Plymouth Marine Laboratory

Dr. Susan Kay

SKay Dr. Susan Kay is a scientist in the modelling group at PML. Her work involves setting up and running hydrodynamic-ecosystem models which can be used to investigate the possible impacts of climate change on the marine environment. She joined PML in 2011, and prior to this did a PhD in remote sensing. Susan is part of the fisheries modelling group and she will be running models of the physics and biogeochemistry of sea in the region of DECCMA deltas. These models give information about how climate change might affect production under different climate change scenarios. They can also give projections of sea level rise.

Dr. Jose Fernandes

JFernandes Dr. Jose Fernandes is a bio-economic modeller at PML, working on integrating modelling approaches towards an ecosystem services approach, the study of interactions between climate and environment with socio-economic activities and the use for policy and management for improving resources usage and adaptation to change. His work at with the DECCMA project implies fisheries projections and comparing fisheries in the studied deltas.

Susan Kay, Plymouth Marine Laboratory

What is your research background?

I work in marine ecosystem modelling, using computer models to make projections of how much plankton biomass could develop in the sea under different environmental conditions. This is a multi-disciplinary activity - the models involve the physics of ocean movement and the chemical transfer of carbon, nitrogen and other materials, as well as an ecological understanding of species interaction and competition. My original degree subject was physics, and I’ve also done Masters degrees in education and bioinformatics. My PhD was in the field of remote sensing, modelling the way light interacts with the sea surface with the aim of improving satellite images of the ocean. So I hope I bring quite a diverse background in natural science to the project. I’ve worked in marine ecosystem modelling since 2012. My other current research work is about European seas, looking at how we best look after the ecosystem health of these heavily exploited seas.

What area of the DECCMA project are you involved in?

I’m contributing to the work on fisheries modelling in Work Package 2. I’ll use climate model data to produce projections of primary production in the seas around each delta and then Jose Fernandes, my colleague at Plymouth Marine Laboratory, will use that data to make estimates of the future catch of some important fish species in each area. Fish are key sources of nutrition and livelihood in delta areas so we need to understand how climate change, as well as fisheries management practices, could affect the available catch. For the ocean as a whole, it is expected that global warming will tend to reduce productivity because the higher surface temperatures will stabilise the water column and reduce the mixing that brings nutrients to the sunlit areas where plankton live. It’s uncertain how this process will affect the shallower water of delta areas, and that’s what I’m aiming to investigate in DECCMA.

What excites you about the DECCMA project?

DECCMA is bringing a multi-discipline, multi-country group together to investigate a really important topic. It’s quite a communications challenge! But we need many different kinds of expertise and approach to make progress in understanding the many pressures that influence people’s decision to migrate. Often the most interesting and exciting ideas emerge when people work together across traditional boundaries, so I’m looking forward to seeing what DECCMA will produce.

What are your interests outside of your work?

I enjoy looking after my garden and exploring the local countryside on foot or by bike – the south west of England is very beautiful. I’m always interested in learning more about the wider world and I belong to two book groups where we read and discuss books that give us insight into the lives of people in other cultures and societies – at the moment I’m reading about the emergence of Ebola virus in central Africa and everyday life in modern Tehran. I also help to run a charity that gives opportunities for children and adults in my local area to learn more about life in other countries, especially the developing world.