The Sea-MAT project aimed to understand the role of local environmental conditions in the development of green tides in Ireland. In order to achieve this aim, five of the largest macroalgal blooms in Irish estuaries were studied and monitored using novel and innovative methodologies and approaches. The utilisation of molecular tools for the identification of seaweeds revealed the multi-specific composition of Irish green tides, confirmed the presence of the alien species Gracilaria vermiculophylla along Irish coasts, and identified Pylaiella littoralis as the main species producing the golden tide at Killybegs. Remote sensing techniques were used to accurately define the spatial extent of the bloom event in Clonakilty bay. The use of both high-resolution imagery and multispectral photogrammetry acquired from an Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) was used in the production of classification maps of the Ulva bloom in the Clonakilty estuary. The assessment of the spatial and temporal scales of biomass variability showed a clear seasonal pattern in red and green tides at the estuaries of Clonakilty, Argideen and Tolka, but no seasonality was observed in the golden tide at Killybegs. Regarding green tides, this assessment suggested that the biomass of tubular morphologies (e.g. Ulva compressa and U. prolifera) may be less susceptible to being transported out of the estuary than laminar Ulva (e.g. U. rigida). Furthermore, tubular morphologies appear to be buried at the end of the bloom, favouring the accumulation of organic matter and nutrients in sediments, which could act as a source of nutrient for the subsequent bloom, perpetuating the eutrophication problems. The monitoring of physicochemical parameters of seawater and sediments in areas affected by seaweed tides suggested an important biofiltration capacity of dissolved inorganic nutrients in quantities that can reduce nutrient concentration in surrounding seawaters at medium scales. This monitoring also revealed important differences in environmental conditions between different seaweed tides (i.e. green, golden and red), indicating relevant differences in ecophysiological traits. Moreover, the low organic content found in sediments at Tolka and Clonakilty may make feasible the development of seagrass restoration actions. Preliminary results of tissue N content in seaweeds from the Tolka and Killybegs (>3% N) suggest that seaweed tides are not limited by nutrients since these values were higher than the critical quota (approx. 2%). Thus, other environmental factors (e.g. meteorological or climatological conditions) and biological constraints may play a more important role than previously thought, controlling the potential development of Irish blooms. Various experiments were conducted in order to identify the mechanism(s) determining the seasonal succession observed in Irish green tides between tubular (i.e. U. compressa) and laminar (U. rigida) morphologies and predict the future development of Irish green tides in the context of global warming and eutrophication. The results obtained indicated that the growth of U. rigida was controlled by temperature, while U. compressa was determined by the photoperiod. Thus, considering the scenario of global warming proposed by the IPPC for Irish coastal waters and the expected increase in nutrient loadings, earlier development of the laminar bloom is expected, which could have significant consequences for biomass balance in Irish estuaries and the maximum accumulated biomass during peak bloom. Different recommendations to reduce the impact of seaweed tides and control their development are proposed. These include: the development of an index based on the ecophysiological status of seagrasses or saltmarsh plants to assess the ecological status of estuarine waters; the reduction of nutrient loadings; the harvesting or cultivation of seaweeds, which may help to remove nutrients and biomass from the estuary; and the cultivation or restoration of oyster beds, which might enhance denitrification processes.

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Morrison, L.   "Nutrient dynamics and eco-physiology of opportunistic macroalgal blooms in Irish estuaries and coastal bays". Associated datasets and digitial information objects connected to this resource are available at: Secure Archive For Environmental Research Data (SAFER) managed by Environmental Protection Agency Ireland https://eparesearch.epa.ie/safer/resource?id=049c4c94-45be-11e9-8529-005056ae0019 (Last Accessed: 2024-12-14)

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SAFER-Data Display URL	https://eparesearch.epa.ie/safer/iso19115/display?isoID=3171
Resource Keywords	Macroalgal Blooms; Environmental conditions; Coastal Monitoring; multispetral imaging using UAV; Biodiversity.
EPA/ERTDI/STRIVE Project Code	2015-W-MS-20
EPA/ERTDI/STRIVE Project Theme	Water Quality
Resource Availability:	Public-Open
Limitations on the use of this Resource	Our data will be used in peer review publications and therefore cannot be published by others.
Number of Attached Files (Publicly and Openly Available for Download):	15
Project Start Date	Sunday 1st May 2016 (01-05-2016)
Earliest Recorded Date within any attached datasets or digital objects	Wednesday 1st June 2016 (01-06-2016)
Most Recent Recorded Date within any attached datasets or digital objects	Thursday 1st November 2018 (01-11-2018)
Published on SAFER	Wednesday 13th March 2019 (13-03-2019)
Date of Last Edit	Monday 8th April 2019 at 10:31:22 (08-04-2019)
Datasets or Files Updated On	Thursday 28th March 2019 at 17:09:20 (28-03-2019)

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Description of Geographical Characteristics of This Project or Dataset
Four estuaries in Ireland (Tolka on the east coast ? Irish Sea; Argideen and Clonakilty along the south coast ? Atlantic Ocean; and Killybegs on the north west coast) affected by large macroalgal tides were studied over seven sampling occasions, in order to assess the spatial and temporal patterns of variation in seaweed biomass between June 2016 and August 2017.

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