A bottom up approach to marine management: Marine phytoplankton as regulators of ecosystem functions and services

Microscopic marine algae (phytoplankton) are crucially important to climate cycle and marine ecosystem functions, and support a range of ecosystem services (ES). Vital ES carried out by phytoplankton include oxygen production, uptake of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into the ocean, and sustaining marine food-webs. Phytoplankton have spatially and temporally distinct distributions, with some locations consistently supporting greater primary production, with subsequent impacts on the distributions of supported ecosystem functions and ES including populations of seabirds, marine mammals and commercial fisheries. However, phytoplankton are given little consideration within marine management, with little use made of research into phytoplankton, and their relationships with other ecosystem functions and ES. This is a major knowledge gap and limits the effectiveness of marine management. This fellowship will address this evidence gap to provide a robust evidence-based framework to aid marine management. I will work closely with Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and bodies with similar functions in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to ensure this evidence base is considered in marine planning and licencing processes. For example, my recent work shows wind farms can cause an up to 30% decrease in annual primary production, but that this can be mitigated through smaller turbine bases or siting turbines out of phytoplankton "hotspots".
The goal of this fellowship is to facilitate the MMO in achieving sustainable development through ecosystems-based management as supported by robust scientific evidence. Key objectives include analysing and evaluating information (much of it funded by NERC) on the spatial and temporal relationships between phytoplankton and supported ecosystem functions and ES and establishing how this information can be best used to improve the sustainable management of our oceans, contributing to filling MMO evidence gaps. Deliverables include reports for the MMO based on analysis of published results and, primarily, visiting key researchers and research groups, and participating in conferences and working groups - thus actively incorporating the leading edge of research, whilst encouraging researchers to engage with marine managers. Training will be delivered to MMO staff on using the ES concept in marine management and stakeholder engagement, furthering its use by the MMO.
I have experience in oceanographic research and marine management, and will use both sets of expertise in this fellowship - using science expertise to collate and synthesise high-quality research, and management expertise to facilitate targeted and strategic communications with the MMO in order to apply cutting-edge science to MMO objectives. This, in combination with extensive time spend at the MMO offices, will ensure that the needs of the MMO are well understood and prioritised, and that scientific evidence is useful and presented accessibly.
There is a lack of engagement between researchers in the fellowship topics and marine managers - researchers are unclear how to engage with marine management (e.g. who to contact and how to present information), and management organisations are often unaware of current research. A key objective of this fellowship is therefore to encourage engagement between researchers and the MMO. Deliverables include a workshop to establish best practice for knowledge exchange between scientists and marine managers. I will develop an outreach activity for the MMO, educating researchers on why and how to use their research to support marine management. To facilitate future engagement, beyond the fellowship, I will use my extensive network to generate an "Experts in Support of Marine Management" (ESMM) database product for the MMO, simplifying locating experts in a topic. This fellowship will build a lasting, productive relationship between the MMO and the biological oceanography community in the UK, and beyond.