A break in tumultuous weather allowed the Community of Arran Seabed Trust (COAST) to set sail again in its research vessel COAST Explorer.
After spending the winter on dry land at the Arran Outdoor Education Centre (AOEC), which supports COAST with a boat yard and mooring maintenance, RV COAST Explorer was launched last week with the help of AOEC staff and other volunteers.
COAST made the most of the opportunity and organised the season’s inaugural public trip. The sea science excursion sold out within an hour, offering participants a chance to engage in scientific endeavours that contribute to the long-term monitoring of protected areas around Arran.
Onboard RV COAST Explorer, participants took part in mapping live maerl, a coralline seaweed, in the No Take Zone using a specially adapted camera lowered to the seabed with a live feed to a tablet on the surface. It took a little time before the distinctive bright pink algae was spotted and sea life under the waves was witnessed in awe as it appeared on the screen.
Following a prime bird-spotting opportunity as RV COAST Explorer cruised around Hamilton Rock, a Secchi disk was deployed. By measuring the depth at which this disk disappears, the clarity of the water in a given area can be determined.
Participants also towed a sampling net through the water before taking a look at what plankton had been caught.
Excitement reached a crescendo when Jenny Crockett, COAST’s outreach and communications manager, explained they had never seen one of the tiny plankton that came up in the haul. It was a small, bright blue/green, copepod - small crustacean.
On further examination under a microscope back at the COAST Discovery Centre, it was found the plankton haul also contained microplastics – a stark reminder of one of the many impacts humans have on every inch of our planet.
Jenny told the Banner: “COAST is delighted to have started the season of citizen science and look forward to helping people engage in real-world science, contributing to vital marine conservation efforts around Arran."
Next month COAST will be offering another event where you can join them for a Seasearch Observer course to learn how to identify and record species and habitats you see either on the shore or underwater.
Details of this event, as well as further sea science trips and other opportunities to get involved, are available on COAST’s website at www.arrancoast.com/octopuscentre/whats-on/
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