Marine Scotland Science (MSS) undertakes a wide range of monitoring covering many aspects of the Scottish marine ecosystem.
Monitoring is undertaken in Scottish Inshore Waters, using networks of volunteers and automatic recording equipment, as well as in Scottish Offshore Waters, using the MSS research vessels MRV Alba na Mara and MRV Scotia.
Marine Scotland Science also participates national monitoring programmes, such as:
This group provides published data from monitoring these activities. For many activities, there are national or international standards for how the monitoring is undertaken.
The University of Aberdeen runs the Lighthouse Field Station in Cromarty as a base for mammal research. In December 2003, a temperature logger was set up near the lighthouse to measure sea surface temperature
St Abbs is located on the south-east coast of Scotland. The temperature logger is suspended from the harbour wall. Staff at the St Abbs marine station collect the weekly samples at this site.
Samples are collected offshore from Stonehaven using Marine Scotland Science's catamaran, the Temora. The Stonehaven site has many student projects and supplementary projects carried out parallel to the regular monitoring due to its short...
This is a moderately exposed site on the south-west coast of Shetland. The temperature logger is suspended under a floating pontoon at Scalloway Boat Club. Surface nutrient, salinity and phytoplankton samples are collected by staff from North...
Dave Wheeler, MBE, the local meteorologist and airport manager maintains this site. The temperature logger is attached to North Haven Pier at a fixed depth, and has been running since 2003. Before this, Dave took his own measurements from 1979-...
Scapa Pier is a fairly sheltered location within Scapa Flow. The temperature logger is suspended from the pier, and surface nutrient, salinity and phytoplankton samples are also taken from the pier. The environmental unit of the Orkney Islands...
The sampling site at Loch Ewe is located in a sheltered fish farm hosted by Jane and Willie Grant. The minilogger, which records temperature at the site, is deployed below a buoy at a depth of 3 metres. All of the other readings are taken weekly...
Loch Maddy is a large ecosystem of shallow lochs ecompassing a wide range of habitats and features including reefs, lagoons, mudflats and sandbanks. The area has been proposed as a UK Marine Special Area of Conversation and the local community...
This site is run by Ewen Nicholson, a local fisherman. The temperature logger is deployed in a pipe attached to the fishery pier and can be changed at low water spring tide, when the top of the pipe is uncovered
Sea surface temperatures have been taken at Keppel Pier since the mid-1950's as part of the research at the University Marine Biological Station at Millport, forming one of the longest ongoing datasets available. Marine Scotland has been...