Working Groups provide opportunities for more focused Forum and cross-Forum activities, by addressing specific time-bound challenges related to established or emerging areas of marine research, policy initiatives or regulation.
Working Groups serve as a targeted tool for the community to address specified challenges in a defined grouping and to create tangible output(s) over a defined timeline. Take a look below at ongoing and completed Working Groups and feel free to get in touch if you are interested in joining or creating a group.
Lead PIs: Kristina K. Beck (University of Edinburgh) and Johanne Vad (University of Edinburgh)
WG Members: Colin Moffat (RGU), Eirian Kettle (JNCC), Dominique Anderson (Heriot-Watt University), Danielle de Jonge (JNCC), Teresa Fernandes (Heriot-Watt University), Lucy Goodwin (University of Liverpool), Kelly James (NatureScot), Andrew Sweetman (SAMS) and Emily Hague (UHI Shetland).
Technical Development: Emily Hague (UHI Shetland).
Advisory support: Bhavani Narayanaswamy (SAMS), John Baxter (University of St Andrews), Christine Gaebel (University of Edinburgh) and Chrissy Onay (MASTS).
The MASTS Deep Sea Community has identified the need for clear communication of the impacts of climate change on Scottish deep-sea ecosystems together with the associated socio-economic impacts. Most of the United Kingdom’s deep sea (deeper than 200 m) is in Scottish waters. Scotland’s deep sea, is around four times bigger than Scotland itself and it hosts a diverse range of habitats, such as submarine ridges, banks, sea mounts, coral and sponge reefs, expansive soft sediments and sand waves. Biodiversity in these habitats is extremely high but deep-sea environments, in contrast to coastal ecosystems, are generally less adaptive to environmental changes and its species and habitats are therefore more sensitive to climate change impacts.
The WG developed an interactive and accessible online tool in the form of a Story Map, to visualize conducted research and gaps, provide evidence and identify main climate change drivers. The tool is intended for a variety of stakeholders, including members of the public and policymakers. The group met for an in-person Workshop in Edinburgh in Summer 2024, presented a first draft of the map at the MASTS ASM 2024 and finalised and published it in March 2025, accompanied by a Policy Brief. A short video overview can be found here.
Lead PI: Neil Banas (Strathclyde University)
WG Members: Colin Bull (Stirling University & Atlantic Salmon Trust), Emma Tyldesley (Strathclyde University), Jason Matthiopoulos (Glasgow University), Kate Searle (UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology), Laura Hobbs (SAMS, UHI), Øystein Varpe (Bergen University, Norway), Ruedi Nager (Glasgow University) and Jonathan Houghton (Queen’s University Belfast).
This Working Group aims to find new common ground between movement ecologists and ocean modellers looking at the same food chains but with opposite orientations: from top predators looking down, from lower trophic levels looking up. There is a long tradition of efforts to relate behaviour and change in mobile marine predator populations to change in underlying climate and ocean drivers—or conversely, to translate what we know about the past and future of ocean physics and plankton into implications for migration, movement, and population resilience in fish, seabirds, and marine mammals. However, making these leaps across trophic levels almost never works as well as it seems it ought to.
Lead PIs: Bee Berx (Scottish Government), Colin Moffat (RGU), John Baxter.
WG Members: David Paterson (University of St Andrews), Jennifer Hindson (Scottish Government), Joanne Porter (Heriot-Watt University), Kate Wright (Heriot-Watt University), Laura Steel (NatureScot), Marco Fusi (University of Newcastle), Mike Burrows (SAMS), Pablo Leon Diaz (Scottish Government), Sandy Downie (SEPA), Silvia Malagoli (Strathclyde University) and Sofie Voerman (JNCC).
The goal of this Working Group is to inform action to adapt to climate change impacts in Scotland’s marine environment. This will be achieved by organising a science-policy engagement day and by fostering a dialogue among marine scientists, policymakers, practitioners, industry and nature conservation organisations, local authorities and NGOs.
Lead PI: Moya Crawford (The D’Arcy Thompson Simulator Centre), Iain Shirlaw (Heriot-Watt University), Kevin Scott (St Abbs Marine Station)
WG Members: Alastair Lyndon (Heriot-Watt University), Charlie Bavington (The D’Arcy Thompson Simulator Centre), Matthew Wale (Edinburgh Napier University), Patrick Collins (Queen’s University Belfast), Petra Harsanyi (St Abbs Marine Station) and Steven Benjamins (SAMS).
Rapid expansion of offshore renewable energy infrastructure has led to an increase in anthropogenic electromagnetic fields (EMFs) in marine environments. Although many marine taxa detect and respond to natural geomagnetic and electric cues, the ecological significance of exposure to anthropogenic EMFs remains poorly resolved. This Working Group is creating an evidence-based document to inform policy makers and key stakeholders at decision making levels of the current status of research and knowledge gaps regarding the effects of EMFs on marine ecosystems.
In November 2025, the Working Group convened representatives from research, policy, and industry at the National Robotarium, Edinburgh, to discuss the issues and potential impacts of EMFs, highlighting cross-sector perspectives.
Many excellent talks were provided by representatives from Scottish Government, Fisheries, Research and Industry and attendees were able to identify critical knowledge gaps, barriers to data access, and opportunities for coordinated scientific and governance action. More information can be found here.
Following the November meeting, the working group published the report in January 2026: Proceedings of the MASTS Cross-Sectoral Working Group on the Impact of Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs) on Marine Ecosystems: A Cross-Sector Framework for Understanding and Managing the Cumulative Effects of Anthropogenic EMFs in the Marine Environment
Lead PIs: Rory O’Hara Murray (Marine Directorate), David Woolf (Heriot-Watt University), Dmitry Aleynik (SAMS).
WG Members: Alan Cuthbertson (University of Dundee), Soizic Garnier (Bangor University) and Jennifer Graham (SAMS).
Technical Development: Emily Hague (UHI Shetland).
The MASTS Numerical & Experimental Hydrodynamic Modelling Forum has identified the need for an accessible, up-to-date overview of modelling of Scottish Coastal Waters and therefore formed a Working Group to address this challenge.
Even practitioners in the area can find it difficult to keep track of the broadening applications and new technological approaches. Scientists, technologists in related disciplines, and participants in related industries (i.e. almost any marine industry), may find it very difficult to engage, partly through simple ignorance of ongoing activity, and partly inexperience of the value of model output and analysis tools.
Government, government agencies and NGOs may also be interested in the available capability and expertise but establishing a working relationship is hindered by difficulty of access.
The Working Group convened at a venue near Pitlochry, Scotland, for a one day Workshop to collate data and structure chapters for the Story Map.
Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) is the newest member of MASTS, bringing with it a strong track record in marine science and a valuable gateway to the research, policy and stakeholder communities of Northern Ireland. With shared waters in the Irish Sea and longstanding ties between Scottish and Northern Irish institutions, there is a clear foundation on which to build deeper and more sustained collaboration. This Working Group addresses the challenge of strengthening cross-jurisdictional connection, ensuring that Northern Ireland’s marine expertise is more visible and accessible to MASTS partners, and that QUB researchers are actively contributing across the network.
Lead PIs: Jon Houghton (Queen’s University Belfast) and James Thorburn (Edinburgh Napier University)
WG Members: Alejandro Gallego (Scottish Government), Colin Bean (NatureScot) Cass Bronley (NatureScot), Pal Smitt (QUB) Patrick Collins (QUB), Ben McAteer (QUB), Andrew Marr (QUB), Annika Clements (QUB), Christina Kelly (QUB), Richard Collins (QUB), Carwyn Frost (QUB), Paula Duffy (University of Aberdeen), Oliver Foss (University of Aberdeen), Time Regan (Roslin Institute), Rona McGill (university of Glasgow), Chris Harrod (university of Glasgow), Benjamin Williamson (SAMS), Denise Risch (SAMS), John Howe (SAMS), David McKee (University of Strathclyde), Chris McKnight (University of St Andrews) and Alex Houston (university of St Andrews).
Proposed Outputs
Ideas for Working Groups may be suggested from within the community or by parties external to MASTS. Proposals will be assessed by the MASTS Science Advisory Panel based on criteria such as innovative nature, societal and economic impact and implementation strategy. Working Groups are allocated a specified amount of funding and receive administrative support through the MASTS Directorate. Outputs can include Policy Briefs, Papers, Story Maps, Workshops, etc.
If you would like to discuss an idea for a Working Group please contact masts@st-andrews.ac.uk.
We’re working behind the scenes to bring you a suite of useful, and updateable, resources including:
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