The Scottish Coastal Observatory 1997-2013 Part 2 - Description of Scotland’s Coastal Waters Scottish Marine and Freshwater Science Vol 7 No 26 E Bresnan, K Cook, J Hindson, S Hughes, J-P Lacaze, P Walsham, L Webster and W R Turrell The Scottish Coastal Observatory 1997-2013 Part 2 – Description of Scotland’s coastal waters Scottish Marine and Freshwater Science Vol 7 No 26 E Bresnan, K Cook, J Hindson, S Hughes, J-P Lacaze, P Walsham, L Webster and W R Turrell Published by Marine Scotland Science ISSN: 2043-772 DOI: 10.7489/1881-1 Marine Scotland Science is the directorate of the Scottish Government responsible for the integrated management of Scotland’s seas. Marine Scotland Science (formerly Fisheries Research Services) provides expert scientific and technical advice on marine and fisheries issues. Scottish Marine and Freshwater Science is a series of reports that publishes results of research and monitoring carried out by Marine Scotland Science. It also publishes the results of marine and freshwater scientific work that has been carried out for Marine Scotland under external commission. These reports are not subject to formal external peer-review. This report presents the results of marine and freshwater scientific work carried out by Marine Scotland Science. © Crown copyright 2016 You may re-use this information (excluding logos and images) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open- governmentlicence/version/3/ or email: [email protected]. Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. Contents 1. Introduction 1 1.1 Supporting Policy 1 1.2 Impact 2 1.3 Underpinning Science 3 1.4 The 2016 Baseline Review 3 1.5 Accompanying DatasetDataset 3 1.6 The Scottish Coastal Observatory 4 1.7 Summary - Introduction 5 1.8 References - Introduction 5 2. Report Methodology 7 2.1 Sampling Temporal Resolution 7 2.2 SCObs Dataset 7 2.3 Data transformation 7 2.4 Plot 1 - Seasonal Variability 8 2.5 Plot 2 – Annual Variability 8 2.6 Plot 3 and 4 Inter and Intraannual variability 9 2.7 Quality Control and Quality Flagging 11 2.8 References – Report Methodology 12 3. Site Descriptions 13 3.1 Millport 17 3.2 Mallaig 18 3.3 Loch Maddy 18 3.4 Loch Ewe 19 3.5 Scapa Bay 21 3.6 Fair Isle 21 3.7 Scalloway 22 3.8 Cromarty 23 3.9 East Coast (Findon, Cove Bay, Stonehaven) 24 3.10 Stonehaven 24 3.11 Summary - Site Descriptions 26 3.12 References – Site Descriptions 26 4. Context Setting - Physical Conditions 28 4.1 Meteorology 28 4.2 Summary – Meteorology 32 4.3 Plots - Meteorology 33 4.4 River Flow 35 4.5 Summary – River Flow 41 4.6 Plots - River Flow 42 4.7 Offshore Temperature 45 4.8 Summary – Offshore Temperature 47 4.9 References - Physical Conditions 48 4.10 Plots – Offshore Temperature 49 5. Temperature and Salinity 50 5.1 Introduction 50 5.2 Methods 51 5.3 Results 55 5.4 Summary – Temperature and Salinity 60 5.5 References - Temperature and Salinity 60 5.6 Plots – Temperature and Salinity – Context Setting 61 5.7 Plots - Temperature and Salinity at the Coastal Monitoring Sites 64 6. Secchi Depth 78 6.1 Introduction 78 6.2 Methods 78 6.3 Results 78 6.4 Summary – Secchi Depth 79 6.5 References – Secchi Depth 79 6.6 Plots – Secchi Depth 80 7. Inorganic Nutrients 82 7.1 Introduction 82 7.2 Methods 83 7.3 Results 85 7.4 Summary– Inorganic Nutrients 89 7.5 References – Inorganic Nutrients 91 7.6 Plots – Inorganic Nutrients 92 8. Ocean Acidification – Carbonate Chemistry Parameters 118 8.1 Introduction 118 8.2 Methods 119 8.3 Results 122 8.4 Summary – Ocean Acidification 123 8.5 References – Ocean Acidification 124 8.6 Plots – Carbonate Chemistry Parameters 126 9. Phytoplankton 134 9.1 Introduction 134 9.2 Methods 136 9.3 Results - Diatoms 137 9.4 Plots – Diatoms 140 9.5 Results - Dinoflagellates 146 9.6 Plots – Dinoflagellates 148 9.7 Results – Alexandrium 154 9.8 Plots – Alexandrium 156 9.9 Results - Dinophysis 163 9.10 Plots – Dinophysis 165 9.11 Results - Pseudo-nitzschia 171 9.12 Plots - Pseudo-nitzschia 173 9.13 Summary - Phytoplankton 179 9.14 References - Phytoplankton 180 10. Chlorophyll ‘a’ 184 10.1 Introduction 184 10.2 Methods 184 10.3 Results 185 10.4 Summary- Chlorophyll ‘a’ 185 10.5 References – Chlorophyll ‘a’ 187 10.6 Plots – Chlorophyll ‘a’ 188 11. Algal toxins 190 11.1 Introduction 190 11.2 Methods 192 11.3 Results 196 11.4 Discussion 199 11.5 Summary - Biotoxins 201 11.6 References – Algal toxins 203 11.7 Plots – Algal toxins 205 12. Zooplankton 217 12.1 Introduction 217 12.2 Methods 221 12.3 Results - Total Copepod Biomass 222 12.4 Plots – Total Copepod Biomass 224 12.5 Results - Calanus finmarchicus Stages C5-6 Biomass 226 12.6 Plots - Calanus finmarchicus Stages C5-6 Biomass 227 12.7 Results - Calanus helgolandicus Stages C5-6 Biomass 229 12.8 Plots - Calanus helgolandicus Stages C5-6 Biomass 230 12.9 Results - Centropages hamatus Stages C1-6 Biomass 232 12.10 Plots - Centropages hamatus Stages C1-6 Biomass 233 12.11 Results - Centropages typicus Stages C1-6 Biomass 235 12.12 Plots - Centropages typicus Stages C1-6 Biomass 236 12.13 Results - Acartia clausi Stages C1-6 Biomass 238 12.14 Plots - Acartia clausi Stages C1-6 Biomass 239 12.15 Results - Paracalanus parvus Stages C1-6 Biomass 241 12.16 Plots - Paracalanus parvus Stages C1-6 Biomass 242 12.17 Results - Pseudocalanus spp. Stages C1-6 Biomass 244 12.18 Plots - Pseudocalanus spp. Stages C1-6 Biomass 245 12.19 Results - Temora longicornis stages C1-6 biomass 247 12.20 Plots - Temora longicornis stages C1-6 biomass 248 12.21 Results - Oithonidae stages C1-6 biomass 250 12.22 Plots - Oithonidae stages C1-6 biomass 251 12.23 Results - Benthic Larvae Biomass 253 12.24 Plots - Benthic Larvae Biomass 254 12.25 Results - Decapod Larvae Biomass 256 12.26 Plots - Decapod Larvae Biomass 257 12.27 Results - Bivalve Larvae Biomass 259 12.28 Plots - Bivalve Larvae Biomass 260 12.29 Results - Barnacle Larvae Biomass 262 12.30 Plots - Barnacle Larvae Biomass 263 12.31 Results - Cnidarian Biomass 265 12.32 Plots - Cnidarian Biomass 266 12.33 Results - Calcifying Plankton Biomass 268 12.34 Plots - Calcifying Plankton Biomass 269 12.35 Summary – Zooplankton 271 12.36 References - Zooplankton 272 13. Acknowledgments 276 Chapter Authors 1 Introduction Eileen Bresnan 2 Report Methodology Bill Turrell Sarah Hughes Eileen Bresnan 3 Site Descriptions Sarah Hughes Jenny Hindson Eileen Bresnan Bill Turrell 4 Physical Conditions Sarah Hughes Jenny Hindson 5 Temperature and Salinity Sarah Hughes Jenny Hindson 6 Secchi Depth Eileen Bresnan 7 Inorganic Nutrients Lynda Webster Pam Walsham 8 Ocean Acidification – Carbonate Chemistry Parameters Pam Walsham Lynda Webster 9 Phytoplankton Eileen Bresnan 10 Chlorophyll ‘a’ Eileen Bresnan Pam Walsham 11 Algal toxins Jean-Pierre Lacaze 12 Zooplankton Kathryn Cook Text editors Bill Turrell, Eileen Bresnan 1. Introduction Scotland’s seas are an intrinsic part of its cultural history, identity and economic success. Scottish fishing, aquaculture, tourism, renewable energies, and oil and gas industries are all supported by the oceans around Scotland. Part of the vision of Marine Scotland is to protect Scotland’s marine ecosystem while maintaining its economic prosperity. Underpinning this is a need for a comprehensive understanding of how the marine ecosystem functions and how it responds to local environmental pressures such as anthropogenic nutrient input or global drivers such as climate change. Scotland’s coastal waters play an important role in the Scottish rural economy. They provide fertile fishing grounds for stocks such as Nephrops, lobsters and crabs and are also the main areas where the aquaculture and maritime tourism industries are located. This coastal environment is subject to pressures from natural and anthropogenic drivers which may impact these industries. Changes in the ocean circulation offshore, or multi decadal large scale climatic cycles can influence ambient temperature and salinity in coastal areas (Edwards et al., 2002). Weather patterns can result in harmful algal blooms being advected into areas where shellfish farms are located (Whyte et al., 2014). Larger scale drivers such as climate change and ocean acidification (Hoegh-Guldberg and Bruno 2010) can impact the coastal marine ecosystem. The impacts of these longer term changes are unknown and scientists are developing models to try and predict these. Realising the importance of this situation, Marine Scotland identified ‘understanding how the marine ecosystem functions’ and ‘responding to climate change and its interaction with the marine environment’ as two of its high priorities in the 2010-2015 Scottish Marine Science Strategy. 1.1 Supporting Policy The state of the oceans is recognised as an important concern at an international scale. The vision of ‘Clean & Safe’, ‘Healthy & Biodiverse’, and ‘Productive’ seas is a key driver of marine policy at a national, European and North Atlantic level. The OSPAR Commission has a number of assessment criteria which oblige European states to ensure their waters are not negatively impacted by anthropogenic pressures (OSPAR 2013). The EU has implemented directives such as the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) which require member states to ensure their waters achieve ‘Good Ecological Status’ and ‘Good Environmental Status’ respectively. Thus governments are obliged to provide the data to ensure that these assessments can be made. Coastal ecosystems are very variable with dramatic changes in some parameters e.g.