Science and TechnologyWritten evidence submitted by the Research Councils UK

1. Research Councils UK is a strategic partnership set up to champion research supported by the seven UK Research Councils. RCUK was established in 2002 to enable the Councils to work together more effectively to enhance the overall impact and effectiveness of their research, training and innovation activities, contributing to the Government’s objectives for science and innovation.1

2. This evidence is submitted by RCUK and represents its independent views. It does not include, or necessarily reflect the views of the Knowledge and Innovation Group in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). The submission is made on behalf of the following Council:

Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)

Executive Summary

3. Developing understanding in marine and polar sciences is critical in underpinning economic growth and addressing the big societal challenges of global environmental change; food, resource and energy security and supply; pressure on natural resources and the prediction and response to hazards (environmental, geological and human). NERC is addressing all of these issues and examples are provided throughout the text and in Appendix 2.

4. Good progress has been made towards the greater coordination required to meet these challenges and NERC and the research community are playing an active part, for example by helping to set the direction of the UK marine science strategy and developing new collaborative programmes. Although there is some scope for improvement, as highlighted in the text, the Marine Science Co-ordination Committee (MSCC) is also moving in the right direction with regards to improved coordination and strategic oversight. NERC will also continue to build on its current strong and effective international collaborations.

5. Funding for marine science, in both polar and non-polar regions, remains a key part of the overall NERC portfolio. NERC’s support for marine science will continue as a fundamental part of the new NERC strategy, seeking to deliver scientific excellence and impact in a challenging economic climate and to address the big societal challenges.

Q1 Since 2007 has there been improved strategic oversight and coordination of marine science?

Government framework

6. Yes. Recommendations were quickly acted upon across the public sector marine science community after “Investigating the Oceans”. The Marine Science Coordination Committee (MSCC) (formed in 2008, with Ministerial oversight), and its working groups provide a forum for senior public sector scientists, policy makers and programme managers, from a broad range of government-funded organisations. This enables more integrated planning of research activities and helps to identify cross cutting interests and areas where there are gaps in observations and funding. NERC has been an active member of MSCC from the outset and contributes staff resource to the secretariat.

7. The publication of the UK Marine Science Strategy in February 2010, following consultation with the community, gave a clear indication of the direction government wished marine science to follow, identifying priority research areas, and a framework for joined up actions.

8. Many of the Government initiatives focus on UK waters, but there are many marine issues that significantly affect the UK that occur outside UK waters and even EU waters (eg food security and sea level rise). The Marine Act (2009) explicitly mentions UK Overseas Territories, and new Overseas Territories Bill address some of the wider marine issues, but there needs to be greater focus on marine issues from a global perspective.

NERC and science community developments

9. NERC has also responded directly to the call for increased strategic oversight and coordination. The NERC “Oceans 2025” programme (2007–12), of value £125 million facilitated more proactive, joined-up approach to funding and planning marine science activities across the then seven, NERC funded centres. This self-organisation, complemented by wider interaction with the community through the Strategic Ocean Funding Initiative was successful in forging long term partnerships both of research collaborations and for the delivery of underpinning science infrastructure.

10. NERC’s 2010 sector level review of National Capability2 enabled NERC to assess its portfolio of long term investments in marine science and infrastructure. Moreover in 2010 NERC brought together the NERC managed components of the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton with the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory in Liverpool to form a single NERC marine centre, the National Oceanography Centre (NOC). NERC tasked the Executive Director of the NOC, Professor Ed Hill, with delivering the marine science element of the NC review. NOC took on a leadership role for the wider NERC funded marine science community3 and is discharging this responsibility through formal interactions with its Delivery Partners4 and through the establishment of the NOC Association.5

11. In June 2012 NERC announced that it is considering a merger of the scientific and logistics management of marine and polar science delivered through its National Oceanography Centre (NOC) and British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and launched a wide consultation in September 2012. NERC Council will consider a detailed scientific and business case for the merger—being prepared by Professor Ed Hill (Director, NOC and interim Director, BAS)—in December 2012.

12. Through the potential merger, NERC aims to better exploit the many scientific and operational synergies between marine and polar science, increasing excellence and impact in these areas, whilst retaining current and planned activity in Antarctica and South Georgia. More integrated management of increasingly expensive major research infrastructure, especially the three NERC-owned research ships and a leased supply vessel, may achieve further savings through improved international partnership and cost saving opportunities.

External drivers for oversight and coordination

13. The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) and its requirement for EU Member States to achieve “Good Environmental Status” by 2020 is forcing collaboration across the public and private marine science sector, as it is organised on a “Regional Seas” basis, and encouraging much better coordination with neighbouring marine States. The NERC’s marine science community contributed to the delivery of “Charting Progress 2” by Defra in 2010, which will form the basis of the initial assessment of UK waters for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). In addition, recent NERC/DEFRA co-funded and co-designed research programmes on UK shelf sea biogeochemistry, ocean acidification, marine ecosystems and the use of marine AUV and glider technology will deliver science outputs that will influence future assessments for the MSFD.

14. NERC and its centres are directly engaged in several developments at European level contributing to greater coordination at Member State levels:

the Commission’s development of an integrated Maritime Policy,

the development in 2008 of “A European Strategy for Marine and Maritime Research; a coherent European Research Area framework in support of a sustainable use of oceans and seas” and the implementation of actions therein,

the development of cross cutting marine actions in the European Commission Framework programme (FP7) such as ERANETS,

the development of a new Joint Programming Action initiative—with Oceans and Seas as one of its 10 topics—which aims to provide strategic alignment of research at European level. NERC, along with Defra, is leading the UK contribution to the development of JPI Oceans.6

Q2 What progress has been made in delivering the 2010 Marine Science Strategy? 

15. The UK Marine Science Strategy identified three high level science priorities at cross-Government level. NERC’s strategic contribution to these priorities includes a range of established and forthcoming programmes and projects:

Understanding how the marine ecosystem functions

16. NERC’s forthcoming research programme, “Marine Food Webs and their Impacts on Ecosystem Services” (2012–17, £6 million) co-funded by Defra, aims to improve our understanding of marine ecosystems and the consequences for marine biodiversity of on-going environmental change, such as impacts by fisheries on ecosystem structure, eutrophication, pollution, climate change and growing human consumption and pressures. The outcomes of the programme, which will have a focus on the North East Atlantic and on UK/European waters, will provide important tools for exploring the impact of environmental change on marine ecosystems and testing potential management solutions.

17. NERC research is also contributing to an improved understanding of the sustained delivery of biologically based marine ecosystem services, for example through development of a framework for greater collaborative working in marine ecosystem modelling, building ecosystem components into physical ocean models and developing the capability to model varying levels of ecosystem complexity.

Responding to climate change and its interaction with the marine environment

18. Several NERC funded research programmes address the interactions of climate change and the marine environment, for example the Arctic Research Programme (2011–15, £15 million), Ocean Acidification (2009–14, £12 million) and RAPID-WATCH (2007–14, £15 million). Further detail on these programmes is provided at Appendix 2. Additionally, NERC’s National Centre for Earth Observation (NCEO) uses a range of satellite data to quantify the impact of climate change and natural variability on both the physical properties of the ocean and on the ocean’s carbon cycle. 

Sustaining and increasing ecosystem benefits

19. NERC, in collaboration with Defra, have funded the Marine Renewable Energy Research Programme (2010–14, £2.4 million) to predict the cumulative environmental interactions of the scaling-up of “wet” marine renewable energy arrays (wave and tidal) with the overall aim of understanding the environmental benefits and risks on the quality of marine bioresources and biophysical dynamics of open coasts. This will contribute to the evidence base to predict the environmental implications of future marine renewable energy options and to the research capacity to deliver decision support about the biophysical properties of coastal and marine environments to promote renewables development with enhanced environmental benefits.

20. More generally the need to identify the impact of its research outputs and engage in mechanisms to ensure that these are fed into policy making is inherent in NERC’s investments. There is still much work to be done however to ensure the planning and integration of scientific evidence and socio economic assessment is fully encapsulated in the formation of policy aimed at optimising ecosystem benefits.

Q3 How effective have the Marine Science Co-ordination Committee (MSCC) and Marine Management Organisation been, and what improvements could be made?

The Marine Science Co-ordination Committee (MSCC)

21. The MSCC has brought together senior representatives of the marine science commissioning and funding community under the direction of a Ministerial Marine Science Group. It has much greater authority, visibility and secretariat resource compared to that of the predecessor, the Inter-Agency Committee on Marine Science and Technology (IACMST).

22. By working closely with the marine science community the MSCC has achieved stronger collaboration in provision of marine manned and autonomous platforms, some progress in the alignment of science activities (particularly NERC/DEFRA) and has highlighted issues around the funding of sustained observations—though addressing these still require much work. The UK Integrated Marine Observation Network (UK_IMON) has been established to initiate a national approach to marine observation activities.

23. NERC is fully engaged with the MSCC, including provision of secretariat support via the National Oceanography Centre and NERC representation on all MSCC working groups. Participation in MSCC has significantly improved NERC’s direct engagement with the other key funders such as Defra and Marine Scotland.

Scope for further improvement

24. The MSCC is not yet fully representative of the entire marine science funding community and private sector representation is not as strong as it was on the former IACMST. Whilst the Marine Industry Liaison Group (MILG) goes some way to addressing this need, its impact has yet to be fully realised.

25. Notwithstanding paragraph 24, the large size of the present MSCC and the fact that it meets only twice a year may be a barrier to effectiveness; a focus on the core funding organisations for marine activities could be helpful. An “MSCC Executive Group” involving the major funders and meeting more frequently might speed up decision making. The direct participation at the outset of influential departmental representatives in the MSCC meetings is welcomed and should be maintained.

26. MSCC is firmly seen as part of Defra by some observers, with the website placed within the Defra domain7 whereas the IACMST had its own domain8 which was neutral, conveyed authority, and was able to be rapidly reconfigured without the constraints of departmental processes.

Marine Management Organisation (MMO)

27. NERC and its centres are in a strong position to work alongside MMO to meet their research and environmental data needs. In terms of collaboration between NERC and the MMO, NERC’s British Oceanographic Data Centre9 is well placed to provide input to the MMO, alongside the Marine Environmental Data Information Network (MEDIN)10 and the MSCC’s coordination mechanism and portal for data from Government. Another link is that MMO is represented on the advisory board for the NERC-funded Marine Environmental Mapping Programme (MAREMAP11) (See Appendix 2).

28. A more strategic engagement between NERC and MMO at the appropriate level might be helpful and NERC welcomes Dr Mel Austen’s appointment from the Plymouth Marine Laboratory as the MMO’s first chief science advisor. However, it is early days to judge the amount of pull-through of NERC science that contributes directly to the effectiveness of the MMO.

Q4 Has the selection of proposed Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) been based on robust scientific evidence? How well has the scientific evidence been balanced with socio-economic considerations and communicated to affected coastal communities?

29. Although NERC has not played a direct role in the selection of Marine Conservation Zones adjacent to the UK coastline, it has provided significant levels of underpinning scientific data and evidence for decision making through sustained long term observations and British Oceanographic Data Centre resources,12 the training of scientists and the provision of National Capability assets such as the British Ocean Sediment Core Research Facility (BOSCORF).13 Additionally the forthcoming NERC-Defra marine ecosystem programme will look at the impact of marine conservation zones.

30. Internationally, NERC scientists have contributed to decision making on Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) around the Antarctic Peninsula and Southern Ocean islands (BAS) and to the designation of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) as an MPA. The UK’s designation of these large MPAs adds significantly to the proportion of the global ocean which is under some form of protection, though resources for enforcement are very limited.

Q5 How effectively does the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) support marine science in polar and non-polar regions?

31. The oceans are the least understood part of our planet, yet they move 90% of the heat around the Earth; they are a major sink for carbon dioxide, they provide much of the food for humans; they are an enormous reservoir of non-living resources and the majority of all goods are transported by ships across the oceans.

32. Recognising the importance of the marine environment, NERC has invested heavily in science research, the maintenance of existing assets and the provision of new assets to address the critical issues in ocean science and to develop a significant level of expertise that is now being used to support the UK economy.

33. NERC has invested significantly in ocean research, some of the funding in responsive mode and some in directed, integrated programmes—often with co-funding from Government departments and/or international partners. NERC’s strategic programmes continue to make major contributions to understanding how the ocean work and links to the other parts of the Earth system—the atmosphere, land, seafloor and cryosphere. The research is carried out in a range of institutes, including NERC’s wholly owned centres, and over 25 universities. Further detail of research funded by NERC is provided at Appendix 2.

Financial trends

34. The summary of NERC’s marine science expenditure 200708 to 201112 (Appendix A) shows an upward trend both in cash terms and, using the Government’s GDP deflator, in real terms between 200708 and 201112. Expenditure has increased (excluding exceptional items) in real terms by around £12 million over this period, recognising the integral role of marine science as set out above.

Collaboration

35. In addition to the key scientific drivers for increased collaboration and coordination across the marine science community, a more collaborative approach is significant in ensuring that NERC’s increased investment achieves optimum impact.

36. NERC has formed close collaborative partnerships since 2007 with marine groups across the UK and overseas. Before 2007, NERC had only one collaborative programme, “LINK Aquaculture”, with DEFRA and SEERAD worth £5 million (1996–2004). Since 2007, there has been a step change in the number of collaborative programmes with eight marine science research programmes being co-designed and co-delivered with partners that include Defra, DECC, the Environment Agency and Met Office Hadley Centre. The total budget for these joint programmes is ca. £60 million and further details are provided at Appendix 2.

Impact of NERC’s marine science

37. Evidence of NERC’s impact in marine science, in both polar and non-polar regions, can be identified for each of its core activities, which are listed in further detail at Appendix 2.

NERC strategic and responsive mode research

38. The Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) identified that melting ice is the largest uncertainty in predicting future sea level rise. NERC’s British Antarctic Survey (BAS) scientists have produced the most accurate, comprehensive picture of the rapidly thinning glaciers along the coastlines of both the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets. The findings are an important step forward in the quest to make more accurate predictions for future sea level rise.

39. NERC-supported scientists in UK Higher Education Institutions and BAS played a leading role in identifying the oceanic cause of the mass losses from the Antarctic continent. NERC is now embarking on its £7.4 million Ice Sheet Stability programme that includes a detailed investigation of how ocean water is giving rise to melting at the base of the grounded ice, and how the ice-sheet responds, to improve predictions of ice-sheet loss over the next 200 years.

40. In response to the increasing rapidity of change in the Arctic atmosphere, sea ice and ocean, NERC has invested heavily in the remote-sensing satellite Cryosat-2 and the application of results from NERC’s National Centre for Earth Observation (NCEO) which have received widespread media coverage. The Arctic programme is NERC’s largest single research programme and includes detailed investigations of the sources of fresh water in the Arctic and their implications for Arctic circulation.

41. As a result of NERC’s RAPID programme (2000–08), in collaboration with the USA, Norway and Netherlands, and RAPID-WATCH (2007–14) in collaboration with USA, Germany & Canada, there is now (for the first time) an understanding of the variability of the Atlantic Overturning Circulation, and its influence on moderating European climate.

42. Research funded by NERC provided critical evidence to the Northern Fisheries Cooperative in Belize that led to a ban in 2009 on catching Caribbean parrotfish. These animals help maintain coral reef ecosystems that are vital to the livelihood of local fishermen. This is one illustration of the international impact of NERC’s responsive mode research.

Provision of national capability

43. The cost of operating NERC’s research ships is rising as a proportion of its budget due to fuel, a shrinking resource base etc. However, NERC is investigating the most effective ways of utilising and sharing these assets and continues to invest significantly in autonomous equipment which complements the measurements made from ships very effectively.

44. As a consequence of NERC’s long term investment (see further details on the Marine Autonomous and Robotic Systems Facility at Appendix 2), Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) are now an integral part of international marine science, with NERC-funded scientists and engineers leading the way in their innovative use. For example, due to new hardware and software designed by NERC’s National Oceanography Centre (NOC), the latest AUV—Autosub Long Range—combines AUV and glider technology to operate at a unique combination of 6000m depth, a range of 6000km and an endurance of up to six months, revolutionising data gathering from the oceans.

45. PRIMER is a software package developed out of NERC funded research at the Plymouth Marine Laboratory and operated through a spin-out company PRIMER-E. It enables users to perform complex analysis of environmental datasets and has been used to inform the Environmental Impact Assessments of offshore wind farms. PRIMER is one of the leading industry standard packages for marine community and biodiversity research. Before PRIMER, it was not possible to analyse such complex data sets, so the effects of many marine activities were unknown.

46. Between 2007 and 2011, NERC funded 334 studentships that were classified as >50% marine, across a range of universities and institutes across the UK, representing an investment of ca. £28 million (based on approximate cost of £70,000 per studentship). Technical support staff, specialist engineers and other essential marine staff are trained by NERC and deployed as a resource used by the entire marine science community.

Activity underpinning knowledge exchange and policy formulation

47. The NERC Marine Renewable Energy Knowledge Exchange Programme (MRE KEP) was launched in April 2011, with a £1.5 million budget, to build stronger working links between the academic, public and private sectors and support them in delivering a sustainable future for marine renewable energy. The MRE KEP is working in partnership with the Offshore Renewable Research Steering Group (ORRSG), a cross department group managed by the Marine Management Organisation and involving Defra, DECC and The Crown Estate among others.

National and international representation and coordination

48. A UK Arctic Office, hosted at BAS offices in Cambridge, was set up to coordinate UK research in the Arctic for NERC. In particular, it coordinates the logistical and polar infrastructure needed to make Arctic research possible. The Arctic Office services the agreement on polar research and logistical cooperation signed in December 2008 between the governments of Canada and UK. This includes sharing ships, aircraft and research stations in both the Arctic and Antarctic to increase science cooperation, which paves the way for a greater understanding of the rapidly changing Polar regions. A similar agreement was signed with Norway in 2011.The recent report from the International Polar Year illustrates how international cooperation is necessary to address the effect of climate change on vulnerable polar regions.

49. The NERC funded International and Strategic Partnerships Office at NOC provides a focus for national and international representation, knowledge exchange and community coordination in marine science.14

Q6 How well are the current and potential impacts of global warming on the oceans (for example temperature changes and acidification) being monitored and addressed by Government and others?

50. As indicated in the opening remarks, there is enormous potential in the oceans and NERC recognises the on-going importance of understanding current and potential impacts on them.

51. Many of the challenges in understanding the oceans are so large that they cannot be addressed by a single nation. Therefore, international coordination is essential. There have been some international efforts over the last few decades but even greater effort is required in the future. The Belmont Forum was established in 2010 to strengthen engagement between the research funding agencies and to improve coordination of early phase engagement on significant science issues. This should lead to improve co-design, co-alignment, and co-funding of major research programmes.

52. The UK is very successful in engagement in EU initiatives. The developing Horizon 2020 programme provided the UK with an opportunity to shape the research agenda more effectively.

53. The UK government has been consistent in supporting marine scientific research in the oceans over many decades and the system for gathering observations we have today is the result of a long evolution towards an increasingly effective international Global Ocean Observation System (GOOS), and the evolving southern hemisphere equivalent SOOS. This is now largely based on a new generation of autonomous platforms and sensors such as the Argo network, ocean remote sensing satellites and robots such as NERC’s pioneering Autosub series.

54. NERC is a key source of scientific advice to the Government and has made significant progress on monitoring and addressing the current and potential impacts of global warming on the oceans. There are some excellent long term monitoring sites operated by NERC in both hemispheres but the ocean is still massively undersampled—and less well sampled as a function of depth. NERC has addressed some of the outstanding areas with its strategic research investments eg the UK Ocean Acidification programme, but there is a considerable amount still to be done.

55. Further detail regarding NERC’s engagement with and contribution to Government regarding impacts on the oceans is provided at Appendix 3. Through current and planned programmes (detailed at Appendix 2) NERC intends to tackle some of the on-going issues by:

providing a greater understanding of the implications of ocean acidification;

monitoring the risk to the UK and Northern Europe of any major changes in the ocean circulation of the North Atlantic (RAPID-WATCH);

improving our capability to predict changes in the Arctic and understand feedback on the global Earth System; and

developing a better understanding of shelf-sea biogeochemistry; ice sheet stability and the complex processes that go on at the edge of the continental shelf; which have impacts on climate, ecosystems and biodiversity.

56. NERC has invested heavily in infrastructure to ensure effective monitoring but with the increasing cost of the asset base, NERC faces some real challenges—seeking to do more with less. This will require new approaches and perspectives, underpinned by discovery-led science (the need for motivational and curiosity driven science) together with advances in autonomous and remote sensing technologies. Notwithstanding these challenges, the ability to observe and predict as the world changes remains critical. NERC will continue to work towards effective cooperation and optimal use of existing resources and expertise at national and international scales to ensure the UK remains at the world-leading level in these fields.

September 2012

APPENDIX 1

HIGH LEVEL FINANCIAL OVERVIEW

MARINE SCIENCE EXPENDITURE – 07/08 TO 11/12

Expenditure heading	£m 2007/08	£m 2008/09	£m 2009/10	£m 2010/11	£m 2011/12	£m Total
1. Ship Operations expenditure (see 1)	12.83	15.15	14.77	15.48	16.46	74.68
2. Marine centres’ expenditure (see 2)	28.14	26.08	24.82	27.22	23.96	130.22
3. Marine research programmes’ expenditure (see 3)	5.74	9.86	9.09	11.65	13.76	50.11
4. Responsive mode expenditure	9.07	14.82	14.27	19.64	18.78	76.57
5. Exceptional items expenditure	0.97	1.14	7.39	11.49	36.97	57.96
Total (1+2+3+4+5)(see 4)	56.75	67.05	70.33	85.48	109.93	389.54
GDP Deflator	91.092	93.568	94.975	97.672	100
Total Spend at 11.12 prices (incl. Exceptional Items expenditure)	62.3	71.7	74.1	87.5	109.9	405.5
Total Spend at 11/12 prices (excl. Exceptional Items expenditure)	61.2	70.4	66.3	75.7	73.0	346.7

1. Includes NOC ship operations expenditure on the Discoery and the James Cook, Excludes BAS ship operations expenditure on the James Clark Ross and Shackleton, which suports NERC logistic and research activities in Antartica and so cannot be allocated as solely marine science expenditure.

2. Includes expenditure at the NERC Marine Centres (NOC, PML, SAMS, MBA, and SAHFOS) on National Capability (NC) and OCEANS-2025 Research Programme (RP) activites, Excludes the marince component of the BAS, BGS and NCEO expenditure on their NC and RP programmes.

3. Includes all marine research programmes (eg UK-Ocean Acidification, Marine Renewables, Coastal Sediment Systems), Excludes multi-science areas research programmes (eg Artic, Ice Sheets, Technology Proof of Concept)

4. This is only the “total” of the marine expenditure that can be easily identified. Given the exclusions at 1., 2., and 3., NERC’s actual marine science expenditure total will be significantly higher.

APPENDIX 2

FURTHER DETAIL REGARDING NERC’S MARINE SCIENCE ACTIVITIES

Research Programmes and Responsive Mode funding

1. NERC has formed close collaborative partnerships since 2007 with marine groups across the UK and overseas. Before 2007, NERC had only one collaborative programme, “LINK Aquaculture”, with DEFRA and SEERAD worth £5 million (1996–2004). Since 2007, there has been a step change in the number of collaborative programmes with eight marine science research programmes being co-designed and co-delivered with partners that include Defra, DECC, the Environment Agency and Met Office Hadley Centre. The total budget for these joint programmes is ca. £60 million. Programmes include the £12 million UK Ocean acidification programme, (NERC/Defra/DECC), the £11.5 million Shelf Sea biogeochemistry programme (NERC/Defra), the £3.9 million Coastal Sediment Systems programme (NERC/Defra/EA), £15 million RAPID-WATCH research programme (NERC/Met Office) and the £2.4 million Marine Renewables Research Programme (NERC/Defra). Further details on all of these programmes are on NERC’s website.15

2. Other community collaborations include the National Centre for Ocean Forecasting (NCOF)16 with the Met Office, NEMO ocean model17 with the Met Office, MAREMAP marine mapping partnership18 (NOC, BGS, SAMS and others) and strong links with marine partners in the European Union.

3. The new Arctic Research Programme aims to “improve our capability to predict changes in the Arctic, particularly over timescales of months to decades, including regional impacts and the potential for feedbacks on the global Earth System”.

4. Looking to the future, NERC anticipates that approximately 25% (ie ca. £19 million) of the available NERC funding for research programmes will be awarded in the next 12–24 months on marine science grants in programmes, such as Shelf Sea Biogeochemistry (NERC funds: £9.6 million), Marine Ecosystems (£5.5 million), and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles Technology programme (£1 million).

5. Marine Science Grant Awards—In the period 2007 to mid-2012, NERC funded 793 grants containing marine science, which equates to £153,667,156 being awarded on marine science research in this period; this is inclusive of all awards in responsive mode and research programmes and equates to approximately 26% of all NERC awards for marine science.

6. Polar Marine Science Grant Awards—Of the 793 grants containing marine science, 37% of the awarded grants included some polar related marine science—this was made up of 167 grants that contained an element of polar related marine science (ie <50%) and 129 grants that contained a significant proportion (ie ≥50%) of polar marine science. The funding for these 129 grants amounts to £33,196,551.

7. Of the 129 grants that contained a significant proportion of polar marine science, 44% were focussed on the polar north (with funding of £10,521,981 awarded) and 56% focussed on the polar south (with funding of £22,674,569 awarded).

8. NERC funding for marine polar south grants has been made largely through responsive mode grants. Some of our largest investments include: DIMES: Diapycnal and Isopycnal Mixing Experiment in the Southern Ocean—£3,780,209 (for marine component); Chemosynthetically-driven ecosystems south of the Polar Front: biogeography and ecology—£2,660,640 (for marine component); The role of krill grazing in Southern Ocean nutrient cycles—£528,506 (for marine component) and Gliders: Excellent New Tools for Observing the Ocean (GENTOO)—£1,070,531 (for marine component).

National Capability

9. Since 1965, NERC has evolved to provide the current core national capability services of ships, aircraft, computing facilities, highly skilled staff, Antarctic bases, research laboratories and national facilities and data centres that enable the UK to maintain its global leadership in ocean and polar sciences.

10. NERC has streamlined its asset base in recent years and focused activity on its wholly-owned National Oceanography Centre (NOC—Southampton and Liverpool) and the delivery partners at Plymouth Marine Laboratory, the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) and the Sea Mammal Research Unit at St Andrews (SMRU), the Marine Biological Association (MBA) and the Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science (SAHFOS). There is also a significant marine capability at the British Geological Survey, and at the British Antarctic Survey.

11. NERC operates the fleet of Royal Research Ships for open-water and polar operations, currently comprising of three ships that are owned by NERC—RRS Discovery (1962), RRS James Cook (2006), RRS James Clark Ross (1990), and one leased vessel RRS Ernest Shackleton.

12. 2012 marks the 50th year of service for RRS Discovery, and a replacement ship, also to be named Discovery, is currently under construction in Spain, due for delivery in August 2013. This represents a £75 million Government commitment to the future of marine science.

13. NERC ships provide the backbone of ocean-going capability for UK marine science institutions and universities. Formal barter agreements between NERC and international research ship operators also help to meet the community’s requirements for access to ships of various sizes and capabilities and wider geographical coverage that would otherwise be possible with the existing fleet.

14. Marine Autonomous and Robotic Systems (MARS) facility—NERC has invested in a key area of future ocean technology since the late 1980s—autonomous underwater vehicles.19 As a consequence of that long-term investment AUVs are now an integral part of international marine science, with NERC-funded scientists and engineers leading the way in innovative use of autonomous systems and sensors.

15. NERC operates the National Marine Equipment Pool, the British Oceanographic Data Centre, British Ocean Sediment Core Research Facility, specialist laboratory equipment and highly skilled and specialised marine scientific staff.

16. Since 2008 NERC has also led the development of a highly innovative partnership with the CSIC (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Spain) to enhance marine seismic capabilities through the development of a world class trans-national capability for marine geophysics through a joint pool of UK-Spanish geophysics equipment and a trans-national team that can deploy from UK, Spanish and barter vessels. Similar initiatives are now being considered in respect of remotely operated vehicles.

APPENDIX 3

FURTHER DETAIL ON MONITORING AND ADDRESSING IMPACTS ON THE OCEANS

1. NERC engages closely with the Government departments most concerned with climate change and the marine environment (especially DECC and DEFRA) through regular bilaterals at Chief Scientist level. The increasing co-design of research programmes and exchanges of staff between the Council and departments also helps ensure that NERC science outcomes can be fed directly into the policy making process. NERC is a member of LWEC.

2. NERC scientists were among the first to recognise and alert the world to the threat posed by ocean acidification. NERC has built upon that early start to become the world leaders in ocean acidification research, with a £12 million five-year collaborative programme jointly funded by NERC, Defra and DECC20

The overall aim of the programme is to provide a greater understanding of the implications of ocean acidification and its risks to ocean biogeochemistry, biodiversity and the whole earth system.

3. NERC also recognised the risk to the UK and Northern Europe of any major changes in the ocean circulation of the North Atlantic, and has funded the RAPID-WATCH programme21 to follow the original RAPID programme and maintain an understanding of changes in the thermohaline circulation of the Atlantic through regular monitoring and an array of science moorings across the Atlantic at 26 degrees North.

4. NERC is beginning to develop a better understanding of the complex processes that go on at the edge of the continental shelf, which have impacts on climate, ecosystems and biodiversity through a new £4.5 million Shelf Edge programme.22

5. In order to better understand shelf-sea biogeochemistry there is a five year, £10.5 million programme funded by NERC and Defra.23

6. A new Arctic Research Programme will see £15 million available over five years, to improve our capability to predict changes in the Arctic, particularly over months to decades and understand feedback on the global Earth System.24

7. Understanding ice sheet stability has huge implications for future climate and sea level and is being funded in a five year (2011–16) £7.4 million programme.25

8. Other important marine parameters that impact on the UK and our neighbours include sea level rise and storm surges and NERC still has world-leading expertise in these areas, largely through the work of the Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level26 and National Sea Level and Tidal Facility27 at Liverpool.

9. Satellites are essential for gathering ocean and ice data all year round and the UK has a good record of leadership in satellite oceanography. For example, Cryosat28 has since 2010 added to our understanding of marine and polar processes.