science and technology

Professor Edward Hill has been appointed Director of the Natural Environment Research Council’s new National Oceanography Centre.

Only 30 years ago the Solent contained Europe’s largest natural oyster fishery. Today the fishery has effectively collapsed and the oyster population is rapidly approaching commercial extinction.

The movement of ocean eddies and other surface water masses over short timescales causes rapid changes in the community composition of marine algae (phytoplankton) in the sunlit upper ocean, according to new findings.

The UK’s leading environmental research organisation has commissioned a state-of-the art scientific research ship to replace the RRS Discovery, which was built in 1962 and is coming to the end of her scientifically useful working life.

Some regions of the deep ocean floor support abundant populations of organisms, despite being overlain by water that contains very little oxygen, according to an international study led by scientists at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton. But global warming is likely to exacerbate oxygen depletion and thereby reduce biodiversity in these regions, they warn.

The enormously exciting Ocean and Earth Day took place at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (via Dock Gate 4) on 20 March 2010.

The recent years have shown ample evidence of the power and awe of the Earth and nearly 2,500 people came to learn about the wonders and how we work in such difficult areas.

The impact on levels of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere by the decaying remains of a group of marine creatures that includes starfish and sea urchin has been significantly underestimated, conclude scientists.