Master of Research COMPLETED!!

I have now graduated with a distinction (1st) in a Masters of Research in Marine Biology. 

I had a great time during the course I really enjoyed focusing on my research project. Long live the limpets!


Let the adventures continue

Flying Seagulls Project

None marine post but soon I will be running a 10 k run for the Flying Seagulls project who I plan on travelling to Greece with by the end of the to take smiles to those who need it most.

Please see my just giving page for ways to donate.


https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/joe-redfern


I will also be publishing my experience to a separate blog: https://jrflyingseagulls2017.blogspot.com/

Master Project

First Draft of my final MRes project is handed in for review.

Nearly finished!!!

New Role @ UKYCC

I have been selected be join United Kingdom Youth Climate Change Coalition. I am really please to be working alongside Katie as the Youtube and Video managers. Sharing the role with a peer will be great so we can exchange ideas and work on projects together. 

Keep posted here, I will be keeping the blog updated with activity and projects we undertake. 

MBA PhD Conference 2017: Poster Presentation and Talks

Another great opportunity to present my project. This time at the annual MBA PhD conference 2017 this year held in Falmouth:

This year I attended the MBA 2017 PhD conference. I relished the opportunity go to the conference as it is a great opportunity to learn from fellow young scientist, listen to more seasoned professors and also to display my project in poster form.

From the first presentation, from Brendan Godley, I knew the conference would not disappoint and we were install for a host of interesting, informative and above all inspiring talks. Listening to how Brendan had advanced from a undergrad degree to masteres then a PhD before taking to world stage of turtle conservation really ensured me I was on the right track and with a lot of work I could have some success like Brendan.

Watching the PhD presentations I felt we were watching science first hand and with the delivery of a passionate student made it all the more interesting. One talk by Tim Gordon was especially interesting and entertaining. Using sound clips and videos he talk us through the working of coral reef acoustics and how the recent degradation was altering how fish hear the reef, fascinating stuff.

The poster session gave me a great chance to display my project and chat to peers and experts about what I had done so far and what I was hoping to achieve. I really enjoyed the opportunity to describe my project face to face and even enjoyed the questions and query's people had.

Finally, the meal provided a great moment to network and socialise. I made knew friends and saw old faces and feel that this event with benefit me far into the future.  

MBA Council: Poster Presentation

Many thanks to Nova (my supervisor) for offering me the opportunity to present my poster at this years MBA council.

I had some great chats with interesting professors. I even met another researcher working on limpets and we are hoping to meet up and collaborate in the future.

MarClim research group

Always great to have a chance to not only chat about your own project but also great to see the other projects on going at the MBA.

My Project in the Cornish Times: Robot limpets gather climate change data

‘Robo-limpets’ on the South Cornish coast are helping scientists gather data about the effects of climate change.

The realistic gadgets have been placed on rocks at Polhawn, in Whitsand Bay, at Kingsand, and at three other locations in Devon by Joe Redfern from Plymouth’s Marine Biological Association.

Joe created the fake creatures using real limpet shells, placing small temperature loggers inside each empty shell and encasing them in silicon.

The robo-limpets are stuck to the rocks using green resin, and each ‘antenna’ records temperature every 15 minutes; Joe says he will be returning to each location regularly between now and August to collect the data.

Joe is part of a wider team of scientists investigating the impact of climate change on species around our coasts.

http://www.cornish-times.co.uk/article.cfm?id=109575

MBA Oceans Week: Be a Marine Biologist for the Day

In aid of national science week the MBA was hosting several classes of school groups to learn about the science that is conducted at the lab and to be a Marine Biologist for the Day.


I volunteered to help Asling and her team which are mainly responsible conducting fish surveys on board Sepia. No boat action today though- instead we were conducting a murder mystery, the kids being the detectives and the suspects are the fish!

After a brief introduction the kids were given a tray of 4 fish (mackeral, pounting, sardine and dargonet) it was there job to find out which fish was the main victim of a murder. Well 3 murders in fact a snail, a fish and plankton.

Armed with some desecting tools and a helper (me!) the kids had to investigated the fish. The biggest clue was the teeth which depending on there shape could be used to identify what fish was the likely suspect for each victim. After some desecting we found an even bigger clue.. inside the stomach of the pounting we found, much to everyone's excitement, a whole fish head!

It got really messy at points- one kid got some fishy eye juice in the face. Some kids really like smashing and cutting fish but that said everyone seemed to learn something.. me included!

Some keen marine biologist for the day

learning about kelp

Torrey Canyon 50 year anniversary talk: Prof Steve Hawkings

Marking the 50 year anniversary of the Torry Canyon oil spill a special talk was held at the MBA. Prof Steve Hawkings, who has recently been working on deciphering the ecological aftermath of the incident, gave a really interesting presentation.

Luckily, the are long term dataset dating back before the spill which allows baseline data to be established, also due to the nature of the spill some of the coastline wasn't effected, this meant control sites could be used. This allows Steve and his team multiple tools to assess the ecological damage.

He presented photo's of coast that had been impacted by the oil and dispersants used. Interesting the dispersant causes more harm then the oil- however being the first major oil spill ever much of this was unknown at the time. Many cove and beaches around the SW of England received a pulse disturbance meaning a strong impact was presented but it wasn't prolonged. Sites where no dispersant was used recovered it 3-5 years however in sites which were sprayed heavily with dispersants recovery took over 15 years.

Dispersant being sprayed to remove the oil. 

At the time the main interest was the clean

 the beach for humans on hoilday.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/mar/18/torrey-canyon-disaster-uk-worst-ever-oil-spill-50tha-anniversary

Manta Party

Finally got chance to edit some footage my girlfriend and I took last year from Nusa Lembongan... enjoy!

Sepia Boat Survey day with the MBA

Today, I enjoyed a beautiful sunny morning aboard Sepia, the MBAs' research vessel.

We conducted a standard trawl which consists of making two bottom trawls to identify, count and record all life we find. In the trawl we picked up: poor cod, whiting, plaice, octopus, harbour crabs, squid, cuttlefish and more. I can learn alot of see and handling the fish and gain experience from the rest of the crew. 


The MBA has been conducting these surveys for over 100 years making this long-term data set useful to investigate changes and patterns. 

Thanks to all the crew, see you next time. 

Polhawn Beach Clean and Co-Coast Time Survey

This was a joint event organised with the Rame Peninsula Beach Care group 

www.ramepbc.org

and the Co-Coast citizen science project.


Joined a monthly beach clean at Polhawn Beach, which is in the Whitsand and Looe Bay Marine Conservation Zone. Great to see some many people come down to help, young and old. All the rubbish collected in quantified and categorised then the data is used to inform policy markers to try and reduce our input. Good stuff all round I say!

We then conducted a 20 minute timed search at low tide.
I chose the "Like it of Limpet" package and was tasked to spot and identify as many limpet species as possible. Easier said than done. Others picked different packages to get a full insight to what species were on the rocky shore. All data is added to the Co-Coast data bank to be analysed and process.

A good day was had!

Community Seagrass Initiative

Last week I join a great program run at various locations in the UK.

The aim is to record, protect and promote Seagrass habitats around Britain or in their words

"A citizen science project aiming to raise awareness of seagrass habitats in the South West of England."

During the training day we learnt about the ecology and Seagrass and the survey methods used to assess the health and importance of seagrass. 

I'm looking forward to jumping in and helping out with this amazing project aiming to help a really important habitat. 

http://www.csi-seagrass.co.uk/