Marine

  • Scotland’s Marine Assessment 2020 launched

    21st December 2020 by

    A new online platform which assesses the condition of Scotland’s marine environment and the human activity it supports has been launched.

    Read more

  • Sampling with Sir John

    12th November 2019 by

    MRV Sir John Murray Programme Survey: 0119SJM Duration: 11-19 November 2019 Sampling Gear: 2 m beam trawl with 50 mm cod-end – Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) Demersal trawl with 50 mm cod-end – SEPA Day grab and table – SEPA Catamaran and neuston net – Marine Scotland Science (MSS) Nisken water bottle – MSS…

    Read more

  • Go west….to Greenland!

    13th September 2018 by

    We’re excited about bringing you this next blog. Sean, who you’ll read about below, is taking part in a West Greenland Salmon Sampling trip. But what is it and why is sampling done in Greenland? Read on to find out….  Welcome to my West Greenland Salmon Sampling Photo Blog My name is Sean Dugan and…

    Read more

  • Significant Celebrations for Scottish Freshwater Organisations

    9th May 2018 by

    2018 is looking to be quite a significant year for two organisations at the core of freshwater research in Scotland. Marine Scotland Science’s Freshwater Fisheries Laboratory (FFL) at Faskally in Pitlochry, has just celebrated its 70th anniversary and the Scottish Freshwater Group (SFG) has just turned 50. Freshwater fisheries research has been a Government responsibility…

    Read more

  • What’s the (Organic) Matter?

    13th March 2018 by

    Picture of MRV Sir John Murray (SJM) provided courtesy of SEPA. Survey: 0118SJM Duration: 12-16 March 2018 Gear: Craib corer, CTD, Day grab and Auto sieve. Objective: To compare pore-water nutrients, sediment chlorophyll-a and organic matter content among seabed sediments from the Outer and Inner Firth of Clyde and sea lochs. Procedure: Figure 1 shows the stations…

    Read more

  • IA2017 – Eutrophication is still a problem in some areas

    18th September 2017 by

    Eutrophication is the result of excessive enrichment of water with nutrients. This can cause accelerated growth of algae (phytoplankton) and plants. This may result in an undesirable disturbance to the balance of organisms present and ultimately to a decline in the overall water quality. Eutrophication is not always a local problem. Water masses continuously move…

    Read more

  • IA2017 – New developments in the way biodiversity is assessed

    11th September 2017 by

    OSPAR is committed to protecting and conserving ecosystems and biodiversity through the management of human activities, guided by an ecosystem-based approach to management. The development of internationally coordinated biodiversity indicators is a relatively new field for OSPAR. In the Quality Status Report 2010, OSPAR assessed ten ecological quality objectives developed for the North Sea which…

    Read more

  • IA2017 – Marine litter is a problem

    4th September 2017 by

    OSPAR has assessed the occurrence of marine litter in all regions within its Maritime Area, except for the Wider Atlantic where there is poor data availability. Marine litter, in particular plastic, is abundant on beaches, in the water column and on the seafloor. Marine litter also affects biota, as indicated by the levels in North…

    Read more

  • IA2017 – Mixed signals for marine mammals

    28th August 2017 by

    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…

    Read more

  • IA2017 – Cooperation ensures progress

    21st August 2017 by

    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,…

    Read more