news 2010

"When the seagulls follow the trawler, it's because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea." - Eric Cantona Football legend Eric Cantona knew a thing or two about the feeding habits of seabirds that follow fishing trawlers in the hope of picking up a free lunch. But surprisingly, very little is known about the relationship between fishing boats and scavenging seabirds, nor what might happen to them if plans to ban this practice come into operation next year.

The international team, including scientists from Oxford University and NASA JPL , used thermal images from the Very Large Telescope (Chile), Gemini Observatory telescope (Chile) and Japan's Subaru telescope (Hawaii). They report their findings in the journal Icarus . 'This is the first time we can say that there's an intimate link between environmental conditions - temperature, winds, pressure and composition - and the actual colour of the Great Red Spot,' lead author Leigh Fletcher, from Oxford University's Department of Physics, told me.

Can we predict which species are prone to extinction and which will persist and flourish' New research from the University of Plymouth has shown that the quality of the environment is more important than the area of habitat available for a species to survive. Wilco Verberk's research on Dutch ponds, which will be published in a forthcoming edition of the British Ecological Society's Journal of Animal Ecology, has revealed that specialist species, confined to a narrow range of habitats, are so well adapted to their particular environment that any change can be catastrophic.

Plymouth marine scientists have joined with international colleagues to help educate the public about "ocean acidification," the scientific details of which are intricate and sometimes counterintuitive. Twenty-seven scientists from five countries worked together to produce and distribute a document to provide accessible and accurate answers to the most commonly asked questions about this growing problem.

Weird and wonderful new discoveries are continually being made in the unexplored depths of our oceans, but could disappear forever - before we even learn of their existence, warns one of the foremost marine biologists, the University of Plymouth's Jason Hall-Spencer. Hall-Spencer will share his fascinating research into the dangers facing pristine habitats and new species discovered on seamounts as he presents at the American Association for the Advancement of Science Annual Meeting in San Diego this week.

Data Soliloquies rose from a fruitful collaboration between Martin John Callanan and Richard Hamblyn, during their terms as artist and writer in residence at the UCL Environment Institute. The result is a witty and insightful book about the theatricality of scientific data, exploring the profusion of graphs, charts, computer models and other forms of visual advocacy that are now inescapable fixtures of public science displays.

Higher temperatures on the surface of the earth are themselves fuelling a further increase in emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas with a significant role in global warming. Researchers used satellite measurements of the atmospheric concentration of methane as well as data relating to surface temperature changes and variations in surface water.

Newly published research details how remote fisheries closures were designed to protect Rockall Bank, a deep water coral habitat in Northwest Scotland. The research shows how, for the first time, scientific records, fishers’ knowledge and surveillance data on fishing activity have been combined to effectively select a Marine Protected Area.

While we know that many species are rare, what largely remains a mystery, is why they are rare. But now University of Plymouth experts have made exciting discoveries that have unlocked some of the clues. The work, conducted by a team led by the university’s David Bilton and published in the Journal of Animal Ecology, also helps us understand how rare and common species may respond to future climate change.