Research Portal
A directory of open access Convex Seascape Survey research resources. Here you can download our latest publications and explore our data - from environmental, biological and historical datasets, to maps and photographs, all are uploaded and stored in freely accessible online repositories. We believe in a transparent approach as we advance knowledge in this rapidly-evolving field of blue carbon science.
Why we should protect the high seas from all extraction, forever
A functional assessment of fish as bioturbators and their vulnerability to local extinction
The seabed is one of the key ecological interfaces on the planet, exerting a major influence on global biogeochemical cycles. Biological processes such as bioturbation – the reworking of sediment by activities of benthic fauna – are key in mediating fluxes of nutrients, carbon, and oxygen from the water column into the sediment. To date, most research on bioturbation has focused on the role of sediment-dwelling invertebrates with the contribution of other and often larger organisms such as fish largely overlooked. Here, we highlight the significant and underappreciated role of fish as bioturbators in benthic ecosystems and present the first systematic approach to assess fish bioturbation impact on the seabed based on ecological traits known to…
The Role of Long-Term Hydrodynamic Evolution in the Accumulation and Preservation of Organic Carbon-Rich Shelf Sea Deposits
Understanding and mapping seabed sediment distribution in shelf seas is essential for effective coastal management, offshore developments, and for blue carbon stock assessments and conservation. Fine-grained marine sediments, particularly muds, play a key role in long-term organic carbon sequestration, so knowledge of the spatial extent of these carbon-rich deposits is important. Here, we consider how changes in shelf sea tidal dynamics since the Last Glacial Maximum have influenced the development of three mud depocenters in the northwest European shelf seas: the Fladen Ground, the Celtic Deep, and the Western Irish Sea Mud Belt. Using a new high-resolution paleotidal model, we demonstrate how…
Regional Variation in Active Bottom-Contacting Gear Footprints
Fishing with active bottom-contacting gears (here collectively described as ‘bottom trawling’) is considered the greatest source of anthropogenic disturbance to marine sediments. However, uncertainties are apparent in studies evaluating the severity of their impacts from fishing with these gears at the global scale. A major uncertainty is the estimation of the area of seabed disturbed by applying European-based vessel size to gear footprint (i.e., gear width) relationships to the global fleet, thereby assuming these relations hold worldwide. To test the strength of this assumption, we conducted a structured review to understand global variation in fishing gear parameters and, thus, footprint of bottom trawling gears. While we find a…
