A new £22 million research programme will investigate the impacts of climate change and human activities on the Atlantic Ocean, from the surface to the deep seabed.
Photo: National Oceanography Centre
Commissioned by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), the new five-year marine research programme, Climate Linked Atlantic Sector Science (CLASS), will be delivered in partnership by the National Oceanography Centre (NOC), Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Scottish Association for Marine Science, Marine Biological Association, and Sea Mammal Research Unit.
The ambitious multi-disciplinary programme aims to provide data, models and technology to help understand the impacts on the Atlantic Ocean environment, and inform action such as the UK's commitments to international observing programmes. The programme will involve developing and deploying cutting-edge marine robotics, combined with ocean modelling and satellite remote sensing.
Professor Angela Hatton, NOC Director of Science & Technology and Chair of NERC's Science Board, is principal investigator of the CLASS project. She said:
“The changes occurring in the Atlantic have a significant influence on global climate and a direct impact on the UK. CLASS will bring together the combined expertise from key UK marine science institutes, and build on their contribution to global ocean observing systems, to deliver an integrated programme evaluating the impact of climate change, the effectiveness of conservation measures, and predicting the future evolution of marine environments.”
CLASS forms part of NERC's National Capability Science - Single Centre portfolio. The programme has already hit the ground running and this summer has delivered large-scale research expeditions to the Porcupine Abyssal Plain and the Haig Fras and The Canyons Marine Conservation Zones off south-west UK.
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