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Discovery of a potential open ocean nursery for the endangered shortfin mako shark in a global fishing hotspot
No full textPopulations of large pelagic sharks are declining worldwide due to overfishing. Determining the overlap between shark populations and fishing activities is important to inform conservation measures. However, for many threatened sharks the whereabouts of particularly vulnerable life-history stages – such as pregnant females and juveniles – are poorly known. Here, we investigated the spatial distribution of size classes, energy transfer and reproductive states of pregnant females of the endangered shortfin mako, Isurus oxyrinchus, using spatially resolved catch data from a Spanish surface longline vessel (1996 − 2009) in the South-east Pacific Ocean. Our results suggest a general eastward gradient of occurrence of pregnant females of thousands of kilometers from western oceanic feeding grounds towards the eastern Pacific, where we observed an aggregation area of small juveniles. Moreover, the potential nursery likely overlapped a longline fishing hotspot, increasing the vulnerability of juveniles from fisheries. Our results suggest that limiting fishing pressure in this area could reduce mortality of early life stages and contribute to the conservation of this endangered shark specie
Radiometric field inter-comparison of fiducial reference measurements using an open source community processor
Full text linkA radiometric field intercomparison was conducted at the Acqua Alta Oceanographic Tower (AAOT) in the Adriatic Sea from 14 to 21 July 2022 to assess differences in the accuracy of above-water radiometer systems (Sea-Bird HyperSAS, pySAS, TriOS-RAMSES) processed using an open-source community processor (HyperCP). Class-based and sensor-specific characteristics of the radiometers were used to determine the quantities E d ( λ ), L sky ( λ ), L t ( λ ) and R rs ( λ ), and their associated uncertainties. Using sensor-specific characteristics, the differences among systems were 2% for E d ( λ ), L sky ( λ ), L t ( λ ) and 2.5% for R rs ( λ ) and the uncertainties were 1.5%, 2%, 1.5% and 5%, respectively. The differences were higher when using class-based characteristics. L wn ( λ ) values were also compared to the above-water AERONET-OC SeaPRiSM and in-water HyperPro II. For SeaPRiSM, the differences and uncertainties were <5% over blue and green bands when using Mobley [ App. Opt. 38 , 7442 ( 1999 ) 10.1364/AO.38.007442 ] sea surface reflectance factors (ρ) and no NIR correction. For HyperPro II the differences were larger but were reduced when R rs ( λ ) from the above-water systems was computed using ρ from Zhang et al. [ Opt. Express 25 , A1 ( 2017 ) 10.1364/OE.25.0000A1 ] with similarity (sim) spectrum (spec) NIR correction. HyperCP using sensor-specific characteristics is highly recommended to reduce the associated uncertainties and to produce the highest quality data for satellite OC validation
South-West Marine Ecosystems in 2024 (The State of South-West Seas)
Full text linkThis is the eleventh in the series of annual reports on the observations of species, ecology ecosystems and
management for a specific year. For reporting on 2024, we benefitted from the development of ‘Communities
of Practice’, bringing together experienced and active individuals in many of the topics. We held a strong series
of webinars during early 2025 hosted by the Marine Biological Association, Exeter University (Penrhyn campus),
University of Plymouth, the MMO and Devon Maritime Forum and from a conference at the Plymouth Marine
Laboratory in May 2025. It remained, however, for the editors of separate chapters of this report to draw together events and news through the year, helped by monthly collations of observations by Paul Naylor. The
webinars and conference presentations can be seen on the SWME YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCojA2OkFX0fM-oq7bVTofh
Future climate projections in the global coastal ocean
Full text linkResilient coastal communities and sustainable marine economies require actionable knowledge to plan for and
adapt to emerging and potential future climate change, particularly in relation to ecosystem services and coastal
hazards. Such knowledge necessarily draws heavily on coastal ocean modelling of future climate impacts, using a
great diversity of both global and regional approaches to explore multiple societal challenges in coastal and shelf
seas around the world. In this paper, we explore the challenges, solutions and benefits of developing a better
coordinated and global approach to future climate impacts modelling of the coastal ocean, in the context of the
UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development project Future Coastal Ocean Climates (FLAME; part of
the CoastPredict programme). Particularly, we address the need for diverse modelling approaches to meet
different societal challenges, how regions can be harmonised through clustering and typology approaches, and
how coordination of experimental designs can promote a better understanding of uncertainties and regional
responses. Improved harmonisation of future climate impact projections in the global coastal ocean would allow
sectoral and cross-sectoral global scale risk assessments, improve process understanding and help build capacity
in under-represented areas such as the global south and small island developing states. We conclude with a
proposed framework for a Global Coastal Ocean Model Intercomparison Project
The ‘everything is everywhere’ framework: Holistic network analysis as a marine spatial management tool
Full text linkThe North Sea hosts numerous man-made structures, some recently installed and others nearing end-of-life, with
decisions about their decommissioning at the centre of current debate. Further there are plans for significant
expansion of structures relating in particular to offshore wind energy. Here, using a combination of hydrodynamic modelling, particle tracking, and graph network analysis, we evaluate connectivity under two scenarios:
existing structures – releasing particles from cells where structures are currently present – and “everything is
everywhere” – releasing particles from every cell in the domain. Additionally, we introduce a Connectivity
Importance Index (CII) to assess both current and potential future connectivity within the region. The CII under
the ‘everything is everywhere’ scenario revealed cells with high potential connectivity that align with, but also
extend beyond, those identified under the existing structures scenario, pointing to potentially valuable regions for future structure placement. The relocatable methodology described in this paper allows for the quantification of potential networks, applicable with or without existing habitat data, offering valuable insights for ecologically coherent marine spatial management strategies
Seascape connectivity: evidence, knowledge gaps and implications for temperate coastal ecosystem restoration practice and policy
Full text linkTemperate coastal marine ecosystems have undergone severe global loss and degradation. We provide a framework for considering ecological connectivity in marine systems and evidence for ecological connectivity across temperate coastal seascapes, developed through expert consensus and structured review. We demonstrate that ecosystem functioning and the delivery of ecosystem services require the existence of a healthy mosaic of coastal habitats, maintained by the exchanges of matter and energy between them. We advocate a seascape approach, that restores connectivity and optimal structure-function relationships, is crucial for successful ecosystem restoration. Consequently, we provide recommendations to deliver seascape restoration of coastal habitats to support the targets set by the 2021-30 UN Decades of Ocean Science and Ecosystem Restoration. Acknowledging the interconnected nature of coastal ecosystems has implications for policy. We identify opportunities and actions to support nature recovery and integrate policy frameworks across climate and biodiversity agendas to achieve international goals for planetary resilience
An assessment model for linking changes in pelagic habitat state to impacts on human wellbeing
Full text linkPlankton monitoring datasets help inform indicators for marine biodiversity assessments under the European Union Marine Strategy Framework Directive and United Kingdom Marine Strategy. These indicators are used to assess long-term changes in the state of the pelagic habitats of the Northeast Atlantic which then guide policy formation and implementation to achieve Good Environmental Status. Across all ecosystems, environmental change has the potential to impact upon human wellbeing by changing the quantity and quality of ecosystem services. Here, we develop a socio-ecological assessment model that can describe how variations in pelagic habitat state, evidenced by plankton indicators, can impact human wellbeing. We show that pelagic habitat state can influence human wellbeing through changing the availability of ‘goods and benefits’ (as made available via ecosystem services), such as the contribution of phytoplankton to climate regulation, but also through mediating the risks of ‘ecosystem hazards’. Importantly, changes to pelagic ecosystem state will also drive changes to ecosystem services and ecosystem hazards in the wider marine food web, supported by ecosystem processes associated with plankton, such as the rate of primary production. Applying the proposed assessment model to plankton monitoring data highlights the potential for a greater depth of understanding of the human wellbeing impacts driven by state changes in pelagic habitats. Alongside making best use of the available plankton monitoring data, quantifying the human wellbeing impacts arising from changes to pelagic habitat state increases the evidence base for decision makers
Citizen Science and Ocean Literacy: Bridging the Gap Between Society and the Ocean: An Exploration of Society & the Ocean
No full textFostering ocean literacy is key to strengthening the link between society and the ocean. This chapter promotes citizen science as a tool to improve ocean literacy and to empower participants to actively engage with the marine environment. A series of narrative literature reviews are presented, establishing the connection between citizen science and the ten dimensions of ocean literacy: knowledge, awareness, attitude, behaviour, activism, communication, emotional connections, access and experience, adaptive capacity, and trust and transparency (McKinley et al. in Marine Pollution Bulletin 186, 2023). Three case study projects are also presented: (i) ProBleu—which aims to foster ocean and water literacy in school communities, in part by promoting citizen science as an education tool; (ii) Iliad—a project developing digital twins of the ocean with elements of citizen science and engagement; and (iii) FreshWater Watch—a global freshwater monitoring project which is included to demonstrate how the principles of ocean literacy can be applied to environmental literacy more broadly. The analysis demonstrates the close link between citizen science and ocean literacy and firmly establishes citizen science as a tool to bridge the gap between society and the ocean
Perceived and observed biases within scientific communities: a case study in movement ecology
No full textWho conducts biological research, where they do it and how results are disseminated vary among geographies and identities. Identifying and documenting these forms of bias by research communities is a critical step towards addressing them. We documented perceived and observed biases in movement ecology, a rapidly expanding sub-discipline of biology, which is strongly underpinned by fieldwork and technology use. We surveyed attendees before an international conference to assess a baseline within-discipline perceived bias (uninformed perceived bias). We analysed geographic patterns in Movement Ecology articles, finding discrepancies between the country of the authors’ affiliation and study site location, related to national economics. We analysed race-gender identities of USA biology researchers (the closest to our sub-discipline with data available), finding that they differed from national demographics. Finally, we discussed the quantitatively observed bias at the conference, to assess within-discipline perceived bias informed with observational data (informed perceived bias). Although the survey indicated most conference participants as bias-aware, conversations only covered a subset of biases. We discuss potential causes of bias (parachute-science, fieldwork accessibility), solutions and the need to evaluate mitigatory action effectiveness. Undertaking data-driven analysis of bias within sub-disciplines can help identify specific barriers and move towards the inclusion of a greater diversity of participants in the scientific proces