MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Ulster scientist begins sponge research in Falkland Islands
Claire Goodwin exploring Falklands' shallow waters biodiversity Ulster Museum Marine Biologist, Claire Goodwin has begun diving in the shallows of Falklands waters in order to research sponges of the Islands having been awarded a prestigious Shackleton Scholarship.
The Shackleton Scholarship Fund was set up in 1995 to commemorate, in perpetuity, the lives of Sir Ernest Shackleton, polar explorer, and his son Lord Shackleton. Realising a lifelong ambition to dive in the South Atlantic through this sponsorship she said: "The sponges of the Falklands have been little studied and I'm sure there are some interesting discoveries to be made. I'm really grateful to the scholarship committee for giving me the chance to go. "Sponges form a substantial and important component of the biodiversity in the Falklands but so far have not been adequately recorded. Sponge biodiversity is a good measure of environmental quality, with individual species potentially providing early warning systems of pollution, temperature changes due to climate change and other types of environmental degradation." Claire will work with the Shallow Marine Survey Group (SMSG) participating in a diving expedition on the yacht the Golden Fleece to the remote Jason Islands to collect sponge samples. She will also train local scientists on sponge identification and ecology. Karen Neely, SMSG project officer, who is working with Claire said: "Sponges are hard to identify and consequently we have very little knowledge of our sponge fauna. Working with Claire means we are getting some much needed information on this neglected group of animals." Welcoming the research collaboration with SMSG, Bernard Picton, Curator of Marine Invertebrates at the Ulster Museum, said: "Claire's trip will gather some interesting new material for the museum's collections and build on our existing work on the sponges of Britain and Ireland. We're hoping it will lead to further research collaborations with SMSG in the future." The Shackleton Scholarship fund is a way of commemorating the Shackleton achievements, stimulating human endeavour, initiative and research, say its Trustees. There are two types of scholarship: Academic, for graduates to visit the South Atlantic for research into the natural or social sciences; and "Quality of Life": For people whose visits to the Falkland Islands, or from the Falkland Islands to other parts of the world, benefit the region and enhance the quality of life of the Islanders. Shackleton Scholarship FundBy Lisa Johnston – SeaAled PR - Stanley
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