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This paper is an output of the Bertarelli Programme in Marine Science, and we are grateful for the Bertarelli Foundation’s support. The pelagic ecosystem is the ocean’s largest by volume and of major importance for food provision and carbon cycling. The high fish species diversity common in the tropics presents a major challenge for biomass estimation using fisheries acoustics, the traditional approach for evaluating mid-water biomass. Converting echo intensities to biomass density requires information on species identity and size, which are typically obtained by lethal means, and thus unsuitable in the portion of the ocean that is ‘no take’. To improve conservation and ecosystem-based management, we present a procedure for determining fish biomass density, using data on species identity, relative abundance, and lengths obtained from stereo baited remote underwater video systems (stereo-BRUVS) to inform the scaling of echosounder survey data (at 38 kHz). We apply the procedure in the British Indian Ocean Territory marine protected area, using acoustic data from 3025 km of survey transects and 546 BRUVS deployments recording relative abundance and size of 12,335 individual fish. Using a Generalised Additive Model of biomass density (GAM, adjR2 = 0.61) we predict, on the basis of oceanographic conditions and bathymetry, that the top 200 m pelagic ecosystem in the Chagos Archipelago, some 118,324 km2, held 3.84 (2.66, 5.62, 95% CI), 33.09 (23.41, 47.35) and 4.08 (3.1, 5.44) million tonnes of fish in November 2012, January 2015, and February 2016, respectively. Our non-extractive procedure yields ecologically credible patterns in biomass across multiple temporal (hours and years) and spatial (metres and kilometres) scales, and marks an improvement on the use of echo intensity alone as a biomass proxy. High seasonal and interannual variability has implication for pelagic fish monitoring. Postprint

Deep-sea sponge aggregations have been identified as potential Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems under United Nations General Assembly Resolution 61/105. Understanding the distribution of these habitats is critical to future spatial management efforts, and central to this understanding are quantitative data on the environmental drivers of that distribution. Accumulations of large suspension feeders are hypothesised to aggregate in regions of internal wave formation. The causal link is thought to be an increase in the supply of food related to the incidence of internal waves, which results in resuspension of particulate organic matter on which the sponges feed. There is, however, almost no empirical evidence to support this hypothesis for deep-sea sponge aggregations, although there is strong circumstantial evidence. We tested the relationship between sponge density and 1) temperature range (as a measure of internal wave presence in this region), and 2) optical backscatter (a measure of particulate flux) for a known sponge aggregation in the Faroe-Shetland Channel where internal wave interaction with the slope is further well-documented. 25 benthic video transects, ranging from 422 to 979 m water depth were conducted in the study region. 225 images were analysed and all taxa identified to morphotypes and quantified. Temperature and optical backscatter data were drawn from archived CTD data, and data from long term (4 months) and 2 seasonal short term (11 days) mooring deployments from the region. A generalised linear model was used to test the relationship between sponge density and temperature range (ΔT), and sponge density and optical backscatter. The results showed a statistically significant positive relationship between sponge density and temperature range, with the highest sponge densities occurring at depths of greatest temperature range. They showed a statistically significant positive relationship between sponge density and optical backscatter for long term and one short term seasonal deployment (Sep–Oct), but a weak negative relationship for the other short term mooring deployment (April-May). We conclude that sponge aggregations in the Faroe-Shetland Channel are associated with slope regions that are subjected to abrupt and pronounced changes in temperature due to intensified internal wave activity over the slope between depths of 400–600 and that lead to intensified near-bed currents and elevated resuspension of particulate. Our data provide empirical evidence of the relationship between internal wave processes and deep-sea sponge aggregations. These data modify current theory on drivers of deep sea sponge aggregation distribution, suggesting aggregations also occur directly within regions of internal wave breaking, rather than simply proximal to these regions.

Seamounts are important marine habitats that are hotpots of species diversity. Relatively shallow peaks, increased productivity and offshore locations make seamounts vulnerable to human impact and difficult to protect. Present estimates of seamount numbers vary from anywhere between 10000 to more than 60000. Seamount locations can be estimated by extracting conical shaped features from bathymetry grids. These predicted seamounts are a useful reference for marine researchers and can help direct exploratory surveys. However, these predictions are dependent on the quality of the surveys underpinning the bathymetry. Historically, quality has been patchy, but is improving as mapping efforts step up towards the target of complete seabed coverage by 2030. This study presents an update of seamount predictions based on SRTM30 global bathymetry version 11. This update was prompted by a seamount survey in the British Indian Ocean Territory in 2016, where locations of two putative seamounts were visited. These ‘seamounts’ were targeted based on previous predictions, but these features were not detected during echosounder surveys. An examination of UK hydrographic office navigational (Admiralty) charts for the area showed that the summits of these putative features had soundings reporting “no bottom detected at this depth” where “this depth” was similar to the seabed reported from the bathymetry grids: we suspect that these features likely resulted from an initial misreading of the charts. We show that 15 phantom seamount features, derived from a misinterpretation of no-bottom sounding data, persist in current global bathymetry grids and updated seamount predictions. Overall, we predict 37,889 seamounts, an increase of 4,437 from the previous predictions derived from an older global bathymetry grid (SRTM30 v. 6). This increase is due to greater detail in newer bathymetry grids as acoustic mapping of the seabed expands. The new seamount predictions are available at https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.921688 .

Seamounts are important marine habitats that are hotspots of species diversity. Relatively shallow peaks, increased productivity and offshore locations make seamounts vulnerable to human impact and difficult to protect. Present estimates of seamount numbers vary from anywhere between 10,000 to more than 60,000. Seamount locations can be estimated by extracting large, cone-like features from bathymetry grids (based on criteria of size and shape). These predicted seamounts are a useful reference for marine researchers and can help direct exploratory surveys. However, these predictions are dependent on the quality of the surveys underpinning the bathymetry. Historically, quality has been patchy, but is improving as mapping efforts step up towards the target of complete seabed coverage by 2030. This study presents an update of seamount predictions based on SRTM30 PLUS global bathymetry version 11 and examines a potential source of error in these predictions. This update was prompted by a seamount survey in the British Indian Ocean Territory in 2016, where locations of two putative seamounts were visited. These ‘seamounts’ were targeted based on previous predictions, but these features were not detected during echosounder surveys. An examination of UK hydrographic office navigational (Admiralty) charts for the area showed that the summits of these putative features had soundings reporting ‘no bottom detected at this depth’ where ‘this depth’ was similar to the seabed reported from the bathymetry grids: we suspect that these features likely resulted from an initial misreading of the charts. We show that 15 ‘phantom seamount’ features, derived from a misinterpretation of no bottom sounding data, persist in current global bathymetry grids and updated seamount predictions. Overall, we predict 37,889 seamounts, an increase of 4437 from the previous predictions derived from an older global bathymetry grid (SRTM30 PLUS v6). This increase is due to greater detail in newer bathymetry grids as acoustic mapping of the seabed expands. The new seamount predictions are available at https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.921688.

Globally, reef manta rays (Mobula alfredi) are in decline and are particularly vulnerable to exploitation and disturbance at aggregation sites. Here, passive acoustic telemetry and a suite of advanced oceanographic technologies were used for the first time to investigate the fine‐scale (5‐min) influence of oceanographic drivers on the visitation patterns of 19 tagged M. alfredi to a feeding aggregation site at Egmont Atoll in the Chagos Archipelago. Boosted regression trees indicate that tag detection probability increased with the intrusion of cold‐water bores propagating up the atoll slope through the narrow lagoon inlet during flood tide, potentially transporting zooplankton from the thermocline. Tag detection probability also increased with warmer near‐surface temperature close to low tide, with near‐surface currents flowing offshore, and with high levels of backscatter (a proxy of zooplankton biomass). These combinations of processes support the proposition that zooplankton carried from the thermocline into the lagoon during the flood may be pumped back out through the narrow inlet during an ebb tide. These conditions provide temporally limited feeding opportunities for M. alfredi, which are tied on the tides. Results also provide some evidence of the presence of Langmuir Circulation, which transports and concentrates zooplankton, and may partly explain why M. alfredi occasionally remained at the feeding location for longer than that two hours. Identification of these correlations provides unique insight into the dynamic synthesis of fine‐scale oceanographic processes which are likely to influence the foraging ecology of M. alfredi at Egmont Atoll, and elsewhere throughout their range., A dynamic synthesis of fine‐scale oceanographic processes influences the foraging ecology of zooplanktivorous Mobula alfredi at Egmont Atoll in the Chagos Archipelago; British Indian Ocean Territory. These processes indicate that internal waves and cold‐water bores potentially transport zooplankton from the thermocline providing temporally limited feeding opportunities which are enhanced by the tide. Furthermore, processes such as Langmuir Circulation may provide extended foraging opportunities by transporting and concentrating zooplankton in the region.

Given the recent trend towards establishing very large marine protected areas (MPAs) and the high potential of these to contribute to global conservation targets, we review outcomes of the last decade of marine conservation research in the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), one of the largest MPAs in the world. The BIOT MPA consists of the atolls of the Chagos Archipelago, interspersed with and surrounded by deep oceanic waters. Islands around the atoll rims serve as nesting grounds for sea birds. Extensive and diverse shallow and mesophotic reef habitats provide essential habitat and feeding grounds for all marine life, and the absence of local human impacts may improve recovery after coral bleaching events. Census data have shown recent increases in the abundance of sea turtles, high numbers of nesting seabirds and high fish abundance, at least some of which is linked to the lack of recent harvesting. For example, across the archipelago the annual number of green turtle clutches (Chelonia mydas) is ~ 20,500 and increasing and the number of seabirds is ~ 1 million. Animal tracking studies have shown that some taxa breed and/or forage consistently within the MPA (e.g. some reef fishes, elasmobranchs and seabirds), suggesting the MPA has the potential to provide long-term protection. In contrast, post-nesting green turtles travel up to 4000 km to distant foraging sites, so the protected beaches in the Chagos Archipelago provide a nesting sanctuary for individuals that forage across an ocean basin and several geopolitical borders. Surveys using divers and underwater video systems show high habitat diversity and abundant marine life on all trophic levels. For example, coral cover can be as high as 40–50%. Ecological studies are shedding light on how remote ecosystems function, connect to each other and respond to climate-driven stressors compared to other locations that are more locally impacted. However, important threats to this MPA have been identified, particularly global heating events, and Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing activity, which considerably impact both reef and pelagic fishes.

Mid-latitude (∼30-60°) seasonally stratifying shelf-seas support a high abundance and diversity of marine predators such as marine mammals and seabirds. However, anthropogenic activities and climate change impacts are driving changes in the distributions and population dynamics of these animals, with negative consequences for ecosystem functioning. Across mid-latitude shelf-seas marine mammals and seabirds are known to forage across a number of oceanographic habitats that structure the spatio-temporal distributions of prey fields. Knowledge of these and the bio-physical mechanisms driving such associations are needed to improve marine management and policy. Here, we provide a concise and easily accessible guide for both researchers and managers of marine systems on the predominant oceanographic habitats that are favoured for foraging by marine mammals and seabirds across mid-latitude shelf-seas. We (1) identify and describe key discrete physical features present across the continental shelf, working inshore from the shelf-edge to the shore line, (2) provide an overview of findings relating to associations between these habitats and marine mammals and seabirds, (3) identify areas for future research and (4) discuss the relevance of such information to conservation management. We show that oceanographic features preferentially foraged at by marine mammals and seabirds include shelf-edge fronts, upwelling and tidal-mixing fronts, offshore banks and internal waves, regions of stratification, and topographically complex coastal areas subject to strong tidal flow. Whilst associations were variable across taxa and through space and time, in the majority of cases interactions between bathymetry and tidal currents appear to play a dominant role, alongside patterns in seasonal stratification and shelf-edge upwelling. We suggest that the ecological significance of these bio-physical structures stems from a capacity to alter the densities, distributions (both horizontally and vertically) and/or behaviours of prey in a persistent and/or predictable manner that increases accessibility for predators, and likely enhances foraging efficiency. Future conservation management should aim to preserve and protect these habitats. This will require adaptive and holistic strategies that are specifically tailored to the characteristics of an oceanographic feature, and where necessary, evolve through space and time in response to spatio-temporal variability. Improved monitoring of animal movements and bio-physical conditions across shelf-seas would aid in this. Areas for future research include multi-disciplinary/trophic studies of the mechanisms linking bio-physical processes, prey and marine mammals and seabirds (which may elucidate the importance of lesser studied features such as bottom fronts and Langmuir circulation cells), alongside a better understanding of how predators perceive their environment and develop foraging strategies during immature/juvenile stages. Estimates of the importance of oceanographic habitat features at a population level should also be obtained. Such information is vital to ensuring the future health of these complex ecosystems, and can be used to assess how anthropogenic activities and future environmental changes will impact the functioning and spatio-temporal dynamics of these bio-physical features and their use by marine predators.

The repeated proximity of West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) ice to the eastern Ross Sea continental shelf break during past ice age cycles has been inferred to directly influence sedimentary processes occurring on the continental slope, such as turbidity current and debris flow activity; thus, the records of these processes can be used to study the past history of the WAIS. Ross Sea slope sediments may additionally provide an archive on the history and interplay of density-driven or geostrophic oceanic bottom currents with ice-sheet-driven depositional mechanisms. We investigate the upper 121 m of Hole U1525A, collected during International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 374 in 2018. Hole U1525A is located on the southwestern external levee of the Hillary Canyon (Ross Sea, Antarctica) and the depositional lobe of the nearby trough-mouth fan. Using core descriptions, grain size analysis, and physical properties datasets, we develop a lithofacies scheme that allows construction of a detailed depositional model and environmental history of past ice sheet-ocean interactions at the eastern Ross Sea continental shelf break/slope since ~2.4 Ma. The earliest Pleistocene interval (~2.4- ~ 1.4 Ma) represents a hemipelagic environment dominated by ice-rafting and reworking/deposition by relatively persistent bottom current activity. Finely interlaminated silty muds with ice-rafted debris (IRD) layers are interpreted as contourites. Between ~1.4 and ~0.8 Ma, geostrophic bottom current activity was weaker and turbiditic processes more common, likely related to the increased proximity of grounded ice at the shelf edge. Silty, normally-graded laminations with sharp bases may be the result of flow-stripped turbidity currents overbanking the canyon levee during periods when ice was grounded at or proximal to the shelf edge. A sandy, IRD- and foraminifera-bearing interval dated to ~1.18 Ma potentially reflects warmer oceanographic conditions and a period of stronger Antarctic Slope Current flow. This may have enhanced upwelling of warm Circumpolar Deep Water onto the shelf, leading to large-scale glacial retreat at that time. The thickest interval of turbidite interlamination was deposited after ~1 Ma, following the onset of the Mid-Pleistocene Transition, interpreted as a time when most ice sheets grew and glacial periods were longer and more extreme. Sedimentation after ~0.8 Ma was dominated by glacigenic debris flow deposition, as the trough mouth fan that dominates the eastern Ross Sea continental slope prograded and expanded over the site. These findings will help to improve estimations of WAIS ice extent in future Ross Sea shelf-based modelling studies, and provide a basis for more detailed analysis of the inception and growth of the WAIS under distinct oceanographic conditions.

Observations made within a cold filament in the Mauritanian upwelling system demonstrate that intense submesoscale circulations at the peripheral edges of the filament are likely responsible for anomalously high levels of observed primary productivity by resupplying nutrients to the euphotic zone. Measurements made on the shelf within the recently upwelled water reveal that primary production (PP) of 8.2 gC/m−2 day−1 was supported by nitrate concentrations (NC) of 8 mmol m−3. Towards the front that defined the edge of the filament containing the upwelled water as it was transported offshore, PP dropped to 1.6 gC m−2 day−1 whilst NC dropped to 5.5 mmol m−3. Thus, whilst the observed nutrients on the shelf accounted for 90% of new production, this value dropped to ∼60% near the filament’s front after accounting for vertical turbulent fluxes and Ekman pumping. We demonstrate that the N15 was likely to have been supplied at the front by submesoscale circulations that were directly measured as intense vertical velocities ⩾100 m day−1 by a drifting acoustic Doppler current profiler that crossed a submesoscale surface temperature front. At the same time, a recently released tracer was subducted out of the mixed layer within 24 h of release, providing direct evidence that the frontal circulations were capable of accessing the reservoir of nutrients beneath the pycnocline. The susceptibility of the filament edge to submesoscale instabilities was demonstrated by O(1) Rossby numbers at horizontal scales of 1–10 km. The frontal circulations are consistent with instabilities arising from a wind-driven nonlinear Ekman buoyancy flux generated by the persistent northerly wind stress that has a down-front component at the northern edge of the inshore section of the filament. The prevalence of submesoscale instabilities and their associated vertical circulations are proposed to be a key mechanism operating at sub-grid scales and sustaining new production throughout the upwelling system.

Shelf-seas are highly dynamic and oceanographically complex environments, which likely influences the spatio-temporal distributions of marine megafauna such as marine mammals. As such, understanding natural patterns in habitat use by these animals is essential when attempting to ascertain and assess the impacts of anthropogenically induced disturbances, such as those associated with marine renewable energy installations (MREIs). This study uses a five year (2009–2013) passive acoustics (C-POD) dataset to examine the use of an oceanographically dynamic marine renewable energy test site by small cetaceans, dolphins (unspecified delphinids) and harbour porpoises Phocoena phocoena, in the southern Celtic Sea. To examine how temporal patterns in habitat use across the site related to oceanographic changes occurring over broad seasonal scales as well as those driven by fine scale (bi-weekly) localised processes (that may be masked by seasonal trends), separate analyses were conducted using (1) all daily animal detection rates spanning the entire five year dataset and (2) daily animal detection rates taken only during the summer months (defined as mid-June to mid-October) of 2010 (when continuous monitoring was carried out at multiple discrete locations across the site). In both instances, generalised additive mixed effects models (GAMMs) were used to link detection rates to a suite of environmental variables representative of the oceanography of the region. We show that increased harbour porpoise detection rates in the late winter/early spring (January–March) are associated with low sea surface temperatures (SST), whilst peaks in dolphin detection rates in the summer (July–September) coincide with increased SSTs and the presence of a tidal-mixing front. Moreover, across the summer months of 2010, dolphin detection rates were found to respond to small scale changes in SST and position in the spring-neap cycle, possibly reflective of a preference for the stratified waters immediately offshore of the front. Together, these findings suggest that habitat use by small cetaceans within shelf-seas is temporally variable, species specific and likely driven by complex bottom-up processes. As such, the effective conservation management of shelf-seas requires that we understand the dynamic complexities of these systems and the species that inhabit them. In particular, we emphasise the need for a good understanding of the natural drivers of habitat use by marine megafauna before the potential impacts of anthropogenically induced disturbances, such as those associated with the construction, maintenance and operation of MREIs, can be assessed.

Tidally induced residual currents generated over shelf-slope topography are investigated analytically and numerically using the Massachusetts Institute of Technology general circulation model. Observational support for the presence of such a slope current was recorded over the Malin Sea continental slope during the 88-th cruise of the RRS “James Cook” in July 2013. A simple analytical formula developed here in the framework of time-averaged shallow water equations has been validated against a fully nonlinear nonhydrostatic numerical solution. A good agreement between analytical and numerical solutions is found for a wide range of input parameters of the tidal flow and bottom topography. In application to the Malin Shelf area both the numerical model and analytical solution predicted a northward moving current confined to the slope with its core located above the 400 m isobath and with vertically averaged maximum velocities up to 8 cm s−1, which is consistent with the in-situ data recorded at three moorings and along cross-slope transects.

In the ocean, internal frontal bores above sloping topography have many appearances,depending on the local density stratification, and on the angle and source of generation of the carrier wave.However, their common characteristics are a backward breaking wave, strong sediment resuspension, andrelatively cool (denser) water moving more or less upslope underneath warm (less dense) water. In thispaper, we present a rare example of a downslope moving front of cold water moving over near-bottomwarm water. Large backscatter is observed in the downslope moving front’s trailing edge, rather than theleading edge as is common in upslope moving fronts. Time series observations have been made during afortnight in summer, using a 101 m long array of high-resolution temperature sensors moored with anacoustic Doppler current profiler at 396 m depth in near-homogeneous waters, near a small canyon in thecontinental slope off the Malin shelf (West-Scotland, UK). Occurring between fronts that propagate upslopewith tidal periodicity, the rare downslope propagating one resembles a gravity current and includes strongconvective turbulence coming from the interior rather than the more usual frictionally generated turbulencearising from interaction with the seabed. Its turbulence is 3–10 times larger than that of more commonupslope propagating fronts. As the main turbulence is in the interior with a thin stratified layer close tothe bottom, little sediment is resuspended by a downslope propagating front. The downslope propagatingfront is suggested to be generated by oblique propagation of internal (tidal) waves and flow over a nearbyupstream promontory.

This work was supported by the Bertarelli Foundation and we thank them for their generous and sustained financial support in making the 2 cruises possible. Oceanographic observations were made with a subsurface oceanographic mooring over the summit and flanks of two neighbouring seamounts in the tropical Indian Ocean to identify processes that may be responsible for the aggregation of silvertip sharks (Carcharhinus albimarginatus) in the deep water drop-off surrounding the summits. The seamounts, which are in the Chagos Archipelago in the British Indian Ocean Territories, are narrow in horizontal extent (15°) sides that rise from depths of > 600 m, and flat summits at a depth of 70 m. They are subjected to forcing at subinertial, basin-scales and local scales that include a mixed tidal regime and storm-generated near inertial waves. At the drop-off, at a depth of between 70 and 100 m, isotherms oscillate at both diurnal and semidiurnal frequencies with amplitudes of ∼ 20–30 m. The waves of tidal origin are accompanied by short period (∼5 min) internal waves with amplitudes O(10 m) and frequencies close to the local buoyancy frequency, N, within the thermocline which is the maximum frequency possible for freely propagating internal waves. The tidal oscillations result from internal lee waves with 30 m vertical wavelength generated by the prevailing currents over the supercritical seamount flanks, whereby the bottom slope is greater than the internal tide wave slope. The ‘near-N’ waves are due to enhanced shear associated with the hydraulic jumps that form from the lee waves due to the abrupt transition from steeply sloping sides to a relatively flat summit. The jumps manifest themselves as bottom-trapped bores that propagate up the slope towards the summit. Further observations over the summit reveal that the bores subsequently flush the summits with cold water with tidal periodicity. The bores, which have long wave phase speeds more than double that of the bore particle velocities, are characterised by intense vertical velocities (>0.1 m s−1) and inferred local resuspension but relatively little turbulence based on temperature overturns. Our results strongly implicate lee waves as the dynamic mechanism of leading order importance to the previously observed accumulation of biomass adjacent to the supercritical slopes that are commonplace throughout the archipelago. We propose that further investigation should identify the spatiotemporal correlation between internal wave activity and fish schooling around the summit, and whether such schooling attracts predators. Publisher PDF

Submesoscale Rossby waves are found along the Antarctic circumpolar current where they drive strong vertical circulations., The eastward-flowing Antarctic circumpolar current (ACC) plays a central role in the global ocean overturning circulation and facilitates the exchange of water between the ocean surface and interior. Submesoscale eddies and fronts with scales between 1 and 10 km are regularly observed in the upper ocean and are associated with strong vertical circulations and enhanced stratification. Despite their importance in other locations, comparatively little is known about submesoscales in the Southern Ocean. We present results from new observations, models, and theories showing that submesoscales are qualitatively changed by the strong jet associated with the ACC in the Scotia Sea, east of Drake Passage. Growing submesoscale disturbances develop along a dense filament and are transformed into submesoscale Rossby waves, which propagate upstream relative to the eastward jet. Unlike their counterparts in slower currents, the submesoscale Rossby waves do not destroy the underlying frontal structure. The development of submesoscale instabilities leads to strong net subduction of water associated with a dense outcropping filament, and later, the submesoscale Rossby waves are associated with intense vertical circulations.

The degree to which advection modulates the distribution of plankton populations at a 1-D coastal observatory was assessed at station L4 in the western English Channel (50°15′N 4°13′W, depth 50 m), part of the Western Channel Observatory (WCO). Five tidal-cycle surveys were conducted, three in spring and two in summer 2010. Observations of the physical characteristics of L4 were obtained by using a moored acoustic doppler current profiler (ADCP) and a free-falling microstructure sensor (MSS). The moored ADCP highlighted the presence of vertical shear, with typical values of U during spring tides of ∼0.5 m s−1 at the surface and ∼0.2 m s−1 at the bed. The distribution of phyto- and zooplankton populations above a size threshold of 200 μm were examined using an in-line holographic imaging system, the Holocam. Variability in time as well as depth is a common feature throughout each of the surveys, with examples of recorded numbers of phytoplankton that ranged between 1300 L−1 and 2300 L−1 at the same depth but at different points within the tidal cycle. Further, at the same points in the tidal cycle the number of recorded zooplankton was also seen to vary, specifically with the identification of gelatinous planula in spring that increased the observed number to maximums of between 140 L−1 and 220 L−1 in the upper layer, considerably higher that the corresponding WP-2 net counts for a similar period. Specific aspects of the movement and transfer of plankton relating to advection and interaction with the pycnocline are identified, both across tidal cycles and seasons.

Observations made in the Scotia Sea during the May 2015 Surface Mixed Layer Evolution at Submesoscales (SMILES) research cruise captured submesoscale, O(1–10) km, variability along the periphery of a mesoscale O(10–100) km meander precisely as it separated from the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) and formed a cyclonic eddy ~120 km in diameter. The meander developed in the Scotia Sea, an eddy-rich region east of the Drake Passage where the Subantarctic and Polar Fronts converge and modifications of Subantarctic Mode Water (SAMW) occur. In situ measurements reveal a rich submesoscale structure of temperature and salinity and a loss of frontal integrity along the newly formed southern sector of the eddy. A mathematical framework is developed to estimate vertical velocity from collocated drifter and horizontal water velocity time series, under certain simplifying assumptions appropriate for the current dataset. Upwelling (downwelling) rates of O(100) m day−1 are found in the northern (southern) eddy sector. Favorable conditions for submesoscale instabilities are found in the mixed layer, particularly at the beginning of the survey in the vicinity of density fronts. Shallower mixed layer depths and increased stratification are observed later in the survey on the inner edge of the front. Evolution in temperature–salinity (T–S) space indicates modification of water mass properties in the upper 200 m over 2 days. Modifications along σθ = 27–27.2 kg m−3 have climate-related implications for mode and intermediate water transformation in the Scotia Sea on finer spatiotemporal scales than observed previously.

A single tidal cycle survey in a Lagrangian reference frame was conducted in autumn 2010 to evaluate the impact of short-term, episodic and enhanced turbulent mixing on large chain-forming phytoplankton. Observations of turbulence using a free-falling microstructure profiler were undertaken, along with near-simultaneous profiles with an in-line digital holographic camera at station L4 (50° 15′ N 4° 13′ W, depth 50 m) in the Western English Channel. Profiles from each instrument were collected hourly whilst following a drogued drifter. Results from an ADCP attached to the drifter showed pronounced vertical shear, indicating that the water column structure consisted of two layers, restricting interpretation of the Lagrangian experiment to the upper ~ 25 m. Atmospheric conditions deteriorated during the mid-point of the survey, resulting in values of turbulent dissipation reaching a maximum of 10− 4 W kg− 1 toward the surface in the upper 10 m. Chain-forming phytoplankton > 200 μm were counted using the data from the holographic camera for the two periods, before and after the enhanced mixing event. As mixing increased phytoplankton underwent chain breakage, were dispersed by advection through their removal from the upper to lower layer and subjected to aggregation with other suspended material. Depth averaged counts of phytoplankton were reduced from a maximum of around 2050 L− 1 before the increased turbulence, to 1070 L− 1 after, with each of these mechanisms contributing to this reduction. These results demonstrate the sensitivity of phytoplantkon populations to moderate increases in turbulent activity, yielding consequences for accurate forecasting of the role played by phytoplankton in climate studies and also for the ecosystem in general in their role as primary producers.

[1] Upper ocean observations from the north Pacific subtropical front during late winter demonstrate the generation of submesoscale intrusions by buoyancy loss. Prior to generation, a sharp thermohaline front was intensified by confluent flow of 1–2 × 10−5 s−1. Relative vertical vorticity, ζ, across a surface-intensified, along-front jet on the warm side of a frontal trough was 0.5 f. During the storm, buoyancy loss arose due to cooling of ∼650 W m−2 and down-front wind stress

Measurements of suspended particle matter (SPM) and turbulence have been obtained over five tidal surveys during spring and summer 2010 at station L4 (50.25° N 04.22° W, depth 50 m), in the Western English Channel. The relationship between turbulence intensity and bed stress is explored, with an in-line holographic imaging system evaluating the extent to which material is resuspended. Image analysis allows for the identification of SPM above a size threshold of 200 μm, capturing particle variability across tidal cycles and the two seasons. Dissipation of turbulent kinetic energy, which exceeds 10− 5 W kg− 1, yields maximum values of bed stress of between 0.17 and 0.20 N m− 2, frequently resulting in the resuspension of material from the bed. Resuspension is shown to promote aggregation of SPM into flocs, where the size of such particles is theoretically determined by the Kolmogorov microscale, lk. During the spring surveys, flocs of a size larger than lk were observed, though this was not repeated during summer. It is proposed that the presence of gelatinous, biological material in spring allows flocculated particles to exceed lk. This suggests that under specific circumstances, the limiting factor on the growth of flocculated SPM is not only turbulence, as previously thought, but the presence or absence of certain types of biological particle.

A depth-cycling towed conductivity–temperature–depth (CTD) and vessel-mounted acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) were used to obtain four-dimensional measurements of the restratification of the surface mixed layer (SML) at a submesoscale lateral density gradient near the subtropical front. With the objective of studying the role of horizontal processes in restratification, the thermohaline and velocity fields were monitored for 33 h by 16 small-scale (≤15 km2) surveys centered on a drogued float. Daytime warming by insolation caused a unidirectional displacement of the initially vertical isopycnals toward increasing density. Across the entire SML (50-m vertical scale), solar insolation accounted for 60% of observed restratification, but over 10-m scales, the percentage decreased with depth from 80% at 25–35 m to ≤25% at 55–65 m. Below 35 m, stratification was enhanced by the vertically sheared horizontal advection of the lateral density gradient due to a near-inertial wave of ∼100-m vertical wavelength that rotated anticyclonically at the inertial frequency. The phase and similar period (25.4 h) of the local inertial period to the diurnal cycle ensured constructive interference with isopycnal displacements due to insolation. Restratification by sheared advection matched that predicted due to vertically sheared inertial oscillations generated during the geostrophic adjustment of a density front, but direct wind forcing may also have generated the wave that was subsequently modified by interaction with mesoscale vorticity associated with a nearby large-scale front. By further including the effects of lateral uncompensated thermohaline inhomogeneity, the authors can account for 100% ± 20% of the observed N 2 during daytime restratification. No detectable restratification due to the slumping of horizontal density gradients under gravity alone was found.

Observations were made over the continental slope in the Faeroe-Shetland Channel with the purpose of studying motions in the semidiurnal tidal frequency band and their interaction with background conditions. Specifically, the study focused on internal (baroclinic) tidal motions associated with internal gravity waves. In the internal tide (IT) source region, kinetic energy spectra reveal a fall-off rate with frequency of σ−2 which is associated with the passage of strongly non-linear fronts at the sea-bed. At a distance of 10 km off shore from the source region spectra from both the permanent pycnocline and weakly stratified interior exhibit a fall-off rate of σ−3, indicative of a regime in which internal waves are dominated by higher harmonics of the M2 semidiurnal tidal frequency as a result of non-linear advection. The bandwidth, Δ σ = 0.23 – 0.3 cycles per day (cpd) of the semidiurnal band determined from the distribution of baroclinic energy outside the deterministic tidal frequencies, implies a modulation period of 3.3–4.3 days and which is observed as pulses of semidiurnal energy that are not related to the spring–neap cycle. The period of modulation is related to changes in the background stratification and the low-frequency vorticity. Variations in stratification are sufficient to modify the IT path by>150 m in the vertical over a horizontal distance of 10 km.The cross-slope gradient of the low-frequency ( σ 0.75 cpd ) long-slope velocity, ∂ V / ∂ x , which represents one component of the vorticity varies with a periodicity of 3–4 days and has a magnitude sufficient to increase the effective Coriolis frequency to a value larger than M2 so that the IT is unable to propagate as a free internal gravity wave. The source of the subinertial variability in the background conditions is attributed to meteorologically forced continental shelf waves which respond in two ways to prevailing winds and which perturb the pre-existing geostrophic balance that exists over the slope; oscillatory, clockwise rotating currents with a frequency of 0.7×f, where f is the Coriolis frequency, result from short impulsive winds whilst a quasi-steady long-slope flow persists as long as stronger winds of longer duration prevail. The impact of the observed subinertial variability in low-frequency vorticity and stratification raises doubts as to whether an ‘attractor’, along which internal wave energy is found following repeated reflections within a confined basin, may be observed in such a dynamic environment.

To better understand the relationship between near-bottom hydrodynamics and sediment resuspension in the transition zone between the continental slope and the abyssal plain, an array of three moorings equipped with near-bottom sediment traps and current meters was deployed in a triangular configuration of at the foot of the south-east slope of the Rockall Channel, North Atlantic. In addition a fast sampling ADCP was moored in the centre of the triangle. Microscopic observations combined with grain-size analysis revealed that the material intercepted by the traps was mainly composed of loose phytodetritus and aggregates. Organic carbon and δ13Corg analyses further indicate that this material is relatively fresh and hence probably only transported over short distances. The total mass flux measured by the traps suggests input from either laterally advected or resuspended material during the deployment period. The measured flux was variable in time and space with a strong increase at the deepest site at the very foot of the slope. The measured flux did not correlate significantly with daily averaged current speed suggesting that processes other than those related to elevated bed shear stress are involved in the resuspension mechanism. Rapid changes in the hydrodynamics probably related to internal motions are evidenced by abrupt bursts in the current velocity and in the near-bottom turbidity. Their occurrence at slack tidal waters appears to be at the origin of the resuspension observed at the foot of the slope of the Rockall Channel. High resolution current velocity measurements suggest that resuspension is dominated by energetic, highly localised and short-term resuspension events, despite the abyssal depths. Part of these events resemble in many ways the solibores which have been previously observed to enhance sediment transport at much shallower depths over the continental slope while others rather appear to be associated to gravity waves.

Observations of the distribution of the density field, the dissipation rate of turbulent kinetic energy, e, the vertical diffusivity, Kz, and optical backscatter over a repeated cross-section of the FaeroeShetland Channel (FSC) are presented within the context of ocean mixing. Turbulence in the permanent pycnocline occurs in discrete vertical patches of thickness 20‐50 m coincident with layers of elevated vertical current shear magnitude, S 10 2 s 1 . The layers of elevated shear result from high-wavenumber internal waves which may break through shear instabilities as indicated by critical Richardson numbers, Ri 1. The internal waves are ubiquitous features of strong boundary currents flowing along continental shelves and are likely generated here by geostrophic adjustment of the pycnocline in response to lateral excursions of the boundary current over the Shetland slope or by the scattering of internal tide energy. The pycnocline as a whole exhibits Kz 10 4.5 m 2 s 1 , a factor of 3 larger than typical open ocean thermoclines but still implying a weak exchange of water mass properties across the density interface despite the confined and isolated patches of enhanced turbulence which elevate Kz by an order of magnitude. Both the boundary current and the deep interior are typified by weak stratification and locally high Kz 10 3 m 2 s 1 , but low turbulent buoyancy fluxes. The strongest observed turbulence and mixing in the channel, e O(10 7 Wk g 1 ) and Kz 10 3 m 2 s 1 respectively, is observed in the near-bed region over the Shetland slope and results from solibore propagation up the slope and the asymmetric response of the bottom boundary layer to the tidal currents. The overall contribution of the FSC to oceanic mixing would appear to be about half of the required canonical value of Kz 10 4 m 2 s 1 given the observed short duration and/or infrequent occurrence of the processes generating turbulence in the near-bed region, the spatially confined sporadic mixing patches in the pycnocline, and the low turbulent buoyancy fluxes in the interior and slope current.

On two occasions within a 12-day measurement period in the Faeroe-Shetland Channel, strongly nonlinear wave trains were observed at the sea-bed, propagating up the continental slope in water depths >450 m. The events were separated by a period of 4 days and, whilst resembling in appearance a density current running up a slope, are termed ‘solibores’, displaying the properties of both turbulent internal bores and nonlinear internal solitary waves (ISW). Each solibore displays a steep leading edge followed by a train of nonlinear waves with amplitudes of O(10 m) and periods of ∼5–20 min. Wave-induced particle velocities are consistent with ISW, whilst a zone of strong horizontal convergence at the leading edge of the solibores causes the formation of a rotor with flow in the opposite sense to a ‘forward overturning’ surface wave. In both cases upward vertical velocities >10 cm s−1 are immediately followed by a return downward flow of equal magnitude. A CTD and microstructure transect conducted during the passage of the first solibore illustrates its behaviour as an up-slope intrusion of cold, dense water with concurrent rates of turbulent dissipation, e , of O(10−7 W kg−1) and resulting in short-term maximum vertical diffusivities, Kz, of O(10−1 m2 s−1). In the long-term however, Kz 140 days) which again indicate intermittency in periods of enhanced sediment flux. The solibores are consistent with the results of numerical and laboratory experiments on hydraulic jumps resulting from shoaling ISW. The influence of the slope is proposed to be the reason for their slightly different forms and effects on sediment transport; thus the first solibore, propagating directly up the slope, is proposed to result from an overturning hydraulic jump caused by kinematic instabilities and which subsequently forms a horizontal density intrusion. The second solibore represents a dispersive wave train due its oblique direction of propagation which reduces the effective bottom-slope, allowing dispersion to balance nonlinear effects and prohibiting overturning.

Data from Aanderaa RCM-8 current meters, deployed on the continental slope of the Faeroe–Shetland Channel between depths of 471 and 1000 m, show intermittent spike-like reductions in current speed of ∼20–40%. The spikes have a duration of only one data value, corresponding to the unusually short sampling period of 1 min. Associated with the spikes are concurrent deflections in the current direction records, with a mean value of 7° and in a predominantly clockwise sense. The spikes furthermore occur only when the current direction has a poleward long-slope component when the shallow water is to the right. We reject instrumental deficiency as the cause of the spikes, and find that the negative bias is caused by the cosine response of the mechanical current meter when misaligned with the mean flow. The misalignment is due to turbulence generated by instabilities in the bottom boundary layer (BBL) caused by the downslope Ekman transport of buoyancy. The veering in current direction between 8 and 47 m above the seabed and the hourly averaged current direction are consistent with such a mechanism, whilst the intermittency is explained by the bursting phenomenon in a BBL. Both the quasi-period of ∼600 s and the duration of the spikes are in accordance with previous fieldwork and laboratory experiments and, in conjunction with a thickening of the boundary layer induced by the downwelling Ekman transport, explain the predominance of the spikes at heights of 34 and 47 m. Oblique internal wave reflection also plays a potential role in generating turbulence at the upper interface of the BBL higher up the slope where the stratification is comparatively strong, but the Ekman transport represents the dominant mechanism. Our findings cause concern for the reliability of data from traditional rotor- and vane-type current meters sampling at lower rates in turbulent near-bed regions where the turbulent properties of the flow will be averaged out in the sampling process, potentially causing an underreading of the true current speed.

The coastal Runnelstone Reef, off southwest Cornwall (UK), is characterised by complex topography and strong tidal flows and is a known high-density site for harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena); a European protected species. Using a multidisciplinary dataset including: porpoise sightings from a multi-year land-based survey, Acoustic Doppler Current Profiling (ADCP), vertical profiling of water properties and high-resolution bathymetry; we investigate how interactions between tidal flow and topography drive the fine-scale porpoise spatio-temporal distribution at the site. Porpoise sightings were distributed non-uniformly within the survey area with highest sighting density recorded in areas with steep slopes and moderate depths. Greater numbers of sightings were recorded during strong westward (ebbing) tidal flows compared to strong eastward (flooding) flows and slack water periods. ADCP and Conductivity Temperature Depth (CTD) data identified fine-scale hydrodynamic features, associated with cross-reef tidal flows in the sections of the survey area with the highest recorded densities of porpoises. We observed layered, vertically sheared flows that were susceptible to the generation of turbulence by shear instability. Additionally, the intense, oscillatory near surface currents led to hydraulically controlled flow that transitioned from subcritical to supercritical conditions; indicating that highly turbulent and energetic hydraulic jumps were generated along the eastern and western slopes of the reef. The depression and release of isopycnals in the lee of the reef during cross-reef flows revealed that the flow released lee waves during upslope currents at specific phases of the tidal cycle when the highest sighting rates were recorded. The results of this unique, fine-scale field study provide new insights into specific hydrodynamic features, produced through tidal forcing, that may be important for creating predictable foraging opportunities for porpoises at a local scale. Information on the functional mechanisms linking porpoise distribution to static and dynamic physical habitat variables is extremely valuable to the monitoring and management of the species within the context of European conservation policies and marine renewable energy infrastructure development.

Using a combination of seismic oceanographic and physical oceanographic data acquired across the Faroe-Shetland Channel we present evidence of a turbidity layer that transports suspended sediment along the western boundary of the Channel. We focus on reflections observed on seismic data close to the sea-bed on the Faroese side of the Channel below 900 m. Forward modelling based on independent physical oceanographic data show that thermohaline structure does not explain these near sea-bed reflections but they are consistent with optical backscatter data, dry matter concentrations from water samples and from seabed sediment traps. Hence we conclude that an impedance contrast in water column caused by turbidity layers is strong enough to be seen in seismic sections and this provides a new way to visualise this type of current and its lateral structure. By inverting the seismic data we estimate a sediment concentration in the turbidity layers, present at the time of the survey, of 45 ± 25 mg l−1. We believe this is the first direct observation of a turbidity current using Seismic Oceanography.

Marine renewable energy installations harnessing energy from wind, wave and tidal resources are likely to become a large part of the future energy mix worldwide. The potential to gather energy from waves has recently seen increasing interest, with pilot developments in several nations. Although technology to harness wave energy lags behind that of wind and tidal generation, it has the potential to contribute significantly to energy production. As wave energy technology matures and becomes more widespread, it is likely to result in further transformation of our coastal seas. Such changes are accompanied by uncertainty regarding their impacts on biodiversity. To date, impacts have not been assessed, as wave energy converters have yet to be fully developed. Therefore, there is a pressing need to build a framework of understanding regarding the potential impacts of these technologies, underpinned by methodologies that are transferable and scalable across sites to facilitate formal meta-analysis. We first review the potential positive and negative effects of wave energy generation, and then, with specific reference to our work at the Wave Hub (a wave energy test site in southwest England, UK), we set out the methodological approaches needed to assess possible effects of wave energy on biodiversity. We highlight the need for national and international research clusters to accelerate the implementation of wave energy, within a coherent understanding of potential effects—both positive and negative.

[1] We investigate the horizontal scales of density variability in the surface mixed layer (SML) in the North Pacific Subtropical Front (STF) during a period of highly variable atmospheric forcing. Wavelet analysis shows that horizontal density variability is not restricted to scales, L, ≥10 km as previously suggested but extends to L = 2 km. The limiting L varies strongly with location and corresponds to a local internal Rossby radius that accounts for transient stratification above the seasonal thermocline. Density compensation in the SML, achieved when temperature and salinity effects cancel in their effect on density, occurs at 30°N at the climatological front associated with the northern boundary of the STF where large thermohaline gradients are observed. At 28°N, however, temperature gradients within the SML are not compensated by salinity, and horizontal density gradients result in 2 ≤ L ≤ 10 km. Our observations suggest dynamic processes restratify the SML at scales rarely resolved by numerical models of the SML.

[1] High resolution measurements of temperature and current velocity over the seabed in the Faeroe-Shetland Channel (FSC) reveal an intense internal wave train, referred to as a solibore, propagating up the continental slope. In addition to enhancing turbulent mixing, a rotor formed at the leading edge of the solibore generates sediment fluxes O(102) greater than background levels. The interaction of solibores, which appear to evolve from baroclinic bores, with the seabed and the resulting rotor provides a dominant mechanism for the upward transport of sediment over continental slopes that may counteract downward avalanching of material by gravity.

Oceanic fronts are key habitats for a diverse range of marine predators, yet how they influence fine-scale foraging behaviour is poorly understood. Here, we investigated the dive behaviour of northern gannets Morus bassanus in relation to shelf-sea fronts. We GPS (global positioning system) tracked 53 breeding birds and examined the relationship between 1901 foraging dives (from time-depth recorders) and thermal fronts (identified via Earth Observation composite front mapping) in the Celtic Sea, Northeast Atlantic. We (i) used a habitat-use availability analysis to determine whether gannets preferentially dived at fronts, and (ii) compared dive characteristics in relation to fronts to investigate the functional significance of these oceanographic features. We found that relationships between gannet dive probabilities and fronts varied by frontal metric and sex. While both sexes were more likely to dive in the presence of seasonally persistent fronts, links to more ephemeral features were less clear. Here, males were positively correlated with distance to front and cross-front gradient strength, with the reverse for females. Both sexes performed two dive strategies: shallow V-shaped plunge dives with little or no active swim phase (92% of dives) and deeper U-shaped dives with an active pursuit phase of at least 3 s (8% of dives). When foraging around fronts, gannets were half as likely to engage in U-shaped dives compared with V-shaped dives, independent of sex. Moreover, V-shaped dive durations were significantly shortened around fronts. These behavioural responses support the assertion that fronts are important foraging habitats for marine predators, and suggest a possible mechanistic link between the two in terms of dive behaviour. This research also emphasizes the importance of cross-disciplinary research when attempting to understand marine ecosystems.