Annual Meeting22nd 24th November 2010, Dunkeld

SAGES Scottish Alliance for Geoscience, Environment & Society

“How does SAGES work with MASTS coastal and

oceanographic research”Panel Discussion: Introduced by

Mark Inall (SAMS/UHI) and Sandy Tudhope (University of Edinburgh)

SAGES Theme 3: Atmosphere, Oceans & Climate

Statement of the problem:

Future climate change is inevitable.

However, the rate and magnitude of future change, and in particular the regional expressions of change remain poorly known.

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(Source: IPCC, 2001)

SAGES Theme 3: Atmosphere, Oceans & Climate

Original Proposal: three overarching questions:

• (i) What are the mechanisms and drivers of abrupt regional and global climate change?

• (ii) In the context of future global climate change, how can we predict the manifestations and impacts of such change at regional level?

• (iii) What is the climatological and environmental significance of variability in transport of warm and saline Atlantic Water to NW Europe and Scandinavia?

New Capability in Scotland:Centre for Earth System Dynamics, CESD

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SAGES Theme 3: Tools and approaches:

Processes studies and observation

Palaeo Modelling

MASTS: Institutional partners

University of AberdeenMarine Scotland, ScienceHeriot-Watt UniversityNapier UniversityUniversity of St AndrewsScottish Association for Marine Science (UHIMI)University Marine Biological Station, MillportUniversity of StirlingUniversity of StrathclydeUniversity of Glasgow

What MASTS will do:

• Address the strategic science requirements of Scotland in a UK context

• Combine research expertise across traditional institutional and administrative boundaries

• Act as a gateway for marine science in Scotland• Develop and nurture new talent in marine

science

Nine Permanent Joint Research Themes:

– Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function “The web of life in the oceans”

– Coastal Zone “The land- people-and sea interface”

– Marine Predators “Bellwethers of change”

– Sustainable Mariculture “Scotland’s largest agricultural export”

– Genomics “Predicting effects and responding to change”

– Fisheries “Sustainable harvesting from the oceans”

– Physical Oceanography “The fundamental driver of change”

– Modelling “Synthesising knowledge and building hypotheses”

– Platforms and Sensors “Observing the oceans”

… Plus

Four rolling “Community Research Programmes”

Bioscience Economics

SAGESSAGESTelford Institute

ACESACES

Geoscience Engineering

MASTS

MASTS JRTs and SAGES: Structural Links

MASTS X-Cutting JRTs:Physical Ocean.ModellingPlatforms

SAGES T3: Atmosphere, Oceans and Climate

MASTS JRTs:CoastalPredatorsFisheriesMaricultureBiodiversityGenomics

SAGES T2: Carbon

Process understanding and parameterisation

SAGES CESD: Future climate scenarios (e.g. abrupt change)

SAGES T5: Society

NE Atlantic and NW Europe: physical environment

Process understanding and parameterisation

Some areas of potential SAGES / MASTS scientific synergy :

MASTS Initial “Community Research Programmes”

• Renewable Energy

• Sea-lochs and Firths

• Salmon Genome

• Rockall and Offshore Waters

SAGES T3: three overarching questions:

(i) What are the mechanisms and drivers of abrupt regional and global climate change?

(ii) In the context of future global climate change, how can we predict the manifestations and impacts of such change at regional level?

(iii) What is the climatological and environmental significance of variability in transport of warm and saline Atlantic Water to NW Europe and Scandinavia?

New Capability in Scotland:Centre for Earth System Dynamics, CESD

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SAGES T5: Society

SAGES T2: Carbon

Opportunities

• www.masts.ac.uk• JRT flyers available• Join a JRT (any affiliation allowed!)• Access JRT enabling funds via membership

(~£10k pa per JRT)• Contact Community Project leaders

• Renewable Energy: Paul Thompson, (Aberdeen)• Sea-lochs and Firths: Alex Cunningham (Strathclyde)• Salmon Genome: Chris Secombes (Aberdeen)• Rockall and Offshore Waters, Ursula Witte (Aberdeen), Mark

Inall (SAMS)