tag:theconversation.com,2011:/africa/topics/shetland-14060/articlesShetland – The Conversation2023-07-07T14:29:18Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2093522023-07-07T14:29:18Z2023-07-07T14:29:18ZThe history behind Orkney’s vote to ‘join Norway’<p>For the third time in half a century, Orkney, UK, has raised the issue of its Nordic origins and an apparent desire to embrace them once more. Earlier this week, Orkney Islands Council voted on a <a href="https://www.orkney.gov.uk/Files/Committees-and-Agendas/Council-Meetings/GM2023/GM04-07-2023/Item%2015%20Notice%20of%20Motion.pdf">motion</a> to begin exploring options of “greater subsidiarity and autonomy”, potentially looking beyond the UK and Scottish borders to build “Nordic connections”.</p>
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<img alt="A July front page of Orkney's newspaper, The Orcadian" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536299/original/file-20230707-23-fswcxe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536299/original/file-20230707-23-fswcxe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=557&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536299/original/file-20230707-23-fswcxe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=557&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536299/original/file-20230707-23-fswcxe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=557&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536299/original/file-20230707-23-fswcxe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=700&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536299/original/file-20230707-23-fswcxe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=700&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536299/original/file-20230707-23-fswcxe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=700&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">The front page of The Orcadian newspaper this week.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.orcadian.co.uk/">The Orcadian</a></span>
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<p>This decision has made <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-66066448">national</a> and <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/07/03/scotlands-orkney-islands-consider-quitting-the-uk-to-join-norway.html">international</a> headlines. These were centred on the possibility that the island group, located ten miles from the north coast of Scotland, may seek to become a Norwegian territory. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.shetnews.co.uk/2020/09/09/sic-to-explore-ways-of-achieving-self-determination-after-elected-members-back-motion">similar motion</a> was passed in the neighbouring Shetland Islands in 2020. Could this be the latest constitutional crisis to rock the United Kingdom?</p>
<p>As these news reports typically highlight, Orkney and Shetland were <a href="https://www.shetlandmuseumandarchives.org.uk/blog/550-years-ago-how-shetland-became-part-of-scotland-part-2">part of the Norwegian and Danish kingdoms</a> until their annexation by Scotland in 1472. Orcadians and Shetlanders do not identify as Norwegians or Danes today, but they retain distinct identities which for some – though not all – include aspects of this Norse heritage. </p>
<p>Orkney’s motion joins a long history of attempts by activists and local politicians to use this distinct identity to draw attention to grievances with central government.</p>
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<h2>Back to Scandinavia</h2>
<p>In August 1967, Orkney’s largest settlements of Kirkwall and Stromness awoke to a poster campaign <a href="https://photos.orkneycommunities.co.uk/picture/number1586.asp">calling</a> for Orkney to return “Back to Denmark”. One poster declared: “Orkney is dying under British rule, reunite with Denmark now.” The campaign produced widespread news coverage, making headlines in Edinburgh, London, Denmark and even as far away as Singapore.</p>
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<img alt="A black and white image of five people drawing protest posters in Orkney." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536300/original/file-20230707-21-t5tnv2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536300/original/file-20230707-21-t5tnv2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=484&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536300/original/file-20230707-21-t5tnv2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=484&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536300/original/file-20230707-21-t5tnv2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=484&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536300/original/file-20230707-21-t5tnv2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=608&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536300/original/file-20230707-21-t5tnv2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=608&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536300/original/file-20230707-21-t5tnv2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=608&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Pro-breakaway campaigners in 1967.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mathew Nicolson</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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<p>The immediate trigger was the government’s policy of centralising police forces and water boards into regional bodies, abolishing Orkney’s local institutions. It was feared that Orkney’s local government would soon follow. There were also grievances concerning the expensive cost of transport and the government’s inadequate response to a shipping strike the previous year.</p>
<p>In an interview with The Observer, one campaign organiser was described as “plainly delighted with the astonishing commotion he has caused”, clearly recognising the potential for this provocative use of Orkney’s distinct identity to draw attention to the islands’ grievances. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.orcadian.co.uk/">The Orcadian</a>, Orkney’s sole newspaper, declared “it was all a joke” that had taken the rest of Britain “for a ride” – before adding: “but it has its serious side”.</p>
<p>Orkney’s Nordic ties were invoked again in 1986. Amid a campaign against a proposed expansion to <a href="https://www.euppublishing.com/doi/full/10.3366/shr.2021.0498">Dounreay nuclear power station</a> in Caithness, activists from Orkney and Shetland drew up the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/mar/25/orkney-shetland-people-referendum-edinburgh-london">Declaration of Wyre</a>.</p>
<p>Addressed to the kings of Norway and Denmark, the declaration called on them to “consult on our constitutional status” and to “inquire into the legality in international law of siting a nuclear processing plant … in an area of unresolved constitutional status.” Once again, historical ties to Scandinavia were used to highlight a contemporary and thoroughly modern political concern.</p>
<h2>Political failures</h2>
<p>As in 1967 and 1986, Orkney Islands Council’s motion to explore greater autonomy and Nordic connections is centred on current political issues. The council is frustrated at failures to reach an agreement with the Scottish government to fund the replacement of its ageing inter-island ferries or secure adequate ferry fare subsidies. </p>
<p>There is also anger at the broader trend of centralisation that followed the re-establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1999.</p>
<p>Invoking the possibility of constitutional change, especially when this draws on the islands’ Norse heritage, is a proven strategy for gaining media and political attention. External actors are often willing to make use of eye-grabbing headlines or gain additional ammunition for national constitutional quarrels. </p>
<p>This is well understood by activists and local politicians. Orkney council leader James Stockan acknowledged that the media response to his motion has been “a remarkable result”.</p>
<p>So is this simply a PR stunt hatched by a council seeking additional funds at a time of increasing crisis within the UK’s public services? Not entirely. </p>
<p>There is a <a href="http://www.scottishgovernmentyearbooks.ed.ac.uk/record/22892">real history</a> of pro-autonomy sentiment to draw on, articulated to its greatest extent in the 1980s by the now defunct <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=qps14mSlghcC&pg=PA76&lpg=PA76&dq#v=onepage&q&f=false">Orkney Movement</a>. Most Orcadians (and Shetlanders) would endorse the principle of decentralisation. But more radical visions for autonomy have never gained demonstrable majority support.</p>
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<p>Orkney’s councillors are likely entirely sincere in their desire for decentralisation, if perhaps not to the extent of rejoining Norway or becoming a fully autonomous territory. However, neither Orkney nor Shetland’s autonomy motions passed unanimously. Like any other community, there are political differences which can sometimes be overlooked from outside perspectives.</p>
<p>It is unclear how most Orcadians and Shetlanders feel about their councils’ policies. These developments have not seen any meaningful engagement with or interest from the wider population – or, indeed, any electoral mandate from the islands’ voters.</p>
<p>The Orcadian conducted an online survey <a href="https://www.orcadian.co.uk/in-this-weeks-the-orcadian-170/">this week</a> which found a narrow majority of 51.4% support for the council’s policy, with 37.9% opposed. However, as this survey did not follow scientific polling methods and was also open to non-Orcadians to fill out, it can only provide a rough estimate of people’s views.</p>
<p>In contrast to the 1980s, when mobilised campaign movements pressured the councils into taking further action on autonomy, there is no grassroots momentum for constitutional change in the islands today. But it is possible that continued dissatisfaction with central government could lead to growing interest in the subject.</p>
<p>Orkney is not going to become a Norwegian territory and significant constitutional change is unlikely to appear in the near future. That said, the idea of autonomy will continue to be attractive for some. As long as this remains the case, local activists and politicians will continue to use their islands’ distinct heritages in creative ways to make their voices heard.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209352/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mathew Nicolson received funding from the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland.</span></em></p>Bringing up the subjects of autonomy and Norway has always been an effective way for Orcadians to draw attention to their grievances with central government.Mathew Nicolson, PhD Candidate in History, The University of EdinburghLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1061392018-11-06T15:08:20Z2018-11-06T15:08:20ZScotland’s most remote islands don’t want to be in ‘inset maps’ any more<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243906/original/file-20181105-83632-1xz75jj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=848%2C0%2C3282%2C1791&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Serban Bogdan / shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Take a 12 hour ferry north from mainland Scotland, and you’ll reach the Shetland Isles – the northernmost place in the UK. The only part of Britain to be considered “subarctic”, the archipelago of about 100 islands is found at the same latitude as the southern tip of Greenland. It’s so far north that, on most maps of the UK or Scotland, Shetland is cut out and placed in an inserted box somewhere off the coast of Aberdeenshire or the Highlands.</p>
<p>Yet this aspect of cartographic design has long been controversial among the 23,000 people who live on the islands. This was a point made recently by the their representative in the Scottish parliament, Tavish Scott MSP, who has passed an amendment to the <a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2018/12/contents">Islands (Scotland) Bill</a> which now prevents public bodies in Scotland from including the Shetland Islands in an “inset map” (in a box). </p>
<p>The Ordnance Survey, Britain’s national mapping agency, was against the move as it would imply “publishing maps that are mostly sea”, while we must now wait and see how this actually impacts maps produced by Scotland’s various public bodies, which do have a <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-45733111">get-out clause</a> if they use an inset, but explain their reasons.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, the idea behind the law change is certainly laudable. With Shetland in a box off the coast, it is easy to forget how much of a logistical and financial challenge it is to travel from the island to the mainland. It is a full 125 miles from the northern coast of the mainland to Shetland – about the same distance going from London to Nottingham. Placing the islands in their true geographical location should remind people of this reality.</p>
<p>However, Scott has perhaps forgotten why the islands were put in a box in the first place, and this reason hasn’t changed in the hundreds of years that people have been making maps of Scotland. Due to their geographical isolation, including them in a box allows the rest of Scotland to be shown in much more detail. If the Shetland Isles were mapped in their true location, we would end up with a map that is largely sea, with the rest of the Scottish mainland around 40% smaller.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/244086/original/file-20181106-74772-17fdj6n.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/244086/original/file-20181106-74772-17fdj6n.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/244086/original/file-20181106-74772-17fdj6n.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=389&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/244086/original/file-20181106-74772-17fdj6n.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=389&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/244086/original/file-20181106-74772-17fdj6n.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=389&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/244086/original/file-20181106-74772-17fdj6n.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=489&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/244086/original/file-20181106-74772-17fdj6n.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=489&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/244086/original/file-20181106-74772-17fdj6n.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=489&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Using an inset means the mainland can be shown in more detail.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Rainer Lesniewski/AridOcean/Shutterstock</span></span>
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<p>When creating any map, whoever is making it has to decide what to include and what not to include. If you had a map of the town or city where you live, would you include the internal layout of your home? Obviously not – marking out the distance you need to travel from your sofa to your kitchen to make a cup of tea would be both impractical and irrelevant for almost all users of the map.</p>
<p>So what to include in a map depends on what the map is for. The London Underground map is a great example of one that only includes what it needs to: it lists the stations, the tube lines and is very clear on which lines connect where. (It also includes the River Thames, which is arguably not vital, but helps people orientate themselves and so was <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/london/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8259000/8259435.stm">reinstated</a> after it was removed in 2009). As a map to work out where to go in Central London on foot it is no help at all, but that’s not the point. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243919/original/file-20181105-83641-kpr8hj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243919/original/file-20181105-83641-kpr8hj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243919/original/file-20181105-83641-kpr8hj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243919/original/file-20181105-83641-kpr8hj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243919/original/file-20181105-83641-kpr8hj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243919/original/file-20181105-83641-kpr8hj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243919/original/file-20181105-83641-kpr8hj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243919/original/file-20181105-83641-kpr8hj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A design classic (but don’t bother taking the tube from Leicester Square to Covent Garden, it’s only two minutes walk).</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">sevenMaps7</span></span>
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<p>Hexagon-based maps used in parliamentary elections are another iconic example. Most viewers are not interested in the geographic area of each constituency, but do want to easily assess the total number of seats and which party has a majority.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243918/original/file-20181105-83638-1dulv24.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243918/original/file-20181105-83638-1dulv24.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243918/original/file-20181105-83638-1dulv24.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243918/original/file-20181105-83638-1dulv24.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243918/original/file-20181105-83638-1dulv24.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243918/original/file-20181105-83638-1dulv24.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243918/original/file-20181105-83638-1dulv24.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243918/original/file-20181105-83638-1dulv24.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Take your pick.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://worldmapper.org/about/">Benjamin Henning/viewsoftheworld.net/Worldmapper</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span>
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<p>Decisions made at the design stage can alter how a map is interpreted, sometimes quite significantly. We can automate some of the process using <a href="https://gisgeography.com/giscience-geographic-information-science/">Geographic Information Science</a> (GIS) computer programs, but we have to use these tools carefully, with the end product in mind. Insets are just one element of a map that can have an impact on the message it conveys. The <a href="https://worldmapper.org/">Worldmapper</a> website uses cartograms to adjust maps to show variables other than space geographically, and Vox has a great video explaining <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIID5FDi2JQ">different projection systems</a> used to display the globe.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243914/original/file-20181105-83648-fmcx2y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243914/original/file-20181105-83648-fmcx2y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243914/original/file-20181105-83648-fmcx2y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243914/original/file-20181105-83648-fmcx2y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243914/original/file-20181105-83648-fmcx2y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243914/original/file-20181105-83648-fmcx2y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243914/original/file-20181105-83648-fmcx2y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243914/original/file-20181105-83648-fmcx2y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Countries resized by number of agriculture workers. India has the most, followed by Indonesia and Ethiopia.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://worldmapper.org/maps/agricultural-workers-2015/">Worldmapper (UN HDR data)</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span>
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<p>And the Shetland Isles? Some maps of Scotland should include the islands in their true geographic location in order to highlight their remoteness and logistical issues, as Scott says. However, not all maps need to: sometimes this is not relevant to the map, and it is more important to give more prominence to the central belt of Edinburgh and Glasgow where many more people live. </p>
<p>It all depends on what the aim of the map is. The choices made by the map maker have a big impact on the output of the process and how the map is viewed. It is impossible to represent everything on a map, and sometimes what we decide to leave out is much more important than what we decide to include.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/106139/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nick Bearman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A new law means the Shetland Isles must now be placed in their true location – but mapping experts aren’t entirely convinced.Nick Bearman, Lecturer in Geospatial Analysis, UCLLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/754822017-04-03T14:14:51Z2017-04-03T14:14:51ZIs Britain’s ‘largest oil discovery in decades’ all it’s cracked up to be?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/163479/original/image-20170331-27273-1bdyqo8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Eddytb Foto / shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>A large oil find has been declared 60 miles west of Shetland, off the north coast of Scotland. It’s being described as the UK’s “<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-39406131">largest undeveloped discovery</a>”. Taken at face value, this is exciting news for an industry still reeling after the oil price collapse of the past few years (environmentalists though are <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamRamsay/status/846365034997596160">less enthusiastic</a>).</p>
<p>The discovery was made by Hurricane Energy, a specialist exploration firm, which announced that its <a href="https://www.hurricaneenergy.com/communications/news-and-press-releases/news-story?cid=773&newsid=857147">Halifax well</a> had found large amounts of oil. It said it had also successfully undertaken a production test in which oil flowed at an impressive rate. This find may even be connected with a previous discovery nearby (the <a href="https://www.hurricaneenergy.com/operations/hurricane-assets/lancaster-basement-discovery">Lancaster field</a>) and hence be part of one large accumulation of nearly a billion untapped barrels.</p>
<p>Hurricane Energy specialises in trying to extract oil from so-called <a href="https://www.hurricaneenergy.com/expertise/what-are-basement-reservoirs">fractured “basement” reservoirs</a>. While most oil, including most North Sea oil, is found within sedimentary rocks such as sandstone, these basements occur when oil gathers in the natural cracks (or fractures) between impermeable igneous rock. In this specific case, Hurricane was actively searching along the Rona Ridge – a prominent seabed feature which hosts several oil fields.</p>
<p>This is undoubtedly an encouraging result for the UK oil industry as it seeks to extend the life of a mature basin characterised by ever diminishing resources. However, it is important to underline that there are major geological hurdles still to overcome and the oil can’t yet be considered potential, probable or proven reserves, all of which have strict <a href="http://www.spe.org/industry/petroleum-resources-classification-system-definitions.php">statistical and commercial definitions</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/163647/original/image-20170403-21933-t0fu4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/163647/original/image-20170403-21933-t0fu4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/163647/original/image-20170403-21933-t0fu4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=329&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/163647/original/image-20170403-21933-t0fu4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=329&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/163647/original/image-20170403-21933-t0fu4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=329&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/163647/original/image-20170403-21933-t0fu4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=414&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/163647/original/image-20170403-21933-t0fu4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=414&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/163647/original/image-20170403-21933-t0fu4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=414&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">An oil tanker makes its way through the Shetland Isles.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/16633132@N04/13454544654/">Ronnie Robertson</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Although fractured reservoirs have been successful <a href="http://sp.lyellcollection.org/content/214/1/83.abstract">elsewhere in the world</a>, most notably in Vietnam and <a href="http://www.searchanddiscovery.com/pdfz/documents/2014/110203neff/ndx_neff.pdf.html">Yemen</a>, this would be a first in the UK. The rocks around Shetland are very dense, and it’s particularly hard to work out how much oil is found in the narrow, open fractures in between them. </p>
<p>Success is likely then to be dependent on the fractures, which not only need to be significant but also suitably oriented for a directional drill bit to intersect them. Fractured basements are notorious for <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0ahUKEwiN-pXerYjTAhXBSRoKHYCXBzUQFgggMAE&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.slb.com%2F%7E%2Fmedia%2FFiles%2Fresources%2Foilfield_review%2Fors06%2Fsum06%2Fnaturally_fract_reservoirs.pdf&usg=AFQjCNG8YZSpaVWOPuJaBZtqBYZVB21FSg&bvm=bv.151325232,d.d2s&cad=rja">fast depletion</a> on production as the fractures are drained quickly, and such fields consequently commonly have a shorter shelf life.</p>
<p>It is also worth remembering that no basement has been shown to work elsewhere in the North Sea to date. Concerns over economic viability mean the most notable discoveries at Cairngorm and at Bagpuss have yet to be developed. Hurricane will need to conduct an <a href="http://www.slb.com/services/characterization/testing/surface_testing/extended_well_tests.aspx">extended well test</a> to demonstrate sufficient flow for the field to be feasible in the long term. Also, more drilling will probably be required to ascertain whether the Halifax oil exists in one large reservoir or in several smaller accumulations. The latter is much harder to develop.</p>
<h2>Oil type</h2>
<p>The <a href="http://metro.co.uk/2017/03/28/one-billion-barrels-of-oil-uncovered-in-largest-undeveloped-discovery-in-uk-6539815/">billion barrels</a> quoted in the media is certainly an eye-watering discovery – especially now, after oil firms have been scouring the North Sea for decades. However it is unclear whether these are actual usable resources. Given what we know about this field and the typical recovery rates of oil from fractured reservoirs, actual reserves may be around 200m barrels – reasonably large but not especially so (the largest oil fields in the Gulf have tens of billions of barrels). </p>
<p>We also don’t yet know what sort of oil has been found. Oil in nearby Clair Field is particularly viscous and heavy, which meant it was left in the ground for almost 20 years until better technology and higher prices made extracting it worthwhile. If the Lancaster/Halifax oil has similar characteristics the operator will face additional challenges. </p>
<h2>A long way to go</h2>
<p>Even presupposing that the geology, oil type and drilling can lead to a successful development, it seems likely that evacuation would have to take place by hooking up the discovery with existing pipeline infrastructure or a <a href="http://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/fpso-floating-production-storage-and-offloading.asp">Floating Production Storage and Offloading</a> (FPSO) facility. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/163646/original/image-20170403-21976-1trqf1p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/163646/original/image-20170403-21976-1trqf1p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/163646/original/image-20170403-21976-1trqf1p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=329&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/163646/original/image-20170403-21976-1trqf1p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=329&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/163646/original/image-20170403-21976-1trqf1p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=329&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/163646/original/image-20170403-21976-1trqf1p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/163646/original/image-20170403-21976-1trqf1p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/163646/original/image-20170403-21976-1trqf1p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Oil from platforms is sent to a floating facility for storage until a tanker arrives.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/133086680@N06/23788324051/">Anderson Nova</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>However, with the infrastructure that is now in place and with the experience major operators have gained in developing their oilfields west of Shetland with few incidents, the development of another large field nearby should not prove to be a major hurdle.</p>
<p>This discovery raises various social and political questions, of course. After Brexit, is this the UK’s oil or Scotland’s, or even Shetland’s? Do people want the jobs, income and secure energy supply that comes from a thriving offshore industry, or would they instead highlight the <a href="http://www.globalcarbonproject.org/carbonbudget/">global carbon budget</a> and choose to leave that oil under the sea?</p>
<p>Who knows? What we can say, as petroleum geoscientists, is that we are excited but cautious. After all, it took more than 28 years from Clair’s initial discovery for its reserves to be confirmed.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/75482/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Underhill is the Chief Scientist at Heriot-Watt University. He has received research support from the oil industry, most notably Shell, which provides support for his position at HWU. He is contributing in his academic capacity and his views do not reflect those of any political party, industry association, not-for-profit group, think tank or other politically active body</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Patrick Corbett receives part funding as the BG International Limited Professor of Petroleum Engineering for work that he's involved in as Visiting Professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) in Brazil.</span></em></p>Expect millions – not billions – of barrels.John Richard Underhill, Chair of Exploration Geoscience & Chief Scientist, Heriot-Watt UniversityPatrick Corbett, Professor of Carbonate Petroleum Geoengineering, Heriot-Watt UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/598342016-05-23T15:11:35Z2016-05-23T15:11:35ZMystery in northern Scotland that is baffling multiple sclerosis experts<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/123580/original/image-20160523-11012-1aj0t7g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Kirkwall harbour, Orkney.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/teflon/8465715232/in/photolist-dU61cs-4yuk6K-g7KGor-4yukgB-nQu6RJ-egi5nb-eh9Dqm-83nkjZ-fdNw8d-6tRs8a-eFyNu4-6tRrZV-oHwrNM-or2SkF-8kVJW6-83qrLu-or3hNM-opqCge-cA2UtJ-anYQfZ-atSQoK-atSQiR-2m1kum-4yndSY-pMbeqp-atSQq6-cckkeh-eeyFYY-opbpU7-FxXuch-puVnk6-oQBwWZ-puVkzH-anAzEG-att5Pf-2S5XL4-E8cfFq-6CJVBX-k9HoX-k9Hpa-73xH3b-e6TfjV-e6YSGf-e6TfDt-e6YT8S-e6Tg12-e6YSRj-e6YTvW-4yndNW-6jKFAp">Martin Deutsch</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The north of Scotland has long been an important part of our quest to understand what causes multiple sclerosis (MS). Though we have known about the region’s high rate of the disease for some time, it moved centre stage after a 2012 study <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22577232">comprehensively revealed</a> staggering levels in the Orkney isles which lie off the northernmost mainland. </p>
<p>The study appeared to heavily support <a href="http://overcomingms.users41.interdns.co.uk/ms-a-to-z/ms-encyclopedia/sunlightvitamin-d-and-ms/">the theory</a> that low UV-B sunlight is a key initiating factor in the damage to pathways transmitting signals to and from the brain that we see in MS sufferers. People who are exposed to less of this light <a href="http://press.endocrine.org/doi/abs/10.1210/jcem-67-2-373">tend to</a> have lower levels of vitamin D in their blood, and studies have repeatedly <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1001866">shown links between</a> low vitamin D and higher MS incidence – <a href="http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laneur/article/PIIS1474-4422(03)00663-X/abstract">most likely</a> interacting with other factors like genetics and plain bad luck. </p>
<p>But now a <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0155633">more recent study</a> has shown that Orcadians have higher vitamin D levels than the Scottish average. So what is going on? Is it back to the drawing board for understanding MS?</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/123634/original/image-20160523-10984-pt2dvv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/123634/original/image-20160523-10984-pt2dvv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/123634/original/image-20160523-10984-pt2dvv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=598&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/123634/original/image-20160523-10984-pt2dvv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=598&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/123634/original/image-20160523-10984-pt2dvv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=598&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/123634/original/image-20160523-10984-pt2dvv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=752&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/123634/original/image-20160523-10984-pt2dvv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=752&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/123634/original/image-20160523-10984-pt2dvv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=752&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Google Maps</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In fact, the authors are careful to point out that the study is not as straightforward as the headline numbers make it appear. They monitored the vitamin D levels in the blood of individuals who have lived on Orkney for at least a generation and compared them to individuals in the same age group from the rest of Scotland. They did find higher than average vitamin D levels among Orcadians, but this was entirely due to two age groups, 60 to 69-year-olds and the 70s and over. </p>
<p>In all other age groups, the study found that vitamin D levels were lower than the rest of Scotland. Indeed the average levels of vitamin D in Orcadians under the age of 40 was substantially lower than their Scottish equivalent, who are <a href="http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Health/Healthy-Living/Food-Health/vitaminD">themselves considered</a> to be at risk of deficiency. This age range is probably the most relevant to understanding MS, since they are more likely to be child bearing and there is a <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21786297">strong correlation</a> between vitamin D levels in the womb and MS susceptibility for the offspring. The group also includes those most likely to develop MS, <a href="http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/43968/1/9789241563758_eng.pdf">which are</a> women in their late 20s and early 30s. </p>
<h2>Vikings and screen addicts</h2>
<p>There are at least two possible explanations for this difference in the age groups: it could be that Orcadians enjoy greater exposure to sun as they get older; or it could be that the younger generation is spending less time outdoors. To assess that first possibility, the study’s authors used lifestyle questionnaires. This helped them establish that the vitamin D data was being skewed by two groups – farmers and financially secure over-60s who take regular foreign holidays. </p>
<p>The prospect of a generational change in Orcadians is more worrying because it might mean that MS levels will rise on the islands. Indeed, there is already evidence of a rise in the past 35 years. Yet the new study hints that lifestyle changes in the older generations is actually the reason for the discrepancy. We will need to see further studies to clarify this. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/123583/original/image-20160523-10986-1kj0cpo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/123583/original/image-20160523-10986-1kj0cpo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/123583/original/image-20160523-10986-1kj0cpo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/123583/original/image-20160523-10986-1kj0cpo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/123583/original/image-20160523-10986-1kj0cpo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/123583/original/image-20160523-10986-1kj0cpo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/123583/original/image-20160523-10986-1kj0cpo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/123583/original/image-20160523-10986-1kj0cpo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘Hay-men to that.’</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/robert_scarth/62846207/in/photolist-6y6Zi-4wYC45-ehktwc-e3gLSG-6DS4j-4Sed7W-aZLu7T-6Jujjn-4Se8VA-6ymtu-4S9XxX-jfuRE-ika2f-6xHLy-f7MR7Z-6ynnE-6y68T-7Wrc2-6y9Md-6y5WC-avumps-djGuRV-6ykX4-2yN7Uh-6yoVe-6ymaa-nh9FZ-79wnHD-6ymCf-6y6La-6y6jF-82RAae-6ymki-6Lw2JR-6ymZh-6ymP4-6N4PcR-6y9Zv-6ykH2-jfuRA-79jUJm-2yN9jJ-iQGZL-6y9dH-6ykv7-4Sa2Le-4Sn8CQ-6y91k-2tiZQ-2yHLoM">Robert Scarth</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>So can we reinstate the lack of UV-B light and vitamin D as the prime suspect in Orcadians’ increased risk of MS? Maybe not entirely. <a href="http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/early/2012/05/09/jnnp-2011-301546.full.pdf?hwshib2=authn%3A1464093632%3A20160523%253A114f893b-57ad-4fa6-9ff3-096471e42295%3A0%3A0%3A0%3AQzPtM4gB11BA93TvzPhr7A%3D%3D">While the</a> incidence of MS in Orkney is 402 cases per 100,000, <a href="https://www.mstrust.org.uk/a-z/prevalence-and-incidence-multiple-sclerosis">compared to</a> around 200 in the rest of Scotland and 165 in England, in the even more northerly Shetlands <a href="http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/early/2012/05/09/jnnp-2011-301546.full.pdf?hwshib2=authn%3A1464093632%3A20160523%253A114f893b-57ad-4fa6-9ff3-096471e42295%3A0%3A0%3A0%3AQzPtM4gB11BA93TvzPhr7A%3D%3D">it is</a> 295. Yet Shetlanders should be even more sunlight-deficient than Orcadians. </p>
<p>Maybe the populations of the two island groups are exposed to different levels of sunlight because of differences in their culture or lifestyle, but the work has not been done in the Shetlands to take us beyond speculation here. We also know that genes play a substantial role in MS susceptibility and it cannot be ruled out that genetic difference between populations may play some role. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/123582/original/image-20160523-10994-nk2cgz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/123582/original/image-20160523-10994-nk2cgz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/123582/original/image-20160523-10994-nk2cgz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/123582/original/image-20160523-10994-nk2cgz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/123582/original/image-20160523-10994-nk2cgz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/123582/original/image-20160523-10994-nk2cgz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/123582/original/image-20160523-10994-nk2cgz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/123582/original/image-20160523-10994-nk2cgz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘Not guilty.’</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nuwandalice/5676900731/in/photolist-9DDANP-5sL5rP-dnvwSe-NAQxv-qYQ7v-edw3A3-4VW71p-gRqXwf-pzDM2E-4ALoQ5-bvLyVm-9h1Qfk-9pJWPX-4isFLs-acQhio-493JpW-bkyXzi-jG36St-jdKVzh-r6Zfvk-cz5s3Q-6W53ot-7ETjUX-r2Ci7s-e71Xgu-riHE35-6W53on-oZBfYQ-6VRzbJ-5rZ7zS-9n33En-qUqhdL-bw7sCn-gRqXCC-7caDtg-2912Rf-fMiSe5-dCSLDZ-bw7t4x-bw7rpx-DBAHy7-bwEGFT-4aqyDC-qmU38A-54VZfR-9n33kP-r6ZfbH-uanhv-8wSqdk-235Kx">Alice</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In this regard, the press has in the past <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2245978/Vikings-blame-Scots-highest-levels-multiple-sclerosis.html">wondered whether</a> the Vikings brought MS to the Orkneys. This seems fanciful because Vikings probably had an even greater influence on the Shetlands. MS incidence in Scandinavian countries <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1468-1331.2006.01342.x/full">is meanwhile</a> lower than the Scottish average. So if genetics is partly to blame, it’s more subtle than longboats and horned helmets. </p>
<p>In short, the study does raise a mystery, though not the one it first appeared to. It seems to support the sunlight theory of MS after all, but it leaves us asking what cultural shift is occurring in Orkney that is resulting in over 60s having higher vitamin D levels than the rest of the population. Getting to the bottom of that could be a major step towards refining our understanding of what causes the disease.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/59834/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Graham Wright receives Wellcome Trust funding to explore cell-therapy-based treatment for MS.</span></em></p>Orkney’s ultra-high incidence has been linked to the weak northern sun. So how come the more northern Shetlands are less afflicted?Graham Wright, Lecturer in Immunology, Edinburgh Napier UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/352302014-12-16T06:13:02Z2014-12-16T06:13:02ZViking women travelled too, genetic study reveals<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/67252/original/image-20141215-5287-1mrrfb5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Mum's gone to Iceland.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-29211424/stock-photo-closeup-portrait-of-viking-woman-in-helmet-with-horns.html?src=HCKp1DLa042VQoC1NAAfUQ-1-32">Creatista/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The traditional picture of Vikings is one of boatloads of hairy men pillaging their way along the coasts of Europe. Though true to some degree, this stereotype has more recently been tempered with the appreciation of Vikings as explorers and settlers, founding colonies from the Black Sea to Canada.</p>
<p>Left out of this picture is their womenfolk, but with the results of state-of-the-art DNA sequencing techniques, geneticists from Norway and Sweden have provided <a href="http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/370/1660/20130384">a picture of the Viking world</a> that reveals women travelled to settle in far-off places – and this appears to be true of born-and-bred Norsewomen as well as those from the lands visited. </p>
<h2>Handed down the maternal line</h2>
<p>The study, published by the Royal Society, sequenced DNA from 45 Norwegian, Viking-age skeletons. This was mitochondrial or mtDNA which, unlike <a href="http://theconversation.com/are-you-a-viking-yes-but-so-is-everyone-else-14144">most DNA</a>, is passed down from mother to child with no input from the father. Children have near identical mtDNA to their mothers, their mother’s mothers, and so on. If you go back far enough, every person who has ever lived falls somewhere on a single, branching, <a href="http://theconversation.com/will-i-am-indian-but-does-it-matter-15215">maternal family-tree</a>.</p>
<p>Within the tree, mutations lead to changes in the mtDNA sequence of one individual, which are then inherited by all of their female-line descendants. This means that by comparing differences across many individuals from known geographical locations, we can build up a picture of the movements of the women of the past. The mtDNA of the 45 skeletons was compared to many others which have been previously sequenced from around north-western Europe. Using a variety of statistical tests, several things became apparent.</p>
<p>Many of the mtDNA sequences were shared between those from Norway and those of the lands the Vikings colonised. This supports archaeological and historical sources which suggest that the Norsemen often married at home and were accompanied on their voyages by their wives. However, the picture is not uniform from place to place. </p>
<p>Relatively close to Scandinavia, in Orkney and Shetland, modern populations show similar levels of ancestry coming from Norse-folk of each sex. Further away in Iceland, people owe more of their ancestry to Norsemen than to Norsewomen. This poses the question, who were the remaining Viking wives? It seems unlikely that they were pre-existing Icelanders, as Iceland was largely uninhabited before the arrival of the Vikings. Although there is some evidence for habitation, it was on a small scale, and maybe by then extinct. The Viking Sagas mention the presence of <a href="http://www.why.is/svar.php?id=4802">monks</a>, but even if they were real, they would be male and also – one imagines – celibate. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/67146/original/image-20141214-6030-synn44.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/67146/original/image-20141214-6030-synn44.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/67146/original/image-20141214-6030-synn44.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=346&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67146/original/image-20141214-6030-synn44.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=346&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67146/original/image-20141214-6030-synn44.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=346&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67146/original/image-20141214-6030-synn44.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=435&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67146/original/image-20141214-6030-synn44.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=435&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67146/original/image-20141214-6030-synn44.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=435&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Vikings had legendarily itchy feet.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Krzewińska et al., 2014</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Where are the Viking women at?</h2>
<p>One test showed that if the genetic contribution of Norwegians is subtracted from Icelandic mtDNA data, what remains is most similar to Orkney and the Western Isles of Scotland. So it seems likely that Gaelic women from these islands arrived in Iceland with the Vikings, or else had been integrated into these colonial Viking communities in previous generations and passed down their mtDNA to those that made the voyage to Iceland.</p>
<p>Either way, it shows that many more women than men from invaded lands were assimilated into Viking colonies. Maybe this shouldn’t surprise us – around the world, it’s much more common for women than men to join the family or tribe of their spouse when married. The Vikings also enslaved prisoners from defeated peoples, and wherever men own slaves, they will father children by them. Again its not surprising that female slaves would leave more of a genetic legacy than their male counterparts.</p>
<p>The study also suggests this dynamic may have been the norm back in Norway too. Two of the 45 samples (both from female skeletons buried in the Norse fashion) appear to have mtDNA not typical of the Vikings. One had a sequence previously seen among Scandinavia’s northernmost people, the Saami (or Lapps) – probably a Saami woman who married a Viking, or the female-line descendant of one. </p>
<p>The other skeleton had mtDNA from a branch of the family tree common across Asia. There are many possibilities, but again it is likely this woman (or her maternal-line ancestor) was brought back by Vikings from a voyage to Russia or the Byzantine Empire.</p>
<h2>New tools, new knowledge</h2>
<p>With ever-improving tools for geneticists, we can now look further into the genetic subtleties of the past. This study used skeletons excavated in the days before DNA sequencing was an option. Until recently, such specimens have been un-sequenceable due to <a href="http://blogs.sciencemag.org/origins/2009/09/ancient-dna-25-years-of-agony.html">DNA contamination</a> from the modern people who have handled them. Today’s techniques make it possible to differentiate modern from ancient DNA sequences, which opens up the prospect of returning to the many museum specimens in collections worldwide to see what further answers they might hold of the Vikings’ many adventures.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/35230/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Daniel Zadik does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The traditional picture of Vikings is one of boatloads of hairy men pillaging their way along the coasts of Europe. Though true to some degree, this stereotype has more recently been tempered with the…Daniel Zadik, Postdoctoral researcher in genetics, University of LeicesterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.