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Climate Change

Turning up the heat: Advancing UK science to better predict and respond to marine heatwaves

By John Pinnegar, Director of the International Marine Climate Change Centre, Cefas and Caroline Rowland, Head of Oceans, Cryosphere and Dangerous Climate Change, Met Office. In 2023 and 2024, global air temperatures reached unprecedented levels, with 2023 being officially the …

Emerging from the ‘innovation valley of death’: Opportunities and challenges for the seaweed industry in the UK and Europe.

Every new industry or technology requires funding to survive, initially for research and development (R&D), developing processes and products, and then to scaling up to a viable business. A lot of the initial research is supported by public funding, which …

Cefas’ Seascapes project: understanding the benefits and trade-offs associated with managing marine natural capital

A power boat rocketing past the rock stacks along the Jurassic Coast,

By Clement Garcia and Frances Mynott, Cefas leads of the mNCEA programme. The Cefas-led project, ‘A seascape natural capital approach for sustainable management (Seascapes)’, is part of a 3-year Defra funded marine Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (mNCEA) programme. mNCEA …

The power of plankton: Advancing our understanding of the role and value of plankton as marine natural capital

In this new Marine Science blog, scientists from Cefas, the University of Plymouth, and Environment Agency discuss new research by the Pelagic Natural Capital project (PelCap), which is helping to monitor the impact of human activities on plankton health in …

Expanding the concept of 'blue carbon’: Cefas science on coastal ecosystems and their role in tackling climate change

turtle swimming above seagrass

The importance of mangroves and other blue carbon ecosystems in mitigating the impacts of climate change is once again high on the agenda at this year’s Nature, Land-use, and Oceans Day at the UN Climate Change Conference COP28 in Dubai. …

Collaboration and progress through Cefas’ Climate, Health, and Environment Resilience Programme in the Middle East

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: adaptation, Climate Change, International, Middle East, Pollution, Uncategorized

Our Climate, Health, and Environment Resilience Programme (CHERP) has recently kicked off another year of activity in the Middle East. With the UN Climate Change COP28 currently underway in the region, we are taking a look back at what we …

Too hot to handle? Marine climate change risks and opportunities for adaptation in the Gulf

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: adaptation, Climate Change, marine protected areas, Policy, Science
Sunset in the Persian Gulf

As world leaders meet at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) in Dubai this week, Cefas Middle East Programme Director Will Le Quesne, discusses the challenge of climate change facing the …

One year on: Cefas generates new tools and evidence to support marine natural capital programme

Natural capital refers to parts of the natural environment, such as forests, fisheries, rivers, biodiversity, land and minerals, that provide valuable goods and services to society. Much like human capital (labour, skills and experience), recent reviews recognise that natural capital should …

Ascension Island and Lowestoft school twinning project: Connecting the next generation of ocean advocates

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: biodiversity, Climate Change, Education, Ocean literacy, Science
Two students in a classroom looking at food chain cards

Despite being separated by more than 7,000 kilometres and located in opposite hemispheres, with the diverse climates and marine environments of the South Atlantic and North Sea, a ground-breaking primary school twinning project, supported by Cefas and Ascension Island, has …

Q&A with Elena Couce: Paris Agreement vital to save world’s coral reefs

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: adaptation, biodiversity, Climate Change, International, Policy, Science

Coral reefs are one of the most important ecosystems in the world, supporting up 25% of the ocean’s marine life.  However, warming temperatures and ocean acidification have led to a decline in coral reef richness in much of the tropics.  In …