Marine
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Making scientific slime
31st August 2017 by Professor Colin Moffat
So, what did you do at the weekend? I spent a morning making slime! Feeling a bit like Heston Blumenthal, I added some PVA glue, a few drops of food colouring and a 2% solution of Borax to a plastic bag and a few squishes later and the slime was ready! The occasion was TechFest Festival...
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Keeping track at Armadale: Last update from the tracking project
29th August 2017 by Marine Scotland Communications
The tagging at Armadale ended on 25 August with no further salmon tagged over the last 12 days. This suggested to us that the grilse run had finished. We will recover and download the receivers in due course, to see how many of and where the tagged fish were registered and a project report should be...
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IA2017 – Mixed signals for marine mammals
28th August 2017 by Marine Scotland Communications
The abundance and condition of marine mammals, as top predators, can help indicate the state of the marine ecosystem. As was also the case at the time of the last OSPAR Quality Status Report (QSR 2010), harbour seal and grey seal populations are generally stable or increasing in most assessed areas although some harbour seal...
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When I’m calling you…
21st August 2017 by Marine Scotland Communications
A new paper using underwater sounds to classify dolphin species has been published by researchers from the University of St Andrews and Marine Scotland Science (MSS). Many species of marine mammals use sound to navigate the seas and find food and their echolocation clicks can be detected by specialised underwater acoustic instruments. The MSS East...
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IA2017 – Cooperation ensures progress
21st August 2017 by Marine Scotland Communications
The OSPAR Commission is the competent regional organisation guiding international cooperation on the protection of the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic. Through the global circulation of water and air, the North-East Atlantic is connected to, and impacted by, events in other parts of the world. As such, collaboration among governments and between government scientists,...
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Keeping track at Armadale: Update three from the tracking project
15th August 2017 by Marine Scotland Communications
As at 13 August, we have tagged around 70 salmon. A later run of grilse, as hoped, has therefore not yet materialised. We are reviewing the situation to decide whether we could and should continue beyond our planned end date of 25 August. Further Information Keeping track at Armadale: Update two from the tracking project...
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IA2017 – Discharges from offshore oil and gas installations have decreased due to OSPAR measures
14th August 2017 by Marine Scotland Communications
OSPAR has developed programmes and measures in respect of all phases of offshore oil and gas activities and undertakes annual assessments of discharges, spills and emissions from offshore oil and gas installations. Hydrocarbons and ‘chemicals’ are routinely discharged to the marine environment during offshore oil and gas operations. Assessment of the data for the...
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IA2017 – Contaminant concentrations are decreasing, but concerns remain
7th August 2017 by Marine Scotland Communications
OSPAR countries have made significant efforts to reduce discharges, emissions, and losses of contaminants to both air and water. The effect of these efforts is clearly visible in reduced inputs to the Greater North Sea. The observed decreases in contaminant release from land-based sources and the offshore oil and gas industry show the continued progress...
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Keeping track at Armadale: Update two from the tracking project
3rd August 2017 by Marine Scotland Communications
Tagging continues in Armadale and the 1st of August heralded our highest daily tagging volume to date, with 17 salmon tagged. After 26 operational days we have now tagged over 60 salmon. We hope that we may benefit from a late grilse run, allowing us to get much nearer our 750 tagging target. Further Information...
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Taking PAM to visit Rosemary Bank
2nd August 2017 by Marine Scotland Communications
Figure 1: Map showing approximate location for mooring deployment and transects for each zone Duration: 31 July to 7 August 2017 Fishing Gear: 2 x bird observer boxes (plus rubber matting) 1 x passive acoustic device and moorings Objectives To deploy a passive acoustic device on Rosemary Bank To collect data on bird and marine...