EcoWatt2050

Lead Research Organisation: Heriot-Watt University
Department Name: Sch of Energy, Geosci, Infrast & Society

Abstract

The Scottish Government is committed to promoting substantial sustainable growth in its marine renewable industries. Agreements for sea bed leases are already in place for 2GW of wave and tidal developments, and projects are progressing through the licensing process. Strategic marine planning for future phases of wave, tidal and offshore wind development is now in progress. For marine renewables to significantly contribute to the low-carbon energy mix towards 2050, significant offshore development in the form of very large scale arrays will be needed.

In planning for such a future, the Government must consider the mix of technologies, the locations and configurations of very large scale arrays and their performance, and the implications of anticipated changes to the marine environment from climate change. In establishing its strategic policy positions, the Government must also ensure that legal obligations are met, particularly those under the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) to achieve Good Environmental Status (GES) by 2020.

The EcoWatt2050 consortium has been established through the auspices of the Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland (MASTS) with Heriot-Watt University and the Universities of Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Strathclyde, Swansea and the Highlands and Islands, the National Oceanography Centre (Liverpool) and with Marine Scotland Science (MSS), the organization responsible for providing scientific advice to the Scottish Government on all aspects of marine renewable energy development, policy and planning. The research programme has been specifically designed to respond to questions posed by MSS: (1) How can marine planning be used to lay the foundation for the sustainable development of very large scale arrays of marine renewable energy devices? (2) What criteria should be used to determine the ecological limits to marine renewable energy extraction, and what are the implications for very large scale array characteristics? (3) How can we differentiate the effects of climate change from energy extraction on the marine ecosystem? (4) Are there ways in which marine renewables development may ameliorate or exacerbate the predicted effects of climate change on marine ecosystems? The overarching objective is thus to determine ways in which marine spatial planning and policy development, can enable the maximum level of marine energy extraction, while minimizing environmental impacts and ensuring that these meet the legal criteria established by European law.

The research is structured in 5 workstreams. The first led by MSS will monitor progress and set out scenarios for the mix of technologies, very large scale array configurations, and environmental acceptance criteria. The second led by Edinburgh University will develop the hydrodynamic models necessary to examine the physical changes brought about by very large scale energy extraction, including under conditions anticipated from climate change. These outputs feed directly into workstreams 3 and 4 led by HWU and Aberdeen University respectively. These extend this work to examine changes in availability and location of critical habitats for benthic and mobile marine species, and to determine the consequences of changes in critical habitat for the ecosystem as a whole. Finally, workstream 5 led by MSS provides a synthesis of this research, quantifying the balance between energy extraction and environmental change and acceptance criteria to be used in marine spatial planning and policy development.

EcoWat2050 builds in direct participation from industry in various aspects of its work, and has a number of wider knowledge exchange and stakeholder engagement activities planned.

Planned Impact

EcoWatt2050 will provide answers to specific questions faced by marine planning authorities on the potential limits to marine renewables extraction (encompassing the future mix of marine technologies), on the cumulative physical and ecological impacts of these, and how these are to be differentiated from those of climate change, and other anthropogenic impacts envisaged by 2050. These are critical to marine spatial planning and to inform strategic policy development on marine energy, and under the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Deliverables from the project will be pivotal in enabling national and regional planning authorities to determine strategic arrangements for optimal exploitation of the resource while maintaining necessary levels of environmental protection and status. This is critical for effective marine spatial planning, for protecting the qualifying features of Natura 2000 sites, and for meeting the requirements of the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive.

Marine Scotland Science, the organisation responsible for providing scientific advice to the regulator and planning authority on all planning and consenting matters where very large scale arrays are envisaged, is a full project partner in EcoWatt2050 and will oversee the deliverables and lead, throughout the research, the engagements with the device and field project developers, which are necessary to ensuring confidence in the outputs of the work for both industry and regulator.

This partnership, and the necessary engagements with developers are embedded in EcoWatt2050 to ensure the pivotal impact of the work, that deliverables meet the requirements of the sector and can be immediately exploited.

Providing a framework for the strategic development of marine renewables and predicting the impacts of very large scale resource extraction by 2050 are essential to de-risking the long term development of the sector, and will assist investors in supporting and building the financial case for accelerated deployment on these scales. Socio-economic benefits will be evident at a community level by providing skilled employment as a result of accelerated developments, up to regional, national and international level by increasing the UK share of renewables, and thus low carbon, energy production capacity globally. Direct beneficiaries of this research activity include the marine planning and regulatory authorities, the Crown Estate (responsible for seabed leasing), device and field developers, and investors associated with field development financing. Its positive economic and social impacts in providing timely solutions to these questions are significant.

Associated with the accelerated development of the sector, are secondary economic benefits which will come from upgrades to the electricity network, enhanced opportunities in technology manufacturing, and regional benefits from upgrades to port and harbour facilities, and related service sector activity, all likely to arise, with less risks, from confidence associated with a clear future strategy.

The expertise and capacity developed from the research will assist in the integration of science into the marine planning process, and will benefit more generally the knowledge economy now emerging around marine renewable planning, strategic environmental assessment, and the ecosystem approach to the management of European seas, and in particular to the implementation of the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive.

The project will also generate new knowledge and advances in methodologies, both in innovation and application, of value not only to the sector but to a wider research community in fields ranging from hydrodynamic modeling to marine climate change.
 
Description It has been shown that the changes brought about in the marine environment from large scale deployment of tidal energy arrays are small compared to the anticipated impacts from future climate change. Impacts from wave energy extraction are likely to be localized and occur within an envelope described by the tidal devices and the shoreline, again being less significant from those occurring from climate change. Confidence has been gained and shared widely in the specialized requirements of incorporating energy extraction within hydrodynamic models, and modeling additionally climate change in combined scenarios, with methodologies developed now employed by Marine Scotland Science.
Exploitation Route Already being applied
Sectors Aerospace

Defence and Marine

Energy

Environment

Government

Democracy and Justice

 
Description The development of advanced hydrodynamic modeling of marine energy extraction and climate change has assisted the development of this modeling expertise within the Scottish Government (Marine Science Scotland) and provided model frameworks, data and software now used by them. The outputs of the research have provided clear comparisons between the environmental changes arising from large scale marine energy extraction and concomitant climate change. These have been widely reported to international and national academic fora, and presented to the scientific and policy branches of the Scottish Government. The research has led to other research funding and several successful additional initiatives within Supergen Marine, and elsewhere, in addition to the successful careeer development of personnel employed as PDRAs within EcoWatt2050 The findings have underpinned growing confidence in the offshore renewable energy sector to proceed to larger scales of developments. This is most apparent in offshore wind, where many GigaWatt scale developments are underway, under construction or in planning. While the modelling within EcoWatt2050 is less relevant to fixed foundation offshore wind, new developments are frequently in deeper water that is often seasonally stratified. That has led to increased interest in both direct hydrodynamic modelling of the interaction of structures with flows by 3 dimensional numerical modelling and predator-prey interactions and dependencies on stratification. It is not possible to draw a direct line from Ecowatt2050 to current and planned studies, but it is clear that these build on the capability and experience of EcoWatt2050. While wave and tidal energy are as yet on a very different scale to offshore wind, there is increased optimism in these sectors, especially tidal stream.There is substantial investment in tidal stream energy and with that increased utilisation of the tools for modelling impacts of tidal arrays developed in EcoWatt2050.
First Year Of Impact 2022
Sector Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Energy,Environment,Government, Democracy and Justice
Impact Types Societal

Economic

Policy & public services

 
Description Blue Carbon Audit of Orkney Waters
Geographic Reach National 
Policy Influence Type Contribution to a national consultation/review
URL https://data.marine.gov.scot/dataset/blue-carbon-audit-orkney-waters
 
Description DEFRA Workshop: Foresight Future of the sea
Geographic Reach National 
Policy Influence Type Contribution to a national consultation/review
 
Description ICES Workshop - Atlantic Research Alliance and FAO workshop
Geographic Reach Multiple continents/international 
Policy Influence Type Participation in a guidance/advisory committee
Impact Working towards making the Ecosystem Approach Operational
URL http://ices.dk/sites/pub/Publication%20Reports/Project%20reports/2016/AORACSA_WP4_FAO_ICES_Ecosystem...
 
Description Material used in Invited presentation to European Marine Board
Geographic Reach Europe 
Policy Influence Type Contribution to a national consultation/review
 
Description Scottish Parliament. Oral Evidence to the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee. 20th Meeting 2019, Session 5
Geographic Reach National 
Policy Influence Type Contribution to a national consultation/review
URL http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/report.aspx?r=12184&mode=pdf
 
Description Connectivity of Hard Substrate Assemblages in the North Sea (CHASANS)
Amount £565,300 (GBP)
Funding ID NE/T010886/1 
Organisation Natural Environment Research Council 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 05/2020 
End 05/2024
 
Description EPSRC Impact Acceleration Account
Amount £5,000 (GBP)
Funding ID RIR1014-115 
Organisation Swansea University 
Sector Academic/University
Country United Kingdom
Start 11/2017 
End 02/2018
 
Description HLF funding for the CoCoast Capturing our Coast Citizen Science project led by Newcastle University
Amount £1,700,000 (GBP)
Organisation Heritage Lottery Fund 
Sector Charity/Non Profit
Country United Kingdom
Start 09/2015 
End 10/2018
 
Description Supergen ORE hub 2018
Amount £9,193,414 (GBP)
Funding ID EP/S000747/1 
Organisation Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 06/2018 
End 06/2023
 
Title Data for: "A synthetic map of the northwest European Shelf sedimentary environment for applications in marine science" 
Description Results from a statistical mapping analysis of marine seabed sediments and their properties covering the NW European shelf 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2017 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact Interest from defra regarding modelled maps of marine carbon deposits 
URL https://pure.strath.ac.uk/portal/en/datasets/data-for-a-synthetic-map-of-the-northwest-european-shel...
 
Title Historical hindcasts of monthly bed shear stress on the North West European Continental Shelf 
Description Historical hindcasts of mean monthly bed shear stress at a horizontal resolution of 0.125 by 0.125 degrees for the North West European Continental Shelf. Bed shear stress was initially calculated at 15 minute intervals using the equations of Soulsby and Clarke (2005) using the R package for bed shear stress calculations available at https://github.com/r4ecology/bedshear. Time series are available for 1997-2017 and 1900-2009. The 1997-2017 data product uses the ERA-interim reanalysis for wave inputs and a climatology of tidal velocities from the Scottish Shelf Model as inputs. The 1900-2009 data product uses the ERA-20C reanalysis for wave inputs and a climatology of tidal velocities from the Scottish Shelf Model as inputs. Datasets are available as netcdf files. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2019 
Provided To Others? Yes  
 
Title Historical hindcasts of monthly bed shear stress on the North West European Continental Shelf (updated versions) 
Description Historical hindcasts of mean monthly bed shear stress at a horizontal resolution of 0.125 by 0.125 degrees for the North West European Continental Shelf. Bed shear stress was initially calculated at 15 minute intervals using the equations of Soulsby and Clarke (2005) using the R package for bed shear stress calculations available at https://github.com/r4ecology/bedshear. Time series are available for 1997-2017 and 1900-2009. The 1997-2017 data product uses the ERA-interim reanalysis for wave inputs and a climatology of tidal velocities from the Scottish Shelf Model as inputs. The 1900-2009 data product uses the ERA-20C reanalysis for wave inputs and a climatology of tidal velocities from the Scottish Shelf Model as inputs. Datasets are available as netcdf files. These datasets are updated versions (post-peer review and journal acceptance) of earlier products associated with the discussion document version of the related publication "Increasing turbidity in the North Sea during the 20th century due to changing wave climate" 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2019 
Provided To Others? Yes  
URL https://pureportal.strath.ac.uk/en/datasets/5d28213e-8f9f-402a-b550-fc588518cb8b
 
Title MIKE 21 West Orkney Monthly Hs Summary Outputs 
Description MIKE 21 WEST ORKNEY MONTHLY Hs SUMMARY OUTPUTS This collection of netCDF format files contains monthly summary outputs of significant wave height (Hs) from the West of Orkney MIKE 21 spectral wave model described in [1]. For each month the mean Hs and the values of the 5,10,20...,90,95th percentiles are given for each cell in the model. The model was designed to study the effects on wave height of both wave energy extraction and climate change. Four scenarios are included: Present day (2010) with and without wave energy convertors, and future climate (~2050) with and without wave energy convertors. See [1] for more detail on present-day; a future publication will describe the future version. This model was developed under the TeraWatt and EcoWatt2050 EPSRC projects (grant numbers EP/J010170/1 & EP/K012851/1 respectively). The data archived here are being used within the EcoWatt project for ongoing ecological studies. For the input files for the model used to produce these outputs, please see submission "WEST ORKNEY MIKE 21 MODEL INPUT FILES" in this repository. For further information please contact Dr. Vengatesan Venugopal, School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh (v.venugopal@ed.ac.uk). [1] V. Venugopal, R. Nemalidinne, and A. Vögler, 'Numerical modelling of wave energy resources and assessment of wave energy extraction by large scale wave farms', Ocean & Coastal Management, Mar. 2017. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2018 
Provided To Others? Yes  
 
Title TeraWatt North Atlantic spectral wave model input files (for MIKE 21) 
Description NORTH ATLANTIC MIKE 21 MODEL INPUT FILES This submission includes the input files for the North Atlantic spectral wave model that is described in [1,2]. It formed part of the TeraWatt and EcoWatt2050 EPSRC projects (grant numbers EP/J010170/1 & EP/K012851/1 respectively). The input files require the MIKE 21 modelling suite to run, available commercially from https://www.mikepoweredbydhi.com/; they were created and validated using the 2014 edition. Input files are being stored instead of outputs as per RCUK guidelines due to the size of the output files. For further information please contact Dr. Vengatesan Venugopal, School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh (v.venugopal@ed.ac.uk). [1] V. Venugopal and R. Nemalidinne, 'Wave resource assessment for Scottish waters using a large scale North Atlantic spectral wave model', Renewable Energy, vol. 76, no. Supplement C, pp. 503-525, Apr. 2015. [2] V. Venugopal, R. Nemalidinne, and A. Vögler, 'Numerical modelling of wave energy resources and assessment of wave energy extraction by large scale wave farms', Ocean & Coastal Management, Mar. 2017. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2018 
Provided To Others? Yes  
 
Title WEST ORKNEY MIKE 21 MODEL INPUT FILES 
Description This submission includes the input files for the West Orkney spectral wave sub-model that is described in [1]. It formed part of the TeraWatt and EcoWatt2050 EPSRC projects (grant numbers EP/J010170/1 & EP/K012851/1 respectively). The input files require the MIKE 21 modelling suite to run, available commercially from https://www.mikepoweredbydhi.com/; they were created and validated using the 2014 edition. Input files are being stored instead of outputs as per RCUK guidelines due to the size of the output files. Versions of the simulation were run for present (2010) and future (2050) climate, and with and without wave energy extraction by wave energy convertors (WECs). All four resulting scenarios are included here. For further information please contact Dr. Vengatesan Venugopal, School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh (v.venugopal@ed.ac.uk). 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2018 
Provided To Others? Yes  
 
Description CHASANS 
Organisation Heriot-Watt University
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution CHASANS is a multi-disciplinary NERC INSITE project on connectivity of hard substrate species in the North Sea, with respect to probable changes in infrastructure and therefore hard substrate. The full CHASANS partnership is led by Heriot Watt University (HWU, Orkney campus) with contributions from University of Hull, Natural History Museum, University of Aberdeen and National Oceanography Centre (NOC). It is partly descended from EcoWatt2050 through the participation in both of Woolf, Bell and Want (all HWU) and Dominicis (NOC). Indeed the workpackages on modelling dispersion and connectivity are a collaboration of Dominicis and Woolf using the FVCOM models developed within EcoWatt2050. Dominicis was the NOC PDRA within EcoWatt but is the NOC lead and a CoI for CHASANS
Collaborator Contribution Dominicis and Woolf lead the physical oceanographic elements of CHASANS Bell contributes key ecological, fisheries and statistical skills Want project manages and contributes key knowledge on biofouling and the ecology of the species involved.
Impact CHASANS is a funded NERC INSITE project. As a project it is fairly early in its development. CHASANS includes marine ecology, marine planning, genetics and physical oceanography all applied to UK offshore industries.
Start Year 2019
 
Description CHASANS 
Organisation National Oceanography Centre
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution CHASANS is a multi-disciplinary NERC INSITE project on connectivity of hard substrate species in the North Sea, with respect to probable changes in infrastructure and therefore hard substrate. The full CHASANS partnership is led by Heriot Watt University (HWU, Orkney campus) with contributions from University of Hull, Natural History Museum, University of Aberdeen and National Oceanography Centre (NOC). It is partly descended from EcoWatt2050 through the participation in both of Woolf, Bell and Want (all HWU) and Dominicis (NOC). Indeed the workpackages on modelling dispersion and connectivity are a collaboration of Dominicis and Woolf using the FVCOM models developed within EcoWatt2050. Dominicis was the NOC PDRA within EcoWatt but is the NOC lead and a CoI for CHASANS
Collaborator Contribution Dominicis and Woolf lead the physical oceanographic elements of CHASANS Bell contributes key ecological, fisheries and statistical skills Want project manages and contributes key knowledge on biofouling and the ecology of the species involved.
Impact CHASANS is a funded NERC INSITE project. As a project it is fairly early in its development. CHASANS includes marine ecology, marine planning, genetics and physical oceanography all applied to UK offshore industries.
Start Year 2019
 
Description CHASANS 
Organisation Natural History Museum
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution CHASANS is a multi-disciplinary NERC INSITE project on connectivity of hard substrate species in the North Sea, with respect to probable changes in infrastructure and therefore hard substrate. The full CHASANS partnership is led by Heriot Watt University (HWU, Orkney campus) with contributions from University of Hull, Natural History Museum, University of Aberdeen and National Oceanography Centre (NOC). It is partly descended from EcoWatt2050 through the participation in both of Woolf, Bell and Want (all HWU) and Dominicis (NOC). Indeed the workpackages on modelling dispersion and connectivity are a collaboration of Dominicis and Woolf using the FVCOM models developed within EcoWatt2050. Dominicis was the NOC PDRA within EcoWatt but is the NOC lead and a CoI for CHASANS
Collaborator Contribution Dominicis and Woolf lead the physical oceanographic elements of CHASANS Bell contributes key ecological, fisheries and statistical skills Want project manages and contributes key knowledge on biofouling and the ecology of the species involved.
Impact CHASANS is a funded NERC INSITE project. As a project it is fairly early in its development. CHASANS includes marine ecology, marine planning, genetics and physical oceanography all applied to UK offshore industries.
Start Year 2019
 
Description CHASANS 
Organisation University of Aberdeen
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution CHASANS is a multi-disciplinary NERC INSITE project on connectivity of hard substrate species in the North Sea, with respect to probable changes in infrastructure and therefore hard substrate. The full CHASANS partnership is led by Heriot Watt University (HWU, Orkney campus) with contributions from University of Hull, Natural History Museum, University of Aberdeen and National Oceanography Centre (NOC). It is partly descended from EcoWatt2050 through the participation in both of Woolf, Bell and Want (all HWU) and Dominicis (NOC). Indeed the workpackages on modelling dispersion and connectivity are a collaboration of Dominicis and Woolf using the FVCOM models developed within EcoWatt2050. Dominicis was the NOC PDRA within EcoWatt but is the NOC lead and a CoI for CHASANS
Collaborator Contribution Dominicis and Woolf lead the physical oceanographic elements of CHASANS Bell contributes key ecological, fisheries and statistical skills Want project manages and contributes key knowledge on biofouling and the ecology of the species involved.
Impact CHASANS is a funded NERC INSITE project. As a project it is fairly early in its development. CHASANS includes marine ecology, marine planning, genetics and physical oceanography all applied to UK offshore industries.
Start Year 2019
 
Description CHASANS 
Organisation University of Hull
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution CHASANS is a multi-disciplinary NERC INSITE project on connectivity of hard substrate species in the North Sea, with respect to probable changes in infrastructure and therefore hard substrate. The full CHASANS partnership is led by Heriot Watt University (HWU, Orkney campus) with contributions from University of Hull, Natural History Museum, University of Aberdeen and National Oceanography Centre (NOC). It is partly descended from EcoWatt2050 through the participation in both of Woolf, Bell and Want (all HWU) and Dominicis (NOC). Indeed the workpackages on modelling dispersion and connectivity are a collaboration of Dominicis and Woolf using the FVCOM models developed within EcoWatt2050. Dominicis was the NOC PDRA within EcoWatt but is the NOC lead and a CoI for CHASANS
Collaborator Contribution Dominicis and Woolf lead the physical oceanographic elements of CHASANS Bell contributes key ecological, fisheries and statistical skills Want project manages and contributes key knowledge on biofouling and the ecology of the species involved.
Impact CHASANS is a funded NERC INSITE project. As a project it is fairly early in its development. CHASANS includes marine ecology, marine planning, genetics and physical oceanography all applied to UK offshore industries.
Start Year 2019
 
Description The TeraWatt and EcoWatt2050 Consortia 
Organisation Marine Scotland Science (MSS)
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution Marine Scotland Science are full partners in the Consortium and responsible for the acquisition of all data used in the research which is made available via their ftp site.
Collaborator Contribution All outcomes from all workstreams are shared with MSS
Impact MSS Have developed FVCOM models of the Scottish Shelf with subdomains covering areas where wave and tidal developments may occur. Further development of these models has continued for a variety of applications, some of which are inter-disciplinary. The leading example as of 2021 is their use within CHASANS, a large NERC INSITE project looking at dispersion of hard-substrate species in the northern North Sea. CHASANS is highly inter-disciplinary combining marine ecology, genetics, marine planning and physical oceanography all in the service of understanding the implications of changing offshore infrastructure in the North Sea (removal of oil and gas; deployment of offshore wind),
Start Year 2014
 
Title Bedshear 
Description 'bedshear' is an R package that allows you to calculate bed shear stress from combined waves and tides, and wave orbital velocity. Bedshear stress for combined waves and tides is calculated using the equations of Soulsby and Clarke (2005), and wave orbital velocity is calculated using the equations of Souslby (2006). 
Type Of Technology Software 
Year Produced 2019 
Open Source License? Yes  
Impact None as yet 
 
Description "MARRiAgE: MArine Renewables Research Accelerator tEam" 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Material used in workshop run by The Marine Alliance for Science and Technology Scotland (MASTS) Marine Renewable Energy Forum and Offshore Renewables Joint Industry Programme (ORJIP) for Ocean Energy . Purpose to discuss how to fix the broke process of funding fundamental research for environmental impacts of marine renewables. Impact - it launched and produced the funding for Development of an ORE environmental R&D strategy for Scotland
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
 
Description Article in the Oban Times, publicising paper on ocean impacts of warming 
Form Of Engagement Activity A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Here is the article.

"An international group of marine scientists has compiled the most comprehensive assessment of how ocean warming is affecting the mix of species in our oceans - and explained how some marine species manage to keep their cool.

Researchers from the UK, Japan, Australia, USA, Germany, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand analysed three million records of thousands of species from 200 ecological communities across the globe.

Reviewing data from 1985-2014, the team, led by Professor Michael Burrows of the Scottish Association for Marine Science in Dunstaffnage, showed how subtle changes in the movement of species that prefer cold-water or warm-water, in response to rising temperatures, made a big impact on the global picture.

The findings are published in the journal Nature Climate Change."
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
URL https://www.obantimes.co.uk/2019/11/25/scientists-complete-largest-global-assessment-of-ocean-warmin...
 
Description Half page article in the Glasgow Herald on impacts of ocean heatwaves 
Form Of Engagement Activity A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact I gave an interview to a national newspaper (Glasgow Herald: circulation 25,000) resulting in a major article. Online comments followed
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
URL https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/17805642.rise-deadly-ocean-heatwaves-poses-new-threat-scotland/
 
Description ICES Theme Session 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Presentation to the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea Theme Session K on Impact of Maritime Structures, providing an international audience of professional scientists and engineers to whom the findings of EcoWatt2050 were explained.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
 
Description MASTS Annual Science Meeting Workshop to report findings of EcoWatt2050 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact MASTS have been instrumental in organising outreach activities, particularly to relevant industry bodies. This marked the final workshop session to relay and discuss the findings of the research with a broad cross section of field and device developers and others from the academic community.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
 
Description Material used in Invited Seminar National Oceanographic Centre, Liverpool 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Seminar on Oceans as Habitats: What changes will matter the most to pelagic habitats and mobile animals? Led to offers of collaboration on NERC projects.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
 
Description NERC JUNE WORKSHOP Challenges and opportunities renewable energy event 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Purpose to engage NERC Strategic groups and politicians about possible best routes / issues to consider to fund for strategic solution to multiple and sustainable use of marine renewable energy
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
 
Description ORE SuperGen Workshop 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Workshops was for Academic ( 62%) and Industry (38%) participants
AIMS OF THE WORKSHOP
• To deliver a portfolio of prioritised ORE R&D challenges which facilitate transformation of the ORE system through addressing the needs of business and policy whilst delivering measurable progress and impact.
• To achieve wide and inclusive participation in defining ORE R&D challenges by providing opportunities to contribute at workshops and online for those not able to attend in person.
• To ensure that the challenges identified are system wide, and are conceptualised with reference to the 'whole system' and do not focus on industry sub sectors in isolation.
• To ensure that challenges are truly visionary and build on past and current research programmes which address the identified need.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
URL https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/research/coast-engineering-research-group/ore-supergen-hub
 
Description Ocean community warming responses explained by thermal affinities and temperature gradients. Summary of media impact from a press release. 
Form Of Engagement Activity A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact The press release for our paper in Nature Climate Change, Twitter posts and other blog mentioned resulted in an Altmetric score of 282:

In the top 5% of all research outputs scored by Altmetric
Mentioned by
news
13 news outlets
blogs
3 blogs
twitter
252 tweeters
facebook
2 Facebook pages
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
URL https://www.altmetric.com/details/71152263
 
Description Presentation of key findings to Scottish Government 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Presentation of the key findings of the research to Scottish Government
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
 
Description SNH Sharing Good Practice Dealing with uncertainty in the Marine Environment 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Sharing Good Practice Dealing with uncertainty in the Marine Environment - a range of short interactive sessions (and repeat) sessions to explain the potential routes to assessing the impact of renewable developments to industry, NGOs, and other academic disciplines. There were subsequent invites to give this overview to JNCC personal.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
 
Description Seminar at NOC 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact Gave a seminar about my research to staff and students at the University of Liverpool, as part of a seminar series organised by the National Oceanographic Centre.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
 
Description Seminar at NOC Liverpool 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Study participants or study members
Results and Impact Seminar title: "Turbidity on the European Shelf: 20th Century trends and future changes caused by large-scale tidal energy". Presented by Dr Robert Wilson
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
 
Description TeraWatt/Ecowatt2050 Steering Group Meetings 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact A formal Steering Group to which TeraWatt and EcoWatt2050 report every 6 months on progress to Steering Group Members who represent the developer and regulatory community.

Many useful suggestions and offers of assistance arising during meetings have been followed up with fruitful results (e.g. comparisons of our research with cfd approaches).
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2012,2013,2014,2015,2016
 
Description Workshop each year in June 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact The workshop provides a one week intensive discussion on the research in TeraWatt and EcoWatt2050 to which developers, regulatory authorities, software developers as well as those involved in the Consortia are invited to attend. Additionally linked PhD research in each partner organisation is usually well represented. The input from developers and regulatory authorities has been particularly useful in shaping the research and methods applied.

One particular outcome has been the recommendations to software developers on future needs for the incorporation of wave and tidal energy extraction within the models developed using these.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2012,2013,2014,2015,2016