Developing a Research Agenda for the Future

Source: Solent Science Conference, 21-22 September 1998.

Ian Townend, ABP Mer

The following paper summarises the research agenda identified from the plenary sessions and needs to be integrated with the Workshop findings.

Three areas of activity emerged from the plenary sessions, which provide a basis for summarising future needs. These were:

Monitoring and measurement
Processes and ecosystems
Management, training and promotion

1. Monitoring/Measurement

Improve the description of sediments in the Solent (it may be possible to use existing models to focus the field work on the areas of greatest potential scientific value);
Long term measurements of flows to identify residuals;
Long term measurements of nutrients to identify inter-annual variability (this could be achieved by ensuring that the "ferry box" experiment is kept going for several years);
Monitor levels of copper and TBT to assess the impact of changing legislation;
Field work to identify sources of entrovirus’ and other pathogens;
Seek better measures or surrogates to measure and monitor the links between water quality and public health;
Establish a catalogue of sites where the habitat has been changed and monitor the way they have colonised and changed as new habitats have become established;
Develop new methods for measuring impacts, with the aim of isolating cause and effect – particularly with respect to new developments; and
Consider the potential for a strategic programme of monitoring. We heard that extensive monitoring is likely to be required in response to a number of forthcoming directives and developments in licensing arrangements, notably:

Habitats Directive
Water Framework Directive
Shellfish Waters Directive
Aggregate Licences
Dredging Licences

Historically the various agencies have been very protective of their own data collection programmes. Given the scale of the above monitoring requirements and the limited funds available, this is no longer acceptable. There is an imperative for a co-ordinated programme that meets an individual agencies need (to a reasonable degree) and offers added value by providing data sets of which a wide range of user groups can take advantage

2. Process/Ecosystems

Need to develop a better understanding of sources of fine sediments to explain the relatively high suspended sediment concentrations observed in the Solent
Studies are required to examine the role of turbulence (notably salinity/freshwater driven turbulence) in controlling estuarine transport
Models need to continue to improve their representation of non-linearities and include physical, chemical and biological interactions
Need to develop understanding of what we mean by "structure and function" of a site we seek to conserve, how we measure and monitor it, and in particular how we examine potential changes to the structure and function within an ever changing environment
Work is required to understand the role of sub-components of a site and inter-relationships between sites (e.g. due to bird movements). Note: this need may well be encompassed within a proper understanding of structure and function
Develop a better understanding of system response times

Overall we need to avoid trying to isolate the "natural" system, humans are an integral part of it and that is what has to be managed. The potential exists to use information, technology and partnerships to promote a multi-disciplinary initiative founded on a "systems approach" to bring together the many strands of good science that are currently ongoing.

3. Management/Training/Promotion

Train those using the outputs from models in processes and modelling techniques
Create opportunities to make use of new research (e.g. in the way tenders are evaluated, or the budget allocated to a particular initiative)
Improve the presentation of scientific information
Maximise the opportunity to publish work and data carried out commercially and currently only available through the grey literature
Review outputs from first round of SMPs
Increase requirement for post-project/development evaluation. Ensure that lessons (positive and negative) are disseminated (e.g. controls imposed which have not had the desired effect)
Identify opportunities within the Solent for habitat improvement and creation
Improve access to information (this may require lobbying government to change current requirement for quangos/agencies to derive a proportion of their income from the exploitation of data banks established through public funds)
Raise public awareness. This is a very broad requirement, which needs to be targeted at a range of different interest groups, with knowledge ranging from the well informed to the complete novice
The Solent Forum should examine whether there is scope to fund long-term studentships and whether it could provide the front to consortia bids seeking EU funding for studies of direct relevance to the Solent
Some key messages need to be communicated as widely as possible (e.g. the importance of mud).

Conclusion

For mangers and conservationists – there is good science, which is being disseminated. To get maximum benefit from this, there needs to be more attention given to staff training and to providing the working environment that enables and facilitates the take of new ideas.

For the scientists – there is lots of good science already in progress but few attempts to synthesise the findings. A framework is needed to promote a systems view, as a mechanism for integrating these multi-faceted components.