A marine monitoring buoy installed off the south of the Isle of Man, just outside Port Erin bay, will help scientists to understand the impact of climate change and human activity on Manx waters.

Taylor Bridgens, marine monitoring officer with the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture, said: ‘Marine monitoring in Manx waters dates back to 1904 and is one of the longest and most respected time-series of various marine parameters in Europe. Having a dataset that is over a hundred years old and as detailed as ours is like gold dust.

'Our long-term datasets have the ability to provide global insights on the impacts of climate change, in addition to providing crucial information on the status of Manx waters within the wider Irish Sea.’

It is a massive step forward for marine monitoring on the Isle of Man, as data is being collected round the clock and there is no need to rely on good weather conditions to access the site.