NOC News Round Up - 20 April 2018

Switch from leaded petrol has reduced lead ocean pollution New research by NOC scientists shows the first observed reduction in lead concentrations in the surface waters of the seas around Europe since the phasing out of leaded petrol. Lead has no biological function, and is toxic to humans and marine organisms. The study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, is based on samples of the Celtic Sea taken during a series of research expeditions on board the Royal Research Ship (RRS) Discovery. The results show that there has been a four-fold reduction in the concentration of lead in the surface waters of European shelf seas compared to measurements undertaken two to three decades ago, following the phase-out of leaded petrol in Europe over the same time period. Read more on our website. Sampling estuaries in the sun The sunny weather has been appreciated by the NOC scientists taking samples along the Hampshire Avon for the LOCATE project. LOCATE is a multi-disciplinary project that is undertaking the first ever coordinated sampling of the major rivers in Great Britain. This will help scientists answer questions about the long-term fate of organic carbon held in soil over the next fifty to one hundred years by establishing how much carbon from soils is getting into rivers and estuaries and determining what is happening to it. Ocean science high on agenda for Commonwealth leaders The NOC has this month been at the centre of a number of high profile government announcements regarding the future management and protection of the ocean. On Thursday during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, in London, Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson announced via the Government website the commitment of £9 million to protect the marine environment and drive economic development in Commonwealth small island states (SIDS). This is the third year of funding for the Commonwealth Marine Economies Programme, a joint initiative between the NOC, Cefas and the UK Hydrographic Office. The programme was the subject of a showcase on board the Cefas research vessel, RV Cefas Endeavour, on Tuesday and Wednesday, attended by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for Commonwealth & UN and the Rt Hon David Lidington CBE MP. The event also saw children from local schools visiting the vessel and talking to scientists and crew. On Wednesday evening, NOC attended a celebration of commonwealth science, research and innovation collaboration at the Royal Society, hosted by Sam Gyimah MP, Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation.     This email was sent using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: National Oceanography Centre · Waterfront Campus · European Way · Southampton · SO14 3ZH · United Kingdom