Category Archives: MSFD
Priorities for the marine environment after Brexit – a biodiversity perspective
Marine biodiversity has gotten lost in the talk about what Brexit means for the UK. While some attention has been paid to commercial fisheries, including a recently-launched Parliamentary inquiry, the post-Brexit future of UK marine habitats and species has received … Continue reading
Posted in biodiversity, Brexit, Fisheries, Indicators, Knowledge Exchange, Marine Conservation, MSFD, OSPAR, Plankton, Policy, Uncategorized
Tagged biodiversity, Brexit, conservation, knowledge exchange, Marine Conservation, marine policy, MSFD, OSPAR, Plankton, policy, policy makers
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Decreasing primary productivity linked to decreased fishery production – an opportunity for management?
As the ocean’s major primary producers, phytoplankton are the base of the marine food web, with changes to their abundance, biomass, and community composition resonating upwards through zooplankton to fish, seabirds, and cetaceans. Our understanding of the direct relationships between … Continue reading
Posted in biodiversity, Fisheries, Marine Conservation, MSFD, OSPAR, Plankton, Policy
Tagged biodiversity, conservation, Fisheries, knowledge exchange, Marine Conservation, marine policy, MSFD, Plankton, policy, policy makers
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A ‘strong and stable’ marine ecosystem?
Long-term monitoring time-series are most important during times of political uncertainty such as Brexit, but it is these times they are most at risk. The UK marine environment faces an uncertain future. Cumulative pressures from human activities are being placed … Continue reading
Posted in Brexit, Knowledge Exchange, Marine Conservation, MSFD, Plankton, Policy, students
Tagged biodiversity, Blog, Brexit, conservation, knowledge exchange, marine policy, policy
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OSPAR Intermediate Assessment 2017 – Launched!
After seven long years of work, today marks the day that OSPAR’s Intermediate Assessment 2017 is launched! IA2017, covering both status and trends across the North-East Atlantic, presents a picture of this important marine area and includes consideration of eutrophication, … Continue reading
Posted in biodiversity, Indicators, Marine Conservation, MSFD, OSPAR, Plankton, Policy
Tagged biodiversity, conservation, Indicators, knowledge exchange, Marine Conservation, marine policy, MSFD, OSPAR, policy, policy makers
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Why do policy makers need plankton taxonomy?
It might not seem intuitive, but plankton taxonomy is critically important to informing marine policy and conservation. At its most basic level, biodiversity is an inventory of the organisms present in an ecosystem. The recognition and identification of these organisms … Continue reading
Implementing the MSFD in Europe – an OSPAR COBAM workshop
In May I attended the OSPAR Intersessional Correspondence Group for Coordinated Biodiversity and Monitoring (COBAM) workshop in Marseille, France. OSPAR COBAM is responsible for leading development and operationalisation of indicators for marine pelagic biodiversity in Europe. The workshop focused on … Continue reading
A funded plankton PhD opportunity at Plymouth!
Update: Applications are now open for the PhD studentship! Apply here! A competitive, funded PhDship with me has just been advertised at Plymouth University. Applications close on 5 May and the student will start this autumn. Please forward this on to any bright students … Continue reading
Posted in Indicators, MSFD, PhdShip, Plankton, Policy, students, Uncategorized
Tagged Indicators, PhD, students
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Reflections on the science-policy interface
As a first year PhD student in Plymouth University’s Plankton and Policy research group, I was fortunate enough to attend a workshop run by OSPAR, about the integration of different biodiversity indicators into holistic ecosystem assessments. The workshop was part … Continue reading
Posted in Knowledge Exchange, Marine Conservation, MSFD, OSPAR, Policy
Tagged biodiversity, conservation, Indicators, knowledge exchange, Marine Conservation, marine policy, MSFD, OSPAR, policy, policy makers
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Time-series datasets are crucial to delivering Good Environmental Status
We are on a mission in Europe to achieve Good Environmental Status (GES) for our seas (Who cares about the MSFD?). As with many marine policy or conservation efforts, good data are critical to success. When it comes to GES, … Continue reading
Posted in biodiversity, Fisheries, HABs, Indicators, Knowledge Exchange, Marine Conservation, MSFD, OSPAR, Plankton, Policy
Tagged biodiversity, conservation, CPR, Indicators, knowledge exchange, marine policy, MSFD, Plankton, policy
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Force majeure: Will climate change prevent Good Environmental Status in pelagic communities?
North Atlantic marine species are responding to climate change in multiple ways including changes in species distributions (bioegeographical shifts), community composition and alterations to seasonal cycles. Plankton, with their short lifespans and sensitivity to their surroundings, are particularly responsive to … Continue reading
Plankton and Policy 