Since October 2010 I have been working on my PhD project at the School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) regarding the late-Holocene and contemporary sedimentary provenance and processes of sedimentation in the Sundarbans. The approach followed has been one based strongly on sedimentary facies analysis, thus coring several sites in the Sundarbans is one of the primary methodologies employed in this project. Fieldwork here is an entirely different beast than one might expect, especially since I’ve never left Europe and indeed have never experienced a tropical climate. The Sundarbans coring team consists of myself; my two supervisors Prof. Julian Orford and Prof. Keith Bennett with Dr. M. Satish Kumar from QUB, along with Mr. Vincent van Walt, and Mr. Somenath Battacharryya with Ms. Kakoli Sen Sarma from the Institute of Environmental Studies and Wetland Management (IESWM) Kolkata.

We have managed over two field seasons (November 2010 and November 2011) to obtain six cores from five islands across the Sundarbans using the percussion system of the liner sample corer and the Stitz coring system. The coring has been rather successful with cores ranging in depth from approximately four metres to ten metres, in spite of the constant spectre of tigers, snakes and crocodiles that inhabit these islands. Health and safety regulations tend to devolve onto the famous and possibly patented ‘orange tiger handling gloves’ by Prof. Orford and Dr. Kumar, yes the sight of these will surely deter the most voracious beasts of the jungle! If the threat of a Russell’s Viper or the infamous King Cobra isn’t enough to unnerve the steely determination of the burgeoning earth scientist then the sight of seeing ones dinner, an unlucky chicken, receive the chop by one of the both crew will certainly leave one a little shaken but not too stirred. As the night sky draws nearer and the stars seem brighter, another day of coring is completed one is reminded by the words of the Irish poet and playwright Oliver Goldsmith:

“But silent bats in drowsy clusters cling;

Those poisonous fields, with rank luxuriance crown’d,

Where the dark scorpion gathers death around;

Where at each step the stranger fears to wake

The rattling terrors of the vengeful snake;

Where crouching tigers wait their hapless prey,

And savage men more murderous still than they

While oft in whirls the mad tornado flies,

Mingling the ravaged landscape with the skies.

Far different these from every former scene,

The cooling brook, the grassy-vested green,

The breezy covert of the warbling grove,

That only shelter’d thefts of harmless love”.

The joys dear friends of fieldwork in the tropics, I do believe I must return to my troglodytic gin and tonic, lest it be warmed by the Bengali winter breeze. Adieu for now!

More details can be found on http://www.ceh.ac.uk/sci_programmes/ELUM-project.html .

This project is unique in combining a large number of field studies with state-of-the-art process models, to help map the UK bioenergy carbon opportunity up to 2050. We have provided a window sampling system to insert the numerous monitoring wells onsite.  In addition we have provided training on the equipment during the set-up stage of the project.

The need to search for sustainable energy is known to most of us as being essential if we are to maintain or improve our current living standards and at the same time to mitigate climate change by reducing the use of fossil fuels. Increasing our reliance on renewable energy sources is vital and this project is key in ascertaining the position of future renewable sources in the future.

Another Window Sampling Set has been provided to CEH Wallingford for sand dune and wetlands research. Full training was provided on site on the full range of equipment. If you would like more information on our versatile window sampling, percussion drilling, lost cone and stitz corer equipment call Yvonne on 01428 664851 or email Yvonne@vanwalt.com.

If you want to find out more complete the online registration form on http://www.vanwalt.com/window-sampling-registration-form.php to request a demonstration or attendance at a workshop, a site visit to upgradean existing system, onsite training or a sub-contracting v. purchase evaluation.

The key word in this description is ‘portable’ as our Window Sampling system travels well.  The attached photograph shows Emma Tetlow drilling in Qatar on a project with Birmingham University archaeology department in collaboration with the Qatari Museums Authority.

Using remote sensing and geospatial modelling the team will be reconstructing the former onshore and offshore landscape environments in the State of Qatar by gathering and combining a range of geological, archaeological and remotely sensed data as well as 2D/3D seismic and bathymetric data collected offshore from the present sea-bed and already captured in the Gulf for the purposes of oil exploration.

This research will allow studies into the former landscape and the environments inhabited by early human settlers prior to 8,000 years ago when these landscapes were submerged by rising sea levels.

To see our window sampling system in action click here.

It is ideal for sampling to the saprolite horizon for base metals and mineral deposits, like gold and other precious metals, particularly for inaccessible sites where large track drilling equipment is neither economical nor logistically viable.

The samplers collected with this system show virtually undisturbed horizons for logging and (sub) sampling and, depending on geology, the system can achieve sampling depths of up to 10 metres although more realistically, if used day in day out the sets are very suitable for repetitive use to 6-8 metres. 

What’s more is that a typical window sampling set will weigh in the region of 200 kg with the heaviest item being the hammer at 25 kg.  As such it is a very mobile system which can be used in remote and difficult to access sampling points.

What’s more, when the sampling has been completed there is little or no evidence that drilling has taken place. Win / win all round.

For more information call +44 (0)1428 661 660.

Classified as a hot subtropical desert the average annual rainfall in Qatar is 81 mm, average maximum temperature is 31oC and average minimum temperature 22oC. It is affected by wind blown dust and occasionally sandstorms. The country has no rivers or lakes and besides the rainfall received, the primary source of fresh water is the ground water. Surface water is very limited; only after a good winter rainfall, water may be seen in depressions, Wadis and runnels for a short time.

It has arid soil, with coarse texture, shallow depth and low retention and low in soluble substances – so our window sampling set will be tested fully in capturing good samples. Watch this space for an update on how the project goes.

The Locations and the businesses who use this equipment have often proved to be really interesting: Sellafield Nuclear Fuels; Democratic Republic of Congo: Sunderbans, India; University of Reading; Barcelona and many more!  However, in our eyes the equipment still remains the star of the show!

This was no boy scout outing but serious research into the origins of the sediment and Vincent joined the team as part of our window sampling system package is onsite training!

The sampling proved very successful and more details can be found at: http://www.vanwalt.com/blog/.

Feedback from the team was fantastic: “we could not have done what was achieved without your sterling services” and “You will be at the top of the needed list next time and It was great to work with you Vincent and without a doubt the experience and expertise you brought to the coring made everything all the more possible, I can’t thank you enough for that”.

Our percussion window sampling system is a powerful, non destructive, low disturbance site investigation tool. It uses laser cut, high entry efficiency samplers in a, robust, no maintenance, left hand thread RD32 connection so all samples are captured in an undisturbed way for an immediate on-site profile evaluation.

More than 25 years of research and development have gone into making our window sampling equipment – the best available. We have supplied these sets around the world, providing on-site training, product support and drilling expertise to organisations involved in environmental and academic research, agricultural soil investigations, mineral exploration, archeology and subsidence analysis.