http://hdl.handle.net/10468/536 2013-05-20T09:20:58Z 2013-05-20T09:20:58Z Bastian, Thomas Jean Daniel http://hdl.handle.net/10468/459 2013-01-15T03:00:08Z 2011-11-01T00:00:00Z

The broad-scale distribution and abundance of Scyphomedusae in Irish waters Bastian, Thomas Jean Daniel Scyphomedusae are receiving increasing recognition as key components of marine ecosystems. However, information on their distribution and abundance beyond coastal waters is generally lacking. Organising access to such data is critical to effectively transpose findings from laboratory, mesocosm and small scale studies to the scale of ecological processes. These data are also required to identify the risks of detrimental impacts of jellyfish blooms on human activities. In Ireland, such risks raise concerns among the public, but foremost amongst the professionals of the aquaculture and fishing sectors. The present work looked at the opportunity to get access to new information on the distribution of jellyfish around Ireland mostly by using existing infrastructures and programmes. The analysis of bycatch data collected during the Irish groundfish surveys provided new insights into the distribution of Pelagia noctiluca over an area >160 000 km2, a scale never reached before in a region of the Northeast Atlantic (140 sampling stations). Similarly, 4 years of data collected during the Irish Sea juvenile gadoid fish survey provided the first spatially, explicit, information on the abundance of Aurelia aurita and Cyanea spp. (Cyanea capillata and Cyanea lamarckii) throughout the Irish Sea (> 200 sampling events). In addition, the use of ships of opportunity allowed repeated samplings (N = 37) of an >100 km long transect between Dublin (Ireland) and Holyhead (Wales, UK), therefore providing two years of seasonal monitoring of the occurrence of scyphomedusae in that region. Finally, in order to inform the movements of C. capillata in an area where many negative interactions with bathers occur, the horizontal and vertical movements of 5 individual C. capillata were investigated through acoustic tracking.

2011-11-01T00:00:00Z O'Connor, Brian http://hdl.handle.net/10468/501 2013-01-15T03:00:12Z 2011-08-01T00:00:00Z

Monitoring the vegetation start of season (SOS) across the island of Ireland using the MERIS global vegetation index O'Connor, Brian The aim of this study was to develop a methodology, based on satellite remote sensing, to estimate the vegetation Start of Season (SOS) across the whole island of Ireland on an annual basis. This growing body of research is known as Land Surface Phenology (LSP) monitoring. The SOS was estimated for each year from a 7-year time series of 10-day composited, 1.2 km reduced resolution MERIS Global Vegetation Index (MGVI) data from 2003 to 2009, using the time series analysis software, TIMESAT. The selection of a 10-day composite period was guided by in-situ observations of leaf unfolding and cloud cover at representative point locations on the island. The MGVI time series was smoothed and the SOS metric extracted at a point corresponding to 20% of the seasonal MGVI amplitude. The SOS metric was extracted on a per pixel basis and gridded for national scale coverage. There were consistent spatial patterns in the SOS grids which were replicated on an annual basis and were qualitatively linked to variation in landcover. Analysis revealed that three statistically separable groups of CORINE Land Cover (CLC) classes could be derived from differences in the SOS, namely agricultural and forest land cover types, peat bogs, and natural and semi-natural vegetation types. These groups demonstrated that managed vegetation, e.g. pastures has a significantly earlier SOS than in unmanaged vegetation e.g. natural grasslands. There was also interannual spatio-temporal variability in the SOS. Such variability was highlighted in a series of anomaly grids showing variation from the 7-year mean SOS. An initial climate analysis indicated that an anomalously cold winter and spring in 2005/2006, linked to a negative North Atlantic Oscillation index value, delayed the 2006 SOS countrywide, while in other years the SOS anomalies showed more complex variation. A correlation study using air temperature as a climate variable revealed the spatial complexity of the air temperature-SOS relationship across the Republic of Ireland as the timing of maximum correlation varied from November to April depending on location. The SOS was found to occur earlier due to warmer winters in the Southeast while it was later with warmer winters in the Northwest. The inverse pattern emerged in the spatial patterns of the spring correlates. This contrasting pattern would appear to be linked to vegetation management as arable cropping is typically practiced in the southeast while there is mixed agriculture and mostly pastures to the west. Therefore, land use as well as air temperature appears to be an important determinant of national scale patterns in the SOS. The TIMESAT tool formed a crucial component of the estimation of SOS across the country in all seven years as it minimised the negative impact of noise and data dropouts in the MGVI time series by applying a smoothing algorithm. The extracted SOS metric was sensitive to temporal and spatial variation in land surface vegetation seasonality while the spatial patterns in the gridded SOS estimates aligned with those in landcover type. The methodology can be extended for a longer time series of FAPAR as MERIS will be replaced by the ESA Sentinel mission in 2013, while the availability of full resolution (300m) MERIS FAPAR and equivalent sensor products holds the possibility of monitoring finer scale seasonality variation. This study has shown the utility of the SOS metric as an indicator of spatiotemporal variability in vegetation phenology, as well as a correlate of other environmental variables such as air temperature. However, the satellite-based method is not seen as a replacement of ground-based observations, but rather as a complementary approach to studying vegetation phenology at the national scale. In future, the method can be extended to extract other metrics of the seasonal cycle in order to gain a more comprehensive view of seasonal vegetation development.

2011-08-01T00:00:00Z Twomey, Sarah O'Mahony, Cathal Sutton, Gerry http://hdl.handle.net/10468/547 2013-03-08T03:01:00Z 2011-04-01T00:00:00Z

Partnerships involving stakeholders in the Celtic Sea ecosystem (PISCES): Translating EU maritime policy into practical outputs for multiple sectors spanning Ireland, the UK, France and Spain Twomey, Sarah; O'Mahony, Cathal; Sutton, Gerry The Celtic Sea marine ecosystem is an area of diverse wildlife and important ecological activity. It is also one of the most heavily used bodies of water in the world of with multiple sectors including industry, shipping, commercial fishing and coastal recreation competing for space and resources. Like oceans and seas globally, this region is experiencing pressures due to increasing human activity. In response to this growing problem, the European Commission LIFE+ programme funded a project called Partnerships Involving Stakeholders in the Celtic Sea Eco-System (PISCES). The primary aims of PISCES are to: find new and innovative ways to engage stakeholders in working together on environmentally sound solutions for the region; develop stakeholder understanding of the ecosystem-based approach to marine management; and, produce a set of stakeholder-led guidelines for an ecosystem-based approach to management of activities in the area.  Current EU-wide marine management policies rely on effective application of an ecosystem-based approach (e.g., the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive; the Common Fisheries Policy). PISCES is a pioneering project in that it is translating EU maritime policy into practical outputs for multiple sectors and across a multinational area encompassing four countries: the UK, Ireland, France and Spain. This three-year project, which began at the end of 2009, identifies the key players in the Celtic Sea representing all major human uses and impacts, and builds successful stakeholder partnerships through a series of workshops whilst also facilitating additional interactions in order to maximise the out-reach and impact of the practical guidelines. Stakeholders include the fishing and aquaculture industries, marine renewable energy companies, shipping, oil, gas and aggregate extraction industries, ports, environmental agencies, coastal tourism and recreation industries, as well as key policy makers from the four countries.

2011-04-01T00:00:00Z O'Sullivan, Geoffrey Twomey, Sarah http://hdl.handle.net/10468/539 2012-02-29T03:00:11Z 2010-09-01T00:00:00Z

Irish marine projects supported by the EU INTERREG IV Programme 2007-2010 O'Sullivan, Geoffrey; Twomey, Sarah The EU INTERREG-IV Programme (2007-2013) is an important source of external competitive funding for a range of knowledge-based marine projects promoting regional and cross-border co-operation and development. During the period 2007-2010, 29 INTERREG-IV projects (including two preparatory actions) with Irish participation were approved for funding. The total value of these projects is circa 75.5m with over 12.3m in grant-aid going to the Irish partners. This directory provides a summary of each of these 29 projects. Many of these projects in turn contribute to the implementation of research, development and innovation priorities identified in Ireland's national Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation (SSTI: 2006-2013) and its marine component, the Sea Change Strategy (2007-2013).

2010-09-01T00:00:00Z