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SID 5

Research Project Final Report
Note
In line with the Freedom of Information
Act 2000, Defra aims to place the results
of its completed research projects in the
public domain wherever possible. The
SID 5 (Research Project Final Report) is
designed to capture the information on
the results and outputs of Defra-funded
research in a format that is easily
publishable through the Defra website. A
SID 5 must be completed for all projects.
A SID 5A form must be completed where
a project is paid on a monthly basis or
against quarterly invoices. No SID 5A is
required where payments are made at
milestone points. When a SID 5A is
required, no SID 5 form will be accepted
without the accompanying SID 5A.

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boxes may be expanded or reduced, as
appropriate.

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SID 5 (2/05)
Project identification
1.
Defra Project code
2.
Project title
ME3208
Evaluating the “Ferrybox” as an appropriate monitoring
system for the marine environment: using the wreck of
the MV Ece in the English Channel as a test case.
(Measuring phosphoric acid concentrations in the vicinity
of the wreck of the MV Ece in March 2006: leakage, fate,
ecosystem response and prediction)
3.
Contractor
organisation(s)
National Oceanography Centre,
Southampton
Waterfront Campus
European Way
Southampton
SO14 3ZH
54. Total Defra project costs
5. Project:
Page 1 of 5
£
7765
start date ................
01 March 2006
end date .................
31 March 2006
6. It is Defra’s intention to publish this form.
Please confirm your agreement to do so. ................................................................................... YES
NO
(a) When preparing SID 5s contractors should bear in mind that Defra intends that they be made public. They
should be written in a clear and concise manner and represent a full account of the research project
which someone not closely associated with the project can follow.
Defra recognises that in a small minority of cases there may be information, such as intellectual property
or commercially confidential data, used in or generated by the research project, which should not be
disclosed. In these cases, such information should be detailed in a separate annex (not to be published)
so that the SID 5 can be placed in the public domain. Where it is impossible to complete the Final Report
without including references to any sensitive or confidential data, the information should be included and
section (b) completed. NB: only in exceptional circumstances will Defra expect contractors to give a "No"
answer.
In all cases, reasons for withholding information must be fully in line with exemptions under the
Environmental Information Regulations or the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
(b) If you have answered NO, please explain why the Final report should not be released into public domain
SID 5 (2/05)
Page 2 of 5
Executive Summary
7.
The executive summary must not exceed 2 sides in total of A4 and should be understandable to the
intelligent non-scientist. It should cover the main objectives, methods and findings of the research, together
with any other significant events and options for new work.
•
This study evaluates the use of the ship-of-opportunity (Ferrybox) concept for monitoring UK shelf
sea waters. The sinking of a chemical tanker in the English Channel is used as a specific test case for
the concept.
•
An effective marine management strategy requires accurate knowledge of both specific incidents
and background conditions preceding such incidents. Accurate data is also critical to know both the
natural variability of those background conditions and the drivers behind the variability. Only then,
through appropriate monitoring, can changes in marine states due to specific pollution incidents be
properly managed.
•
The Ferrybox system used in this study meets the demand for such accurate data.
• The Ferrybox system is an autonomous suite of electronic sensors installed on board P&O
European Ferries Ltd ship, the Pride of Bilbao, operating year-round between Portsmouth (UK) and
Bilbao (Spain) since April 2002. Data are collected every second along the route. The ship crosses
within 1 mile of the shipwreck (the edge of the exclusion zone) every 12 hours to 3.5 days. The system
provides data within five minutes of collection via a satellite link and additional data are collected on
monthly manned crossings. Additional water samples were collected in this study to measure
phosphate and other nutrients (on 28th-2nd March 2006 and 14th – 17th March 2006)
• The specific incident (test case) is the sinking of the chemical tanker - M.V. Ece -with a cargo of
10,000 tonnes of phosphoric acid. The ship sank in 70 metres of water, 30 miles northwest of
Guernsey in the western English Channel on 1st February 2006.
• Phosphoric acid (phosphate) is an essential nutrient for phytoplankton (microscopic marine algae
on which the entire marine food chain relies). Release of “additional” phosphate into the sea may
intensify blooms of toxic phytoplankton species and/or lead to oxygen loss from the seawater, both of
which are lethal to marine organisms.
• This report reviews the possible spill from the tanker on the basis of 1) new data collected by the
NOC Ferrybox close to the wreck area, 2) detailed data around this area collected by the Ferrybox
since 2003, 3) longer term (1929-1987) single site data from the Marine Biological Association’s
station E1, located 20 miles from the coast of Plymouth (UK) and 4) numerical modelling work being
carried out by the Met Office using an ecosystem model capable of describing eutrophication effects
over UK shelf seas.
• The state-of-the-art computer model (MRCS-POLCOMS-ERSEM, from hereon MRCS), is used as
an operational forecasting tool by the UK Metereological Office.
The main findings:
• The Ferrybox system has proved capable of identifying phosphate leakage from the wreck of the
MV Ece. A single sample, from a total of 70 samples taken, contained a concentration four times
higher than background levels, one nautical mile from the wreck site. The leak occurred between 3rd
March and 17th March 2006
• Measured nitrate to phosphate ratios in Ferrybox samples suggest that phytoplankton growth will
be limited by nitrate rather than phosphate. Consequently, the phosphate leak is unlikely to enhance
phytoplankton growth at the present time.
• The continuous record of measurements of phytoplankton chlorophyll-fluorescence from the
Ferrybox show that phytoplankton growth close to the wreck site did occur in March 2006. However,
similar growth occurred at the same time in 2005.
• Hence, the Ferrybox demonstrates its effectiveness as a decision support system, in this instance
providing evidence for the view of British and French authorities that released phosphate is unlikely to
pose a significant threat.
• These Ferrybox data (nutrients, nutrient ratios and phytoplankton) illustrate the highly variable
nature of these coastal waters both in time (days to years) and space (few kilometres). This natural
variability highlights the need for continuous monitoring to put new measurements into context,
SID 5 (2/05)
Page 3 of 5
particularly regarding assessment of pollution transport and impacts.
• The annual cycle of changing concentrations of phosphate are similar at the MBA long term
(1929-1987) time series station E1 and the wreck site. Hence, these two areas of the western English
Channel (northern site E1 and central wreck site) show the same seasonal dynamics. Wreck site
concentrations are significantly lower than the mean at E1 in winter, but are similar to concentrations
in the 1960’s, highlighting the importance of long-term data sets.
• The MRCS model shows promise in determining chlorophyll concentrations and in particular, sea
surface temperature. The model requires further work on phosphate and salinity. Salinity levels are
low in the model, potentially affecting its ability to accurately determine the intensity of stratification in
English Channel. Predicted phosphate concentrations are up to a factor of four higher than the
Ferrybox observations.
• The MRCS model shows the potential to provide useful three-dimensional and temporally varying
process insight for both physical and biogeochemical systems. Most significantly it provides full
coverage of the North-West European shelf seas that could be valuable in the case of future spills,
that one might expect to occur away from in-situ observations.
The scope for future work/implications:
• This study demonstrates that the NOCS Ferrybox system is an appropriate platform for monitoring
the marine environment with considerable potential for improving our understanding of UK shelf seas
(and their interaction with the Atlantic Ocean).
• The variability shown in the Ferrybox data from 2003-2006 suggests that the OSPAR
recommendation of sampling only every three years in “non-problem areas” is likely to provide
statistically inadequate data. Ferrybox data shows that off-shelf concentrations of nutrients varied by
50% between 2004 and 2005 due to deeper mixing of water off-shelf in early 2005.
• The NOCS Ferrybox is a highly cost effective way of 1) determining the natural background state
of the sea and its variability, 2) putting new measurements into historical context and 3) making
evidence based judgements on cause and effect between ecosystem impacts (e.g. phytoplankton
growth) and pollution incidents (e.g. phosphate release from the MV Ece).
• The Ferrybox operates unabated by the weather giving near continuous (near real-time
monitoring) of plankton growth. This is in contrast to satellite observations which are severely limited in
UK coastal waters due to cloud cover. The Ferrybox is therefore invaluable as an early warning
system for pollution incidents.
• The western English Channel (including the wreck area) is typical of UK waters: it is highly
heterogeneous in space and time. Continuous Ferrybox sampling captures this heterogeneity, unlike
one-off spot sampling.
• The MRCS model has the potential to provide important three-dimensional information on the
physical and biological conditions. Further work is required, and in progress, to improve representation
of certain physical and biological parameters in the model.
• Ferrybox data should be used in validating model output, and may also prove informative in
improving lateral nutrient boundary conditions for the model.
Project Report to Defra
8.
As a guide this report should be no longer than 20 sides of A4. This report is to provide Defra with
details of the outputs of the research project for internal purposes; to meet the terms of the contract; and
to allow Defra to publish details of the outputs to meet Environmental Information Regulation or
Freedom of Information obligations. This short report to Defra does not preclude contractors from also
seeking to publish a full, formal scientific report/paper in an appropriate scientific or other
journal/publication. Indeed, Defra actively encourages such publications as part of the contract terms.
The report to Defra should include:
 the scientific objectives as set out in the contract;
 the extent to which the objectives set out in the contract have been met;
 details of methods used and the results obtained, including statistical analysis (if appropriate);
 a discussion of the results and their reliability;
 the main implications of the findings;
 possible future work; and
 any action resulting from the research (e.g. IP, Knowledge Transfer).
SID 5 (2/05)
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References to published material
9.
This section should be used to record links (hypertext links where possible) or references to other
published material generated by, or relating to this project.
NOCS Ferrybox monitors ocean acid spill (March 6th 2006, issue 16). University of Southampton Bulletin
(http://www.bulletin.soton.ac.uk/1216/boat.htm)
NOCS Ferrybox web site (http://www.soc.soton.ac.uk/ops/ferrybox_index.php)
SID 5 (2/05)
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