Study Finds Plankton Decline Across North East Atlantic Threatens Ocean Health

A comprehensive assessment covering waters from Portugal to Norway, including the North Sea, shows a marked decline in both phytoplankton and zooplankton over the past six decades. The analysis, which integrated 23 datasets from 13 research institutions with satellite data, concluded that none of the examined pelagic habitats meet the EU and UK Marine Strategy Framework Directive’s Good Environmental Status, with the Celtic Seas, Bay of Biscay, Iberian Coast and Greater North Sea rated as Not Good or Uncertain. Researchers linked the downturn to rising sea‑surface temperatures, lower pH, altered nutrient conditions and changes in ocean mixing, and called for rapid greenhouse‑gas emission reductions, nutrient‑pollution control and sustained monitoring.

Researchers at the University of Plymouth, led by Dr Matthew Holland, released a related report for the Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership that highlights how climate change, commercial fishing, offshore energy development and land‑based runoff are amplifying these plankton losses in UK waters. The authors urge policymakers to give greater consideration to plankton and pelagic habitats in marine‑policy and climate‑adaptation planning.