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A five-year global research programme

The Convex Seascape Survey is an ambitious research programme providing critical data and insight on what the world needs in order to fully incorporate the ocean into policy efforts to slow climate change. It builds on two successful, high-profile science programmes that have found incontrovertible evidence that climate change is already causing major disruption: The Catlin Arctic Survey highlighted the alarming thinning of Arctic sea ice, and The Catlin Seaview Survey showed serious, widespread degradation and decline of the world’s coral reefs in the face of global warming.

Our cross-sector partnership has been fundamental to realising the interdisciplinary depth, global reach and resources needed to carry out this important work. Our international team brings expertise from many different fields (marine ecology, oceanography, geology, history, satellite telemetry, environmental science, cartography, chemical and molecular analysis, and Earth system modelling) enabling the project to cross boundaries between disciplines and gain unique insights. We see this as a vital approach, given the interconnected nature of the seascape.

Read on to learn more about the Convex Seascape Survey, or visit our virtual experience here.

The questions we seek to answer

Seascape Carbon

Where is it, how and when did it get there and where did it come from?

Human Influences

Historical development and spread of human influences on the seabed

Marine Life

The role of life and biodiversity on seascape carbon stores and benefits of protection

United Kingdom

Scotland

In Millport, laboratory mesocosm experiments are used to quantify bioturbation for different benthic species and study the associated effects on carbon capture and burial. In the South Arran Marine Protected Area a sampling campaign compares marine life recovery and carbon storage with areas outside which are subject to bottom fishing.

Irish Sea

In the Western Irish Sea mud belt, aboard research vessel Celtic Explorer, sediment coring and sub-bottom profiling was conducted. Samples undergo grain size and carbon content analysis and will be used to test and validate predications from the hydrodynamic model which predicts past and present extent of continental shelf muds.

North Sea

For the Fladen Ground case study on carbon accumulation in the North Sea, age-depth modelling of seabed sediments is carried out and sediment cores are analysed for grain size and total organic carbon.

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Jersey - Channel Islands

A sampling campaign in a cable protection zone and outside in areas subject to trawling and dredging. Methods include Baited-remote underwater video, Remotely operated vehicles, sediment grabs and cores collected via scuba. Additionally, more than 60 vibrocores and multicores were retrieved, for carbon content and environmental DNA analysis to measure the relation proportion of carbon inputs to the seabed.

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Turkey

A sampling campaign in the Gokova Marine Reserve and outside in areas subject to trawling and dredging. Methods included Baited-remote underwater video, Remotely operated vehicles, sediment grabs and coring.

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South Africa – Uthukela

A sampling campaign in the UThukela Banks marine protected area and outside in areas subject to trawling and dredging. Methods included Baited-remote underwater video, Remotely operated vehicles, sediment grabs and coring.

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Antarctica

Expedition to collect sediment cores from the Antarctic in order to look for signals of whale abundance using environmental DNA and explore the relationship with historic population trends and ocean productivity and carbon sequestration.

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New Zealand

A sampling campaign in the Hauraki Gulf cable protection area and outside in areas subject to trawling and dredging. Methods include Baited-remote underwater video, Remotely operated vehicles, sediment grabs and coring.

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Where we are working

Research is underway in a wide range of places, so we can extrapolate observations and measurements from particular sites to regional and global scales.

Across major ocean biomes, from the tropics to the poles, our regions of interest include: Patagonia, Indonesia, South Africa, New Zealand, Turkey, Australia, Canada, Jersey, Scotland, and the Antarctic.

The Project Timeline

Officially initiated in April 2022, the five-year Convex Seascape Survey has grown at pace and built momentum in delivery of both science and communications.

April (2022)

Project launch

Official project start and project team onboarded.

October (2022)

Media launch

The education and digitial partners were onboarded and the online platforms were launched (website and social media).

December (2022)

COP27, SharmElSheik

Project presented to policymakers and ocean stakeholders at international climate change conference.

February (2023)

World Ocean Summit, Lisbon

Project presented to policymakers and ocean stakeholders at sustainable ocean economy conference.

February (2023)

Educational Live Lesson

Two live lessons broadcast on YouTube "Women on the frontiers of climate science" and "Seabed Safari".

April (2023)

Educational Live Lesson

Two live lessons broadcast on YouTube "How do we know about climate change" and "How to teach the carbon cycle".

May (2023)

Fieldwork in Millport, Scotland

In Millport, laboratory mesocosm experiments are used to quantify bioturbation for different benthic species and study the associated effects on carbon capture and burial.

June (2023)

Educational Live Lesson

Live lesson broadcast on YouTube "Whales, carbon and climate".

July (2023)

#WalkWithWhales

Launch of augmented reality (AR) filter

July (2023)

Artist Naomi Hart

Resident artist Naomi Hart's Sea Mud Magic Art Trail in Exeter

September (2023)

Fieldwork in Arran, Scotland

In the South Arran Marine Protected Area a sampling campaign compares marine life recovery and carbon storage with areas outside which are subject to bottom fishing.

September (2023)

British Science Festival

Project presentation and evening event for members of the public.

December (2023)

COP28, United Arab Emirates

Project presented to policymakers and ocean stakeholders at international climate change conference.

December (2023)

Educational Live Lesson

Live lesson broadcast on YouTube "COP28 Review Q&A".

January (2024)

Film release

Short film released on Youtube "The first ever study on Arran's seafloor carbon"

January (2024)

Artist Naomi Hart

Artist in residence Naomi Hart led projected linked art workshops with refugees throughout Exeter and co-produced an artowrk named Seabed - a bedspread about the bed of the sea.

March (2024)

World Ocean Summit, Lisbon

Project presented to policymakers and ocean stakeholders at sustainabile ocean ecomonmy conference.

March (2024)

Educational Live Lesson

Two live lessons broadcast on YouTube "Time to heal the sea" and "Time to rewild the ocean".

April (2024)

UN Ocean Decade Conference

Project presented to policymakers and ocean stakeholders at sustainable ocean management conference.

May (2024)

Fieldwork in Plymouth

An experiment measuring the impact of trawling on buried seabed carbon to quantify how much is resuspended as a result of disturbance.

May (2024)

Bermuda event

Public outreach event at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute (BUEI), raising awareness of the project.

June (2024)

Fieldwork in Jersey

A sampling campaign in a cable protection zone and outside in areas subject to trawling and dredging. Additionally, more than 60 vibrocores and multicores were retrieved, for carbon content and environmental DNA analysis to measure the relation proportion of carbon inputs to the seabed.

June (2024)

Artist Chris Levine

Launch of project inspired artwork '7.83 Hertz' by world renowned light artist Chris Levine for World Ocean Day. The piece uses cutting edge laser technologies to shine a light on the importance of seascape carbon.

July (2024)

Education Programme

Launch of the second year of the education programme, with new resources going live on the EncoutnerEdu site.

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News & Updates

View All News

Seascape News - 14/10/24
Is nature’s carbon sink failing? Trees and land absorbed almost no CO2 last year.
Seascape News - 19/09/24
Vast carbon sink of mud on seabed needs more protection, study shows.
Report - 31/07/24
Year two annual report: discover the successes and challenges of the second project year.
Artist Collab - 07/06/24
Chris Levine unveils new artwork in partnership with Convex Seascape Survey.
Seascape News - 20/04/24
Mud worms: the scientists’ secret weapon for saving the world. From Scotland to South Africa the hunt is on for burrowing invertebrates who could hold the key to carbon capture.
Seascape News - 18/01/24
Carbon released by bottom trawling ‘too big to ignore’, says study.
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A year in the life

Convex Seascape Survey

The Convex Seascape Survey will deliver new, reliable, open-source data and outreach, to educate, inspire and enable informed decisions on ocean use, to harness the power of the sea in the fight against climate change.