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Introduction
I serve as Lead Environmental Consultant in the Xodus Group.
Having joined the Xodus Group Environment Team, I work on a diverse portfolio of projects including offshore renewables, cables and interconnectors, electrification and oil and gas projects from project concept through to decommissioning.
My work covers UK (United Kingdom) and Ireland, as well as projects in Europe, Asia-Pacific and North America.
Additional affiliations
Education
January 2012 - June 2016
September 2009 - October 2010
September 2003 - December 2008
Publications
Publications (91)
Etymology is a key component in zoological nomenclature, often carrying key information for an organism. Greek and Latin languages have been used for centuries in synthesizing zoological names. However, there are surprisingly few studies about each language’s contribution, which is crucial for avoiding misunderstandings around names’ meaning and or...
Most deep-sea organisms feed on the organic matter produced in surface waters and settle on the seafloor. In polar regions, sea ice algal detritus and phytoplankton detritus are the main food sources for benthic fauna that reach the seafloor in pulses. Climate change affects the extension and duration of sea ice cover, which may affect the quantity...
Offshore renewables are expanding, yet more information is required to understand their possible impacts on the environment. Little is known about the effects of Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) from subsea power cables on marine life. This study simulated an EMF of 500 μT, as modelled for an export cable over a rocky shore, where the industry standard...
Biogenic habitats often form hot spots of biodiversity. However, the role of epibiosis and the ‘habitat cascades’ phenomenon in enhancing structural heterogeneity and biodiversity in biogenic habitats in remote and difficult-to-access areas is little known. In this work, we provide the first insight by exploring epibiosis across remote habitats tha...
The joint ICES/NAFO Working Group on Deep-water Ecology (WGDEC) collates new information on the distribution of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs) for use in annual ICES advisory processes and the development of new methods/techniques to further our understanding of deep-sea ecosystems, and further suggests novel management tools to ensure human a...
Vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) are particularly susceptible to bottom-fishing activity as they are easily disturbed and slow to recover. A data-driven approach was developed to provide management options for the protection of VMEs under the European Union “deep-sea access regulations.” A total of two options within two scenarios were developed...
Studies in terrestrial and shallow-water ecosystems have unravelled the key role of interspecific interactions in enhancing biodiversity, but important knowledge gaps persist for the deep sea. Cold-water coral reefs are hotspots of biodiversity, but the role of interspecific interactions and “habitat cascades” (i.e. positive effects on focal organi...
Cold seeps support fragile deep-sea communities of high biodiversity and are often found in areas with high commercial interest. Protecting them from encroaching human impacts (bottom trawling, oil and gas exploitation, climate change) requires an advanced understanding of the drivers shaping their spatial distribution and biodiversity. Based on th...
Full list and photos of my public engagement activities.
Data sets associated with peer-reviewed publications
Implementing European marine policies in the deep waters of the North Atlantic
The deep sea is the largest biome on Earth but the least explored hindering
sustainable exploitation. The ATLAS project addressed this challenge by
facilitating the implementation of EC’s Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Key
objectives were: i) suggesting indicators assessing deep-sea status, ii) evaluating
the Nested Environmental status Asses...
Towards the assessment of North Atlantic deep sea ecosystems’
status: opportunities and challenges unraveled by the ATLAS project.
Aim
We assessed the effects of regional oceanographic shifts on the macrofaunal biodiversity and biogeography of cold-water coral reefs (CWCRs). CWCRs are often hotspots of biodiversity and ecosystem services and are in the frontline of exposure to multiple human pressures and climate change. Almost nothing is known about how large-scale atmospheri...
This study presents a novel approach resulting in the first cold-water coral reef biomass maps, used to assess associated ecosystem functions, such as carbon (C) stock and turnover. We focussed on two dominant ecosystem engineers at the Mingulay Reef Complex, the coral Lophelia pertusa (rubble, live and dead framework) and the sponge Spongosorites...
Sponges (Phylum Porifera) are the oldest extant Metazoans. In the deep sea, sponges can occur at high densities forming habitats known as sponge grounds. Sponge grounds can extend over large areas of up to hundreds of km2 and are biodiversity hotspots. However, as human activities, including deep-water hydrocarbon extraction, continue to expand int...
Divulgative paper published in Journal Eco Magazine, Deep Sea Issue
The deep sea is the largest biome on Earth but the least explored. Our knowledge of it comes from scattered sources spanning different spatial and temporal scales. Implementation of marine policies like the European Union's Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) and support for Blue Growth in the deep sea are therefore hindered by lack of data....
Many of the marine policy frameworks developed to protect biodiversity in deep-sea areas, including areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ), include indicators to assess policy objectives. These frameworks often have specific guidance on how the indicators should be applied and interpreted. Selection of indicators is an important process and thos...
The joint ICES/NAFO Working Group on Deep-water Ecology (WGDEC) collates new information on the distribution of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs) for use in annual ICES advisory processes and the development of new methods/techniques to further our understanding of deep-sea ecosystems, and further suggests novel management tools to ensure human a...
Circulation patterns in the North Atlantic Ocean have changed and re-organized multiple times over millions of years, influencing the biodiversity, distribution, and connectivity patterns of deep-sea species and ecosystems. In this study, we review the effects of the water mass properties (temperature, salinity, food supply, carbonate chemistry, an...
Determining the scale of anthropogenic impacts is critical in order to understand ecosystem effects of human activities, within the context of changes caused by natural environmental variability. We applied spatial eigenfunction analysis to disentangle effects of anthropogenic drivers from environmental factors on species assembly in the Faroe-Shet...
Carbonate removal using acids is a common practice in ecological studies. The effects, however, of acid pre-treatment on the elemental and isotopic composition of marine invertebrates as well as how these effects vary according to species’ carbonate content is little known. We examined the effects of acid pre-treatment on the elemental (%C, %N, C:N...
Assessing environmental status in North-Atlantic deep seas
Ferromanganese crusts occurring on seamounts are a potential resource for rare earth elements that are critical for low-carbon technologies. Seamounts, however, host vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs), which means that spatial management is needed to address potential conflicts between mineral extraction and the conservation of deep-sea biodiversi...
Mapping benthic respiration rates in the cold-water coral reef, the Mingulay Reef.
Challenges and opportunities in assessing Good Environmental Status in the deep sea: lesson learned from ATLAS
Discovery and understanding of fragile deep-sea habitats like sponge aggregations, are being outpaced by anthropogenic resource exploitation. Sustainable ocean development in the Faroe-Shetland Channel Nature Conservation Marine Protected Area (FSC NCMPA; northeast Atlantic), which harbors sponge aggregations, now requires adaptive management in th...
Presentation of work on Good Environmental Status-Biodiversity Assessment in deep North Atlantic.
ATLAS Deliverable D3.2b: Case Studies on Effects of Hydrography and Oceanography on �North Atlantic VME Biodiversity and Biogeography.
Mapping Benthic Oxygen Consumption Rates in the Cold-water Coral Reef, the Mingulay Reef.
Getting there: advancing knowledge on vulnerable marine ecosystems to support �Blue Growth in the deep sea
Towards the assessment of North Atlantic deep-sea ecosystems’ status: opportunities and challenges unraveled by the ATLAS project.
The extent of marine litter and microplastic occurrence across ocean biomes and species remains poorly characterised, particularly in remote deep-water ecosystems. The present study in the East Mingulay Special Area of Conservation (a Marine Protected Area in the Sea of the Hebrides, western Scotland) used historic surveys and benthic samples to ob...
Presentation of the ATLAS work on Good Environmental Status in the European Commission's Joint Research Centre in Italy
Presentation of the ATLAS work on deep-sea environmental status in the closing meeting of the IDEM project.
Lesson learned in the ATLAS project regarding the challenges and opportunities in achieving “Good Environmental Status” in North Atlantic deep-seas.
What does the future hold for ancient marine animals and their microbial symbionts? Unraveling the impacts of climate change on the health status of sponge-microbes consortia and their key role in ecosystem functioning.
Assessing environmental status in North Atlantic deep seas
Distribution, density and size of deep-sea sponge morphotypes in the Faroe-Shetland Channel Sponge Belt Nature Conservation Marine Protected Area.
Presentation of the ATLAS work on Good Environmental Status in the deep-sea ecosystems of the North Atlantic.
Sponges are often major players in the functioning of shallow-water ecosystems through their high biomass and high capacity in filter feeding. In comparison, little is known about the feeding and metabolic strategies of deep-sea sponges, although they can also form dense aggregations with high biomass. This situation hinders our understanding about...
Presentation of the ATLAS project at the Joint Nature Conservation Committee "Beyond the Coast" conference 2018.
Distribution of deep-sea sponges and the role of environmental variability in the Faroe-Shetland Sponge Belt Marine Protected Area.
Effects of changing ocean regimes on deep-sea benthos on the Scottish continental shelf and slope.
Progress in Assessing Good Environmental Status in Deep-sea Benthic Ecosystems: D1, D3, D6 and D10.
Sponges form an important component of benthic ecosystems from shallow littoral to hadal depths. In the deep ocean, beyond the continental shelf, sponges can form high-density fields, constituting important habitats supporting rich benthic communities. Yet these habitats remain relatively unexplored. The oil and gas industry has played an important...
Sponges form an important component of benthic ecosystems from shallow littoral to hadal depths. In the deep ocean, beyond the continental shelf, sponges can form high-density fields, constituting important habitats supporting rich benthic communities. Yet these habitats remain relatively unexplored. The oil and gas industry has played an important...
Phytodetritus are considered as one of the most important food supplies for deep-sea fauna. In Arctic ecosystems, sea ice algae and phytoplankton are known as the main primary producers that reaches the seafloor. So far, little is known about the responses of benthic macrofauna facing future changes regarding quantity and quality of food reaching t...
Presentation of the ATLAS project at the Challenger Society Deep-Sea Ecosystems Special Interest Group
Presentation of the ATLAS project at the Trans North Atlantic Research and Prospects for South Atlantic Partnership.
Presentation of the ATLAS project in the 1st Annual Meeting of the MERCES project.
Effects of changing ocean regimes on deep-sea benthos on the Scottish continental shelf and slope.
ATLAS 2nd General Assembly 2017 - Case Studies 3-4.
ATLAS 2nd General Assembly 2017 - Case Studies 1-2.
ATLAS 2nd General Assembly - Case Studies overview
ATLAS 2nd General Assembly - Case Studies 5-6.
ATLAS 2nd General Assembly 2017 - Case Studies 11-12
ATLAS 2nd General Assembly 2017 - Case Studies 7-8.
Introducing ATLAS Case Study 4: The Mingulay Reef Complex
Introducing ATLAS Case Study 4: The Mingulay Reef Complex.
In this poster we describe the benthic macrofauna community in the sediment cores that were used for enrichment experiments.
We examined the isotopic signatures (δ13C, δ15N) of fauna living in association with the sponge
Spongosorites coralliophaga colonizing coral rubble on cold-water coral reefs in the northeast
Atlantic – the shallow inshore (122–131 m collection depth) Mingulay 01 area and the deep
offshore (683–800 m) Logachev 02 mound. The δ15N signatures of suspen...
Structure and functioning of cold-water coral reefs: a sponge's view.
Cold-water coral reefs (CWRs) in the northeast Atlantic harbor diverse sponge communities. Knowledge of deep-sea sponge ecology is limited and this leaves us with a fragmented understanding of the ecological roles that sponges play in CWR ecosystems. We present the first study of faunal biodiversity associated with the massive demosponge Spongosori...
Sponges as biogenic structures in two Cold Water Reefs of the North East Atlantic.
On the role of Sponges in the functionality of Cold Water Reefs; an approach based on 13C/15N Isotope Tracing Experiments.
The reproductive cycle of the traditionally exploited sea cucumber Holothuria tubulosa was investigated in the Pagasitikos
Gulf (39°18′457″N, 23°05′869″E) from June 2007 to July 2008. The study examined the microscopic characteristics of the gonads and
was based on maturity index (MI) and oocytes’ size-frequency distribution. The reproductive cyc...
The reproductive cycle of the traditionally exploited sea cucumber Holothuria tubulosa was investigated in the Pagasitikos
Gulf (39°18′457″N, 23°05′869″E) from June 2007 to July 2008. The study examined the microscopic characteristics of the gonads and
was based on maturity index (MI) and oocytes’ size-frequency distribution. The reproductive cyc...
Sponges as biogenic structures in two Cold Water Reefs of the North East Atlantic.
Long-term studies in the abyssal north-east Atlantic (1989-2005) have revealed large-scale changes in the benthic ecosystem and especially in some megafaunal invertebrate taxa over the period 1996-2002, termed the 'Amperima Event'. Holothurians dominated the megafaunal samples. Temporal patterns in the abundance of holothurians showed a wide spectr...
Sponges in Cold Water Reefs; their Role in Ecosystem Structure and Functionality.
Biological structures in the deep sea; fauna associated with the demosponge Spongosorites coralliophaga (Stephens, 1915) in two cold-water reefs in the Northeast Atlantic.
The Atlanto-Mediterranean holothurian Holothuria tubulosa is among the conspicuous benthic invertebrates in the shallow sublittoral zone. It is an edible species, harvested at the Aegean Sea and utilized as fishing bait. Considering the lack of information for the Aegean populations, a one-year survey, based on monthly or semimonthly samples, was c...
The sea urchins Paracentrotus lividus and Arbacia lixula are common in the subittoral zone of the Mediterranean coasts. Their grazing activity is well known to have a significant effect on the structure and dynamics of assemblages of species in coastal habitats, including seagrass meadows. The goal of this study was to investigate the reproductive...
The sea urchins Paracentrotus lividus and Arbacia lixula are common in the subittoral zone of the Mediterranean coasts. Their grazing activity is well known to have a significant effect on the structure and dynamics of assemblages of species in coastal habitats, including seagrass meadows. The goal of this study was to investigate the reproductive...
The Atlanto-Mediterranean holothurian Holothuria tubulosa Gmellin, 1788 is among
the conspicuous benthic invertebrates in the shallow sublittoral zone. It is an edible
species, harvested at the Aegean and utilized as fishing bait. Considering the limited
information for the species, a one-year survey (June 2007 - July 2008) was carried
out focusing...
Population density, biometry and reproductive status of the common sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus were studied in 2007 at five coastal stations from Pagasitikos Gulf and two from N. Sporades. A total of 550 individuals were collected by scuba diving, in spring and autumn 2007. Mean population density was estimated 9.14 ind/m 2 and showed insignif...