Crown

This study repeated a survey carried out between 2002 and 2010 at sites along the entire rocky coastline of Scotland. The 2014/15 survey was extended to include the Shetland Islands. The main aim of the study was to look for changes in the geographical distribution and abundance of species in the context of recent climate change – principally temperature change – on both short- and long-term timescales. Rising sea surface temperature has been, and continues to be, a general trend seen since 1980. But no increase in temperature was recorded between 2010 and 2014. No northward range extensions of species reaching their poleward geographical range limits were evident. The study did, however, note changes in abundance across Scotland: declines in blue mussel and increases in macroalgae were recorded. A Community Temperature Index was developed to measure spatial and temporal changes in the balance of a suite of warm and cold water species. There was a slight shift towards cold water species between 2002–2010 and 2014–2015.

This study repeated a survey carried out between 2002 and 2010 at sites along the entire rocky coastline of Scotland. The 2014/15 survey was extended to include the Shetland Islands. The main aim of the study was to look for changes in the geographical distribution and abundance of species in the context of recent climate change – principally temperature change – on both short- and long-term timescales. Rising sea surface temperature has been, and continues to be, a general trend seen since 1980. But no increase in temperature was recorded between 2010 and 2014. No northward range extensions of species reaching their poleward geographical range limits were evident. The study did, however, note changes in abundance across Scotland: declines in blue mussel and increases in macroalgae were recorded. A Community Temperature Index was developed to measure spatial and temporal changes in the balance of a suite of warm and cold water species. There was a slight shift towards cold water species between 2002–2010 and 2014–2015.

This study repeated a survey carried out between 2002 and 2010 at sites along the entire rocky coastline of Scotland. The 2014/15 survey was extended to include the Shetland Islands. The main aim of the study was to look for changes in the geographical distribution and abundance of species in the context of recent climate change – principally temperature change – on both short- and long-term timescales. Rising sea surface temperature has been, and continues to be, a general trend seen since 1980. But no increase in temperature was recorded between 2010 and 2014. No northward range extensions of species reaching their poleward geographical range limits were evident. The study did, however, note changes in abundance across Scotland: declines in blue mussel and increases in macroalgae were recorded. A Community Temperature Index was developed to measure spatial and temporal changes in the balance of a suite of warm and cold water species. There was a slight shift towards cold water species between 2002–2010 and 2014–2015.

Under the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010, Scottish Ministers were given the power to identify the boundaries of Scottish Marine Regions (SMRs) for the purposes of regional marine planning. The Scottish Marine Regions Order 2015 identifies 11 Scottish Marine Regions and establishes their boundaries. Mask layers have additionally been produced for NMPi depicting each of the individual Scottish Marine regions. This layer displays the Orkney Islands Marine Region.