It might seem morbid, but taking a trip to your local graveyard could be a big help for international environment researchers.
Credit: Wikimedia
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Walking around an old graveyard may seem like the stuff of horror movies, but an international research project wants you to do just that - to help track shifts in world pollution levels.
The global Gravestone Project, which kicks off this month and will continue until late 2011, is the first scientific research project undertaken across the world as part of the international EarthTrek citizen science program.
The Australian arm of the unique project was launched yesterday, with individuals, schools and community groups across the country being encouraged to visit their local graveyards (after obtaining required permissions) to measure the weathering rates of old marble headstones.
Determining its location using GPS, they will be able to add their cemetery's location to a global graveyard map on the EarthTrek website. If the cemetery is host to white marble headstones, they will be asked to select five varying in age - including the oldest and youngest in the graveyard - and to respectfully measure the weathering of the stones using micrometer callipers, and log this and various other helpful data on the website.
"It is amazing to consider that, because marble headstones are freshly cut when they are placed in a cemetery, the weathering 'clock' is effectively set to zero," said Deirdre Dragovich, from the School of Geosciences at the University of Sydney in NSW.
"The Gravestone Project provides a unique opportunity to gather important information about [weathering of tombstones] from different countries, climates and pollution environments - and it is also a great way for the wider community to contribute to cutting-edge research on pollution and climate change."
The measurements collected through the Gravestone Project will help assess whether some regions of the globe are experiencing higher pollution and more rapid climate change than others. This idea is that rain contains acid from air pollution and chemicals, which chemically erodes the marble stones - and the rate of weathering can indicate changes in pollution or climate between locations over time.
Two methods can be used to measure the weathering rate of marble gravestones. The 'lead lettering method' measures the erosion of a marble gravestone in comparison with the lead lettering used on it (as the lettering is not eroded by the acid in rain).
When marble gravestones are created, they are polished smooth so the lead letters and marble surface are flush. By measuring the distance that the lead lettering sits out from the eroded marble on weathered gravestones, and relating this to the date of death on the gravestone, scientists can determine by how much the gravestone has eroded over time.
While not as accurate as the lettering method, the 'thickness method' can be used for marble gravestones that do not contain lead lettering. It assumes that when the headstone was made it was a constant thickness from top to bottom - so by measuring any subsequent differences in the thickness of the headstone between its top and bottom, and relating this to the date of death on the headstone, scientists can determine the rate of weathering of the headstone caused by acidic rain over time.
There is no cost for the public to sign up and participate in any of EarthTrek's initiatives, and participants will even receive rewards based on the number and scope of projects in which they are involved. Currently Australians can participate in the Graveyard project, as well as the global Garlic Mustard Field Survey.
Other projects being discussed with scientists for inclusion in EarthTrek in some countries include earthquake monitoring and measuring the size of hailstones.
"The terrific thing about EarthTrek is that it [engages] the wider community in a whole range of exciting scientific research while also providing enormous people-power to greatly assist the scientists undertaking the research," said Peter Cawood, President of the Geological Society of Australia, which together with CSIRO Education and Earth Scientists from the University of Sydney are key Australian partners for the initiative.
"EarthTrek projects across the globe will be focusing on critical research into key environmental issues such as climate change, pollution, the spread of noxious weeds and tracking endangered animals, just to name a few. By actively engaging the wider community in their work, scientists…can substantially increase the amount of data they collect for their research, dramatically raise the profile of their research in the broader community, and provide younger people with a first-hand [research opportunities]."
