Scottish Association for Marine Science

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Scottish Association for Marine Science
SAMS
Scottish Association for Marine Science logo.png
Type Research institute
University
Established1884
Administrative staff
ca 150
Students160
Undergraduates 100
Postgraduates 30
30
Location
Oban, Argyll
,
Scotland

56°27′04″N5°26′27″W / 56.45115°N 5.440741°W / 56.45115; -5.440741
Campus Dunbeg
DirectorProf N Owens
Affiliations UHI
UNU
NERC
MASTS
Website www.sams.ac.uk

The Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) is a marine science research centre located on the Dunstaffnage peninsula, beside Dunstaffnage Castle and near Oban, Argyll, on the Scottish west coast. Research foci include polar research in the Arctic [1] and Antarctic, climate change, marine biological research, as well as biotechnology and other areas related to blue economy. [2] SAMS is considered one of the oldest oceanographic organisations in the world and is Scotland's largest and oldest independent marine science organisation. [3]

Contents

History

The Association was founded in 1884 by Sir John Murray following the Challenger expedition. The Scottish Marine Station, as it was then known, was established in Granton, outside Edinburgh and was the first marine research station in Scotland. It grew quickly and over the next 10 years began a gradual transfer of activities to Millport on the Isle of Cumbrae on the west coast. In 1894, a local committee undertook fundraising in order to construct a building onshore. [4] This station, situated near Keppel Pier, was completed in 1897. [4] In 1901 the committee transformed itself into the Marine Biological Association of the West of Scotland by adopting a formal constitution. [4] In 1914 the association was incorporated as a not-for-profit company and renamed the Scottish Marine Biological Association. [5]

After 80 years of investigations of the Firth of Clyde area and an island location, the Association relocated to the mainland in 1967 and built new facilities near Oban where it has easy access to a variety of oceanographic environments. In 1992 the Association was renamed to its current name, the Scottish Association for Marine Science.

SAMS Laboratory in 2007 Scottish Association for Marine Science laboratory 2007.jpg
SAMS Laboratory in 2007

The research laboratories at Dunstaffnage were rebuilt and re-equipped in 2004 and new teaching facilities were provided in 2010. [6] The Ocean Explorer Centre, [7] at Dunbeg, allows visitors to learn about the marine environment and the academic research going on at SAMS. [8]

In 2014 the Ocean Explorer Centre was opened by Michael Russell MSP, then Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, to serve as a visitor and outreach facility for SAMS. [9]

Research

SAMS science has three main areas of focus: [10]

SAMS works with staff from different disciplines, including physicists, mathematicians, biologists, geologists, chemists, social scientists, computer scientists, technologists, engineers, and communicators.

In addition to marine research, in the fields of marine processes and climate change, renewable energy, the Arctic, marine prosperity and sustainability, and mining impacts, the institute has a commercial branch [11] and an education department. [12]

Business

SAMS Research Services Ltd (SRSL), set up in 2002, is the wholly owned trading subsidiary of SAMS and is also based at the Scottish Marine Institute, Dunstaffange. The subsidiary delivers specialist marine consultancy and survey services to industries, including aquaculture, renewable energy, marine mining, oil and gas (decommissioning), seafood security, and marine biotechnology. The company also manufactures devices for autonomous snow and ice measurement used in polar environments. [13] [14]

Facilities

Robotics facility

The association's robotics facility uses flying and diving robots to work on academic, regulatory and commercial projects, such as aerial mapping, surface fluxes and the properties of deep water. [15]

Culture Collection of Algae and Protozoa

The CCAP is the largest collection of algae and protists in Europe. It supports SAMS' research, currently with a focus on algal diseases. [16]

Education

SAMS offers undergraduate and postgraduate studies, including:

Academic partners

SAMS is an academic partner of the University of the Highlands and Islands. [17] It is also a member of the Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland (MASTS).

Deputy Director Professor Mark Inall was the director of the Scottish Alliance for Geoscience, Environment and Society (SAGES) until 2023; [18] [19] in 2024, he was appointed as Chief Scientific Adviser of the Scottish Government’s Marine Directorate. [20]

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References

  1. ↑ "On patrol in the Arctic". BBC News. 3 September 2008.
  2. ↑ "Science - Scottish Association for Marine Science, Oban UK". www.sams.ac.uk. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  3. ↑ "About - Scottish Association for Marine Science, Oban UK". www.sams.ac.uk. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 Kerr, John Graham (1949). "The Scottish Marine Biological Association". Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London. 7 (1): 81–96. doi: 10.1098/rsnr.1949.0008 . ISSN   0035-9149. S2CID   57514649.
  5. ↑ "An account of our history". Scottish Association of Marine Science. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  6. ↑ "Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory". Association of European Marine Laboratories. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  7. ↑ Ocean Explorer Centre website
  8. ↑ Campbell, Rita (16 June 2014). "New Ocean Explorer Centre offers "edutainment"". Press and Journal . Retrieved 2 July 2014.
  9. ↑ Campbell, Rita (16 June 2014). "New Ocean Explorer Centre offers "edutainment"". Press and Journal. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  10. ↑ "Science - Scottish Association for Marine Science, Oban UK". www.sams.ac.uk. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  11. ↑ SAMS Research Services Limited
  12. ↑ SAMS website, Education
  13. ↑ University of the Highlands and Islands website, Scottish Affairs Committee - Scotland and the High North Enquiry
  14. ↑ SAMS Enterprise website, SIMBA
  15. ↑ Science Direct website, The Scottish Marine Robotics Facility: Use of unmanned vehicles for environmental measurement, monitoring and decision making, article by Fraser Macdonald, John A. Howe, Sam C. Jones, Rebecca J. Weeks and Loïc Houpert, published in Science Direct, Volume 49, Issue 23, 2016, Pages 482 (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ifacol.2016.10.452 )
  16. ↑ Gachon, Claire M. M.; Sime-Ngando, Télesphore; Strittmatter, Martina; Chambouvet, Aurélie; Kim, Gwang Hoon (1 November 2010). "Algal diseases: spotlight on a black box". Trends in Plant Science. 15 (11): 633–640. doi:10.1016/j.tplants.2010.08.005. ISSN   1360-1385. PMID   20833575.
  17. ↑ University of the Highlands and Islands website, Partners: Scottish Association for Marine Science, retrieved 16 January, 2025
  18. ↑ Edinburgh Centre website, New SAGES Director Announced, article dated 11 April, 2023
  19. ↑ SAGES website, Prof. Mark Inall
  20. ↑ Environment Coastal & Offshore website, Marine Directorate Appoints Chief Scientific Adviser, article dated 3 July, 2024
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