Dundee’s maritime heritage stretches back hundreds of years – most prominently with the building of RRS Discovery, the ship which carried Scott and Shackleton on their first expedition to Antarctica.
The region’s location, and the marine environment, is a continued focus today. Much of Dundee’s present-day maritime industry is based at the Port of Dundee, where decommissioning and renewable energy service providers are based and operate throughout the country’s waters.
Fife is home to a world-renowned marine science institute, the Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU) at the University of St Andrews. With over 40 staff and students, SMRU is a formidable concentration of expertise and talent in marine mammalogy and, more generally, in marine ecology.
Recognising the world-leading role played by researchers in furthering understanding and protection of the oceans, SMRU was awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize in 2011.
The university regularly collaborates with leading institutions all over the world, on international studies like working with Aarhus University in Denmark, and La Laguna, Tenerife, to reveal how whales have evolved to live in the world’s deepest oceans.
Scientists at The University of St Andrews along with scientists from the Universities of Helsinki and Radboud have worked together on research into the effect of climate change on marine systems. Their work has revealed that warming in temperate regions leads to species gains at sea but not on land.
Image in banner above, courtesy of University of St Andrews
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