Assynt’s etched landscape

Some place names describe the shape of landscape. South east of Lochinver lie Cnoc a Mhuilinn (“Mill Hill”), Gleann Sgoilte (“Cleft Glen”) and Gleannan na Gaoithe (“Windy Glen”). These are dramatic features where the land has been cleaved, leaving narrow slots where the wind howls and narrow fast rivers make mill streams. These dramatic features… Continue reading Assynt’s etched landscape

BRITICE-CHRONO: death of an ice sheet

Using many different techniques, dozens of scientists are studying the death of an ice sheet that once covered Britain and Ireland. They want to understand the future fate of modern-day ice. The phrase “ice sheet” doesn’t do justice to our subject: this is not something you shatter when stepping on a frozen puddle. Covering over… Continue reading BRITICE-CHRONO: death of an ice sheet