THE LORN PELAGIC OBSERVATORY, THE PLANKTON INDEX, AND THE MARINE STRATEGY FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE: A KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE PROPOSAL
Lead Research Organisation:
Scottish Association For Marine Science
Department Name: Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory
Abstract
The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) requires 'Good Environmental Status' (GES) in European salt waters, defined as allowing marine ecosystems "to function fully and to maintain their resilience to human-induced environmental change". What measurements are needed to establish that ecosystems in UK seas are fully-functional and resilient, or, if not, to direct what the Directive calls "programmes of measures" to restore GES?
Marine ecosystems are largely out of sight, and their biogeochemical cycles and food webs operate in ways that ecological oceanographers are still struggling to understand. Nevertheless, 4 decades of NERC coastal oceanography has mapped the physical features of the seas that overly the UK continental shelf and shone light on the links between physics and biology. This research provides the basis for science-based monitoring of the 'pelagic habitat' as a component of Environmental Status. 'Pelagic habitat' refers to the water column environment and the plankton - the drifting animals and microscopic algae that live here.
Defra is the UK government department responsible for the national implementation of the MSFD, and for reporting environmental status to the European Commission. In the case of the pelagic habitat Defra has identified a set of monitoring stations in different physical regimes; one of these sites, in the Firth of Lorn near Oban, is where phytoplankton has been regularly sampled by the Scottish Association for Marine Science since 2000. Observations were first made here in 1970 by SAMS' precursor SMBA. SAMS has already agreed to input current micro-algal data to the Defra programme, and Defra may fund some additional zooplankton work. One of the two main purposes of the present project is to to evaluate, for the purposes of MSFD reporting, the present condition of the Firth of Lorn station in relation to older data and research studies.
The second main purpose relates to the methods used for data analysis and reporting. Scrutiny of a water sample containing planktonic micro-algae, or a tow-net sample containing planktonic animals, usually results in a long list of species. The MSFD monitoring programme requires samples to be taken at least 12 times a year, in order to keep track of the seasonal succession of plankton species. One way to simplify this list is to group species into the 'lifeforms' that are the functional units of the plankton. Lifeforms are then grouped in pairs, and the abundance of each of the pair's lifeforms plotted against the horizontal or vertical axis of a graph. A year's worth of samples results in 12 (or more) points on this graph. Over the resulting cloud of points is drawn a 'reference envelope'. The proportion of observations falling outside this envelope is the value of the 'Plankton index' for this lifeform pair and year. Changes in the index can be used to track change in ecosystem condition. Its calculation has been computerized, but the method has so far been used for research rather than routine monitoring. The second purpose of the project is, thus, to assist Defra in the initial application of the method, using the Firth of Lorn data as a test case.
While Defra has oversight, the work of sampling, analysis and interpretation is performed by specialized public bodies including those reporting to the devolved administrations in the UK. One of these bodies is AFBI, the 'Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute' in Belfast, which led the consortium charged with designing the strategy for monitoring the pelagic habitat. Although the ultimate benefit of this project falls to the public good, and the designated benficiary is Defra, AFBI will be the immediate partner for SAMS in the proposed 'knowledge exchange'.
Marine ecosystems are largely out of sight, and their biogeochemical cycles and food webs operate in ways that ecological oceanographers are still struggling to understand. Nevertheless, 4 decades of NERC coastal oceanography has mapped the physical features of the seas that overly the UK continental shelf and shone light on the links between physics and biology. This research provides the basis for science-based monitoring of the 'pelagic habitat' as a component of Environmental Status. 'Pelagic habitat' refers to the water column environment and the plankton - the drifting animals and microscopic algae that live here.
Defra is the UK government department responsible for the national implementation of the MSFD, and for reporting environmental status to the European Commission. In the case of the pelagic habitat Defra has identified a set of monitoring stations in different physical regimes; one of these sites, in the Firth of Lorn near Oban, is where phytoplankton has been regularly sampled by the Scottish Association for Marine Science since 2000. Observations were first made here in 1970 by SAMS' precursor SMBA. SAMS has already agreed to input current micro-algal data to the Defra programme, and Defra may fund some additional zooplankton work. One of the two main purposes of the present project is to to evaluate, for the purposes of MSFD reporting, the present condition of the Firth of Lorn station in relation to older data and research studies.
The second main purpose relates to the methods used for data analysis and reporting. Scrutiny of a water sample containing planktonic micro-algae, or a tow-net sample containing planktonic animals, usually results in a long list of species. The MSFD monitoring programme requires samples to be taken at least 12 times a year, in order to keep track of the seasonal succession of plankton species. One way to simplify this list is to group species into the 'lifeforms' that are the functional units of the plankton. Lifeforms are then grouped in pairs, and the abundance of each of the pair's lifeforms plotted against the horizontal or vertical axis of a graph. A year's worth of samples results in 12 (or more) points on this graph. Over the resulting cloud of points is drawn a 'reference envelope'. The proportion of observations falling outside this envelope is the value of the 'Plankton index' for this lifeform pair and year. Changes in the index can be used to track change in ecosystem condition. Its calculation has been computerized, but the method has so far been used for research rather than routine monitoring. The second purpose of the project is, thus, to assist Defra in the initial application of the method, using the Firth of Lorn data as a test case.
While Defra has oversight, the work of sampling, analysis and interpretation is performed by specialized public bodies including those reporting to the devolved administrations in the UK. One of these bodies is AFBI, the 'Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute' in Belfast, which led the consortium charged with designing the strategy for monitoring the pelagic habitat. Although the ultimate benefit of this project falls to the public good, and the designated benficiary is Defra, AFBI will be the immediate partner for SAMS in the proposed 'knowledge exchange'.
Publications
Bedford J
(2020)
Lifeform indicators reveal large-scale shifts in plankton across the North-West European shelf.
in Global change biology
Djeghri N
(2023)
Reinterpreting two regime shifts in North Sea plankton communities through the lens of functional traits
in Global Ecology and Biogeography
Espinasse B
(2022)
Temporal dynamics in zooplankton d13C and d15N isoscapes for the North Atlantic Ocean: Decadal cycles, seasonality, and implications for predator ecology
in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
Holland MM
(2023)
Major declines in NE Atlantic plankton contrast with more stable populations in the rapidly warming North Sea.
in The Science of the total environment
Kléparski L
(2023)
Phytoplankton life strategies, phenological shifts and climate change in the North Atlantic Ocean from 1850 to 2100.
in Global change biology
Lei Y
(2018)
A change in phytoplankton community index with water quality improvement in Tolo Harbour, Hong Kong.
in Marine pollution bulletin
McQuatters-Gollop A
(2019)
Plankton lifeforms as a biodiversity indicator for regional-scale assessment of pelagic habitats for policy
in Ecological Indicators
Ostle C
(2021)
The Plankton Lifeform Extraction Tool: a digital tool to increase the discoverability and usability of plankton time-series data
in Earth System Science Data
Scherer C
(2016)
Assessing the State of the Pelagic Habitat: A Case Study of Plankton and Its Environment in the Western Irish Sea
in Frontiers in Marine Science
Description | Understanding the way in which the physical environment can influence the 'balance of organisms' in the plankton |
Exploitation Route | calibration of the plankton index is important for assessing GES (and thus to Defra) |
Sectors | Environment |
Description | They are contributing to the calibration of the Plankton Index in waters that are layered all-year-round as a result of lowered salinity near the sea-surface |
First Year Of Impact | 2015 |
Sector | Environment |
Impact Types | Policy & public services |
Description | Plankton Index |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
Impact | The plankton index has been adopted as the main tool for assessing the condition of the pelagic habitat |
Description | USE OF THE PLANKTON INDEX TOOL |
Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
Policy Influence Type | Membership of a guideline committee |
Impact | UK has adopted the Plankton Index tool for MSFD monitoring of plankton environment; several other countries (including China, France and Portugal) have investigated its use |
Title | Plankton Index |
Description | The plankton Index uses a state-space and lifeforms approach to tracking change in the plankton |
Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
Year Produced | 2015 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | in use for MSFD monitoring/assessment purposes |
URL | http://www.sams.ac.uk/paul-tett |
Description | MSFD pelagics group |
Organisation | Department For Environment, Food And Rural Affairs (DEFRA) |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | Provided the Plankton Index tool |
Collaborator Contribution | Have worked with the group (of changing membership) initially (led by CEFAS) to help advise Defra concerning UWWTD infraction, and more recently (led by CEFAS and AFBI) to advise on ecosystem health and MSFD GES. This has evolved into membership of the 'Pelagics Group' of HBDSEG |
Impact | helped UK win proceedings at ECJ in 2009 (Case 1998/2265); from 2011 to present, contributed to UK MSFD monitoring scheme for 'pelagic habitat' |