shelf and coastal processes

• A study led by the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) has revealed that rain is the main trigger of seasonal stratification in shelf seas.
• Stratification impacts the spring phytoplankton bloom, which underpins the food web.

Shelf seas, the shallow seas closest to our continents, account for over 90% of global fisheries productivity, and are relied upon by society for transport and leisure. More recently shelf seas are increasingly being looked at as a renewable energy source to help mitigate climate change.

The NOC is inviting interested persons, particularly from the Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS), to participate in an online stakeholder workshop on Coastal Monitoring and Modelling for SIDS.

Last week, researchers convened in Liverpool to discuss a science programme investigating the shelf seas fringing the UK and Europe.

A new experiment is under way that will help forecast the shape of the Dutch coastline under changing climate conditions, involving scientists and engineers from the National Oceanography Centre (NOC).