Loch Maddy West coast Scotland Latitude:   57.6015     Longitude:   -7.1413 Associated Investigators: Eileen Bresnan   Related Web Sites: [Marine Scotland - Loch Maddy Monitoring site]   [Marine Scotland - All Monitoring Sites]   Related Time Series: [ Stonehaven (Zoo+Phy) ]   [ Scapa Bay (Phy, Orkney) ]   [ Scalloway (Phy, Shetland Isles) ]   [ Loch Ewe (Zoo+Phy) ]   [ Loch Maddy (Phy, Western Isles) ]   [ Millport (Phy) ]   Loch Maddy (Site 38, 57 36.09'N 7 08.48'W) is located on the Island of North Uist, part of the Western Isles. It is a unique site with a diverse saline lagoon system opening into the sea loch, which contains a mix of rocky reefs and soft sediment habitats. This system supports a rich diversity of marine life and, as a result, has been designated a marine special area of conservation (SAC). Loch Maddy has been participating in the Marine Scotland Science Coastal Ecosystem Monitoring Programme since 2003. Samples have been collected by Comann na Mara and Loch Duart Salmon and their input to the success of this programme is gratefully acknowledged. Temperature is measured using a minilogger, and surface water samples are taken for salinity and chemical analysis. An integrated tube sampler is used to collect samples for phytoplankton community analysis. Phytoplankton samples are preserved in Lugol s iodine and analysed using the Utermohl method (Utermohl, 1958). Seasonal and interannual trends Temperature demonstrates a distinct seasonality, with lowest temperatures in March and warmest in August. The lowest temperatures are observed during spring (ca. 7 C) and the warmest towards late summer. The temperature at this site rarely exceeds 14 C. In common with the other sites from Scotland, this site demonstrates a similar pattern in the seasonality of the phytoplankton community, with a spring bloom of Diatoms dominated by Skeletonema and Chaetoceros. Dinoflagellates become more abundant in summer, and blooms of the Dinoflagellate Prorocentrum balticum/minimum have been observed during early summer. High abundance of Karenia Mikimotoi was observed at this site during 2006. In contrast to other sites along the west coast, Diatom blooms can occur during summer, and the autumn Diatom bloom is not as pronounced. Owing to the relative shortness of the sampling programme, long-term trends in hydrography or biology are not conclusive at this point. Further information and links to the data collected at this site can be found at the Marine Scotland website ( https://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/marine/science/MSInteractive/Themes/Coastal).