Marine Scotland Science: directory

Pamela Walsham

Environment Monitoring and Assessment Programme
Marine Environment Assessment Group
Senior Environmental Chemist

E-mail: Pamela.Walsham@gov.scot

Marine Scotland Science, Marine Laboratory, 375 Victoria Road, Aberdeen, AB11 9DB, UK

Details of specialism

My interests are in Ocean Acidification and Eutrophication (nutrients, chlorophyll, dissolved oxygen) monitoring of the Scottish marine environment, with focus on assessment, trends, variability and impacts in our waters.  I am the Marine Scotland Science lead for Ocean Acidification monitoring and assessments and provide advice to policy.  I am the Deputy Quality Manager for the Planning & Environmental Advice and Environment Monitoring & Assessment Programmes within MSS.

Within the broad topic areas my particular focuses currently include:

• understanding impact on and changes to the pH of the Scottish Marine Environment caused by an uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere produced by human activities
• monitoring and assessment of nutrients in Scotland’s marine waters
• INTERREG-funded COMPASS (investigating connectivity for priority species and conservation areas between Ireland and Scotland)

Main policy links

• marine environment

External committees and responsibilities

• chair of the UK National Marine Chemistry Advisory Group (NMCAG)
• UK representative Quasimeme Scientific Advisory Board
• member of the Clean Safe Seas Evidence Group (CSSEG)
• member of the UK Eutrophication Steering Group
• member of the Scottish Clean and Safe Seas Coordination Group
• member of the Marine Alliance of Science and Technology for Scotland (MASTS) Biogeochemistry Forum Steering Committee
• member of ICES Marine Chemistry Working Group
• member of OSPAR Inter-correspondence group on Ocean Acidification (IGC-OA)
• member Global Ocean Acidification Observing Network (GOA-ON) North East Atlantic Hub
• STEM ambassador

Papers of relevance

Humphreys MP, Artioli Y, Bakker DCE, Hartman SE, León P, Wakelin S, Walsham P and Williamson P (2020) Air–sea CO2 exchange and ocean acidification in UK seas and adjacent waters. MCCIP Science Review 2020, 54-75.

León P, Bednaršek N, Walsham P, Cook K, Hartman SE, Wall-Palmer D, Hindson J, Mackenzie K, Webster L and Bresnan E (2019) Relationship between shell integrity of pelagic gastropods and carbonate chemistry parameters at a Scottish Coastal Observatory monitoring site. ICES Journal of Marine Science 77(1), 436-450. 

Markager S, Upadhyay S, Stæhr P, Parner H, Jakobsen H Walsham P, Wesslander K, Van der Zande D and Enserink L (2019)  Towards a joint monitoring and assessment programme for eutrophication in the North Sea. Activity 3 Report. 52pp

León P, Walsham P, Bresnan E, Hartman SE, Hughes S, Mackenzie K and Webster L (2018) Seasonal variability of the carbonate system and coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi at a Scottish Coastal Observatory monitoring site. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 202, 302-314. 

Smith AF, Fryer RJ, Webster L, Berx B, Taylor A, Walsham P and Turrell WR (2014) Setting background nutrient levels for coastal waters with oceanic influences. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 145, 69-79.

Details of linked research pages

Pamela Walsham’s ResearchGate profile