Room: 114 Marine Centre Wales         Phone: 01248383936

E-mail: t.whitton@bangor.ac.uk

Web: Google Scholar, ORCID

Overview

I gained a BSc in 'Marine Biology' in 2008 from Bangor University. In 2010 I gained an MSc in 'Marine Environmental Protection' in which my project was a study of the subtidal benthic fauna of the Dee estuary, in the context of the cockle fishery. This work was conducted from the RV Prince Madog and was in collaboration with the Environment Agency Wales through a fisheries studentship. This collaboration continued into my PhD titled 'Processes controlling spatial and temporal variations in cockle Cerastoderma edule (L.) abundance and distribution' which further investigated the ecology of the common European cockle. After my PhD I was M degree coordinator / lecturer in the School of ocean sciences, which involved organising and teaching modules on statistics and research skills. I am currently a research officer with SEACAMS.

Research

I am a marine ecologist with an overall research interest in how the distribution and behaviour of organisms is determined by biological interactions. My current research is focused on 1) the ecology of high tidal current areas and their potential interactions with Marine Renewable Energy Devices (MRDs), and 2) bivalve ecology and research methods.

  1. Ecology of high tidal current areas and their potential interactions with MRDs. 

    Through working on the SEACAMS project and a future follow on project, the ecology of high tidal current areas has been my main research focus. This has been characterising and understanding both the benthic and pelagic components of these systems, and I have used the RV Prince Madog has the main research platform for this work. I am particularly interested in how the benthic and pelagic components are linked and function over tidal cycles, to better inform our understanding of potential environmental interactions with MRDs. Using benthic cameras, mid-water trawls and echo sounders are key tools for my research on this topic.

  2. Bivalve ecology and research methods. 

    Since my PhD work on common cockle fisheries and ecology I have maintained an active interest in this subject, along with other species of bivalve. This is currently supported by a small research grant from the Conchological Society of Great Britain and Ireland with which I will be documenting morphology and behaviour of estuarine bivalve post-larvae in collaboration with the National Museum Cardiff. I am also an author on the 'Signs of Life' book project, in which I am developing an identification tool using bivalve soft morphology. I am also interested in improving sampling designs for stock assessments and research that robustly deal with the infaunal and often highly patchy nature of their distribution.

Please do not hesitate to get in touch with me if you have any enquires about my research.

Research Themes: Marine Ecology

  • PhD: Processes controlling spatial and temporal variations in cockle Cerastoderma edule (L.) abundance and distribution
    2013
  • MSc: Marine Environmental Protection
    2010
  • BSc: Marine Biology
    2008

2022

2021

  • PublishedCollecting quality echosounder data in inclement weather
    Jech, M., Schaber, M., ox, M., Escobar-Flores, P., Gastauer, S., Haris, K., Horne, J., Jarvis, T., Ladroit, Y., O'Driscoll, R., Pederson, G., Peña, M., Ryan, T., Sakinan, S., Thomas, R., Viehman, H., Wall, C. & Whitton, T., 1 Dec 2021, ICES Cooperative Research Report. Anderson, E. (ed.). International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, Vol. 352. 108 p.
    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Other chapter contribution › peer-review

2020

2016

2015

2012

2022

2020

  • Vertical distribution of small pelagic fish: drivers and implications for assessing environmental interactions of tidal stream projects

    Increases in the generation of electricity using marine renewable energy (MRE) are planned globally, with Wales potentially playing a key role in the MRE industry, including hosting the world’s first deployment of a utility scale tidal kite off the coast of Anglesey by Minesto UK Ltd. Assessment and understanding of the environmental impacts of MRE devices and developments are urgently needed, but remain challenging due to diverse development locations, device designs and the complexities of studying top predators, which are a focus of many impact assessments.We present findings from the SEACAMS2 project focused on Minesto’s Holyhead Deep development off North Wales, where multi-disciplinary instrument moorings have been used assess potential overlap of small pelagic fish with planned operational devices and the driving process for any overlap. Predictable variation in depths reached by fish schools during vertical migrations were observed, with clear links to physical processes found, and so potential overlap with a tidal kite could be calculated.By understanding overlap in space and time between MRE devices and prey species of top predators such as small pelagic fish, uncertainty of impacts can be reduced. Current work to understand fish behaviour with an actively deployed MRE kite and other sub-sea structures will also be introduced.

    23 Apr 2020

    Links:

    Activity: Oral presentation (Speaker)

2019

2018

2017

2016