastal zone. Case studies demonstrate how this elevation model can be viewed and analysed using state-of-the-art digital techniques to allow geological mapping to be extended from onshore to offshore in unprecedented detail, effectively eliminating what is known as the ‘White Ribbon’ for coastal geological mapping. The potential for rolling out such techniques for wider surveying programmes across many environmental disciplines is significant, which could contribute towards improving the multi-disciplinary scientific evidence base in the complex coastal zone.

The generic assignments of some 200 Ordovician brachiopod species in the Barr and Lower Ardmillan (upper Darriwilian–lower Katian) succession, Girvan are reviewed and, where necessary, modified. This key database on the distribution and occurrence of a Laurentian-marginal brachiopod assemblage has featured in many analyses of global biogeography for the period and has confirmed the position of Girvan at relatively low latitudes. Revision of these taxonomic assignments within a modified stratigraphical framework permits closer comparisons with coeval faunas elsewhere around the palaeocontinent of Laurentia and beyond and allows the definition of a variety of brachiopod biofacies on a fault-controlled basin founded on a dismembered ophiolite.

Seven new species and one new genus of the family Haplolepidae (Actinopterygii: Palaeonisciformes) are described from new material obtained from the Drumgray coal shales, North Lanarkshire: Westphalian A (Bashkirian): Protohaplolepis isabellae; Protohaplolepis limnades; Protohaplolepis traquairi; Parahaplolepis alexandrae; Parahaplolepis elenae; Pyritocephalus youngii and Millerolepis eleionomae. The discovery of these new taxa increases the number of haplolepid species found in Europe to 16, thus producing a faunal count more than comparable to that of North America. This high concentration of haplolepid remains in limnic deposits is also a strong indication that these fish were not only adapted to a coastal paralic basin, but also well-adapted to a freshwater brackish environment. A comprehensive description of the skull roof morphology, including a short description of some of the larger dermal bones, is given of seven new haplolepid species obtained from the coal shale tips at Wester Bracco and Shotts in North Lanarkshire. In consequence, a revised table of the stratigraphical distribution of the Haplolepidae in Europe is provided. Furthermore, the new genus Millerolepis is assigned to the subfamily Parahaplolepinae and the generic position of the problematic Haplolepis attheyi from Newsham, Northumberland is discussed, with the taxonomic position of Protohaplolepis proposed.

Assemblages of well-preserved dispersed spores have been recovered from the ‘Lower Old Red Sandstone’ deposits of the Berriedale Outlier in the Northern Highlands of Scotland. They belong to the annulatus–sextantii Spore Assemblage Biozone (AS SAB), in the spore zonation of Richardson & McGregor (1986), indicating an Early Devonian Emsian (but not earliest Emsian or latest Emsian) age. Comparison with the spore zonation of Streel et al. (1987) suggests they may be confined to the annulatus–bellatulus Oppel Zone (AB OZ), further constraining the age to early Emsian. This new biostratigraphical datum provides an age constraint for the onset of ‘Lower Old Red Sandstone’ sedimentation in the Orcadian Basin and, in particular, northwest of the Great Glen Fault System on the Northern Highlands. In the Orcadian Basin, there is a gap between ‘Lower Old Red Sandstone’ and ‘Middle Old Red Sandstone’ sedimentation, represented by either unconformity or disconformity, which appears to be variable in duration. In the Berriedale Outlier, it is estimated to represent up to 16 million years, but with an unknown thickness of ‘Lower Old Red Sandstone’ sequence removed at the unconformity. However, this basin-wide unconformity/disconformity is likely due to minor, local rather than large-scale, regional tectonism, and the evidence suggests little, if any, syn-depositional strike-slip movement along the Great Glen Fault System during Devonian ‘Old Red Sandstone’ deposition. The described spore assemblage is the most diverse AS SAB/AB OZ assemblage described from the British Isles. However, compared to contemporary spore assemblages from elsewhere on the Old Red Sandstone continent, the Scottish material is rather depauperate, with certain key taxa absent. This probably reflects subtle ecological effects, with the Scottish material representing restricted floras of the inland intermontaine basins.

This paper presents recently collected swath bathymetry from the Firth of Lorn. 553 km2 of data were collected during 2012–2013 as part of the INIS Hydro (Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland Hydrographic Survey) programme.

The area proves to consist of bedrock-dominated seabed, divided into narrow, stratigraphically-constrained and glacially-over-deepened basins. The bedrock is composed of late Proterozoic Dalradian metasediments overlain unconformably by Old Red Sandstone (ORS) sediments and lavas of ?Silurian-age. The central region of the Firth of Lorn is dominated by a vertical cliff, up to 150 m high and extending for approximately 24 km. This feature, here termed the Insh Fault, may have originated as a Dalradian extensional fault, been reactivated as an ORS feature and now forms a fault-line scarp with resistant ORS rocks on the downthrown side, flanking the more deeply eroded metasediments exposed in the basin. Tertiary intrusives are common, in particular, swarms of Paleocene dolerite dykes exposed on the sediment-free bedrock surfaces, and can be traced for many kilometres.

Evidence for past glaciation is widespread, manifest in the extensive erosion of the bedrock platforms and the abundance of well-preserved moraines and over-deepened basins. The survey region includes the Corryvreckan Whirlpool and Great Race, beneath the tidal flows of which occur submarine dunes.