Marine Geography: resources to bridge

secondary and higher geography

Dr Rupert Perkins, Senior Lecturer in Marine Biosciences

Degree Scheme Director and Admissions Officer

What is Marine Geography?

A blend of human and physical geography in the coastal

and offshore marine systems.

Covering marine biology, fisheries, conservation, offshore

energy, renewable energy, ports and shipping,

geomorphology, geology, coastal processes, hydrographic

survey, mapping and charts, meteorology, climate and

climate change, sustainability, food supply and logistics,

water supply, environmental pollution, hazards and risk,

coastal management, marine governance, environmental

law......

http://www.hms-juno.co.uk/Ice/27.jpg

Earth and Planetary System Science 20 70:30

The Sedimentary System Science 10 100:0

Dangerous Earth 10 100:0

Skills and Methods in Earth Sciences 10 70:30

Natural Resources and Energy 10 70:30

Formation of the British Isles 10 70:30

Geoinformatics 10 0:100

Charts and Hydrography 10 50:50

Environmental Chemistry and Biology 10 70:30

The Development of the World Ocean 10 50:50

Field Course 10 0:100

Year 1 Marine Geography and

MESci Marine Geography

Geographical Research Methods

and Field Skills

20 Marine Geography Dissertation 30

Marine Geography Fieldwork

project

10 Final Year Field Course 10

Coastal Processes 10 Applications of Marine Science 10

Coastal Hydrography 20 Marine Conservation Science 10

Marine Ecosystems 10 Global Climate Change 20

Applied GIS 10 Marine Geomatics 20

Ocean Atmosphere Systems 20 Ocean Management 20

Environmental Pollution 10 Integrated Coastal Management 10

Marine and Coastal Resource

Development

10 Water Resources 10

Environmental law 10

Environmental Management and Policy 10

Years 2 and 3 Marine

Geography

(Similar for MESci pathway, but extra modules in year 3 and year 4 with MESci modules and

Masters Dissertation)

Bridging the gap

1. Boat work – coastal survey, human and physical

geography blend

2. Overseas placements for A2 level students

3. Workshops, case studies, lecture series, distance

learning

Placements for A2 level

students to Greece

www.archipelago.gr

Archipelagos, Samos and

Lipsi, Aegean, Greece

Ocean acidification: good bye coral reefs?

Ocean Acidification: the other CO2 problem!

An experiment for visualising ocean

acidification

Zooanthellae

CO2 from

metabolism

Active Calcium

transport

Calcium from sea water in coelenteron

Bicarbonate Ca2+

Calcium carbonate

Carbonic acid and

calcium carbonate

(PPT)

Bicarbonate

converted to

CO2

Calicoblastis

gastrodermis

Calicoblastis

epidermis

Mucopoly-

saccharide in

organic membrane

Calcification processes in a scleractinic reef building coral

Measured biogenic calcification responses to increased pCO2.

Stylophora pistillata −14 −20 Gattuso et al., 1998

S. pistillata 0 to −50 Reynaud et al., 2003

Acropora cervicornis −40 −59 Renegar and Riegl, 2005

Acropora eurystoma −38 −56 Schneider and Erez, 2006

Acropora verweyi −12 −18 Marubini et al., 2003

P. compressa + Montipora capitata −40 −59 Langdon and Atkinson,2005

Porites compressa −17 −25 Marubini et al., 2001

P. lutea −38 −56 Ohde and Hossain, 2004

P. porites - 16 Marubini and Thake, 1999

Pavona cactus −14 −20 Marubini et al., 2003

Galaxea fascicularis −12 −18 Marubini et al., 2003

G. fascicularis −56 −83 Marshall and Clode, 2002

Turbinaria reniformis −9 −13 Marubini et al., 2003

Useful references: -

http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/pdf/10.1146/annurev.marine.010908.163834

Anthony et al. 2008. Ocean acidification causes bleaching and productivity loss in coral reef builders

PNAS 105 no. 45 17442-17446

Open access journal at: http://www.pnas.org/content/105/45/17442.full

An issue of geography: location,

climate, resource, socioeconomics,

lifestyle, tourism....

Dependence on reefs is proportional to poverty level

Coastal Erosion – Diatoms play at King Canute

Coastal erosion costs millions and with IPCC predictions

for sea level rise, things can only get worse

Problem – coastal defence can cost more than the value of

the land being saved as has a finite life span

Work with nature –

Managed

Realignment

LTSEM of a

biofilm

Pleurosigma angulatum

So how do Diatoms help?

Migration – Extracellular Polymers – Biofilm -

Biostabilisation

This is where I would do a demo

but I didnt want to get arrested at

the airport!

Water Content (% w/w)

45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80

CS

M je

t p

ressu

re (

PS

I)

0

20

40

60

80

100

r = 0.90, p < 0.05

r = 0.60, p < 0.05

Erosion threshold as a function of water content

and polymer

Conclusion: The succession of natural sea defence starts

with the microalage and biogenic polymers –

Biostabilisation. A crucial Ecosystem Service of Diatoms

Medmerry, West Sussex.

Abbotts Hall Farm,

Blackwater estuary, Essex –

Environment Agency – “it

has been a huge success,

particularly in mitigating the

flood risk further up the river

in populated areas.”

"It's a really great site to take

the pressure out of the tide.

On big surge tides it is not

going up and overtopping

other defences," she said.

BBC News, Nov, 2013