As well as making a fundamental impact on our understanding of the natural world, MBA outputs have made positive contributions towards impacts on people, societies, their health and well-being, and the planet. Here are some examples of our work.
Listed below are a selection of the projects delivered by the MBA.
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Reproductive biology of sessile animal species
A long-standing study has elucidated spermcast mating by sessile invertebrates, a widespread process involving the release of sperm into the water and its subsequent uptake by conspecific genetic individuals.
This has involved long-term culturing of colonial ascidians...
Leisure boating and non-native species
The role of leisure boating and marinas in the secondary spread of non-natives along coastlines is being investigated.
This has involved survey work, monitoring and experimental investigations using settlement panels. The data also contributes baseline distribution information...
The introduction of marine species to new areas by human activities
The anthropogenic mechanisms and routes by which marine species are carried between remote biogeographic regions have been studied.
This has involved a combination of i) population-genetic approaches to infer population histories and ii) repeated monitoring of sites to document actual...
LEMUR Traineeships
LEMUR+ project was part funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and run by Ambios Ltd in partnership with Herefordshire Wildlife Trust, The MBA and South East Wales Biodiversity Records Centre.
Placements at the MBA were for ...
Life around the turbines
Life around the turbines brings together environmental and technical information on offshore wind farms in an exciting range of resources and workshops for schools. The project was developed with funding from COWRIE (Collaborative Offshore Wind Research Into the Environment) and was led by...
The ShoreThing
Our Shore Thing project started in 2006 giving volunteer groups and school/ higher students the opportunity to take part in 'REAL' science to help monitor the impact of rising sea temperatures on rocky shore species. It now contains over 10 years of data and participation.
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Sea Change
The Marine Biological Association is the Coordinator of the Sea Change project, an ambitious EU Funded project to develop “Ocean Literacy” in Europe. The Sea Change project runs from 2015 to 2018.
Ocean Literacy is an understanding of the oceans’ influence on us and our...
ENVRI+
Mitten Crab Watch
Chinese mitten crabs are officially listed as one of the World's 100 worst invasive species. They can cause damage to fishing gear and river banks, block intake screens, modify natural habitats and compete with native species. It is this economic and ecological damage that makes this crab such...
Wakame Watch
Wakame Watch has been established in order to generate an up-to-date picture of the distribution of the species, by encouraging recording of sightings from the public, in particular, we are asking divers, snorkelers, recreational boat users, fishermen and environmental surveyors to let us know...
The MBA research programme is recognized for its excellence and diversity, ranging from the fundamental biology of marine organisms through to the study of whole communities and ecosystems.
MBA research is supported by many different funding bodies, including the Natural Environment Research Council and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. The MBA also conducts research with many European partners, through the EU framework programmes. Here are some examples of our work.
MBA Education has enormous experience in interpreting scientific concepts for diverse audiences. Our activities and resources have a reputation for innovation and accessibility and many are designed to fit with formal education curricula.
The MBA is embedded in numerous European partnerships and networks. We have worked both as a partner and as project lead, with European colleagues in a plethora of marine-themed projects primarily funded through the EU Framework Programmes up to and including Horizon 2020, and the European Regional Development Fund Interreg programme.
Managing activities in the marine environment requires robust, up-to-date evidence on a variety of issues from habitats and species impact assessments through to activities/pressures analyses and governance/legislation frameworks. The MBA has an exceptional track record in providing this type of evidence to a wide range of stakeholders with some of the most recent shown here.