: Newid yn yr Hinsawdd

The next steps in a Professional Training Year

It’s been a little while since my last blog post and since then there has been a lot of exciting things happening! The scientific paper I have been working on that describes a new species of marine shovelhead worm (Magelonidae) with my training year supervisor Katie Mortimer-Jones and American colleague James Blake is finished and has been submitted for publication in a scientific journal. The opportunity to become a published author is not something I expected coming into this placement and I cannot believe how lucky I am to soon have a published paper while I am still an undergraduate.

There are thousands of scientific journals out there, all specialising in different areas. Ours will be going in the capstone edition of the Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, a journal which covers systematics in biological sciences, so perfect for our paper. Every journal has its own specifications to abide by in order to be published in them. These rules cover everything from the way you cite and reference other papers, how headings and subheadings are set out, the font style and size, and how large images should be. A significant part of writing a paper that many people might not consider is ensuring you follow the specifications of the journal. It’s very easy to forget or just write in the style you always have!

Once you have checked and doubled checked your paper and have submitted  to the journal you wish to be published in, the process of peer reviewing begins. This is where your paper is given to other scientists, typically 2 or 3, that are specialists in the field. These peer-reviewers read through your paper and determine if what you have written has good, meaningful science in it and is notable enough to be published. They also act as extra proof-readers, finding mistakes you may have missed and suggesting altered phrasing to make things easier to understand.

I must admit it is a little nerve wracking to know that peer reviewers have the option to reject all your hard work if they don’t think it is good enough. However, the two reviewers have been nothing but kind and exceptionally helpful. They have both accepted our paper for publication. Having fresh sets of eyes look at your work is always better at finding mistakes than just reading it over and over again, especially if those eyes are specialists in the field that you are writing in.

As you would expect, the process of peer-reviewing takes some time. So, while we have been waiting for the reviews to come back, I have already made great progress on starting a second scientific paper based around marine shovelhead worms with my supervisor. While the story of the paper isn’t far along enough yet to talk about here, I can talk about the fantastic opportunity I had to visit the Natural History Museum, London!

We are currently investigating a potentially new European species of shovelhead worm which is similar to a UK species described by an Amgueddfa Cymru scientist and German colleagues. Most of the type specimens of the latter species are held at the Natural History Museum in London. Type material is scientifically priceless, they are the individual specimens from which a new species is first described and given a scientific name. Therefore, they are the first port of call, if we want to determine if our specimens are a new species or not.

The volume of material that the London Natural History Museum possesses of the species we are interested in is very large and we had no idea what we wanted to loan from them. So, in order to make sure we requested the most useful specimens for our paper, we travelled to London to look through all of the specimens there. We were kindly showed around the facilities by one of the museum’s curators and allowed to make use of one of the labs in order to view all of the specimens. The trip was certainly worth it. We took a lot of notes and found out some very interesting things, but most importantly we had a clear idea of the specific specimens that we wanted to borrow to take photos of and analyse closer back in Cardiff. 

Overall, I can say with confidence that the long drive was certainly more than worth it! I’m very excited to continue with this new paper and even more excited to soon be able to share the results of our first completed and published paper, watch this space…

Thank you once again to both National Museum Cardiff and Natural History Museum, London for making this trip possible.

Tra bod Cymru yn gweithio'n galed i hyrwyddo agenda hinsawdd gadarnhaol, gyda tharged o 100% o drydan adnewyddadwy erbyn 2035, mae ein gorffennol diwydiannol yn taflu cysgod amgylcheddol hir. Yma mae Jennifer Protheroe-Jones, Prif Guradur Diwydiant, yn edrych ar ein hanes diwydiannol a'i effaith. 

Cyfrannodd Cymru yn gynnar ac yn ddiarwybod at newid yn yr hinsawdd. 

Dangosodd Cyfrifiad 1851 mai Cymru oedd y wlad gyntaf i fod â mwy o bobl yn cael eu cyflogi mewn diwydiant nag mewn amaethyddiaeth. Digwyddodd y newid pwysig hwn tua chanol i ddiwedd y 1840au yn ôl pob tebyg. 

Roedd Cymru yn ganolfan ddiwydiant rhyngwladol nodedig yng nghanol y 19eg ganrif, gan ei bod yn un o'r cenhedloedd cynhyrchu haearn pwysicaf, ac yn ganolbwynt diwydiannau copr a thunplat y byd. Roedd glo – gâi ei fwyngloddio ar raddfa anferth yng Nghymru – yn sail i'r holl ddiwydiannau hyn, yn tanio ffwrneisi, yn pweru’r injans stêm a oedd yn gyrru peiriannau, a’r locomotifau a oedd yn tynnu deunyddiau crai a chynhyrchion gorffenedig. 

Môr o wagenni rheilffordd wedi'u llwytho â glo mewn seidins ger Doc y Rhath, Caerdydd, yn aros i'w cludo ym mis Mawrth 1927. Mae'r llythrennau cyntaf ar y wagenni yn nodi ystod o brif gwmnïau'r pyllau glo: Burnyeat, Brown & Co Ltd; D.Davis & Sons Ltd; Nixon’s Navigation Coal Co Ltd; United Collieries Ltd.

Roedd glo ager o Gymru yn ddelfrydol ar gyfer codi ager. Mae'n llosgi heb lawer o fwg, yn creu ychydig o ludw ac yn cynhyrchu llawer iawn o wres. Wrth iddo losgi, mae glo ager yn agennu ond nid yw'n hollti’n ddarnau bach. Mae'r agennau yn caniatáu i'r glo losgi o'r tu mewn yn ogystal ag o'r tu allan, sydd yn cynyddu’r gwres yn sylweddol ac felly’n cynyddu priodweddau codi ager y tanwydd. Oherwydd nad yw’n torri'n ddarnau bach wrth losgi, mae'n eistedd ar ben y bariau tân, yn hytrach na disgyn trwy'r bariau fel darnau bach o lo heb eu llosgi a fyddai'n mynd yn wastraff ymysg y lludw. Mae'r nodwedd hon yn arbennig o berthnasol i danwydd a ddefnyddir mewn locomotifau, oherwydd mae dirgryniad y locomotif wrth iddo symud ar hyd y trac yn tueddu i wneud i danwydd o ansawdd is i dorri'n ddarnau bach sy'n cael eu gwastraffu pan fyddant yn syrthio trwy'r bariau tân i mewn i’r pwll lludw. Roedd y rhinwedd hwn yn golygu bod galw mawr am lo stêm Cymru.

Golygfa o'r awyr yn edrych i'r de-ddwyrain dros Waith Dur Caerdydd (East Moors) tua 1960.

Ychydig ddegawdau yn ddiweddarach, roedd symiau enfawr o lo yn cael eu defnyddio gan ddiwydiannau yng Nghymru, ond roedd mwy fyth yn cael ei allforio. Erbyn dechrau'r ugeinfed ganrif, de Cymru oedd maes glo pwysicaf y byd o ran allforio glo , gan gyflenwi glo stêm yn rhyngwladol. O ran ynni, roedd Môr Hafren ar yr adeg hon yn cyfateb i Gwlff Persia ganrif yn ddiweddarach. Os mai tanwydd o ansawdd uchel a fedrai bweru ystod eang o beiriannau oedd ei angen, yna porthladdoedd glo de Cymru oedd y lle i'w gael.

Yn y 19eg ganrif roedd gweld mwg o bentyrrau simneiau gweithfeydd yn cael ei ystyried yn arwydd o ffyniant. Erbyn dechrau'r 20fed ganrif roedd mwg o losgi glo yn cael ei gydnabod fwyfwy fel niwsans, ond hefyd fel rhywbeth anochel. Dim ond ar ôl yr Ail Ryfel Byd y dechreuwyd gwneud ymdrechion difrifol i leihau’r mwg o ddiwydiannau ac o danau glo mewn cartrefi – ac erbyn hynny roedd olew wedi datblygu’n ffynhonnell ynni pwysicach na glo ar draws y byd.

Mae llosgi glo, olew a nwy naturiol yn rhyddhau carbon deuocsid a nwyon tŷ gwydr eraill sy'n achosi newid yn yr hinsawdd. Yn rhyngwladol, caiff glo ei ddefnyddio’n bennaf wrth gynhyrchu trydan, cynhyrchu sment ac wrth wneud dur. Rhoddwyd y gorau i ddefnyddio glo yn y diwydiant cynhyrchu trydan yng Nghymru ym mis Mawrth 2020; mae’n parhau i gael ei ddefnyddio yn y diwydiannau dur a sment.

Arllwys llond wagen o lo yn Nociau Caerdydd, dechrau'r 20fed ganrif. Roedd rhai mathau o lo yn tueddu i dorri'n fân, felly, yn lle tipio'r wagenni yn uniongyrchol i grombil llongau o uchder sylweddol, roedd y glo yn cael ei dywallt i 'flwch gorchuddio' patent Lewis Hunter (sydd i'w weld o dan y llwch glo helaeth) gâi wedyn ei godi gan graen ar ochr y doc ar y chwith, a'i ostwng i howld y llong llong, gan leihau'r uchder gollwng.

Cloddiwyd meysydd glo Cymru yn ddwys yn y 19eg ganrif a chyrhaeddodd y diwydiant ei uchafbwynt ym 1913, gan ddirywio wedi hynny wrth i’r glo brinhau. Yr allbwn ym 1913 oedd 60 miliwn o dunelli, ac allforiwyd ei hanner; yn 2018 roedd allbwn i lawr i 1.1 miliwn o dunelli. Roedd allbwn glo Cymru eisoes wedi dirywio'n sylweddol erbyn i newid hinsawdd gael ei gydnabod yn eang fel mater o bwys byd-eang. Bob blwyddyn mae'r byd yn cynhyrchu dros ganwaith cymaint o lo ag y gwnaeth Cymru ym 1913, pan oedd diwydiant glo Cymru ar ei anterth. Hyd yn oed yn ôl ym 1913, dim ond tua 5% o allbwn glo'r byd yr oedd Cymru yn ei gynhyrchu – ei bwysigrwydd ar y pryd oedd bod ei hanner yn cael ei allforio a'i fod yn cael ei ystyried yn danwydd premiwm ei amser.

Mae esboniad o’r rhwydwaith cymhleth o gyfathrebu a alluogodd fasnach lo ryngwladol Cymru i’w weld yn oriel y Glo, Amgueddfa Genedlaethol y Glannau yn Abertawe.

One of the best reasons for housing heritage collections inside buildings is that the building keeps the weather out. Paintings, fossils, books and skeletons are best kept dry, and walls and roofs protect our collections (as well as staff and visitors) from the elements.

In addition, many of the objects in our collections also need specific temperature and humidity ranges to prevent them from suffering damage. Too high a humidity can cause swelling of wood, for example, initiating cracks in objects, or, if humidity gets even higher, mould growth. Therefore, National Museum Cardiff has a complicated air conditioning system. This system is more than 40 years old and has been maintenance-intensive and inefficient for some time.

We are happy to report that, after several years of planning, we have just completed the installation of new chillers and humidifiers at National Museum Cardiff. The purpose of chillers in the museum is to provide cold water – for lowering the temperature of galleries and stores in the summer, and for dehumidifying stores and galleries if there is too much moisture in the air. Humidifiers achieve the opposite effect: they increase humidity in stores and galleries if it is too low. Low humidity is usually a problem during the winter months – you may have experienced your skin drying out at home when you have the heating on in winter. To prevent our collections drying out we cannot apply skin cream; instead, we maintain a minimum level of humidity in stores and galleries.

The chillers and humidifiers have been commissioned now, and are working well. They have already proved that the control of our indoor environments is better than it was before. A very positive side effect of the new technologies is that they are much more efficient than the old equipment. In fact, they are so efficient that we are anticipating to shave almost 50% off our annual electricity bill for National Museum Cardiff, saving the planet more than 500 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year. That is the equivalent of taking 100 cars off the road, or the average energy a family home uses in 38 years.

By investing in such new technologies, Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales continues to ensure the safe storage and display of the nation’s heritage collections, whilst at the same time making a massive contribution towards the National Assembly’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050 (Environment Wales Act 2016).

Find out more about Care of Collections at Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales here and follow us on Twitter. Follow the progress of the maintenance works during the coming months in 2019 on Twitter using the hashtag #museumcare.

 

 

Cultural heritage collections need a friendly home. 'Friendly' means: a building that protects the collection from the elements – wind, sun and rain. Conservators worry a lot - and rightly so - about pigments fading when they are exposed to light, about stuffed animals being eaten by insect pests, about wartime medals corroding because of the presence of air pollutants. But it’s no good having a fantastic pest management system if the roof leaks. Getting the basics right makes the job of the conservator an awful lot easier and is better for the collection.

Like many museums up and down the country, National Museum Cardiff is housed in a historic building. The museum contains 30 public galleries and 50 collection stores which accommodate almost 3 million objects. This is only part of the national heritage collection of Wales and arguably something we want to protect for the benefit of current and future generations.

But being in a historic building, as beautiful as it is, has its challenges. Much of the building infrastructure is aging and needs modernising. Our roof needs some tlc. Our air conditioning systems are so old, there is nobody left in the museum who was around when they were first installed. And the electrics in parts of the building are not far from receiving a birthday telegram from Her Majesty the Queen.

All of those issues are a problem not just for visitors and staff, but also for the collections. Therefore, we have started modernising our museum building. In the past few years we already had parts of our roof replaced. Less publicly visible was the recent replacement of the electrical infrastructure in the west wing. We are now in the process of undertaking much more work to improve the building.

Some of this work will happen behind closed doors: replacement of our chillers and humidifiers with new, modern and efficient technology, making the museum leaner and greener. Other work will be more obvious to our visitors, including works to the roof of our south wing. Various works will require the temporary closure of some of our public galleries – please bear with us during this time, we are keeping the rest of the museum open and, once the works are completed, all galleries will be accessible again.

One difficulty remains: once all the works are completed the museum will look like nothing ever happened – we do not have a brand new building to show off for all our efforts. BUT the building will feel and operate differently. It will form a more reliable envelope around our collections. It will require less maintenance, saving us money and staff time. It will be more energy efficient and environmentally friendly, reducing our energy bills and forming a substantial contribution towards lowering our greenhouse gas emissions.

During this time of potential disruptions please bear in mind the end product, which will include a better museum experience for visitors today (well, next year) and in the future. And a building that continues to help us look after Wales’ national collection.

Should you have any questions at all about our refurbishment programme in relation to the collections, please do get in touch. We will be happy to assist in any way we can.

Find out more about Care of Collections at Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales here and follow us on Twitter under the hashtag #museumcare.

Here at the Mary Gillham Archive Project hub we’ve recently begun ‘timehopping’ on social media.

This involves using Mary’s detailed writings to find out what she was doing on today’s date, so many years ago, and then posting it on Twitter and Facebook (i.e. “on this date, in this year, Mary was doing this…”). It’s an interesting way to learn about Mary’s life history and see the many activities that she got up to in her day-to-day life.

A recent and particularly intriguing timehop posted on 16^th October described how on that day in 1982, Mary witnessed the enormous humpback whale lying washed up on Gilestone beach at Aberthaw, near the Power Station.

This sparked the interest of many and after a twitter conversation with National Museum Cardiff it turns out that the bones of the whale are now on display at the museum, right here in Cardiff! This means that you can still visit this gigantic sea mammal today and see a part of Welsh history with your own eyes, just like Mary did.

Crowds on Aberthaw Beach

For those fortunate enough to be there in 1982 Aberthaw, the experience was an unforgettable one.

In her archive, Mary explains that it was almost “impossible to photograph the whale” due to the thousands of people congregating to get a glimpse.

The coastguard had tied the tail of the whale to a large iron post in the ground with ropes (to prevent the animal from washing back out to sea).

Mary describes how she got the chance to hold one of the whale’s gigantic flippers while Piers Langhalt, formerly of National Museum Cardiff, cut the large barnacles from the animal. These same barnacles can be found preserved at the museum, alongside the whale!

One volunteer on the Mary Gillham Archive Project, Julia Banks, recalls the “overpowering, rotting smell” of the beached whale that she witnessed as a young child. Julia visited the scene with her parents and remembers joining the masses of locals all gathering for the unusual sight, as well as seeing a group of people measuring the whale in order to figure out its age.

Julia also remembers visiting National Museum Cardiff when the skeleton was put up on display, and “feeling proud that [their] whale was in the museum”.

For more of the story and info on how the whale was managed by National Museum Cardiff, why not take a trip to the museum to see for yourself how it stands today?

 

The Mary Gillham Archive Project is a Heritage Lottery funded project at South East Wales Biodiversity Records Centre. 
For more info about the project visit our website: https://marygillhamarchiveproject.com/the-project/