View from the Western Channel Observatory –

2013: a year on the edges of the envelope

www.westernchannelobservatory.org.uk

Western English Channel:

• boundary region between oceanic and neritic waters;

• straddles biogeographical provinces;

• both boreal / cold temperate &

• warm temperate organisms

• considerable fluctuation of flora and fauna since

records began.

Southward et al. (2005) Adv. Mar. Biol., 47

Geographical Region

2013 – Here comes the sun(fish) …

… and blue sharks

News Headlines - 2013

• L4 sampled 46 times in 2013

– Weather restricted: sometimes Weds/Thurs

– 3 weeks missed completely (January, October)

• E1 sampled 18 times

• L4 buoy on station Jan - October:

– Bio-fouling one of the biggest issues

• E1 Met Office buoy deployed 11 June 2013

7.2 ºC (8 April)

19.3 ºC (19 July)

• Large diurnal variation during summer (1 ºC)

• Shallow “skin” layer

• 6 ºC of thermal stratification at E1 in July

Data: Fishwick & Smyth

Data: Fishwick

L4 CTD

• Long duration, cold winter

• Cool spring with warmest summer for 7 years

L4

Year on the edges of the

envelope

E1

9.5

8.0

16.5 Less

summer

rainfall

L4 Nutrients

Data: Woodward & Harris

Summer

anomaly?

L4 Phytoplankton

• Compared to last years ‘ever-lasting’ diatom bloom this year has looked ‘normal’

BUT

• late/absent spring bloom

• Highest recording of Phaeocystis

• Occurrence of diatoms (planktonic and benthic) that are commonly found in the North Sea

C. Widdicombe

Zooplankton – 2013 • Warm water species: Calanus helgolandicus

• Cold water species: Calanus finmarchicus

C. fin

C. hel

• March 75% females:

C. fin

• Disappeared by July

• Autumn: Calanoides

carinatus and

Rhincalanus

• Small jellyfish – low

abundance

R. Harmer

2014 – a sneak preview?

Wave Heights

E1 Buoy Maximum Wave Height (m)

Max. and Ave. wave heights (m)

Jan – Feb 2014

E1 Sampled with Quest

magicseaweed.com

6 Jan 1 Feb 5 Feb 8 Feb

E1 buoy Wave Statistics

Date Time Av Wave

Height (m)

Max Wave

Height (m)

Sig. Wave

Height (m)

High Tide

(m)

Time of

HW

3rd Jan 18:31 4.40 10.94 7.06 5.6 19:23

6th Jan 21:31 4.27 9.99 5.58 5.2 21:42

1st Feb 18:31 3.21 7.81 4.34 5.6 19:09

5th Feb 08:31 6.50 15.14 9.20 5.3 09:32

8th Feb 12:31 5.18 11.35 6.90 4.3 11:47

12th Feb 12:31 3.78 10.25 5.74 4.8 16:24

Short – medium term impacts?

• Highly turbid water column – suspended particles …

• How will this impact on phytoplankton blooms and

succession?

K. Hiscock