talking points

4 Marine Scientist No.48 August 2014

Bob Carling writes: The debate about whether a scientific paper, pub-

lished in a Frontiers in Psychol-ogy, linking climate scepticism to “conspiratorial ideation”, and which led to three Fron-tiers editors resigning, seems set to continue. Climate change is already a hot politi-cal issue and there are claims that the retraction of the arti-cle was as a result of the pub-lishers ‘caving in’ to intimi-dation from climate change deniers. Not surprisingly, the controversy has created quite a media storm, with claims and counter claims.

Retraction Watch has been following the contro-versy and posted this by the Frontiers Editor-in-chief Henry Markham:

“The retracted Recursive Fury paper has created quite a blogger and twitter storm. A sensational storm indeed, with hints to conspiracy the-ories, claims of legal threats and perceived contradic-

● Controversial scientific paper retracted

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tions. It has been fury – one of the strongest human emo-tions – that has (perhaps un-derstandably at first sight) guided the discussion around this retraction. Not surpris-ingly though, the truth is not as sensational and much simpler. The studied subjects were explicitly identified in the paper without their con-sent. It is well acknowledged and accepted that in order to protect a subject’s rights and avoid a potentially defamato-ry outcome, one must obtain the subject’s consent if they can be identified in a scien-tific paper. The mistake was detected after publication,

and the authors and Fron-tiers worked hard together for several months to try to find a solution. In the end, those efforts were not suc-cessful. The identity of the subjects could not be pro-tected and the paper had to be retracted. Frontiers then worked closely with the au-thors on a mutually agreed and measured retraction statement to avoid the re-traction itself being misused.

From the storm this has cre-ated, it would seem we did not succeed.”

To read more, see: http://www.skepticalscience.com/republishers.php?a=recurrentfury http://retractionwatch.com/2014/04/11/we-did-not-succeed-frontiers-editor-on-handling-of-controversial-retraction/ http://www.frontiersin.org/blog/Rights_of_Human_Subjects_in_Scientific_Papers/830

In the February 2013 issue of Marine Scientist, we reported on the threat of closure of

the University Marine Biolog-ical Station Millport (UMB-SM), due to the withdrawal of funding by the Higher Edu-cation Funding Council for England (HEFCE).

On Friday 14 June, 2013, a memorandum of under-standing (MOU) was signed with the Field Studies Coun-cil (FSC) to secure its sustain-able future. The agreement saw ownership of the physical assets of the Station, includ-ing land, buildings and other facilities, being transferred to the FSC on 1st January 2014.

Maureen Boylan, the University’s Deputy Secre-tary, who led the negotia-tions said: “This is very good news indeed for the Station, the island community and the local economy. We are delighted that the FSC, with its outstanding reputation in environmental education

has agreed to work with us to find a sustainable future for this valuable asset.

“We would like to extend our thanks to all those indi-viduals and organisations who have worked so hard with us to find a viable future for the Station.”

Rob Lucas, Chief Execu-tive of the FSC, said: “This is an exciting opportunity for the FSC. Our vision for Millport field centre is for it to become a flagship for field studies in Scotland, building on its reputation for high quality field research and university teaching. The marine location will provide the perfect complement to the field studies we have been developing at our FSC Kindrogan field centre in the Highlands over the past 10 years”.

http://www.field-studies-council.org/news/agreement-reached-over-future-of-marine-biological-station.aspx

● Future of Marine Biological Station

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No.48 August 2014 Marine Scientist 5

The RSPB writes: One of the UK’s rarest sea-birds could become a

victim of climate change as rising seas and increased coastal flooding squeezes the UK’s coastline.

Little terns, the UK’s smallest tern species, re-turn each April to breed on beaches at fewer than sixty sites around the UK. Tradi-tional colonies at South Gare on the Tees and Donna Nook in Lincolnshire have already been lost due to changes in our coastline and just one nesting site remains in Wales.

Predictions of increased coastal flooding and sea level rise caused by climate change could spell disaster for these elegant seabirds. This warning came as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is-sued their latest reports on climate change.1

Susan Rendell-Read is the RSPB’s little tern project manager: “Little terns are very vulnerable to the im-pacts of climate change. They need undisturbed sand and shingle beaches to nest with a plentiful supply of small fish just offshore. These beaches

● Climate change and seabirdscan be quickly altered by rising seas and floods, mak-ing them unsuitable for terns to nest.

“In the past, the areas lost to flooding or storms would be offset by new are-as of sand or shingle thrown up by the sea. This is now being prevented by hard sea defences and other man made developments. The result, known as coastal squeeze, means beaches are getting narrower and the little terns are quickly run-ning out of space.

“As rising sea levels and storms change our coast-line, little terns are forced into fewer and fewer colo-nies and have to share space with people on some of our most popular beaches, lead-ing to significant problems with disturbance.”

A major new five-year partnership, including the RSPB, Natural England and the National Trust,2 has been established to help lit-tle terns adapt to climate change and secure their fu-ture in the UK. This part-nership, supported by the EU LIFE + programme will lay the foundations for

the long-term recovery of the little tern in the UK by pro-tecting and creating nest sites and increasing public aware-ness and support.

An important part of the recovery plan is ensuring that the few sites where little terns continue to breed are protected from disturbance.3 The RSPB and its partners are keen to raise awareness amongst local communities and beachgoers to give little terns space to breed safely and in peace.

Victoria Egan manages little tern colonies for the National Trust at Blakeney National Nature Reserve in Norfolk said, “local commu-nities and beachgoers have a vital role to play in help-ing little terns cope with the increasing threat of climate change. These tiny seabirds need space to breed un-disturbed so we are urging visitors to these beaches to follow any directions and ad-vice given on local signs on the beach and avoid entering certain areas while the little terns are breeding”.

Susan added “These dainty little seabirds, no heavier than a tennis ball,

have just started returning to our shores after travelling thousands of miles from their wintering sites off the south and west coasts of Africa. We need to make sure that they have the best chance of find-ing a suitable home when they arrive.”

1. The IPCC 5th Assessment Report Working Group II – Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability was published on 31 March 2014 and Working group III – Mitigation on 14 April 2014 http://www.ipcc.ch/index.htm. 2. The EU LIFE + Project partners are: Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Denbighshire County Council, Durham County Council, Industry Nature Conservation Association, Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, Northumberland Coast AONB partnership, Northumberland County Council, Natural England, National Trust, RSPB and Spurn Bird Observatory Trust 3. Little terns are listed on Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which makes it illegal to intentionally or recklessly disturb them while nesting. There are approximate 1500 pairs of little terns in the UK. Their population has declined by 9% between 1986 and 2012.

The National Oceanog-raphy Centre (NOC) has announced a two-

year partnership with the In-stitute of Marine Engineer-ing Science and Technology (IMarEST).

Engaging with the glo-bal marine industry topped NOC’s reasons for partnering the Institute –which counts 15,000 marine professionals from more than 100 coun-tries among its members.

The association will allow NOC to share its expertise and have input into the Insti-

● NOC to partner IMarESTtute’s highly-regarded Spe-cial Interest Groups (SIGs).

Steve Hall, from NOC’s International & Strategic Partnerships, said: “NOC val-ues being able to work with a highly regarded international Professional Body to jointly ad-dress the great challenges fac-ing the ocean, to benefit from a closer working relationship with marine professionals in in-dustry, and to encourage more people to consider a future in marine science, engineer-ing and technology. IMarEST also provides an opportunity

for our staff to seek accredited professional status, which will improve their career prospects and their understanding of the requirements of the broader marine sector.”

The partnership will build on NOC’s existing work with IMarEST which sees them consulting on both government and interna-tional bodies including the Intergovernmental Oceano-graphic Commission (IOC) and International Maritime Organisation (IMO).

IMarEST’s Chief Execu-

tive, David Loosley, said: “We are pleased to be working closely with the National Oce-anography Centre. A partner-ship such as this enables us to further enhance the IMa-rEST’s global technical voice by increasing relevant techni-cal expertise for our Special Interest Groups for the ben-efit of all of our members and corporate marine partners around the world.”

For more information about IMarEST’s corporate marine partnerships: www.imarest.org/PartnerWithUs

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talking points

6 Marine Scientist No.48 August 2014

● Ripples up the food chainJasmin Fox-Skelly writes:

Climate change in the Antarctic is sending

ripples up the food chain, with impacts on everything from single-celled algae to penguins, according to re-searchers.

The West Antarctic Pe-ninsula is one of the fastest warming regions on Earth, with annual winter temper-atures increasing by 11°F (about 6.1°C) during the last 50 years. According to a new study, these changes may have profound affects on the area’s marine life.

The team, led by Dr Grace Saba, a marine biolo-gist and Assistant Research Professor at IMCS Rutgers

University, US, are mem-bers of the Palmer Long-Term Ecological Research program (PAL-LTER), which has conducted annual shipboard surveys along the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula since 1990.

Studying the area over such a long period of time has meant that the research-ers have been able to build up a complete picture of how climate can affect marine life. In a new paper, published in the journal Nature Communi-cations, the scientists describe the way in which the South-

ern Annular Mode (SAM), has had dramatic effects on populations of photosynthet-ic algae that are the founda-tions of the Antarctic food chain.

The SAM is a climate phenomenon caused by the north-to-south move-ment of the westerly wind belt that circles Antarctica. The changing position of the wind belt influences the strength and position of cold fronts and storm systems, and is linked to variations in temperatures over Antarcti-ca, sea-surface temperatures

throughout the Southern Ocean, and the distribution of sea-ice around the perim-eter of Antarctica.

The researchers found that populations of the pho-tosynthetic algae peaked every 4 to 6 years in the wa-ters along the West Antarctic Peninsula, correlating di-rectly with what is called the negative phase of the SAM. In winter during a negative phase of SAM, cold south-erly winds blow across the Peninsula, increasing the ex-tent of winter ice. In spring and summer months during a negative phase of SAM, winds are significantly re-duced, meaning that the ice stays longer.

adélie parents and chicks on avian island along the West antarctic peninsula. note how their krill-rich diet and faeces stain the surroundings pink. photo courtesy of Donna patterson-Fraser.

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No.48 August 2014 Marine Scientist 7

Southern AnnularMode (SAM)• Positive phase: band of

westerly winds contract towards Antarctica

• Negative phase: band of westerly winds expands towards the equator

According to Saba, “The combination of a windy win-ter with heavy sea ice followed by a calm spring favours the development and persistence of a stable water column in the summer along the West Antarctic Peninsula.” A layer of fresh ice-melt develops that floats on top of a saltier layer below. Phytoplankton thrive in this environment because they can get closer to the sun-lit surface and the iron-rich glacial meltwater that they need to thrive.

If phytoplankton are do-ing well, this is good news for animals further up the food chain that rely on them for food. Indeed the study showed that the area’s peri-odic phytoplankton blooms led to increased krill ‘recruit-ment’ – the addition of new, young individuals into the

krill population. Many Ant-arctic species rely on krill for food, including Antarctic fur seals, macaroni and gentoo penguins, and albatross, as well as baleen whales such as humpbacks. Adélie penguins in particular rely extensively on krill, as they form the ba-sis of their diet.

“When climate conditions – a negative SAM and stable water column – lead to peaks in the abundance of phyto-plankton and krill, Adélie penguins don’t have to go far to forage,” explains Saba. “But when SAM is positive, warm northwesterly winds blow over the Peninsula re-gion, bringing less sea ice and a less-stable water col-umn – factors that discourage the large blooms of phyto-plankton on which krill rely. Penguins then have to for-age further, and thus end up delivering less food to their chicks. That can decrease their reproductive success.”

Unfortunately, evidence shows that the population of Adélie penguins near Palmer Station has fallen by 85% since 1974. Although there are many factors that play a part in this, there is concern

that future climate models project an increase in the occurrence of positive SAM episodes during the coming century. This would lead to lower levels of phytoplank-ton, fewer krill, and there-fore could spell problems for Adélie penguins.

“Projections from glo-

bal climate models under ‘business-as-usual’ emission scenarios up to the year 2100 suggest a further increase in temperature and in the oc-currence of positive SAM con-ditions,” says Saba. “If even one positive SAM episode lasted longer than the krill lifespan – 4 or 6 years with decreased phytoplankton abundance and krill recruit-ment – it could be catastroph-ic to the krill population.”

these krill—recovered from a penguin’s stomach through a non-invasive procedure called lavage—show the importance of these shrimplike crusta-ceans to the penguin diet. photo courtesy of Donna

patterson-Fraser.

Asking the question, ‘What are the Ocean Business Community

Priorities for Engaging in Ocean Policy and Marine Planning Developments?’, The World Ocean Council Business Forum on Ocean Policy and Planning will convene in New York City, 29–30 September, 2014.

Proposed changes to ocean governance, policy and planning – and challenges to ocean economic activity – are moving forward rapidly at national, regional and inter-national levels. Representa-tives of oil and gas, shipping, seafood, fisheries, mining, aquaculture, renewable en-ergy, ocean data, science and

● Ocean policy and planningtechnology, maritime law, and other sectors of the di-verse Ocean Business Com-munity will gather to address the need to be more informed and involved in policy and planning activities affecting ocean economic activity.

All members of the in-ternational Ocean Business Community are welcome. WOC Members receive re-duced registration rates.

Visit http://www.oceancouncil.org to register.

Contact: Paul Holthus, CEO Phone: +1 (808) 277-9008 email: paul.holthus@ oceancouncil.org www.oceancouncil.org

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