In an exclusive “Topside Talks” interview with eco magazine, Dr. Callum Roberts, Professor of Marine Conservation at the University of Exeter and Chief Scientist at Convex Seascape Survey, shares insights into a new collaborative marine survey project that is delving into the mysteries of carbon in the ocean.
Introducing the Program
The Convex Seascape Survey is an ambitious five-year research program to determine how, when, and where the ocean’s continental shelves store carbon. It will provide the critical data and insight needed to fully incorporate the ocean into policy efforts to slow climate change.
The survey is being spearheaded by a partnership between Blue Marine Foundation, the University of Exeter, and Convex Insurance Ltd, and in total, the team comprises over 100 experts spread across 21 organizations in 9 countries.
Professor Roberts adds, “From the University of Exeter, there are 29 scientists—including me—all of whom are hard at work with research and fieldwork at home and abroad.
“Abroad, our team represents a diverse group of leading universities, including KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology) in Saudi Arabia, the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands, Nelson Mandela University in South Africa, and the University of British Columbia in Canada.”
The main goal of the Convex Seascape Survey is to uncover the role of seabed habitats in carbon storage and understand the effects and risks of human activity on their carbon stores. The survey generates open-source data for all to consult and use. In addition to scientific discoveries, the collaborators also aim to transform people’s perception of the seabed as much more than just muddy terrain.
“It’s rich, beautiful, very much alive, and critically important in the fight against climate change,” comments Roberts.
Why Ocean-Based Carbon Storage?
Roberts explains, “As an unprecedented phase of global warming is underway, understanding the carbon storage capability of the ocean is vital. Despite the lack of solid data around ocean-based carbon, we know that the seascape is the ultimate sink for carbon emissions and could be an immense ally in slowing climate change—what we’re hoping to discover is the extent of that impact.”
More simply put, by knowing how, when, and where the ocean’s continental shelves store carbon and what human activities are doing to those stores, scientists can provide data-based answers that will aid decision-makers on how to manage carbon stores better to slow the effects of climate change.
Survey Scope
The Convex Seascape Survey expeditions involve research across major ocean biomes, from the tropics to the poles. Carrying out fieldwork at home and abroad is crucial to informed decision-making based on our findings for policy development, resource management, and innovation, as well as for education across the globe.
During recent fieldwork, the team used techniques such as seabed coring, environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), and Baited Remote Underwater Video Systems to collect samples from multiple locations around the island. These methods were used to try and quantify the contributions of macroalgae and other marine organisms to carbon stocks and evaluate the effectiveness of marine protected areas in enhancing carbon sequestration.
“In Spring 2023, we undertook the first piece of fieldwork for the Convex Seascape Survey,” Roberts Shares. “It took place in Millport, Scotland, and we jokingly called it ‘The Great British Bioturbation-athon’. It measured the bioturbation abilities of 18 different invertebrate species living on and in the seafloor—how they move, burrow, and mix sediment.”
The research revealed that creatures such as worms, clams, brittle stars, and feather duster worms play remarkably similar roles in burying and mixing carbon into the seabed. These findings provided unprecedented new detail on the potential for such animals to store carbon and thus help protect the planet.
Looking to the Future
The team of scientists and experts is now working at full capacity and will continue to travel widely for fieldwork and analysis of findings over the next couple of years.
In the coming months, they will venture to South Africa, New Zealand, and the Antarctic—to name a few planned sites. In Antarctica, scientists will take seabed cores to interpret how abundant great whales were in the era before industrial whaling, which may have boosted ocean productivity and carbon accumulation rates. In South Africa and New Zealand, the aim is to study how marine life and carbon accumulation change across gradients of seabed disturbance, from protected to highly disturbed by human activities like trawling and dredging.
To find out more about Convex Seascape Survey, visit: https://convexseascapesurvey.com/
eco magazine’s topside talks is an exclusive in-field look into the latest applications of applied marine science methods and technologies. To read more interviews, visit: https://ecomagazine.com/reporting/topside-talks/
