Scotland's minister for climate change visits SAMS

Today Stewart Stevenson MSP, Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change, visited SAMS to explore our diverse portfolio of climate change related research. Accompanied by the Leader, Depute Leader and Interim Chief Executive of Argyll and Bute Council and representatives of HIE Argyll, Mr Stevenson toured the SAMS laboratory at Dunstaffnage, where he met some marine scientists involved in important climate research.

He first heard from physical oceanographer Dr Toby Sherwin about the importance of currents to the west of Scotland in the transport of heat to the Arctic region and SAMS plans to monitor upper ocean temperatures between Scotland and Iceland using unmanned, instrumental seagliders to monitor long-term changes in ocean properties.

He next met with Professor of Biogeochemistry Ronnie Glud, who introduced the Minister to a long term international research programme in north west Greenland, coordinated by the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources in Nuuk. The project has produced detailed carbon cycling models and predictions about how the system is likely to respond to changing climates over the next 50 years. This work has so far primarily focussed on the east coast of Greenland, but recently it has been extended to the more populated and finanicially important west coast. Professor Glud expressed his hope to extend investigations into Scottish sea lochs, which have functional similarities to Greenland fjords and may provide interesting insights into how Arctic sea lochs might perform under warmer conditions.

Mr Stevenson finally learnt from Dave Gunn, SAMS' Director of Knowledge Transfer and Commercialisation, of a major forthcoming SAMS research project which will develop the potential of marine biomass, both from micro- and macroalgae, for the production of renewable and largely carbon neutral transport fuels.

Dr Ken Jones, Acting Director of SAMS, welcomed the ministerial visit and the opportunity to highlight the diversity and quantity of independent climate-relevant research that is carried out at SAMS.