A long-running study recording changes to the marine environment near Bermuda has had its funding renewed until August 2028.

The Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences’ Currents newsletter said the US National Science Foundation has announced that it would continue to support the Bermuda Atlantic Time Series study, along with Hydrostation S.

Nick Bates, a principal investigator and director of research at Bios, said: “We are in the order of over 800 peer-reviewed publications for Bats, with over 80 per cent being collaborative efforts.

“Everything is growing, building on that core research foundation and this research collaboration strengthens scientific understanding of this important part of the North Atlantic Ocean.”

Dr Bates said Bats research helped to provide a scientific framework for a variety of projects.

Bats was launched in 1988, relying heavily on the foundation established by Hydrostation S, a deepwater research mooring established 25 kilometres southeast of Bermuda in 1954 by Henry Stommel, an oceanographer with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Together, Bats and Hydrostation S have generated the longest continuous dataset of biogeochemical change in the open ocean, helping researchers to understand ocean warming, salinification and acidification.

The programme has also benefited students and early-career researchers, with the team able to easily incorporate new sampling initiatives during monthly visits to the site.

Rod Johnson, an associate research professor and an investigator with the project, said: “Pretty much every discipline of ocean science, we’ve touched upon and measured.

“The location of the Bats is one of the few places in the world, in terms of oceanography, where you have such a diverse set of measurements that you can explore new modelling spaces, parameters and capabilities.”

With this renewed funding, the team is looking towards the future, planning for more than 130 days at sea on board the R/V Atlantic Explorer, with the goal of reinvigorating past projects and introducing new ancillary scientific pursuits.

Among the initiatives is a new collaboration to investigate trace metals and iron cycling in the water column, building on earlier Bermudian-based studies.

Dr Johnson added: “We’re feeling great about this new award, and are more committed than ever to support science.

“We always go out of our way to help people because we want each and every research project to succeed.

“Especially now, we’re focused on helping those with preliminary ideas or limited funding.

“Collaboration has been important since Day 1. It’s what keeps Bats strong.”