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