MASTS members Dr Philippa Rickard (The Lyell Centre, Heriot-Watt University) and Dr Neil Burns (University of Glasgow) recently returned from a successful Blue Belt Programme expedition to the Pitcairn Islands, coordinated through Cefas.
Working around Henderson and Oeno Islands, the team investigated some of the most isolated marine ecosystems on Earth. Neil used stereo camera drops to study how coral and fish communities change from shallow (5 m) reefs down to 180 m to provide new insights into the overlap in biodiversity between shallow and mesophotic reefs. Philippa investigated the biogeochemical status of surface waters, including the air-sea interface, to determine a baseline for the islands and their importance in carbon cycling between the atmosphere and ocean.
The expedition collected a wealth of data that will support future research and conservation in one of the world’s largest marine protected areas.
