Details of Award
NERC Reference : NE/N000846/1
Scientific diving: techniques and technologies
Training Grant Award
- Lead Supervisor:
- Dr M Sayer, Scottish Association For Marine Science, Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory
- Science Area:
- Atmospheric
- Earth
- Freshwater
- Marine
- Terrestrial
- Overall Classification:
- Marine
- ENRIs:
- Biodiversity
- Environmental Risks and Hazards
- Global Change
- Natural Resource Management
- Pollution and Waste
- Science Topics:
- Science-Based Archaeology
- Climate & Climate Change
- Community Ecology
- Survey & Monitoring
- Ecosystem Scale Processes
- Abstract:
- One third of the World's population inhabit coastal regions (UNEP, 2006). Coastal environments contribute significantly to local and national economies, enhance the quality of life of inhabitants, and also support a wide and diverse range of marine ecosystems. Yet they are environments that are especially vulnerable to the consequences of climate/global change (e.g. anomalously high coastline temperatures, doi:10.1038/ncomms1713; concomitant species extinction, doi:10.1038/nature02121). Coastal regions face growing pressures on resources and increased threats of pollution, urbanization of habitats, invasion by alien species, extreme weather events and sea-level change. At the same time, the unprecedented growth in Marine Protected Areas, Marine Spatial Planning and 'State of the Environment' reporting initiatives has increased the demand for marine environmental data. The relatively shallow and multifarious nature of many coastal areas may restrict the types of platforms that can be employed in support of relevant research. Scientific Diving is a cost-effective high-quality research tool that can sustain a wide range of scientific disciplines within operationally rapid timeframes. It has particular use in complex environments such as near-shore sub-tidal rocky substrates or urbanized habitats (marinas, wrecks, offshore wind farms, etc.) that are inaccessible for study by other methods. It can also provide unique multidisciplinary datasets that add value to other ocean observation platforms. The UK Scientific Diving sector already benefits from being permitted, under the 1997 Diving at Work Regulations, to employ recreational diving qualifications as minimum competencies for conducting underwater research. Therefore, basic diving training is not perceived as a skill development bottleneck. Where scientific diving is limited is in the lack of purposedesigned and standardised training in scientific diving techniques and structured recording skills. The application of many of those techniques is, in turn, restricted by access to new or advanced underwater technologies that may enhance the quality and/or efficiency of the delivery of that technique. The Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland (MASTS) brings together the majority of Scotland's marine science capacity within a single organisation. MASTS is actively seeking to improve the co-ordination and provision of diving resources across the research community. This proposal builds on the previous NERC-funded advanced training initiatives carried out in 2013/14 and 2014/15 that successfully integrated the technical scientific diving capability at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) with the diving-based survey and monitoring expertise of Heriot Watt University (HWU). Focused training opportunities through multi-institutional diving collaboration will raise knowledge levels, achieve a consistent approach and build much needed capacity. Both courses presented interrelate to present synergistic opportunities; students will be assessed through small practical-based projects. The two courses are: Course 1. Current and emerging techniques and technologies Course 2. In situ marine field identification and survey skills for survey and monitoring
- NERC Reference:
- NE/N000846/1
- Grant Stage:
- Completed
- Scheme:
- Doctoral Training
- Grant Status:
- Closed
- Programme:
- Advanced Training
This training grant award has a total value of £90,307
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| Total - Other Costs |
|---|
| £90,307 |
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