-
A European monsoon-like climate in a warmhouse world
-
The middle Eocene warmhouse period (45 million years ago) featured atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations equivalent to those projected under high future emission scenarios. Seasonal- to weather timescale climate reconstructions from this period can provide critical insight into the impact of Anthropogenic warming on intra-annual variability in temperature and precipitation. Here, we combine daily-scale reconstructions of the evolution of temperature and the water cycle in western Europe based on stable oxygen and clumped isotope analyses on the fastest-growing gastropod known in the fossil record: Campanile giganteum. Our dataset shows that the middle Eocene of western Europe featured monsoon-like conditions, with seawater temperatures of ˊ24 °C during mild and wet winters, 30 °C during hot and dry spring and autumn seasons, and ˊ28 °C during warm and comparatively wet summers. Coupled climate model simulations using the Community Earth System Model indicate these seasonal variations in temperature and precipitation were driven by shifting atmospheric and oceanic circulation regimes over Western Europe, with winds from different directions bringing distinct waters to the region and minimal wind during spring reducing cooling through diminished latent heat flux. Our results highlight that Europe may experience wetter summers with more frequent extreme rainfall events under future high emissions scenarios.
Located in
Library
/
RBINS Staff Publications 2025
-
Understanding practices and awareness of recreational anglers regarding invasive alien species to support the development of biosecurity campaigns
-
Located in
Library
/
RBINS Staff Publications 2025
-
At-sea distribution of seals on the Northwest European Shelf: Towards transboundary conservation and management
-
Quantifying and mitigating transboundary effects of anthropogenic activity is a key challenge in environmental management, particularly for wide-ranging species such as large predators, fish and migratory birds, relying on habitats across multiple national jurisdictions. This challenge is especially complex in marine ecosystems, where the movement of species and impacts across borders is largely unobserved. Central-place foragers, such as pinnipeds and seabirds, exemplify this complexity: abundance is typically assessed on local (regional or national) scales on land, yet at-sea movements and drivers of abundance occur on broader transboundary scales. Resolving this mismatch is critical to effective conservation, especially in areas such as the Northwest European Shelf (NWES), which features globally important predator populations (including two pinniped species) alongside growing anthropogenic pressures and a mosaic of national maritime borders. We model an unprecedented GPS dataset from 236 grey (Halichoerus grypus) and 606 harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) tracked in waters of seven countries across the NWES (United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany and Denmark). Using regional habitat association models, we generate at-sea distribution estimates for both species at 5 km resolution, scaled to haulout counts, producing country-specific and NWES-wide density maps. Analysis of the extent to which seals making foraging trips from one country occupy the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of other countries revealed substantial transboundary overlap, particularly for grey seals, and harbour seals in the southern North Sea. A case study apportioning grey seal density within three adjacent offshore marine protected areas in different EEZs revealed that, where total density in a given area is required, overlooking transboundary distribution can underrepresent numbers by an order of magnitude. Synthesis and applications. This study provides the first comprehensive, regionally scalable distribution estimates for pinnipeds across the NWES and its constituent countries. The modelling framework is adaptable to other central-place and migratory species, supporting transboundary biodiversity assessments and international conservation policy. We discuss common limitations and misconceptions of species distribution estimates, highlight priorities for future work and underscore the need for transboundary efforts to manage wide-ranging species, providing a foundation for future ecological modelling and decision-making across shared ecosystems.
Located in
Library
/
RBINS Staff Publications 2025
-
Demographic Parameters of Iberian Killer Whales Between 2011 and 2023
-
The Iberian killer whale subpopulation was assessed as critically endangered (CR) by the IUCN red list of threatened species based on the available information until 2011 on its low abundance, high newborn mortality, and dependency on the endangered Atlantic bluefin tuna. The present study focuses on updating the subpopulation demographic parameters between 2011 and 2023. Data were based on photo-identification and stranding records. Abundance, survival, reproductive rates, and population growth were estimated through mark-recapture models. Stranding records were used to estimate body size and calving seasonality. Sightings of newborn calves were also used for assessing seasonality. From 2011 through 2023, 26 stranding records were obtained, and 18,554 ID-images were examined. This subpopulation showed a stable abundance, with 37 individuals in 2023, still qualifying for the IUCN CR category under criteria D. Calf survival rate has increased compared to pre-2011, while adult survival has decreased, particularly for females. Reproductive rates were low, with an estimated interbirth interval of 8.3 years. The overall population growth rate was apparently stable at 0.46\%. Most births occurred in the summer and fall. Iberian killer whales are generally smaller than the average body length of other killer whale populations throughout the world. The study emphasizes the need for long-term monitoring and highlights new potential threats from fishing activities and recent disruptive interactions with recreational boats. The future of the subpopulation depends on recruitment and survival of juveniles and effective female reproduction.
Located in
Library
/
RBINS Staff Publications 2025
-
European stranding networks as a tool for monitoring marine mammal populations (Part I): towards optimising the functioning of networks
-
The study of stranded animals is a valuable aid to monitoring marine mammals globally. However, the utility of strandings data depends on their quality and representativeness, which is affected by various biological, physical, social and economic factors. An analysis of how stranding networks work could help understand limitations in the data collected and facilitate correcting for or even eliminating them. In 2021, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea’s Working Group on Marine Mammal Ecology carried out an expert consultation using a questionnaire to provide insight into the contribution of European stranding networks as a monitoring tool in European countries with Northeast Atlantic and adjacent coasts (hence also including some networks operating along the Mediterranean coast). A key aim was to identify ways to improve data on mortality of marine mammals due to fishery bycatch. The present paper is the first of a two-part series based on the responses to the questionnaire by 45 organisations from 19 countries, and focuses on characterising the activities and capacities of the stranding networks surveyed, identifying differences within and between countries, highlighting strengths and weaknesses, and providing recommendations to enhance the value and credibility of the information collected. The second paper will focus on the information specifically related to mortality due to fishery bycatch. Stranding networks provide extensive spatio-temporal coverage of European coastlines, but their activities may be constrained by limited resources as well as limitations imposed by the stranding process. There is a need for better coordination and standardisation of the collection and analysis of data and samples and increased spatial coverage to fill gaps. To improve data quality, in particular to support assessment of impacts of threats such as bycatch, more necropsies and associated sample analysis are needed. It would also be advantageous to collect more information from less fresh animals, record search effort, and give greater attention to pinnipeds and non-marine mammal taxa. We also highlight the need to make information available and the potential value of a common database. Streamlining the reporting of results at the European level and providing systematic funding to stranding networks in accordance with their needs are necessary steps to optimise their role as a tool for the long-term monitoring of marine mammals and other marine megafauna in Europe.
Located in
Library
/
RBINS Staff Publications 2025
-
Massive boulders shifted along the coast of Guantánamo, Cuba, during Hurricane Matthew (2016)
-
Hurricane Matthew struck the province of Guantánamo in southeastern Cuba in 2016 by making landfall as the first and only hurricane reaching category 4 in documented history. We surveyed transport path, distance and mode of coastal boulder deposits (CBD) after the event at three coastal sites and compared them with the pre-Matthew boulderscape, which reflects the effects of extreme-wave events on millennial time scales. The application of a dimensionless analytical framework comparing elevation, CBD size and wave climate with a global dataset of storm-transported CBD shows that boulder transport during Matthew is at the uppermost possible limit, while larger boulders that remained inactive hint to even more intense hurricanes or a large tsunami in the prehistoric past. Most observations support typical patterns of storm-transported CBD in carbonate environments, such as a source at the cliff edge, preferential sourcing and clustering at shoreline indentations and a stepwise movement inland during multiple storm events. The study shows that Hurricane Matthew is not unique in Guantánamo in terms of intensity on larger, prehistoric time scales. At the same time, recurrence intervals of highest-category hurricanes in this region may decrease with ongoing climate change prompting the need to use the inland distribution of CBD plus additional buffer as minimum setback zones in coastal hazard management.
Located in
Library
/
RBINS Staff Publications 2025
-
Four decades of the Working Group on Marine and Coastal Geography – Interdisciplinary perspectives and practices: Introduction to the special issue
-
Located in
Library
/
RBINS Staff Publications 2025
-
The Inundation Signatures on Rocky Coastlines Global Database for coastal boulder deposits (ISROC-DB)
-
Coastal boulder deposits are long-lived signatures of high-energy storm wave and tsunami inundation found on rocky and reefal coastlines worldwide. Although increasing numbers of research reports have been published on coastal boulder deposits, it has been difficult to compare studies from different areas because of a lack of standardised data and of quality-controlled datasets. This paper describes ISROC-DB, a new standardised database compiled from both published and unpublished data. There are two important parts: 1. Uniform standards to enable collation and intercomparison of coastal boulder deposits, with preformatted Excel files to enable convenient data entry; and 2. A freely accessible compiled database of coastal boulder deposit data. Both are published in downloadable permanent archives. Ongoing additions will further increase the database scope.
Located in
Library
/
RBINS Staff Publications 2025
-
Geomorphic and sedimentary impact on beaches of Eastern Visayas (Philippines) after Typhoon Haiyan in 2013 - short-term recovery and post-depositional changes
-
Tropical cyclones and storm surges are a major threat to coastal communities of the Philippines. On 08th November 2013, category 5 Typhoon Haiyan (local name: Yolanda) made landfall on the islands of Eastern Visayas and caused more than 6000 casualties and severe damage to infrastructure and habitats. To assess the geomorphic impact of one of the strongest tropical cyclones on record, three post-typhoon surveys were conducted in 2014, 2015 and 2016 at two severely affected sites on the islands of Leyte and Samar. They aimed at documenting Haiyan-related erosional features and sand deposits. The sites have different geomorphic and geological settings, and exposure to the typhoon track. Differential global navigation satellite system (DGNSS) measurements and sediment analyses were used to document erosion and washover deposition caused by waves and coastal flooding of the beach ridge systems, as well as their recovery and changes over time. Shoreline changes were measured on high-resolution satellite images using the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) to determine the typhoon’s impact and recovery potential at a larger spatial scale. The results show the potential to identify storm-wave erosion and washover deposits in sandy ridge sequences across larger time scales. However, fine sedimentary signatures, such as millimetre-scale lamination, may be rapidly overprinted by bioturbation and geomorphic reorganisation of the coast. The coastline tends to return to its pre-storm equilibrium, whereas the pace depends on whether eroded sands remain within reach of the long-term wave regime, on the frequency of subsequent high-category storms and very local geomorphic conditions.
Located in
Library
/
RBINS Staff Publications 2025
-
Standardising research on marine biological carbon pathways required to estimate sequestration at Polar and sub-Polar latitudes
-
Marine biological (‘blue’) carbon pathways are crucial components of the global carbon budget due to the ecosystem services they provide through the fixation of CO2 from the atmosphere. CO2 is removed from biosphere through long-term sequestration into seafloor sediments, removing it from the carbon cycle. Coincident with marine ice loss, little studied negative (mitigating) feedbacks to climate change are emerging in polar waters, which is important to quantify and comprehend. Understanding the mechanisms driving these pathways, that could lead to change, is a massive task and to ensure studies are comparable requires standardisation and prioritisation of future research. The expertise of scientists within the EU grant, Coastal ecosystem carbon balance in times of rapid glacier melt (CoastCarb), identified the 23 most important high latitude pathways through a modified Delphi scoring system. Metrics were selected as priorities for future research and for syntheses across broader geographic regions. The metrics with the highest importance scores also scored as the metrics that could be most readily standardised in the next five years. This review provides a definition and description of how each metric is measured, including its central role to blue carbon pathways. It also provides recommendations for standardisation, emphasising the requirement for modelling studies to scale from geographically limited regions where high-resolution data is available. Where methods cannot be standardised, cross calibration between methods is required to ensure reproducibility. An increasing use of remote sensing and innovative technologies will be necessary to scale measurements across this vast and remote region.
Located in
Library
/
RBINS Staff Publications 2025
