International Day of Women and Girls in Science

To celebrate International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we are highlighting some of our inspiring female marine biologists here at the Marine Biological Association. Dr Katherine Helliwell Dr Katherine Helliwell is a NERC Independent Research Fellow, as a joint appointment with University of Exeter, in molecular microbiology and is Research Lead on the … Read more

Continued plankton research crucial to predict the future of ocean life in a changing climate

Gaps in plankton monitoring need to be urgently addressed to assess the impact of climate change on marine life, according to researchers.  Scientists from the Marine Biological Association (MBA) and over 20 universities and research institutions across the world say more work needs to be done to untangle the climate-driven environmental impacts on plankton. Plankton are a diverse collection … Read more

Pioneering techniques helps reveal how link between seaweed habitats and the seafloor may affect the global carbon cycling

Scientists from Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) and the Marine Biological Association (MBA) have used environmental DNA (eDNA) and ocean modelling to follow the dispersal of carbon rich seaweed material, to help improve understanding of natural climate change mitigation solutions provided by seaweed habitats and the patches of seafloor with which they are connected. Seaweed ’leaf … Read more

Plankton could hold key for understanding link between ocean pollution and human health

Plankton may offer a way to monitor historical marine pollution trends, and could be used to predict trends in human health, according to new research. Using samples from the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) Survey, an international team of scientists have suggested that rising levels of manmade chemicals found in the ocean could be used to … Read more

EU project MARCO-BOLO launched to better understand marine biodiversity decline and restore ocean health

A new EU project has been launched to improve how biodiversity is recorded and protected in marine and coastal environments. Funded by the Horizon Europe programme, MARCO-BOLO (MARine Coastal BiOdiversity Long-term Observations) will structure and strengthen European coastal and marine biodiversity observation capabilities, linking them to global efforts to understand and restore ocean health. Coastal … Read more

Climate change driving changes of plankton in our ocean

Scientists have discovered that the heating up of the North Atlantic is causing plankton to shift and change in abundance, indicating a threat to the earth’s climate. Dr Clare Ostle, Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) Research Fellow and Pacific Coordinator from the Marine Biological Association (MBA) led a study which reveals the transforming levels of plankton … Read more

National Centre for Coastal Autonomy unlocks radical new capabilities for coastal science

The potential for autonomous technology to advance understanding of our constantly evolving ocean and coastlines has taken a major step forward with the launch of the National Centre for Coastal Autonomy. The UK’s first autonomous fully integrated coastal observing and monitoring network employs the latest autonomous technologies to drive towards a net zero oceanographic capability, … Read more