UK MECN Benthic Time-Series Network

Descriptions

The Marine Environmental Change Network (MECN) brings together organisations collecting long-term time series information for marine waters and promotes the importance of sustained observations both scientifically and to support policy. More recently the focus has been on marine benthic monitoring which has consistently been identified as a 'gap' in the UK's monitoring capability. Specifically, a UK- wide network of long-term time benthic monitoring sites would provide reference sites to help elucidate whether changes (e.g. observed in MPAs/MCZs or other areas monitored at a local scale) were occurring as a result of localised impacts or drivers operating at a wider scale. This formation is very important to support wider monitoring and assessments