Marine Science facilities

Research Vessel (RV Serpula)

RV Serpula is a custom built vessel commissioned in 1999, based on an 8 m LOA GRP Kingfisher hull. She is equipped for scientific sampling and diving work, including grabbing, benthic coring, beam trawling and deployment of remote sensing equipment (e.g. side-scan sonar; drop-down video). Most sampling gears can be supplied in-house. RV Serpula is supported by 3 inflatable craft. The vessel has been used for work all over Scotland, including Barra, North Uist, the Firth of Tay and locations around her base in Loch Creran. She also provides a focal point for field course-work on both B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees. The boat, with skipper, is available for commercial contracts.

Scientific Diving Team

The Scientific Diving Team comprises five members of staff as well as suitably qualified students (qualifying courses are offered as an option). The School has its own diving equipment administered by a dedicated Diving Officer. Diving projects include ecological and conservation studies, mapping of sub-tidal biotopes, analysis and remediation of man-made damage (for instance to biogenic reefs) and development of underwater monitoring techniques, such as video transects. Student projects may also involve diving, for those suitably qualified. Diving work has been funded from various sources, including Research Councils, SNH and various industrial partners. The Diving Team is available for commercial contracts.

Aquarium

The aquarium is a central facility for the Marine Biology group. It comprises 3 rooms with seawater, filtered freshwater and air on-tap. The aquarium is built around flexibility, allowing any system to be stripped out and remodelled as required. This avoids constraints in infrastructure compromising experimental design. Sea-water systems are recirculating, using real seawater supplied by tanker. Freshwater systems are either recirculating or flow-through, as required. In addition to the aquarium, there are also 6 Constant Temperature rooms, allowing simulation of natural conditions throughout the year.

Environmental Analytical Research Laboratory

This analytical suite underpins analysis of marine environmental contaminants within the School. It comprises equipment for Gas Chromatography, GC/LC Mass Spectrometry, HPLC, Atomic Absorption Spectrometry, Ion Chromatography, UV/Fluorescence Spectrometry and Microtox analysis (a biological effects analysis technique). Primarily used for characterisation and identification of oil residues, this suite is available for commercial contracts as well as being widely used in postgraduate projects and research.

Elemental Analyser

Set up for analytical determination of Carbon and Nitrogen, this equipment allows measurement of the body composition of organisms, as well as the abundance of these elements in, for example, sediment samples. Such information contributes to work on growth and productivity of small organisms (e.g. plankton), as well as characterisation of nutrient distribution in sediments and water. This facility is available for commercial contracts.