Advances in technology -- such as microscopic imaging and molecular techniques -- have the potential to transform our understanding of global ocean health, according to the authors of a new study. However, they should not be employed at the expense of long-term plankton monitoring programmes, which continue to provide an essential role in tracking how our seas are shifting in the face of a changing global climate and are essential for informing routine assessments of marine biodiversity required by international law.

The research was developed by some of Europe's leading experts in plankton science, working at universities and government organisations in the UK, France, Sweden and the Netherlands. Many of them are directly involved in long-term monitoring programmes that have been running for more than six decades, and the development of new monitoring technologies, as well as advising on the management of our ocean and seas. Dr Matthew Holland, Research Fellow at the University of Plymouth and the study's lead author, said: "Plankton support the entire marine food web and generate much of the oxygen we breathe. As such, we need to generate any information possible to ensure we know of changes in plankton communities and the impacts they could have on commercial fish stocks, sea birds, and the general health of the planet. There are amazing technologies coming on stream that can help with that -- but existing monitoring has provided us with hugely valuable insights over the past six decades, and remains essential in tracking long-term changes in ocean health."

Dr Abigail McQuatters-Gollop, Associate Professor of Marine Conservation at the University of Plymouth and one of 30 international scientists to work on the Plankton Manifesto, is senior author on the new study. She added: "Plankton data are integral for understanding changes in our ocean. The new technologies being developed for monitoring plankton are exciting, but it is critical they are integrated with standard methods, many of which use a simple net and have been in place for over a century. They rely on people with years of experience in plankton science and research, and it is only through combining this human component with the monitoring methods that we can fully understand the implications of plankton change for marine ecosystems."