A forum on astrolabe: getting to grips with an ancient Islamic astronomical instrument

 News Release 10-Dec-2024

University of Sharjah

 

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Besides its ability to provide precise measurements of altitude, exact local time, and position of shining starts, al-Khujandi’s astrolabe is of astounding beauty.

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Credit: The Museum of Islamic Art, Doha: Marc Pelletreau (SI.5.1999)

The University of Sharjah hosted an astrolabe workshop in which western scientists showed participants how an astronomical instrument made by an ancient Muslim scholar nearly 1,000 years ago measured the altitude of the sun throughout the twelve zodiacal signs and told local time through the position of the sun in the ecliptic on a given day.

The workshop was an opportunity to train a host of Arab and Muslim academics on how their forefathers constructed their own astronomical instruments and the methods they used in those ancient days for timekeeping, scheduling of the five different times of Muslim prayers, and determining altitudes and positions of the brightest stars in the sky and at different times of the year.

The workshop was part of a one-day forum held late in November, showcasing a 10th century astrolabe constructed by an Arab and Muslim astronomer known in Western astronomy circles by the surname al-Khujandi. His full name in Arabic is Abu Maḥmud Ḥamid ibn al‐Khiḍr al‐Khujandi.

In the ninth century, Muhammad ibn Musa Al-Khwarizmi, the famous Muslim astronomer, better known simply Al-Khwarizmi, whose name survives in the word algorithm, added geometrical methods of drawing azimuth circles, and al-Khujandi was one of the first astrolabe makers who actually constructed such azimuthal circles in practice.

Al-Khujandi’s original astrolabe, considered to be one of the most important surviving astronomical instruments in the world, is part of the prized artifacts of the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar.

In a plenary presentation, Dutch mathematician and historian of science, Jan Pieter Hogendijk, elaborated on the astrolabe as a precision instrument and a structure governed to a large extent by mathematical laws.

“As far as we know, al-Khujandi was the first Islamic instrument builder who fully obeyed the mathematical laws and at the same time introduced artistic elements in the construction of the astrolabe,” said Prof. Hogendijk, who is also member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.

“He (al-Khujandi) stands at the beginning of the Islamic tradition of extreme beauty in astrolabe construction. Also interesting is the fact that he was a theoretical scholar and a practical instrument maker at the same time.”

Believed to have been invented in ancient Greece at the end of the 3rd century CE, the astrolabe was developed and refined by Arab and Muslim scholars in the Middle East. It was the Arabic astrolabe that reached medieval Europe around the 12th century, as did the globe, another highly practical and useful Arab navigational instrument. Some extant European medieval manuscripts show astrolabe drawings in both Arabic and Latin.

The names of the brightest stars in the sky are designated letters of the Greek alphabet in European languages, but in reality, most of them are transcriptions derived from the Arabic alphabet. Scientists list more than 200 names of the brightest and most visible stars to have been adopted in Europe without translation from the pronunciation of the Arabic names Arab astronomers gave to them.

Prof. Hogendijk’s interest in Islamic astrolabes goes back to 1988 when he started holding “interactive astrolabe workshops. I chose an old Islamic astrolabe, for example, a Yemeni astrolabe from the 12th century, and drew by hand a somewhat simplified model of two parts of the instrument on paper. These two drawings I copied on paper and plastic, paying close attention to the size, and then I put the paper and plastic parts together.”

To generate academic and popular interest in the Islamic astrolabe, Prof. Hogendijk started holding workshops in numerous Islamic countries. The original astrolabes discovered so far are unaffordable and inaccessible as they are among the priceless possessions of world museums. To supplement his teaching, Prof. Hogendijk produced an affordable model of an Islamic astrolabe to use in his workshops. The model was constructed of paper and plastic with a pin rotating over the paper part.

“I often taught astrolabe workshops in Islamic countries and then prepared and took with me 200 models (the cost of 50 euros was easy to manage) - so I could teach the workshop ten times to audiences of 20 people at most.

“I gave an astrolabe model to each participant, let them solve exercises with it, and then let each participant take the models home and show them to their friends. This generated much enthusiasm for the astrolabe and for Islamic science in general.”

In 1995, when research for first time threw ample light on al-Khujandi’s astrolabe, Prof. Hogendijk decided to discard his old hand-drawn astrolabe models.  “I decided to draw by hand a new model based on al-Khujandi’s astrolabe. This was really an exercise in humility - if you try to draw the astrolabe parts yourself by hand, you start to realize and admire the incredible expertise of the old masters”.

In 2005, Wilfred de Graaf, Education Coordinator at Utrecht University, programmed for the first time a computer-drawn model that closely resembled al-Khujandi’s astrolabe. The computerized model could be easily adapted to the geographical altitude of any city in today’s world.

Since then, Prof Hogendijk and de Graaf have collaborated on these workshops, using the computer-programmed model. “For didactic reasons, the computer-drawn model is simpler than al-Khujandi’s astrolabe itself,” he goes on.

Al-Khujandi’s astrolabe is essentially a clock, notes Prof. Hogendijk, with a 24-hour dial, using the sun instead of the modern hand. “The sun shows the time as the hand in the modern clock. The time is local true solar time, noon is exactly 12 hours.”

With al-Khujandi the astrolabe became mathematical art, maintained Prof. Hogendijk, exhibiting “a spider with ecliptic (with the 12 signs) and precisely computed stars and star names, just as in other astrolabes.  Some star pointers are heads of birds, other star pointers are leaves.”

Besides its ability to provide precise measurements of altitude, exact local time, and position of shining starts, al-Khujandi’s astrolabe is of astounding beauty, adds Prof. Hogendijk, with its decorative throne (top of the astrolabe), fascinating Arabic script, two lion’s heads and a horse to fix the spider into the plate.

de Graaf gave a presentation of his computer-designed model of al-Khujandi’s astrolabe and demonstrated how easily it could function as a kind of a rudimentary analogue computer with the ability to measure the altitude of heavenly bodies and locate the position of the sun and the brightest stars in relation to the meridian and the horizon. Besides, he said, the astrolabe was as a clock to measure time.

He emphasized that al-Khujandi’s astrolabe “is one of the oldest and beautifully decorated instruments extant today.” In numerous exercises on his computerized model of al-Khujandi’s astrolabe, he showed how the instrument could determine the length of day and night and the local time, locate stars and their movements, or measure the altitude of the sun by “using the alidade on the back side of the astrolabe.”

Mesut Idriz, Sharjah University’s Professor of Islamic civilization, and the organizer, said the forum’s presentations and workshop “provided a link between the artistic and scientific traditions in Islamic civilization. Similar connections can be seen in, for example, artistic pictures of stellar constellations, plants and animals in Arabic manuscripts; and also in Islamic geometric decorations on historic buildings such as mosques and palaces.”

Al-Khujandi is not known to have used statistics, however, Prof. Idriz said “his scientific methodology looks very modern because of his care in deriving scientific conclusions from incomplete data. For example, he could make an accurate observation of the altitude of the sun above the horizon only once a day, when it was exactly at noon.

“Nonetheless, he was able to use these observations in order to find the maximum distance of the sun to the equator which could happen any time of day. He was also able to deal with the fact that on some days, astronomical observations are impossible because the sky is clouded.”

An ancient Arabic manuscript expounding the function of an astrolabe constructed in the shape of crab or Arabic 'Salta'oon'.

Constructed on the basis of an original made in ca. 340/950 by Ahamad b. Halaf. According to the inscription, it was made for Jaafar b. al−Muktafi in the tenth century. This astrolabe has some similarity with the astrolabe made for, or ascribed to, Pope Sylvester II (380/990).

It was the Arabic astrolabe that reached medieval Europe around the 12th century, as did the globe, another highly practical and useful Arab navigational instrument. Some extant European medieval manuscripts show astrolabe drawings in both Arabic and Latin.

Credit

Science and Technology in Islam, vol. II (Astronomy), published by the Institute for the History of Arabic-Islamic Science at Frankfurt, Germany, in 2003.

A computerized model of al-Khujandi's astrolabe, through which scientists can demonstrated how easily it could function as a kind of a rudimentary analogue computer with the ability to measure the altitude of heavenly bodies and locate the position of the sun and the brightest stars in relation to the meridian and the horizon.

Credit

Wilfred de Graaf, Utrecht University

 

New study reveals why organizations are reluctant to adopt Blockchain

The slow adoption of blockchain technology is partly driven by overhyped promises that often obscure the complex technological, organisational, and environmental challenges, according to research from the University of Surrey

University of Surrey

The slow adoption of blockchain technology is partly driven by overhyped promises that often obscure the complex technological, organisational, and environmental challenges, according to research from the University of Surrey. 

Blockchain is a secure digital ledger that records and verifies transactions across many computers in a way that's hard to alter. It's a type of digitally shared notebook where everyone can see what's written, but once something is added, it can't be changed. Initially, there was a lot of hype around Blockchain as it allows for secure and transparent transactions without needing a middleman, like a bank. Blockchain is the backbone of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, but it's also being explored for uses in other sectors, such as finance, healthcare, and supply chains. 

A comprehensive review, led by PhD candidate Ying Zhang in collaboration with researchers from Surrey Business School and Cardiff Business School, analysed 880 factors influencing blockchain adoption by organisations across various industries.  

Dr Mahdi Tavalaei, Senior Lecturer in Strategy and Digital Transformation, the PhD supervisor and co-author of the study at the University of Surrey, said: 

"Organisations are understandably cautious. While blockchain has been touted as a revolutionary technology, our research suggests that its adoption is hampered by over-promised benefits, under-delivered business value, and the complex interdependence between adoption drivers and barriers."  

On the positive side, researchers found that blockchain's unique capabilities, such as enhanced transparency, security, and operational efficiency, act as strong motivators for adoption. However, barriers often overshadow these drivers, which complicate adoption efforts. The analysis found that adoption barriers, such as regulatory uncertainty and scalability issues, are more definitive, while the benefits of adoption are conditional and long-term, creating a mismatch that slows organisational decision-making for adoption.  

 For organisations, the study suggests that the technological benefits of blockchain are often not sufficient and are linked to factors within and outside their organisations, such as top management beliefs about the technology, collaboration across organisations, and regulatory frameworks.  Dr Mahdi Tavalaei added: 

"Blockchain technology holds great promise, but the narrative needs a reality check. Our research shows that the interplay between drivers and barriers of blockchain adoption across technological, organisational, and environmental dimensions highlights the complex and often conflicting dynamics organisations must navigate. Organisations are not just dragging their feet; they are making informed decisions based on the current limitations and overhyped promises of blockchain. We hope this study will shift the conversation towards more practical and achievable goals for blockchain technology." 

[ENDS]  

Note to editors:  

• Dr Mahdi Tavalaei is available for interview, please contact mediarelations@surrey.ac.uk to arrange.     

• The full paper is available in the journal of Technological Forecasting and Social Change.  

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Journal

Technological Forecasting and Social Change

DOI

10.1016/j.techfore.2024.123710 

Method of Research

Observational study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Evolution or involution? A systematic literature review of organisations' blockchain adoption factors

 

Tiny poops in the ocean may help solve the carbon problem

A Dartmouth-led study turns CO2 into food that zooplankton expel into the deep sea.

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Dartmouth College

 

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A study led by Dartmouth researchers shows that microscopic marine animals called zooplankton (pictured) can be enticed to ingest organic carbon particulates in seawater that are later confined to the deep ocean in the animals' feces. The researchers found that clay sprayed on the water's surface bonds with the carbon, creating sticky balls that become part of the ravenous little creatures' daily smorgasbord.

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Credit: Mukul Sharma/Dartmouth

A Dartmouth-led study proposes a new method for recruiting trillions of microscopic sea creatures called zooplankton in the fight against climate change by converting carbon into food the animals would eat, digest, and send deep into the ocean as carbon-filled feces.

The technique harnesses the animals' ravenous appetites to essentially accelerate the ocean's natural cycle for removing carbon from the atmosphere, which is known as the biological pump, according to the paper in Nature Scientific Reports.

It begins with spraying clay dust on the surface of the ocean at the end of algae blooms. These blooms can grow to cover hundreds of square miles and remove about 150 billion tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year, converting it into organic carbon particulates. But once the bloom dies, marine bacteria devour the particulates, releasing most of the captured carbon back into the atmosphere.

The researchers found that the clay dust attaches to carbon particulates before they re-enter the atmosphere, redirecting them into the marine food chain as tiny sticky pellets the ravenous zooplankton consume and later excrete at lower depths.

"Normally, only a small fraction of the carbon captured at the surface makes it into the deep ocean for long-term storage," says Mukul Sharma, the study's corresponding author and a professor of earth sciences. Sharma also presented the findings Dec. 10 at the American Geophysical Union annual conference in Washington, D.C.

"The novelty of our method is using clay to make the biological pump more efficient—the zooplankton generate clay-laden poops that sink faster," says Sharma, who received a Guggenheim Award in 2020 to pursue the project.

"This particulate material is what these little guys are designed to eat. Our experiments showed they cannot tell if it's clay and phytoplankton or only phytoplankton—they just eat it," he says. "And when they poop it out, they are hundreds of meters below the surface and the carbon is, too."

The team conducted laboratory experiments on water collected from the Gulf of Maine during a 2023 algae bloom. They found that when clay attaches to the organic carbon released when a bloom dies, it prompts marine bacteria to produce a kind of glue that causes the clay and organic carbon to form little balls called flocs.

The flocs become part of the daily smorgasbord of particulates that zooplankton gorge on, the researchers report. Once digested, the flocs embedded in the animals' feces sinks, potentially burying the carbon at depths where it can be stored for millennia. The uneaten clay-carbon balls also sink, increasing in size as more organic carbon, as well as dead and dying phytoplankton, stick to them on the way down, the study found.

In the team's experiments, clay dust captured as much as 50% of the carbon released by dead phytoplankton before it could become airborne. They also found that adding clay increased the concentration of sticky organic particles—which would collect more carbon as they sink—by 10 times. At the same time, the populations of bacteria that instigate the release of carbon back into the atmosphere fell sharply in seawater treated with clay, the researchers report.

In the ocean, the flocs become an essential part of the biological pump called marine snow, Sharma says. Marine snow is the constant shower of corpses, minerals, and other organic matter that fall from the surface, bringing food and nutrients to the deeper ocean.

"We're creating marine snow that can bury carbon at a much greater speed by specifically attaching to a mixture of clay minerals," Sharma says.

Zooplankton accelerate that process with their voracious appetites and incredible daily sojourn known as the diel vertical migration. Under cover of darkness, the animals—each measuring about three-hundredths of an inch—rise hundreds, and even thousands, of feet from the deep in one immense motion to feed in the nutrient-rich water near the surface. The scale is akin to an entire town walking hundreds of miles every night to their favorite restaurant.

When day breaks, the animals return to deeper water with the flocs inside them where they are deposited as feces. This expedited process, known as active transport, is another key aspect of the ocean's biological pump that shaves days off the time it takes carbon to reach lower depths by sinking.

Earlier this year, study co-author Manasi Desai presented a project conducted with Sharma and fellow co-author David Fields, a senior research scientist and zooplankton ecologist at the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in Maine, showing that the clay flocs zooplankton eat and expel do indeed sink faster. Desai, a former technician in Sharma's lab, is now a technician in the Fields lab.

Sharma plans to field-test the method by spraying clay on phytoplankton blooms off the coast of Southern California using a crop-dusting airplane. He hopes that sensors placed at various depths offshore will capture how different species of zooplankton consume the clay-carbon flocs so that the research team can better gauge the optimal timing and locations to deploy this method—and exactly how much carbon it's confining to the deep.

"It is very important to find the right oceanographic setting to do this work. You cannot go around willy-nilly dumping clay everywhere," Sharma says. "We need to understand the efficiency first at different depths so we can understand the best places to initiate this process before we put it to work. We are not there yet—we are at the beginning."

In addition to Desai and Fields, Sharma worked with the study's first authors Diksha Sharma, a postdoctoral researcher in his lab who is now a Marie Curie Fellow at Sorbonne University in Paris, and Vignesh Menon, who received his master’s degree from Dartmouth this year and is now a PhD student at Gothenburg University in Sweden.

Additional study authors include George O'Toole, professor of microbiology and immunology in Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine, who oversaw the culturing and genetic analysis of bacteria in the seawater samples; Danielle Niu, who received her doctorate in earth sciences from Dartmouth and is now an assistant clinical professor at the University of Maryland; Eleanor Bates '20, now a PhD student at the University of Hawaii at Manoa; Annie Kandel, a former technician in Sharma's lab; and Erik Zinser, an associate professor of microbiology at the University of Tennessee focusing on marine bacteria.

###

The study's first authors are Diksha Sharma, a postdoctoral researcher in the Sharma lab who is now a Marie Curie Fellow at Sorbonne University in Paris, and Vignesh Menon, who received his master’s degree from Dartmouth this year and is now a PhD student at Gothenburg University in Sweden.

Additional authors include George O'Toole, professor of microbiology and immunology in the Geisel School of Medicine, who oversaw the culturing and genetic analysis of bacteria in the seawater samples; Danielle Niu, who received her doctorate in earth sciences from Dartmouth and is now an assistant clinical professor at the University of Maryland; Eleanor Bates '20, now a PhD student at the University of Hawaii at Manoa; Annie Kandel, a former technician in Sharma's lab; and Erik Zinser, an associate professor of microbiology at the University of Tennessee focusing on marine bacteria.

Sinking clay-carbon floc [VIDEO] | 

In lab experiments, the researchers found clay dust captured as much as 50% of organic carbon particulates before they could oxidize into carbon dioxide. This video show that the sticky heavy flocs of clay and carbon (upper right) sink quickly, collecting more organic carbon as they fall through the water column.

The researchers' method would spray clay dust on large blooms of microscopic marine plants called phytoplankton, which can cover hundreds of square miles and remove 150 billion tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year. But most of that carbon re-enters the atmosphere when the plants die. The researchers' method diverts free-floating carbon into the marine food chain in the form of tiny sticky balls of clay and organic carbon called flocs (pictured) that are consumed by zooplankton or sink to deeper water.

Credit

Mukul Sharma

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Journal

Scientific Reports

DOI

10.1038/s41598-024-79912-z 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Organoclay flocculation as a pathway to export carbon from the sea surface

Article Publication Date

10-Dec-2024

 

First evidence in the Levant (and among the first in the world) of communal worship in caves and the development of religious rituals

A rare discovery in the study of prehistoric humans:

Tel-Aviv University

 

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Sentinels at the front of the cultic area in Manot Cave – view towards the cave entrance.

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Credit: Assaf Peretz, Israel Antiquities Authority

A global breakthrough sheds light on the role of ritual centers in the evolution of human society

 

Researchers: The ritual complex in the Manot Cave symbolizes the transition from unstructured worship to the dawn of institutionalized public rituals

 

A rare prehistoric ritual complex has been uncovered in the darkest depths of Manot Cave in the Western Galilee, Israel. The complex is enclosed naturally by impressive stalagmites that create a distinctive entrance to the site and features a unique and impressive rock with geometric engravings resembling a turtle shell. The study of this complex, published in the journal PNAS, was led by Dr. Omry Barzilai from the University of Haifa and Israel Antiquities Authority, Prof. Ofer Marder from Ben-Gurion University, and Prof. Israel Hershkovitz from Tel Aviv University.

 

Link to the Manot Cave video

Video credit: Alex Vigman, Israel Antiquities Authority.

 

"The rare discovery provides a glimpse into the spiritual world of Paleolithic hunter-gatherer groups who lived in our region approximately 35,000 years ago. The engraved rock was deliberately placed in a niche in the deepest, darkest part of the cave. The turtle-shell design, carved on a three-dimensional object, indicates that it may have represented a totem or a mythological or spiritual figure. Its special location, far from the daily activity areas near the cave entrance, suggests that it was an object of worship. Notably, there are prehistoric caves in Western Europe, with similar findings testifying these places held symbolic importance and served for ritual and communal activities," said Dr. Barzilai.

 

Manot Cave has been excavated systematically since 2010 by the Israel Antiquities Authority, Tel Aviv University, and Ben-Gurion University. The cave is particularly well-known for its stunning stalactites and remains of habitation from several prehistoric cultures of the Upper Paleolithic period. Among its notable discoveries is a 55,000-year-old modern human skull, the oldest modern human fossil found outside Africa.

 

In course of study of the deep complex study the researchers uncovered ash remains in one of the stalagmite rings near the engraved rock, confirming the use of fire to illuminate the ritual space, likely with torches. Acoustic tests revealed that the complex has enhanced natural acoustics, which could have created a unique auditory experience for communal activities such as prayer, singing, and dancing. Prof. Hershkovitz: "This is an unprecedented discovery of a space with 'audio-visual equipment,' centered around a ritual object (the turtle), which constitutes the first evidence of communal rituals in the Levant. It is no surprise that prehistoric hunters chose to conduct their rituals in the darkest part of Manot Cave, as darkness embodies sacred and hidden qualities, symbolizing rebirth and renewal. The establishment of ritual centers during the Upper Paleolithic was a central element in the development and institutionalization of collective identity — a necessary stage in the transition from small, isolated hunter-gatherer groups based on blood ties between individuals to large, complex societies."

 

The chronological age of the ritual complex in Manot Cave was dated to 35,000–37,000 years ago, a period associated with the sudden emergence of the Aurignacian culture, known in Europe for its symbolic objects and cave paintings. "In our excavations in Manot Cave, we uncovered rich Aurignacian layers near the cave entrance that included flint tools, bone and antler implements, and shell beads," said Prof. Ofer Marder from Ben-Gurion University.

 

In a small, hidden chamber adjacent to the ritual complex, a complete deer antler with signs of use was discovered. "Antlers were used as raw material for crafting tools for various purposes by Upper Paleolithic cultures in Europe, and by the Aurignacian culture in the Levant. The placement of the deer antler in a hidden chamber adjacent to the ritual site may be connected to the ritual activities in the cave," explained Dr. Barzilai.

 

The geometric engravings found on the turtle shell-shaped rock were scanned with a unique confocal microscope capable of capturing extremely thin horizontal sections. "We identified fine micro-linear scratches inside some of the grooves, confirming without a doubt that the engravings are the work of human hands. These carvings are evidence of our ancestors' artistic skills and their deep connection to rituals and symbols," said Prof. Rachel Sarig from the Dental Medicine Laboratory at Tel Aviv University, who conducted the scans.

 

The researchers also conducted 3D photographic mapping of the cave. "We found a clear separation between the ritual complex and the areas of regular activity at the cave entrance. This observation strengthens the hypothesis about the significance of the complex and the need to differentiate it from the areas where daily activity took place," said Alexander Wigman from the Israel Antiquities Authority.

 

According to the researchers, the discovery of the ritual complex in Manot Cave sheds new light on the spiritual life of the Upper Paleolithic people in the Levant. "This research enriches our understanding of prehistoric humans, their symbolic world, and the nature of the worship rituals that connected ancient communities. Identifying communal rituals in the Paleolithic era marks a breakthrough in our understanding of human society and offers more than just a glimpse into ancient ritual practices. It reveals the central role of rituals and symbols in shaping collective identity and strengthening social bonds," the researchers concluded.

 

The Manot Cave project is supported by the Dan David Foundation, the Israel Science Foundation, the United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation, the Irene Levi Sala CARE Archaeological Foundation, and the Leakey Foundation. The research involved experts from the Israel Antiquities Authority, Cleveland State University, the Geological Survey of Israel, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the University of Haifa, Tel Aviv University, Ben-Gurion University, the University of Vienna, the University of Barcelona, the University of Siena, and Simon Fraser University.

 

A deer beam from the hidden hall in Manot Cave.

A turtle shell-shaped rock with geometric carvings.

Credit

Clara Amit, Israel Antiquities Authority

Link to the article:

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2404632121

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Journal

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

DOI

10.1073/pnas.2404632121 

 

Researchers call on the European Commission to protect groundwater and subterranean life from pollution

Plea was published in Science two days after the European Parliament approved revisions to water quality assessment standards

Reports and Proceedings

Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon

 

image: 

Ana Sofia Reboleira gathering species

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Credit: Ana Sofia Reboleira

The subterranean world holds a value that is often underestimated. Its significance seems to escape notice, particularly its vital role in storing drinking water — a resource long taken for granted — and its contribution to biodiversity, harbouring unique and rich species. Building on the European Parliament's green light to address legislative gaps, an international team of scientists part of Biodiversa+ project DarCo, led by Dr. Tiziana Di Lorenzo, a researcher at CE3C – Centre for Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Changes at the Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, and at and the Italian National Research Council, published an appeal in Science urging that subterranean ecosystems, their water, and biodiversity not be overlooked once again.

Unlike surface water bodies, which are regularly monitored for their physical, chemical, and biological properties, groundwater suffers from alarming neglect. Limiting its quality assessment to physico-chemical parameters overlooks the valuable insights ecological indicators can provide about the health of this natural resource. According to Di Lorenzo, “the impact of contaminants [such as pesticides], which seep into the soil and accumulate in aquifers, cannot be fully understood without regular surveys of subterranean fauna. These organisms are uniquely adapted to these ecosystems yet are highly sensitive to the threats they face”. Analysing and comparing data across surveys can reveal whether a water body and its habitat are on a trajectory of degradation, showing resilience to pressures, or maintaining a good conservation status. This is a clear example of the current legislation’s subjectivity and what could now be improved during Poland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union next year.

Subterranean biodiversity is unique, featuring morphological and physiological adaptations developed over millions of years to survive in the perpetual darkness of these ecosystems. Ana Sofia Reboleira, a CE3C researcher, world-renowned expert in subterranean fauna, and co-author of the article, emphasises Portugal's status as a hotspot of subterranean biodiversity, despite the absence of legal frameworks for monitoring and conserving these ecosystems. “Groundwater biodiversity, which includes specialised animals, fungi, and microorganisms, plays a crucial role in maintaining water quality. Beneath the surface lies 97% of the total water reserves immediately available for human consumption. This biodiversity recycles nutrients and contaminants, ensuring the sustainability of these strategic reserves, which are vital for humanity’s future. It is imperative to implement specific protective measures”, stresses the Professor at the Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon.

The lessons of the water cycle remind us of its perpetuity: rainwater infiltrates the soil, descends into aquifers, sustains rivers and lakes, and eventually reaches the sea, only to evaporate and fall as rain again. This continuity illustrates what happens when pollution disrupts the cycle: groundwater contaminants travel to surface water bodies and eventually to the sea, compounding impacts at every stage. Addressing the protection of subterranean ecosystems will ensure that surface-level conservation efforts are more effective and efficient, aligning better with the investments they attract.

In the near future, Member States will begin discussing River Basin Management Plans for the 2028–2033 cycle, making it imperative to align all available tools to promote their collective succes.

 

The subterranean world holds a value that is often underestimated 

Scientists of Nucleo de Espeleologia da Costa Azul explore a cave

Photo of the groundwater isopod Proasellus lusitanicus

Credit

Ana Sofia Reboleira

About DarCo:

DarCo aims to advance knowledge about subterranean biodiversity in Europe and inform its management. The overarching goal is to develop a concrete plan to incorporate subterranean ecosystems in the European Union (EU) Biodiversity Strategy for 2030. Website: https://www.biodiversa.eu/2023/04/19/darco/.

 

About CE3C:

CE3C - Centre for Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Changes: An R&D center of excellence based at the Faculty of Sciences of ULisboa, University of the Azores and the National Museum of Natural History and Science. We conduct fundamental and applied research, integrating life and climate sciences, from organisms to ecosystems (natural and anthropogenic), in Portugal, Europe, Portuguese-speaking countries, and beyond.

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DOI

10.1126/science.ads8140 

Subject of Research

Animals