Using historical remote sensing data to create kelp habitat maps for the West Sussex Coast

Welcome to my Professional Practice Project

Hi, my name is Jen Mc Shane and I am currently completing my Marine biology masters degree through The International Master of Science in Marine Biological Resources (IMBRSea), which is a joint Master program organised by ten leading European universities in the field of marine sciences and supported by the European Marine Biological Resource Centre (EMBRC). For my Professional Practice I was lucky enough to be able to work with Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and my mentor Chris Yesson.

For me, the most important characteristic of the ZSL, is the fact that they are the forefront of cutting-edge research. As an early career scientist, it is a privilege to be able to have access to the numerous resources and leaders in the field of conservation, that the ZSL and the IOZ have. Additionally, the fact that the research that they do has a real, tangible impact on the ground, has helped to highlight for me the importance of doing science with a real purpose and for the right reasons.

The aim of my project was to contribute to the restoration of the kelp forests in West Sussex, through the identification of historical distributions of kelp populations along the West Sussex coast, using remote sensing satellite data. Now I am sure at this point, you might very well have a number of burning question bouncing around in your mind...

What is remote sensing? What happened to the kelp forrest in West Sussex? And how can you possibly use satellite data to map historical distributions of kelp?

Well. rest assured, all will be revealed shorty! I invite you to join me in adventuring through the world of remote sensing and I hope you enjoy discovering the answers to these pertinent questions, as much as I enjoyed completing my professional practice project.