The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) and Pure Historical past Museum’s Large Seaweed Search is ready to return for 2025, as the 2 organisations name on citizen scientists to go to seashores within the UK between 26 July and three August to establish several types of native seaweed.
Understanding the distribution of various seaweed species helps scientists map and doc modifications to coastal environments.
Information collected by tasks such because the Large Seaweed Search is collated and studied in order that policymakers may be higher knowledgeable in regards to the selections wanted to assist defend coastal environments.
‘Seaweed performs a very vital position in protecting our ocean wholesome,’ stated Anna Bunney, MCS Citizen Science Programme Developer. ‘There’s nonetheless rather a lot we don’t know, and that’s the place the Large Seaweed Search is available in.
‘The extra folks take part, the higher we will perceive what’s taking place beneath the waves and find out how to safeguard our seas for future generations.
‘The nice factor is, anybody can participate – you don’t should be an knowledgeable or reside close to the coast. Only one journey to the seaside is sufficient to assist out. It’s an excellent, simple exercise for households or mates to get pleasure from collectively, whereas additionally supporting very important analysis.
There are greater than 650 seaweed species discovered across the UK, nonetheless, the Large Seaweed Search Week focuses on simply 14 of probably the most generally discovered.
This helps the Marine Conservation Society and Pure Historical past Museum map the distribution of explicit seaweeds and collect long-term information, which in flip helps measure environmental modifications and their potential affect on marine life.
‘The Large Seaweed Search is already shaping vital scientific analysis,’ stated Dr Juliet Brodie of the Pure Historical past Museum. ‘Information gathered has contributed to the UK Crimson Record, serving to to spotlight seaweed species which might be susceptible or beneath risk.
‘This info performs an important position in guiding conservation efforts to guard these important marine species and make sure the well being of our ocean for years to return. It’s additionally impressed comparable tasks in locations like South Georgia and Mexico.’
Collaborating in Large Seaweed Search Week is easy and open to everybody who can get to a seaside. Surveys may be accomplished solo or in a bunch, and MCS has produced coaching movies and an identification information masking the 14 species being monitored.
Individuals will want to have the ability to take pictures of the seaweeds they discover, and outcomes may be submitted on-line through the Large Seaweed Search portal.
To get entangled within the Large Seaweed Search:
- Register to participate and obtain your information and recording kind from the Large Seaweed Search internet web page
- Select a 5-metre stretch of shoreline to survey and fill within the kind
- Take a number of clear, close-up pictures for the survey to be accepted
- Submit the survey by means of the Large Seaweed Search webpage
Though the Large Seaweed Search is a devoted week-long initiative, seaweed recognizing information may be submitted at any time yr. For extra details about the Large Seaweed Search and different citizen science tasks, head to the MCS web site.
