Oral history of British science
Bell, Nigel (4 of 12). An Oral History of British Science
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Type
sound
Duration
02:29:53
Shelf mark
C1379/91
Subjects
Atmospheric Science
Recording date
2013-01-10, 2013-03-07, 2013-04-08, 2013-04-11, 2013-05-03, 2013-05-09, 2013-06-13, 2013-07-12, 2013-08-06
Recording locations
Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College, London
Interviewees
Bell, Nigel, 1943- (speaker, male)
Interviewers
Merchant, Paul (speaker, male)
Abstract
Part 4: Comments on character of/working relations with MC; fieldwork in Peak District (Derbyshire/Staffordshire). Mentions use of (and familiarity with) atomic absorption spectrophotometer [AAS] to analyse lead, zinc and copper content of plants and soil; Natural Environment Research Council [NERC] funding. Comments on fieldwork in summer 1969, including living arrangements in Manchester, writing of PhD thesis in the evenings, use of drying ovens in Department of Botany, UOM, subsequent analysis of samples in London. [3:34] Comments on travel arrangements for fieldwork. Description of fieldwork along transects, including use of Munsell soil colour chart, soil auger. Comments on sites of old lead mines; transportation of samples from Manchester to London. [8:10] Description of preparation of dried samples for analysis in AAS, including use of muffle furnaces. Story of conflict between MC and neighbouring Department of Sociology involving muffle furnaces. Comments on field observations/measurements. Stories of interactions with farm animals during fieldwork. [14:22] Story of suffering from sunstroke during fieldwork on site of old copper mine in Ecton Hill, Manifold Valley, Staffordshire. [18:04] Story of use of parents’ car to visit more remote field sites. Further comments on working relations with MC. Mentions successful PhD examination; external examiner Charles Gimingham; typing of PhD thesis by girlfriend, herself a horticultural technician. Comments on difficulty of producing three copies of PhD using 1960s reprographic technologies; use of slide rule and calculating machines (including Facit electrical calculator). [25:37] Story of incident involving fire in building of own bedsit in Withington, Manchester, summer 1968. [34:26] Comments on own social life/leisure time in late 1960s. Further comments on working relations with MC, with related stories. [41:38] Story of leaving post as Research Assistant to MC; move back to Manchester; marriage. [44:23] Story of events leading to appointment as Vacation Associate in Health Physics and Medical Division [HPMD] of Atomic Energy Research Establishment [AERE], Harwell, Oxfordshire, working on reemission from plants of radioactive sulphur dioxide [SO2], including roles of Tony Cox [TC], Arthur Chamberlain [AC], Norman Stuart at AERE and Jack Rutter [JR], IC. Comments on arrangements/costs; father-in-law’s recognition of own willingness/ability to ‘mix’ with people of all kinds. Story of honeymoon, Port Erin, Isle of Man. [1:07:52] Further comments on experience of haunting of laboratory at Peto Place. Mentions later haunting of own home, Reading; connection between poltergeists and ‘disturbed’ children. [1:10:23] Detailed comments on own view that MC was concerned with the use of vegetation to prospect for mineral wealth in association with Rio Tinto - Zinc Corporation [RTZ], with related stories. Further comments on character of MC, with related stories. [1:18:00] Positive comments on first wife. Comments on accommodation at AERE; friendship with TC; wife’s employment; public houses in Harwell. Story/description of AC playing tennis. Positive comments on role of JR/AC in own career/life. Comments on first wife’s further education in/fondness for Oxford. [1:24:23] [section closed] Comments on AERE, including coach service, secrecy, learning of technical skills, relations with older staff. Story of production of H2S at AERE using Kipp's apparatus. Comments on AC’s sense of humour. [1:33:05] Description of work conducted at SPFS from January 1971 on effect on plants of SO2, following up on work in early 1950s of JKA Bleasdale [JB] on effects of air pollution on ryegrass Lolium perenne [LP] which was itself inspired by unsuccessful attempts to establish commercial S23 variety of LP and conifers in polluted southern Pennines including Rossendale Valley [RV], near Manchester. Mentions lack of political concern for air pollution in Britain before Clean Air Act 1956; JR’s work on conifers. Story of ‘Trail smelter arbitration’ concerning SO2 pollution generated in Canada, affecting crops in United States of America [US], 1920s/1930s, including view (proved wrong by self and others) that effects of air pollution on plants occurs only at high concentrations and always involves visible injury. Comments on early twentieth century British research on effect of pollution on plants; pollution of RV, near Manchester. Mentions recognition of effects of air pollution on hill farms, RV. [1:40:27] Description of JB’s experiments on effect of SO2 on LP, using pair of chambers, one with ‘water scrubber’, the other with ambient Manchester air. Comments on publication of JB’s work. [1:42:07] description of own experimental work examining effect on LP of SO2, published in ‘Nature’ journal, 1973, conducted in 1971/1972, involving commercial S23 LP and SO2 tolerant LP from Ministry of Agriculture’s [MAG] Great House Experimental Farm [GHEF], Helmshore. Comments on interest in air pollution of GHEF’s Harry Mudd [HM]; HM’s observations of different performance of commercial and native LP in area of longstanding SO2 pollution, including role of competition between and within species; findings of own experiments (significant negative effect of SO2 on S23 LP). Mentions colleague (and co-author) in this work, Bill Clough [BC], HPMD, AERE; subsequent work to determine minimum concentrations of SO2 affecting LP, used in guidelines of United Nations Economic Commission for Europe’s ‘critical levels’ and World Health Organisation air pollution guidelines for higher plants. [1:48:25] Comments on work with research students to investigate tolerance (to SO2) mechanism of LP, published in ‘New Phytologist’ journal in 1980s. Mentions similar work (involving different pollutants) of Tony Bradshaw. [1:51:16] Story of history of Silwood Park, including acquisition as SPFS by IC, with addition of Ashurst Lodge. [1:59:36] Comments on presence in SPFS of University of London Reactor Centre (small research nuclear reactor), built 1965; effect on SPFS of recent security concern for the reactor. [2:02:44] Positive comments on AC and JR. Comments on JR’s work on plant water relations/hydrology. [2:04:55] Story of first day’s work at SPFS, coincident with Christmas Party; offers of permanent jobs as lecturer in Sir John Cass College, London and as ‘progeny tester’ at Forestry Commission’s [FC] Northern Research Station, Roslin, Scotland. Comments on reasons for not accepting either job; mother’s view of this decision in relation to own marriage/mortgage; social hierarchy in accommodation at AERE; move to home in Reading; wife’s employment as horticultural technician in Department of Horticulture, University of Reading [UOR]. Mentions related story of end to first marriage; own previous experience of Reading. [2:12:24] Story of securing mortgage for house in Reading. [2:16:51] Description of SPFS in early 1970s. Mentions head of Department of Zoology, IC, Richard Southwood. [2:20:41] Description of site of own SO2/SP research involving pair of chambers constructed by Department of Botany, IC. Comments on later use of part of SPFS for air pollution studies; work involved in testing the pair of chambers; collection of SO2 tolerant plants from GHEF. Mentions experiments with chambers conducted in summer 1971 and winter 1971/1972, results of which were published in ‘Nature’, 1973. Mentions earlier publication on effect of SO2 on moss growth in the two chambers, in ‘Journal of Bryology’. [2:23:56] Comments on position of chambers in open sided greenhouse. Description of the two experimental chambers, including means of establishing particular environments in each and method of measuring SO2 concentrations in each (matching that used in National Survey of Smoke and Sulphur Dioxide/Warren Spring Laboratory, Stevenage). Comments on process of randomisation, involving movement of position of bowls within chambers; measurements of growing LP plants in chambers; measurements taken after final harvest of LP plants. Comments on assistance of female technician. Mentions use of ordinary plastic washing-up bowls.
Description
Life story interview with environmental scientist Nigel Bell.
Related transcripts
Nigel Bell interviewed by Paul Merchant: full transcript of the interview
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