A bottom up approach to marine management: Marine phytoplankton as regulators of ecosystem functions and services

微型海洋藻类（浮游植物）对气候循环和海洋生态系统功能至关重要，并支持一系列生态系统服务（ES）。浮游植物进行的重要ES包括氧气生产，从大气中吸收二氧化碳进入海洋，并维持海洋食物网。浮游植物在空间和时间上有不同的分布，一些地点一直支持更大的初级生产，随后对支持的生态系统功能和环境服务的分布产生影响，包括海鸟、海洋哺乳动物和商业渔业的种群。然而，在海洋管理中，浮游植物很少得到考虑，对浮游植物及其与其他生态系统功能和环境系统的关系的研究很少。这是一个重大的知识差距，限制了海洋管理的效力。该奖学金将解决这一证据差距，提供一个强有力的循证框架，以帮助海洋管理。我将与海洋管理组织（MMO）和北方爱尔兰、苏格兰和威尔士具有类似职能的机构密切合作，确保在海洋规划和许可过程中考虑到这一证据基础。例如，我最近的工作表明，风力发电场可以导致每年初级生产量减少30%，但这可以通过较小的涡轮机基地或将涡轮机设置在浮游植物“热点”之外来缓解。主要目标包括分析和评价关于浮游植物和所支持的生态系统功能与环境系统之间的空间和时间关系的信息（其中大部分由NERC资助），并确定如何最好地利用这些信息来改善我们海洋的可持续管理，帮助填补MMO证据空白。可提交的报告包括基于对已发表结果的分析的MMO报告，主要是访问主要研究人员和研究小组，并参加会议和工作组-从而积极纳入研究的前沿，同时鼓励研究人员与海洋管理人员接触。培训将提供给MMO工作人员在海洋管理和利益相关者参与中使用ES概念，促进MMO的使用。我在海洋学研究和海洋管理方面有经验，并将在该奖学金中使用这两套专业知识-使用科学专业知识来整理和综合高质量的研究，和管理专业知识，以促进与MMO的有针对性的战略沟通，以便将尖端科学应用于MMO目标。这一点，再加上在海洋管理组织办公室花费大量时间，将确保海洋管理组织的需求得到充分理解和优先考虑，科学证据是有用的，并以可访问的方式提出。研究人员之间缺乏参与研究金主题和海洋管理人员-研究人员不清楚如何参与海洋管理（例如，与谁联系以及如何提供信息），管理机构往往不了解当前的研究。因此，该奖学金的一个关键目标是鼓励研究人员和MMO之间的接触。其中包括举办一次讲习班，为科学家和海洋管理人员之间的知识交流确定最佳做法。我将为MMO开发一项推广活动，教育研究人员为什么以及如何使用他们的研究来支持海洋管理。为了促进未来的参与，除了研究金，我将利用我广泛的网络为MMO生成一个“支持海洋管理专家”（ESMM）数据库产品，简化在一个主题中查找专家的过程。该奖学金将在MMO和英国及其他地区的生物海洋学社区之间建立持久，富有成效的关系。

Microscopic marine algae (phytoplankton) are crucially important to climate cycle and marine ecosystem functions, and support a range of ecosystem services (ES). Vital ES carried out by phytoplankton include oxygen production, uptake of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into the ocean, and sustaining marine food-webs. Phytoplankton have spatially and temporally distinct distributions, with some locations consistently supporting greater primary production, with subsequent impacts on the distributions of supported ecosystem functions and ES including populations of seabirds, marine mammals and commercial fisheries. However, phytoplankton are given little consideration within marine management, with little use made of research into phytoplankton, and their relationships with other ecosystem functions and ES. This is a major knowledge gap and limits the effectiveness of marine management. This fellowship will address this evidence gap to provide a robust evidence-based framework to aid marine management. I will work closely with Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and bodies with similar functions in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to ensure this evidence base is considered in marine planning and licencing processes. For example, my recent work shows wind farms can cause an up to 30% decrease in annual primary production, but that this can be mitigated through smaller turbine bases or siting turbines out of phytoplankton "hotspots".The goal of this fellowship is to facilitate the MMO in achieving sustainable development through ecosystems-based management as supported by robust scientific evidence. Key objectives include analysing and evaluating information (much of it funded by NERC) on the spatial and temporal relationships between phytoplankton and supported ecosystem functions and ES and establishing how this information can be best used to improve the sustainable management of our oceans, contributing to filling MMO evidence gaps. Deliverables include reports for the MMO based on analysis of published results and, primarily, visiting key researchers and research groups, and participating in conferences and working groups - thus actively incorporating the leading edge of research, whilst encouraging researchers to engage with marine managers. Training will be delivered to MMO staff on using the ES concept in marine management and stakeholder engagement, furthering its use by the MMO.I have experience in oceanographic research and marine management, and will use both sets of expertise in this fellowship - using science expertise to collate and synthesise high-quality research, and management expertise to facilitate targeted and strategic communications with the MMO in order to apply cutting-edge science to MMO objectives. This, in combination with extensive time spend at the MMO offices, will ensure that the needs of the MMO are well understood and prioritised, and that scientific evidence is useful and presented accessibly.There is a lack of engagement between researchers in the fellowship topics and marine managers - researchers are unclear how to engage with marine management (e.g. who to contact and how to present information), and management organisations are often unaware of current research. A key objective of this fellowship is therefore to encourage engagement between researchers and the MMO. Deliverables include a workshop to establish best practice for knowledge exchange between scientists and marine managers. I will develop an outreach activity for the MMO, educating researchers on why and how to use their research to support marine management. To facilitate future engagement, beyond the fellowship, I will use my extensive network to generate an "Experts in Support of Marine Management" (ESMM) database product for the MMO, simplifying locating experts in a topic. This fellowship will build a lasting, productive relationship between the MMO and the biological oceanography community in the UK, and beyond.