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Marine Ecosystems Research Programme (MERP), UK Coastal waters, 2014 onwards

The Marine Ecosystems Research Programme (MERP) dataset consists of pelagic and benthic taxonomic data with supporting data such as sediment size and satellites ocean colour or productivity in UK waters (Celtic Sea, Irish Sea, North Sea and the English Channel). Data were obtained from cruises beginning in April 2014, using a variety of methods such as BONGO nets, trawls, dredges and grabs. These data were used alongside and in various models. MERP addresses key knowledge gaps in marine ecosystem research. The programme developed a more accurate suite of marine ecosystem models providing vital evidence, tools and advice to policy makers and environmental managers, including the development and implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), the Marine and Coastal Access Act, Marine (Scotland) Act, Common Fisheries Policy and the OSPAR Joint Assessment and Monitoring Programme as well as the work of UK government departments. MERP research supports an ecosystem approach to policy, regulatory and management initiatives. MERP was formerly known as Integrating Macroecology and Modelling to Elucidate Regulation of Services from Ecosystems (IMMERSE) and the WP2 Developing a model based understanding of ecosystem service regulation grants. MERP was created when two grants were combined to make an overarching programme. The MERP consortium includes a blend of early and mid to late career researchers united by large-scale thinking and a multidisciplinary approach. The following partners were involved in the programme: Bangor University, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, National Oceanography Centre, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Queen Mary University of London, Queens University Belfast, Scottish Association for Marine Science, Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science, University of Glasgow, University of Sheffield and the University of Strathclyde.

Simple

Alternate title
British Oceanographic Data Centre record 1048MERP
Date (Publication)
2018-05-18
Date (Creation)
2017-10-03
Date (Revision)
2021-04-21
Identifier
http://www.bodc.ac.uk/ / EDMED6710
Owner
  National Oceanography Centre (Liverpool) - Unknown ( Unknown )
Joseph Proudman Building, 6 Brownlow Street , Liverpool , Merseyside , L3 5DA , United Kingdom
+44 (0)151 795 4800
http://noc.ac.uk
Originator
  National Oceanography Centre (Liverpool) - Unknown ( Unknown )
Joseph Proudman Building, 6 Brownlow Street , Liverpool , Merseyside , L3 5DA , United Kingdom
+44 (0)151 795 4800
http://noc.ac.uk
Owner
  Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Lowestoft Laboratory - Unknown ( Unknown )
Pakefield Road , Lowestoft , Suffolk , NR33 OHT , United Kingdom
+44 (0)1502 562244
http://www.cefas.co.uk/
Originator
  Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Lowestoft Laboratory - Unknown ( Unknown )
Pakefield Road , Lowestoft , Suffolk , NR33 OHT , United Kingdom
+44 (0)1502 562244
http://www.cefas.co.uk/
Owner
  Bangor University School of Ocean Sciences - Unknown ( Unknown )
School of Ocean Sciences, , Bangor University, , Menai Bridge, , Anglesey, , Menai Bridge , Gwynedd , LL59 5AB , United Kingdom
https://www.bangor.ac.uk/oceansciences/
Originator
  Bangor University School of Ocean Sciences - Unknown ( Unknown )
School of Ocean Sciences, , Bangor University, , Menai Bridge, , Anglesey, , Menai Bridge , Gwynedd , LL59 5AB , United Kingdom
https://www.bangor.ac.uk/oceansciences/
Owner
  Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science - Unknown ( Unknown )
The Laboratory , Citadel Hill , Plymouth , Devon , PL1 2PB , United Kingdom
https://www.cprsurvey.org/
Originator
  Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science - Unknown ( Unknown )
The Laboratory , Citadel Hill , Plymouth , Devon , PL1 2PB , United Kingdom
https://www.cprsurvey.org/
Owner
  Scottish Association for Marine Science - Unknown ( Unknown )
Argyll , Oban , PA37 1QA , United Kingdom
http://www.sams.ac.uk
Originator
  Scottish Association for Marine Science - Unknown ( Unknown )
Argyll , Oban , PA37 1QA , United Kingdom
http://www.sams.ac.uk
Owner
  Queen Mary University of London School of Biological and Chemical Sciences - Unknown ( Unknown )
Mile End Road , London , London , E1 4NS , United Kingdom
+44 (0)20 7882 3200
http://www.sbcs.qmul.ac.uk
Originator
  Queen Mary University of London School of Biological and Chemical Sciences - Unknown ( Unknown )
Mile End Road , London , London , E1 4NS , United Kingdom
+44 (0)20 7882 3200
http://www.sbcs.qmul.ac.uk
Owner
  University of Glasgow Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine - Unknown ( Unknown )
R205A Level 2 , Glasgow , Lanarkshire , G12 8QQ , United Kingdom
+44 (0)141 330 5975
https://www.gla.ac.uk/researchinstitutes/bahcm/
Originator
  University of Glasgow Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine - Unknown ( Unknown )
R205A Level 2 , Glasgow , Lanarkshire , G12 8QQ , United Kingdom
+44 (0)141 330 5975
https://www.gla.ac.uk/researchinstitutes/bahcm/
Owner
  Sea Watch Foundation - Unknown ( Unknown )
PO Box 3688, Chalfont St Peter , Gerrards Cross , SL9 9WE , United Kingdom
+44 (0)845 202 3892
https://www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk:443/
Originator
  Sea Watch Foundation - Unknown ( Unknown )
PO Box 3688, Chalfont St Peter , Gerrards Cross , SL9 9WE , United Kingdom
+44 (0)845 202 3892
https://www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk:443/
Owner
  University of Sheffield Department of Geography - Unknown ( Unknown )
Western Bank , Sheffield , South Yorkshire , S10 2TN , United Kingdom
+44 (0)114 222 7900
https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/geography
Originator
  University of Sheffield Department of Geography - Unknown ( Unknown )
Western Bank , Sheffield , South Yorkshire , S10 2TN , United Kingdom
+44 (0)114 222 7900
https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/geography
Owner
  Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (Edinburgh) - Unknown ( Unknown )
Bush Estate , Penicuik , Midlothian , EH26 0QB , United Kingdom
+44 (0)131 445 4343
https://www.ceh.ac.uk/
Originator
  Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (Edinburgh) - Unknown ( Unknown )
Bush Estate , Penicuik , Midlothian , EH26 0QB , United Kingdom
+44 (0)131 445 4343
https://www.ceh.ac.uk/
Owner
  Queen's University Belfast, School of Biological Sciences - Unknown ( Unknown )
Medical Biology Centre , Belfast , County Antrim , BT9 7BL , United Kingdom
+44 (0)28 9097 5787
http://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/SchoolofBiologicalSciences/
Originator
  Queen's University Belfast, School of Biological Sciences - Unknown ( Unknown )
Medical Biology Centre , Belfast , County Antrim , BT9 7BL , United Kingdom
+44 (0)28 9097 5787
http://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/SchoolofBiologicalSciences/
Owner
  Plymouth Marine Laboratory - Unknown ( Unknown )
Prospect Place , The Hoe , Plymouth , England , PL1 3DH , United Kingdom
+44 (0)1752 633 100
http://www.pml.ac.uk
Originator
  Plymouth Marine Laboratory - Unknown ( Unknown )
Prospect Place , The Hoe , Plymouth , England , PL1 3DH , United Kingdom
+44 (0)1752 633 100
http://www.pml.ac.uk
Custodian
  British Oceanographic Data Centre - Director
Joseph Proudman Building , 6 Brownlow Street , Liverpool , Merseyside , L3 5DA , United Kingdom
https://www.bodc.ac.uk/
Distributor
  British Oceanographic Data Centre - Director
Joseph Proudman Building , 6 Brownlow Street , Liverpool , Merseyside , L3 5DA , United Kingdom
https://www.bodc.ac.uk/
Maintenance and update frequency
asNeeded As needed
INSPIRE themes
  • Species distribution
  • Geology
  • Oceanographic geographical features
SeaDataNet PDV
  • Sediment grain size parameters
  • Zooplankton wet weight biomass
  • Primary production in the water column
Vertical Coverages
  • unknown
MEDIN metadata record availability
  • Natural Environment Research Council Designated Data Centres
  • Marine Environmental Data and Information Network
Access constraints
otherRestrictions Other restrictions
Other constraints
No limitations apply
Other constraints
Data are freely available to all following agreement to the terms and conditions of a Data Licence
Use constraints
otherRestrictions Other restrictions
Other constraints
Usage restrictions are specified in the terms of the licence
Spatial representation type
Text, table
Metadata language
EnglishEnglish
Topic category
  • Biota
  • Oceans
  • Geoscientific information
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Geographic identifier
North Sea

Date (Revision)
2021-10-28

Geographic identifier
Irish Sea

Date (Revision)
2021-10-28

Geographic identifier
Celtic Sea

Date (Revision)
2021-10-28

Geographic identifier
English Channel

Date (Revision)
2021-10-28

Begin date
2014-04-01
End date
2021-12-20 After
Unique resource identifier
urn:ogc:def:crs:EPSG::4326
Codespace
OGP
Distribution format
  • Delimited ()

OnLine resource
Published dataset - doi:10.5285/674d4224-7cc5-4080-e053-6c86abc0626e

Howarth L.M.; Somerfield P.; Blanchard J.; Hiddink J.G. (2018). Celtic and Irish Sea benthic biomass size spectra data collected across gradients in fishing pressure and primary productivity. British Oceanographic Data Centre - Natural Environment Research Council, UK. doi:10/cmcg

OnLine resource
Published dataset - doi:10.5285/80856b3b-24df-4e53-e053-6c86abc0ed2b

Queirós A.M., Widdicombe S., McCoy S.J., Ingels J., Ruhl S., Airs R., Beesley A., Carnovale G., Dashfield S., Hua E., Jones M., Lindeque P., McNeill C.L., Nunes J., Parry H.E., Pascoe C.K., Widdicombe C. (2019). Benthic datasets collected during the Plymouth Marine Laboratory Led 2015-2016 MERP Benthic field and Laboratory campaigns. British Oceanographic Data Centre - Natural Environment Research Council, UK. doi: 10/cz62

OnLine resource
Published dataset - doi:10.5285/814c1e46-7a24-6506-e053-6c86abc0b700

Djeghri N., Atkinson A. (2019). Feeding experiment data behind Djeghri et al.2018 Progress in Oceanography 165, 63-74. British Oceanographic Data Centre - Natural Environment Research Council, UK. doi: 10/c2h8

OnLine resource
Published dataset - doi:10.5285/827b5179-90a1-69d8-e053-6c86abc06f55

Atkinson A., McEvoy A., Lilley M. (2019). Plymouth L4 time series (1988-2017) of zooplankton abundance, biomass and traits. British Oceanographic Data Centre, National Oceanography Centre, NERC, UK. doi: 10/c22h

OnLine resource
Published dataset - doi:10.5285/bb7366a9-1f8c-25a9-e053-6c86abc0cea1

Gilson A.R., Emmerson M., Smale D., Burrows M.T., O'Connor N.E. (2021). Environmental and macrophyte data from low rocky intertidal shores in County Donegal, Ireland, and manipulative experimental data collected during Queen's University Belfast led MERP field and laboratory campaigns between May 2016 and April 2018. NERC EDS British Oceanographic Data Centre NOC. doi: 10/gvc6

Hierarchy level
dataset Dataset

Conformance result

Date (Publication)
2010-12-08
Explanation
BODC protocols are based on the Open Archival Information System (OAIS) model enabling BODC to iterate towards compliance with the on-going evolution and development of community requirements including FAIR (Findable,Accessible,Interoperable,Reusable), TRUST (Transparency, Responsibility, User community, Sustainability, Technology) and CARE (Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, Ethics). Data managers quality assure submissions and assemble the metadata necessary for curation. Submissions (as received) are placed in a long-term accession and stored in triplicate across multiple sites. Appropriate data are transferred into a standard internal format with source variable names mapped to controlled vocabularies, documentation assembled, and metadata loaded into BODC databases. Access to these data is through direct request, the BODC website and through partner repositories such as SeaDataNet. Access control is attained by assigning a data policy to each set of data and this policy is used to administer access when data are requested. Discovery metadata is aligned with EU INSPIRE (through MEDIN) and SeaDataNet community standards. Data are converted to open community formats including Ocean Data View ASCII and SeaDataNet NetCDF, with data described using terms from the NERC vocabulary server. BODC submission agreements are documented on the BODC website and customer service is assured with a dedicated requests team that serve data following local regulations including General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2018 and Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) 2004.
Pass
Yes
Statement
Instrument(s) used to collect data: plankton nets; pelagic trawl nets; sediment grabs; Ocean models; Physical oceanographic models; Biological and biogeochemical models.
File identifier
7041e0ceb6eb5664899fd32f6f2b65dd XML
Metadata language
EnglishEnglish
Hierarchy level
dataset Dataset
Date stamp
2021-12-20T06:31:16
Metadata standard name
MEDIN
Metadata standard version
3.1.1
Point of contact
  British Oceanographic Data Centre - Polly Hadžiabdić ( Head of the BODC Requests Team )
Joseph Proudman Building , 6 Brownlow Street , Liverpool , Merseyside , L3 5DA , United Kingdom
https://www.bodc.ac.uk/
 
 

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