Air problems in Nettle last night!!
- Thread starter owd git
- Start date
mr conners
Member
Myself and two other lads did the sting but we were struggling! I thought we were unfit,but not that unfit
Also on friday evening we found the air quality very poor down Rowter Hole (heavy breathing even at rest). Not just at the bottom digs but also in the big stuff at the base of the entrance pitch. Has anyone any idea why this is the case as the air has always been good on previous visits.
mr conners
Member
Meccano passage... Gasping, heaving, struggling for breath.
Two incidents of bad air in two days.
Now I know the knotlow/hillocks system has a history of bad air. But twice in one weekend? Bad luck? Bad karma? Bad choice?
Help.
Please.
Im not a bad person.
:ang:
Two incidents of bad air in two days.
Now I know the knotlow/hillocks system has a history of bad air. But twice in one weekend? Bad luck? Bad karma? Bad choice?
Help.
Please.
Im not a bad person.
:ang:
A group of us spent the best part of two years testing the air in many of the Derbyshire systems. We found high CO2 in many surprising places (First pitch in P8, Garlands etc). Suddenly it "disappeared"! The boffins came up with an explanation and we fully expected it to reappear the following Spring- it didn't.
I'm somewhat restricted in what I can do at the moment but will try and mobilise the team again (mainly Coffin Dodgers) and see what we can come up with.
I'm somewhat restricted in what I can do at the moment but will try and mobilise the team again (mainly Coffin Dodgers) and see what we can come up with.
caverholic
New member
Badlad said:
We were down Rowter week before last. No problems as far a I could tell, apart from to much water in the digs
cap n chris
Well-known member
Although no meter reading have been taken Co2 levels in Knotlow appear to have increased on the weekend of 21/22 July. The levels appear to have been higher at the top of The Waterfall Pitch than at the foot of the 210.
This has often been the case in the past and it does suggest that the source could be the stream
This has often been the case in the past and it does suggest that the source could be the stream
mr conners
Member
How does the stream carrying effluent increase the CO2? This is a genuine question and not one of those "you don't know what your on about" questions.
I did notice a lot of muck around on the field around the Nettle and Oxlow entrances last Friday, could this effect the air in the caves? Or, as the water run off from both fields into both caves is minimal, could this be discounted as a probable cause of the bad air?
I did notice a lot of muck around on the field around the Nettle and Oxlow entrances last Friday, could this effect the air in the caves? Or, as the water run off from both fields into both caves is minimal, could this be discounted as a probable cause of the bad air?
bograt
Active member
The weekend of 21/22 July was a very hectic mowing time.
When we recently had a carbon footprint assessment on our land, the amount of standing grass was taken into consideration as a "carbon sink", i.e. positive points for absorption of co2 (apparently quite significant!)
If this standing grass is then mown, it seems likely that there would be an increase in localised ambient co2, which would then trend downwards displacing oxygen from lower points, (ie underground voids).
Just a theory, any budding graduates out there want a research project?
When we recently had a carbon footprint assessment on our land, the amount of standing grass was taken into consideration as a "carbon sink", i.e. positive points for absorption of co2 (apparently quite significant!)
If this standing grass is then mown, it seems likely that there would be an increase in localised ambient co2, which would then trend downwards displacing oxygen from lower points, (ie underground voids).
Just a theory, any budding graduates out there want a research project?
AR
Well-known member
In answer the question about how does effluent affect C02, if you want chapter and verse you'd need to ask an environmental scientist rather than a trench rat like myself, but my understanding is that the breakdown of organic materials releases it. The muck that gets spread on fields has generally been "maturing" for a while and so as well as smelling pretty ripe, is giving off a lot of gas, which is another good reason not to stand on the lip of a slurry pit!
Thinking on, it was warm and dry over that weekend and the muck spread baked on rather than soaked in, but prior to that the local farmers had been cutting silage in any reasonably dry window they could, and generally manuring straight after. With all the rain we've had, I can imagine this is washing through the topsoil more than usual, and so may be getting into the underground drainage before it's fully broken down. I have heard anecdotes that the air at Knotlow has significantly improved since the farm ceased dairy production with its attendant slurry washing around, perhaps someone could confirm if this is the case?
Thinking on, it was warm and dry over that weekend and the muck spread baked on rather than soaked in, but prior to that the local farmers had been cutting silage in any reasonably dry window they could, and generally manuring straight after. With all the rain we've had, I can imagine this is washing through the topsoil more than usual, and so may be getting into the underground drainage before it's fully broken down. I have heard anecdotes that the air at Knotlow has significantly improved since the farm ceased dairy production with its attendant slurry washing around, perhaps someone could confirm if this is the case?
I have heard anecdotes that the air at Knotlow has significantly improved since the farm ceased dairy production with its attendant slurry washing around, perhaps someone could confirm if this is the case?
Your assumption is correct.
Also historically cattle were kept indoors in winter on straw to absorb theirvwaste products, this was eventually spread on the land where it gradually decayed. More recently they are kept on concrete and their excrement is hosed out and spread on the fields as a slurry that leaches into the soil very quickly. Farmers have also told me that considerably more artificial fertiliser (particularly nitrogen) is spread on the land than in the past to increase the growth of grass. Many of old 'uns can remember cow-pats, they used to make excellent Frisbees. Grass enriched with nitrogen causes cows to crap liquid turds, hopeless as Frisbees and quickly absorbed into the ground
Your assumption is correct.
Also historically cattle were kept indoors in winter on straw to absorb theirvwaste products, this was eventually spread on the land where it gradually decayed. More recently they are kept on concrete and their excrement is hosed out and spread on the fields as a slurry that leaches into the soil very quickly. Farmers have also told me that considerably more artificial fertiliser (particularly nitrogen) is spread on the land than in the past to increase the growth of grass. Many of old 'uns can remember cow-pats, they used to make excellent Frisbees. Grass enriched with nitrogen causes cows to crap liquid turds, hopeless as Frisbees and quickly absorbed into the ground
