Climate Change ….. nearly a Shore Thing ?

Fiona Crouch, Shore Thing Project Officer at the MBA, gave Coastwise members an overview of the results from the several years of Shore Thing surveys, and a view on the effects on the rocky shore of climate change (to which it is highly probable that there is an anthropogenic contribution).
Fiona is the mastermind behind the Shore Thing program, which over the last 10 years has expanded considerably and now covers most areas of the UK mainland coast. However, volunteers are still need for the North of Scotland to give Fiona an excuse to visit some new shores.
Her analysis of Coastwise Shore Thing surveys over the last 6 years shows 3568 transect records, including 1345 flat topshells and 2522 edible winkles ! However, her talk was designed to indicate how these sort of results, together with their time profiles, can help understanding of changes in the local ecology.
One of the objectives of the program is to provide reliable and structured data over time on the possible effect of increased and stronger stratification of the marine water column, temperature and salinity etc.
Several indicators of change have been noted. Testuda testudins and Phaucus (was Ossilinus) Lineatis have retreated northwards, and the barnacles Chthalamus montague and Semibalanus balanoides have become more prolific due to the warming trend. The differing reproductive success of the limpets Patella depussa and vulgata – they prefer warm water and cold water respectively – also shows clear evidence of the warming sea trend.In the North of Scotland, Gibbula umbilicalis is spreading East towards John o’Groats quickly.
Another symtptom of change is the arrival and spread of non-native species, which, besides human activities are helped by warming seas, extreme climatic events and salinity fluctuations. Fiona left Coastwise members with a list of animals to keep a look out for as arrival can be expected some time, including the Asian and Bush-Clawed shore crabs, the leathery sea squirt, the skeleton shrimp (right) and the orange-tipped sea squirt (left).
Overall, a very useful reinforcement of the inportance of assembling structured scientific data on the marine environment, and Fiona inspired Coastwise members to maintain their support for Shore Thing.