Somerset seaweeds
Seaweed surveys in the Bristol Channel
Join Museum scientist Professor Juliet Brodie and Dr Nigel Chaffey from Bath Spa University as they search for seaweed in Blue Anchor Bay.
Over 650 species of seaweed are found in the UK, around 7 per cent of the world's seaweeds, and new species are still being discovered. But some sections of the coastline have not been studied to find out how many types of seaweed are found there for years, or even decades.
The seaweed Corallina caespitosa
Blue Anchor Bay, along the Bristol Channel, is one such area. It supports a variety of red, green and brown seaweeds but they were last surveyed as far back as the 1970s. Professor Juliet Brodie and Dr Nigel Chaffey are now working on an up-to-date survey. This will give scientists detailed information about the species living in the Bay.
Whenever studies of Blue Anchor Bay take place in the future, they can be compared with Professor Juliet Brodie and Dr Nigel Chaffey's results. This will make it possible to track any changes that have taken place in the seaweed composition at the site.
Similar seaweed surveys are being carried out by Professor Juliet Brodie and Dr Nigel Chaffey all along the Somerset coast.
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Our fossil insect collection includes Rhyniognatha hirsti, the world's oldest fossil insect, dating back some 400 million years.