Scottish Association for Marine Science

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S cottish A ssociation for M arine S ciences

The Scottish Association for Marine Science ( SAMS ) is a leading Scottish marine research institute and, founded in 1884 as the Scottish Marine Station for Scientific Research , one of the world's oldest oceanographic organizations. The association was founded by John Murray , editor of the Challenger reports, as part of the scientific evaluation of the Challenger expedition . The association is registered as a non-profit foundation (Scottish Charity No. 009206). SAMS is headquartered near the Scottish university town of Oban , on the Dunstaffnage peninsula with easy access to deep water fjords and the North Atlantic .

goals and tasks

The self-imposed goal of the association is the research of marine environments, their functioning and dependencies, their change and causes as well as the use and improvement of the handling of these environments. To this end, the association publishes and promotes its findings publicly. These activities aim to use the oceans more sustainably.

To this end, the Association explores the seas and communicates the findings to politics, business and our descendants. The association offers university degrees in a variety of fields including:

Marine Science BSc. (Bachelor)
Aquaculture, Environment and Society MSc
Ecosystem-Based Management of Marine Systems MSc
Marine Science MSc (Algal Biotechnology)
PhD

Organization and financing

SAMS laboratory building

A nine-person supervisory body, the “Board of Trustees” with functional areas of responsibility such as finance, education, research services and research and companies, organizes the approximately 150 full-time employees. Here the annual budget of around GBP 11 million is divided, administered and responsible. Approx. 70% of the budget is financed from British and European research funds, 20% is contributed by the British cultural authorities and approx. 10% is generated from commercial research contracts.

The board meets five times a year. Members are elected by the general assembly of the SAMS at an annual meeting in November or December. The board is overseen by an internal finance committee and external auditors .

The Board appoints the directors and managers of SAMS and SRSL (see below) and oversees the activities.

Commercial activities

To handle the research, SAMS has set up a commercial company, SAMS Research Services Ltd (SRSL), a limited liability company under Scottish law . This company also acts as an academic partner in cooperation with other universities.

history

In 1874 the editor of the Challenger Reports, oceanographer John Murray, established the Scottish Marine Station for Scientific Research near Granton, now part of Edinburgh . Its location near the Firth of Forth made the position useful for the station's purposes. Murray had secured support for both organizations as a member of the Meteorological Society of Scotland and the Royal Society of Edinburgh at the same time . His primary goal was the training of future marine and polar researchers such as Fridtjof Nansen and William Speirs Bruce .

The station was opened in April 1884 by the professor at Jena University , Ernst Haeckel . The station quickly became popularly known as Edinburgh Marine Station , and in self-portrayal, possibly through a donation from the Crown in 1884, it was often stylized as the Royal Scottish Marine Station . The station began with regular measurements of the surface temperature of the Firth, as well as other temperatures at different depths of the inlet. Biological research was also carried out.

Since the laboratory, which was designed for seven employees, was housed on a floating platform, access to two tenders and a yacht for collecting samples was easy.

After a short time, the floating platform was towed to Millport on the Isle of Cumbrae and pulled ashore there. The research continued there under the name Millport Biological Station . This later became the Scottish Association for Marine Science. The research station remained in Millport until the move to its current address in 1968/69.

Since 1901 the foundation has been a member society in which the general assembly is the highest authority. Since then, SAMS has been operating as a learned society .

In 2013, SAMS and the United Nations University announced that they had signed a letter of intent for cooperation. SAMS is the first marine science institute that has agreed to cooperate.

Scientific activities

Twelve research fellows work with 130 full-time students and 30 research students on the exploration of the oceans. The laboratory buildings were rebuilt and equipped in 2004. Modern classrooms were added in 2010.

Research projects and results

In 2015 it was announced that SAMS, in cooperation with the Syddansk Universitet , wants to investigate deep sea women with the help of robots. The research, budgeted at £ 2.3m, should enable the study of deep sea life in the natural environment. For this purpose, three robots are custom-made. The aim of the research trip should be the Pacific , where the Atacama Trench , the Japan Trench and the Kermadec Trench are to be investigated. The trenches were chosen because different microbial compositions are expected due to the different sea zones overlying them.

Two polar research projects were also started in 2015. The Arctis ABC project investigates the effects of sea ice loss on the ecology of the Arctic. The FAABulous project with the changes in the algae population. While the plankton orients itself to the cycle of the sun in summer, it switches to a lunar cycle in the polar winter. More activity was observed than previously assumed.

In October 2018, researchers at the SAMS published findings that showed that bottom organisms in the Scottish Sea have been contaminated with microplastics since at least 1976 . In the investigation of preserved sea and brittle stars from the Rockall trough at a depth of approx. 2000 meters, eight different plastics were identified in the samples collected at the time. Contrary to expectations, the amount of microplastic particles in the samples does not increase with decreasing age. Contrary to this observation in marine environments, the amounts of microplastic particles in human tissue have recently increased.

Infrastructure

SAMS operates two research vessels, the Research Vessels (RV) Calanus and the Seol Mara . In addition, two autonomous submersible vehicles, remote-controlled research robots and drones, as well as other equipment for exploring the oceans are maintained.

SAMS manages the Culture Collection of Algae and Protozoa (CCAP) and with over 3000 strands of salt- and freshwater-based protists, it is the world's largest collection of such organisms. In addition to the cultures, SAMS also provides information on reproduction, trains specialist staff, supports the identification of organisms and helps with the creation of patents. In addition, SAMS offers freezer storage for such organisms.

Trivia

In 2004 Robert Batty and Hakan Westerberg from SAMS were awarded the Ig Nobel Prize for their research into the communication behavior of herrings . The two were able to show that at least part of the communication in the herring school takes place through puffing .

Fonts

In addition to the compulsory annual financial statements, a page that is published several times a year, the Ocean Explorer, is published up to the 34th edition of the newsletter. In addition, SAMS publishes books (see below).

Books published by SAMS

1994: Water quality and stress indicators in marine and freshwater ecosystems: linking levels of organization (individuals, populations, communities)
1996: Aquaculture and sea lochs
1999: Good practice guidelines for ports and harbors operating within or near UK European marine sites
2002: Review and synthesis of the environmental impacts of aquaculture

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u unknown: Who we are. In: Scottish Association for Marine Science website. Retrieved January 4, 2019 .
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ unknown: Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory. Founded in the late 19th century, the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) belongs to the first generation of European marine laboratories. It is now located at Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory near Oban, in the West Highlands of Scotland, on the Firth of Lorne, one of the largest fjord / sea loch systems in Scotland. In: ASSEMBLE website. Association of European Marine Biological Laboratories, accessed January 4, 2019 .
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h unknown: Scottish Association for Marine Science. In: International Master in Marine Biological Resources (IMBRSea). Retrieved January 3, 2019 .
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l Graeme D. Eddie: Records of the Scottish Marine Station for Scientific Research, Granton, Edinburgh. In: Edinburgh University Library Special Collections; GB 237 Coll-263. Retrieved January 6, 2019 .
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Geir Johnson: New Arctic research projects start. In: British Broadcasting Corporation website. Retrieved January 3, 2019 .
^ ^A ^b Scottish Association for Marine Science Becomes a UNU Associated Institution. In: United Nations University website. January 11, 2013, accessed January 5, 2019 .
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Ilona Amos: Scot scientists to explore 'Hades' ocean depths. SCOTTISH scientists are set to explore the darkest and deepest recesses of the world's oceans in a pioneering new project that will reveal some of the secrets of life in earth's most extreme regions. In: The Scotsmand. July 1, 2015, accessed January 4, 2019 .
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d Phoebe Weston: Scottish starfish have been feeding on plastic since 1976: Shocking report reveals sea creatures have been eating polyester and nylon for over 40 years. In: Mail Online. October 24, 2018, accessed January 4, 2019 .
^ ^A ^b Improbable Research: Winners of the Ig® Nobel Prize. For achievements that first make people LAUGH then make them THINK. Retrieved January 4, 2019 .

[SAMSAbout-1] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u unknown: Who we are. In: Scottish Association for Marine Science website. Retrieved January 4, 2019 .

[ASSEMBLE-SAMS-2] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ unknown: Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory. Founded in the late 19th century, the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) belongs to the first generation of European marine laboratories. It is now located at Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory near Oban, in the West Highlands of Scotland, on the Firth of Lorne, one of the largest fjord / sea loch systems in Scotland. In: ASSEMBLE website. Association of European Marine Biological Laboratories, accessed January 4, 2019 .

[IMBRsea-3] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h unknown: Scottish Association for Marine Science. In: International Master in Marine Biological Resources (IMBRSea). Retrieved January 3, 2019 .

[ArchHubSMSSR-4] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l Graeme D. Eddie: Records of the Scottish Marine Station for Scientific Research, Granton, Edinburgh. In: Edinburgh University Library Special Collections; GB 237 Coll-263. Retrieved January 6, 2019 .

[BBC-2015-06-30-5] Geir Johnson: New Arctic research projects start. In: British Broadcasting Corporation website. Retrieved January 3, 2019 .

[UNU-Sams-6] A ^b Scottish Association for Marine Science Becomes a UNU Associated Institution. In: United Nations University website. January 11, 2013, accessed January 5, 2019 .

[SctMn2015-07-01-7] Ilona Amos: Scot scientists to explore 'Hades' ocean depths. SCOTTISH scientists are set to explore the darkest and deepest recesses of the world's oceans in a pioneering new project that will reveal some of the secrets of life in earth's most extreme regions. In: The Scotsmand. July 1, 2015, accessed January 4, 2019 .

[MailO2018-10-24-8] Phoebe Weston: Scottish starfish have been feeding on plastic since 1976: Shocking report reveals sea creatures have been eating polyester and nylon for over 40 years. In: Mail Online. October 24, 2018, accessed January 4, 2019 .

[ImprobRes-9] A ^b Improbable Research: Winners of the Ig® Nobel Prize. For achievements that first make people LAUGH then make them THINK. Retrieved January 4, 2019 .