Aquaculture site selection Report

Report on potential, selected sites for offshore aquaculture along the Spanish, Norwegian and Irish Atlantic coasts. European policy intends to expand the space available to aquaculture by cultivating sites that are offshore. This presents challenges in terms of building structures e.g. fish cages that withstand the effects of offshore weather conditions along the Atlantic coast. In order to establish possible future sites for offshore aquaculture production we intend to gather relevant wave, current velocity and water column structure measurements from the coasts of Ireland, Norway and Spain and use these data to validate site assessment models at ca. 200 m horizontal resolution of the potential new offshore aquaculture sites. This will result in a generic tool based on in-situ observations and model output over a hindcast period, coupled to existing site decision tools, so that potential license applicants can pinpoint sites for further exploration and site investigation

The diatom Pseudo-nitzschia (Peragallo) in Irish waters

Ph.D. Thesis submitted to the National University of Ireland, Galway.The objectives of this study were to: 1. Determine which Pseudo-nitzschia species are present in Irish waters using light microscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopy; 2. Investigate the hydrographic conditions that relate to the distribution of the genus Pseudo-nitzschia; 3. Determine which species are capable of producing domoic acid in unialgal cultures; 4. Compare SSU and ITS1 and part of the 5.8S ribosomal DNA sequences of Irish Pseudo-nitzschia isolates with available sequences of Pseudo-nitzschia isolates from other geographic regions; 5. Examine the efficacy of existing oligonucleotide probes to aid identification of Pseudo-nitzschia strains in Irish waters

Characterising the nature of ocean-surface heterogeneity extracted from hypertemporal Earth Observation data

The ongoing temporal data "explosion" in Earth Observation imagery presents the oceanographic community with opportunities to analyse 30+ year archives of ocean surface measurements. While multiple hyper-temporal analysis tools exist for terrestrial applications, unsupervised data-driven methods are needed to extract and identify spatio-temporal ocean surface patterns. In particular, heterogeneity mapping of the ocean surface is needed to underpin time series analysis of satellite-derived ocean parameters, such as sea surface temperature and chlorophyll. Ultimately, derived products must be of benefit to the oceanographic and marine ecology communities, with clear meaningful guidance on their contents and how to interpret them. The Ocean-surface Heterogeneity MApping (OHMA) algorithm was developed to extract annual heterogeneity summaries from hyper-temporal datasets of GHRSST multi-sensor SST data. The OHMA algorithm produces a classification ensemble relying on optimised iterations of ISODATA classification. The ensembles highlight spatio-temporally homogeneous and heterogeneous ocean regions. The approach is entirely data-driven to meet current limitations when working with hyper-temporal ocean data, and to overcome challenges of obtaining ocean surface in-situ data which drive more supervised approaches. The OHMA map is validated for 2011 using measures of in-situ spatio-temporal heterogeneity from transect data. This approach can help optimise in-situ sampling efforts, with significant cost savings. It is critical to provide guidance to oceanographic and ecology users on how to interpret the features an OHMA map presents. Efforts undertaken to clarify interpretation of an OHMA map, through comparing the heterogeneity features highlighted in the OHMA outputs to SST front summaries derived from SST data, clearly demonstrated that heterogeneous regions cannot be explained primarily by the presence and magnitude of SST fronts. The spatio-temporal characteristics of other mesoscale features, such as eddies and surface currents, may also influence the features expressed in an OHMA output which are of interest to end user communities. Measuring the contribution of the various mesoscale features to a region's heterogeneity, therefore requires a multi-feature (and therefore multi-variable) synergistic approach

Report on AtlantOS fitness for ship routing

This report outlines the fitness for use and fitness for purpose of AtlantOS for low carbon ship routin

Gap analysis of links between coastal and open ocean networks

The gap analysis of observing systems presented in this report is focused on the evaluation of the continuum between coastal observations and open ocean observations (including the shelf-break transition region). Some recommendations are suggested with the aim of improving the efficiency of existing observing systems in coastal and open ocean regions. Gaps in Observing networks, Data availability, Sustainability and Technology are considered. Main recommendations following identified gaps can be summarized as: - The spatial coverage of observing networks need to be improved between the near-coast and open ocean observing systems. - The general lack of observations over the shelf break and the continental shelf can be improved based on opportunity measurements (e.g. Fishery Observing Systems). - Continuous monitoring of the shelf waters is crucial supporting the continuity and success of active operational numerical forecast models. - Biogeochemical or biological observations are lacking except near coast were regular sampling are performed. - Harmonization actions need to be extended to the whole range of observing networks (particularly diverse in coastal area) in coastal and open oceans. - Coastal data availability remains limited and international initiatives need to be supported. - Estimations of costs are necessary to show that observing ocean from coast to open ocean has a low cost to society compared with other infrastructures (e.g. roads), and how they provide benefits for the society. - There is a need for standardizing technological modules for continuous, affordable and efficient monitoring systems, particularly for the coastal ocean

Applied simulations and integrated modelling for the understanding of toxic and harmful algal blooms (ASIMUTH): Integrated HAB forecast systems for Europe's Atlantic Arc

Reasons for the emergent interest in HABs are abundant, including concerns associated with human health, adverse effects on biological resources, economic losses attributed to recreation, tourism and seafood related industries, and the cost of maintaining public advisory services and monitoring programs for shellfish toxins and water quality. The impact of HABs can potentially be mitigated by early warning of their development. In this regard the project ASIMUTH (Applied Simulations and Integrated Modelling for the Understanding of Toxic and Harmful algal blooms) was borne in order to develop short term HAB alert systems for Atlantic Europe. This was achieved using information on the most current marine conditions (weather, water characteristics, toxicity, harmful algal presence etc.) combined with high resolution local numerical predictions. This integrated, multidisciplinary, trans-boundary approach to the study of HABs developed during ASIMUTH led to a better understanding of the physical, chemical and ecological factors controlling these blooms, as well as their impact on human activities. The outcome was an appropriate alert system for an effective management of areas that are usually associated with HAB events and where these episodes may have a more significant negative impact on human activities. Specifically for the aquaculture industry, the information provided enabled farmers to adapt their working practices in time to prevent mortalities in finfish farms and/or manage their shellfish harvest more effectively. This paper summarises the modelling and alert developments generated by the ASIMUTH project.Versión del editor3,083

Concern Over Mistakes and Emotion Regulation are Uniquely and Synergistically Associated with Eating Disorder Symptoms

Concern Over Mistakes and Emotion Regulation Skills are Uniquely and Synergistically Associated with Eating Disorder Symptoms in Adolescence Madison Ortman*, Mattison J. Hale*, Aleena Saifullah*, Sara Clark*, Taylor Porter*, Maritza Lazo B.A. *, Caroline Christian M.S. †, Claire E. Cusack M.A.†, Rachel Butler, Ph.D., Cheri A. Levinson, Ph.D. † *Authors contributed equally to this work. † Provided supervision. University of Louisville, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences Perfectionism and emotion dysregulation are transdiagnostic risk and maintenance factors implicated in eating disorders (EDs). Specifically, increased perfectionism and poorer emotional regulation skills have been associated with increased risk for ED behaviors and symptom severity. Though perfectionism and emotional regulation difficulties are implicated in EDs in adults, little is known about the associations across EDs, perfectionism, and emotional regulation difficulties in adolescents. In the current study, we analyzed the relationship between three unique perfectionism dimensions (e.g., concern over mistakes, parental criticism, pure personal standards), emotional regulation skills, and their interaction on ED symptoms severity. We found a significant relationship between concern over mistakes and ED symptoms (p \u3c .001), a significant relationship between emotion regulation difficulties and ED symptoms (p \u3c .001), and a significant relationship between their interaction and ED symptoms (p = .018). Parental criticism and pure personal standards were not associated with ED symptom severity, when accounting for emotion regulation difficulties (ps \u3e .05). A simple slopes analysis revealed the relationship between concern over mistakes and ED symptom severity was strengthened for those with average to poor emotion regulation skills, but not for individuals with high emotion regulation skills. Thus, it is important to assess for ED symptoms among adolescents with elevated emotion regulation difficulties and perfectionism symptoms, as greater challenges with emotion dysregulation may exacerbate the relationship between perfectionism and ED symptoms

Aquaculture operation Bulletin: Weather window nowcast/forecast Bulletin tool for offshore aquaculture operators

Use Case Title: Offshore aquaculture siting Environmental matrix of interest (Air, Ice, Mar. Water, etc.): Marine Study Regions: Shelf Seas in Norway, Ireland and Spain Dissemination Method: Web We will develop a weather window tool to give developers real-time access to observations and model forecasts of seas state to plan day to day operation

Demonstration of annual/quarterly assessments and description of the production system

This task set out to increase communication between the ocean monitoring and modelling communities in the Baltic Sea area. Through these improved communications, the goal was to advance and improve the HELCOM marine environmental assessments. To gain confidence in the numerical model outputs, an effort was undertaken to ensure ocean observing in-situ data, collected by multiple nations in the Baltic Sea, was assimilated into a numerical model. Here, we report on the development of indicators, as requested by our stakeholders, and we discuss if the Baltic Sea numerical modelling efforts are ready to augment regional environmental status reports, and can our results help guide environmental management in the region