News and Views – Coastal Ecosystems Research Group https://www.coastal-ecosystems-research.org We investigate the ecology, development and ecosystem services provided by coastal habitats in order to provide an evidence base for their restoration and creation. We are currently focused on the 'blue' carbon storage potential and biodiversity value of restored coastal habitats. Thu, 04 Sep 2025 11:24:58 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://www.coastal-ecosystems-research.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/cropped-microscope-favicon-32x32.png News and Views – Coastal Ecosystems Research Group https://www.coastal-ecosystems-research.org 32 32 TOC User Group Meeting https://www.coastal-ecosystems-research.org/2025/09/04/toc-user-group-meeting/ Thu, 04 Sep 2025 11:24:58 +0000 https://www.coastal-ecosystems-research.org/?p=1094 Rob presented our investigation into various organic carbon analysis protocols at the Manchester Museum. If you are interested in measuring the carbon content of a sediment, take a look at the Standard Operating Procedures page – protocols 007 and 008 give both accurate and precise results using an elemental analyser.

]]> Steart Vegetation Survey 2025 https://www.coastal-ecosystems-research.org/2025/08/20/steart-vegetation-survey-2025/ Wed, 20 Aug 2025 22:26:18 +0000 https://www.coastal-ecosystems-research.org/?p=1085 Members of the team visited WWT Steart Marshes, carrying out a vegetation census, geomorphology assessments, invertebrate surveys, and long-term landscape monitoring.

A collage of the MMU research team at Steart Marshes

]]> Sharing our Standard Operating Procedures https://www.coastal-ecosystems-research.org/2024/09/27/sharing-our-standard-operating-procedures/ https://www.coastal-ecosystems-research.org/2024/09/27/sharing-our-standard-operating-procedures/#respond Fri, 27 Sep 2024 15:07:07 +0000 https://www.defrostingthefreezer.co.uk/?p=723 Continue reading Sharing our Standard Operating Procedures]]> A lot of science is like baking – you follow a procedure (recipe) and generate a batch of data (cake). If the same sample is analysed following the same procedure in two different laboratries, the data generated should be the same. This is not always the case, but standardising the approach across a research community reduces the scope for variability between datasets and allows for comparison between studies.

In a lot of cases, protocols are generated by carefully reading the methods section of a published paper, but publications are often written very concisely and some of the steps taken in the lab could be left out or hard to follow. The step-by-step protocol is less likely to be published, but could be much more useful for those trying to build upon published studies.

To avoid that confusion, I have created a new section of the website dedicated to publishing the latest version of our laboratory standard operating procedures. These are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 license so you are allowed – encouraged in fact – to use, adapt, improve and share these protocols.

I also welcome feedback regarding the protocols. Comments are enabled on each one and you are welcome to highlight steps that are unclear or could be improved.

]]> https://www.coastal-ecosystems-research.org/2024/09/27/sharing-our-standard-operating-procedures/feed/ 0