E-mail:  thom.nickell@sams.ac.uk

Scientific interests

• Environmental Impact Assessment
• gradient ecology
• aquaculture impacts
• carrying capacity

Projects

Teaching / supervising activities

1996 - Lecturer in Environmental Biology & Genetics, Liverpool John Moores University

1997 - Associate lecturer in Oceanography, Open University

2001 - Honorary lecturer in Zoology, Aberdeen University

UHI module leader in H3 Sediment Processes and H4 Environmental Impact Assessment; lecturer in H2 Marine Conservation, H2 Marine Resources and H3 Marine Pollution

PhD supervisor on UHI studentship in bioturbation and ecosystem function

Educational and career history

1976 - Graduated,  American School of London

1981 - B.Sc. in Biological Oceanography, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Florida, U.S.A.

1989 - Ph.D. University of London

1989-1990, Marine Biologist, Institute of Marine Biology of Crete: Worked on the NATO-funded FISHECO programme, including a benthic sampling programme on the Cretan continental shelf

1992 - SAMS SSGA/DTI Benthic Recovery project

1997 - SAMS Benthic ecologist, hydrographer: Started work with Chris Cromey on modelling deposition and environmental impact from salmon farms - DEPOMOD

2001 -  SAMS Benthic ecologist, ecological effects of sea lice medicines (PAMP). Workpackage leader  Keyzones project on shellfish carrying capacity. Benthic ecologist ECASA on carrying capacity of water bodies for aquaculture. Workpackage leader on Keyzones to provide model parameters for shellfish carrying capacity. Workshops, training courses, field validation for model development for PHILMINAQ. Benthic ecologist CODMOD project to provide validated model to predict solids from cod farming and its environmental impact. Member of Marine Cage Farming working Group CONSENSUS. Principal investigator on SARF recovery of the benthos project. PI on AquAgriS project on reducing impacts from aquaculture.

Publications

Selected papers and books

Nickell, T.D., Cromey, C.J., Borja, Á., & Black, K.D., 2009. The benthic impacts of a large cod farm – are there indicators for environmental sustainability? Aquaculture 295, 226–237. doi:10.1016/j.aquaculture.2009.07.011

Brigolin, D., Pastres, R., Nickell, T.D., Cromey, C.J., Aguilera, D.R. & Regnier, P., 2009. Modelling the impact of aquaculture on early diagenesis processes in sea loch sediments. Marine Ecology Progress Series 388, 63-80. doi:10.3354/meps08072

Borja, Á., Rodríguez, J.G., Black, K.D., Bodoy, A., Emblow, C., Fernandes, T.F., Forte, J., Karakassis, I., Muxika, I., Nickell, T.D., Papageorgiou, N., Pranovi, F., Sevastou, K., Tomassetti, P., Angel, D., 2009. Assessing the suitability of a range of benthic indices in the evaluation of environmental impact of fin and shellfish aquaculture located in sites across Europe. Aquaculture 293, 231-240. doi:10.1016/j.aquaculture.2009.04.037

Cromey, C.J., Nickell, T.D., Treasurer, J., Black, K.D., & Inall, M., 2009. Modelling the impact of cod (Gadus morhua L.) farming in the marine environment – CODMOD. Aquaculture 289,  42–53. doi:10.1016/j.aquaculture.2008.12.020

Ferreira, J.G., Sequeira, A., Hawkins, A.J.S., Newton, A., Nickell, T.D., Pastres, R., Fortef, J., Bodoy, A., Bricker, S.B.,  2009. Analysis of coastal and offshore aquaculture: application of the FARM model to multiple systems and shellfish species. Aquaculture 292, 129-138. doi:10.1016/j.aquaculture.2009.03.039

Sequeira, A., Ferreira, J.G., Hawkins, A.J.S., Nobre, A., Zhang, X.L., Yan, X., & Nickell, T.D., 2008. Trade-offs between shellfish aquaculture and benthic biodiversity: A modelling approach for sustainable management. Aquaculture 274, 313–328. doi:10.1016/j.aquaculture.2007.10.054

Pereira, P.M.F., Black, K.D., Mclusky, D.S. & Nickell, T.D., 2004. Recovery of sediments after cessation of marine fish farm production. Aquaculture 235, 315-330. doi:10.1016/j.aquaculture.2003.12.023

Narayanaswamy, B.E., Nickell, T.D. & Gage, J.D.,  2003. Appropriate levels of taxonomic discrimination in deep-sea studies: species vs family. Marine Ecology Progress Series 257, 59–68. doi:10.3354/meps257059

Nickell, L.A., Black, K.D., Hughes, D.J., Overnell, J., Brand, T., Nickell, T.D., Breuer, E. & Harvey, S.M., 2003. Bioturbation, sediment fluxes and benthic community structure around a salmon cage farm in Loch Creran, Scotland. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 285, 221-233. doi:10.1016/S0022-0981(02)00529-4

Cromey, C.J., Nickell, T.D., & Black, K.D., 2002. DEPOMOD – Modelling the deposition and biological effects of waste solids from marine cage farms. Aquaculture 214, 211-239. doi:10.1016/S0044-8486(02)00368-X

Cromey, C.J., Nickell, T.D., Black, K.D., Provost, P.G. & Griffiths, C.R., 2002. Validation of a resuspension model by use of a particulate tracer discharged from a point source in a coastal environment. Estuaries 25, 916-929. doi:10.1007/BF02691340

Chamberlain, J., Fernandes, T.F., Read, P., Nickell, T.D. & Davies, I.M., 2001. Impacts of biodeposits from suspended mussel (Mytilus edulis L.) culture on the surrounding surficial sediments. ICES Journal of Marine Science 58, 411-416. doi:10.1006/jmsc.2000.1037

Cromey, C.J., Nickell, T.D., & Black, K.D., 2000. DEPOMOD: A model for predicting the effects of solids deposition from mariculture to the benthos. The Scottish Association for Marine Science, Oban, 120 pp. ISBN 0-9529089-1-3.

Nickell, T.D., Black, K.D, Provost, P.G., Davies, I.M. & Pearson, T.H., 1998. The recovery of the sea-bed after the cessation of fish farming: benthos and biogeochemistry. ICES CM 1998/V:1. Link

Willcox, M.S. & Nickell, T.D., 1998. Field evidence of poecilogony in Capitella capitata. Ophelia 49(2), 141-145. Link

Black, K.D., Fleming, S., Nickell, T.D. & Pereira, P.M., 1997. The effects of ivermectin, used to control sea lice on caged farmed salmonids, on benthic infauna. ICES Journal of Marine Science 54, 276-279. doi:10.1006/jmsc.1996.0203

Davies, I.M., Smith, P., Nickell, T.D. & Provost, P.G., 1996. Interactions of salmon farming on benthic microbiology in sea lochs. In:  Aquaculture and Sea Lochs, K.D. Black (ed), Scottish Association for Marine Science, Oban, pp. 33-39. ISBN 978-0952908906.

Selected reports

Hughes, D.J. & Nickell, T.D., 2009. Recovering Scotland’s Marine Environment. Report to Scottish Environment LINK, October 2 2009. Scottish Association for Marine Science Internal Report No. 262. Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory, Oban, Argyll PA37 1QA, Scotland, UK. 65 pp. Link

Black, K.D., Cromey, C.J., Dale, A. & Nickell, T.D., 2009. Modelling benthic effects of large salmon cage farms in Scotland. Report to the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation. Scottish Association for Marine Science, Oban, Argyll, PA37 1QA, Scotland. 97 pp.

Cromey, C.J., Nickell, T.D. & Treasurer, J., 2007. Cod farming in the marine environment. Report to the Crown Estates on project CERC02/03. Scottish Association for Marine Science, Oban, Argyll, PA37 1QA, Scotland. 56 pp. Link

Black, K.D., Blackstock, J., Cromey, C.J., Duncan, J., Gee, M., Gillibrand, P., Needham, H., Nickell, T.D., Pearson, T.H., Powell, H., Sammes, P., Somerfield, P., Walsham, P., Webster, L., & Willis, K., 2005. The ecological effects of sea lice treatment agents. Final report. DML Internal Report No. 245. Scottish Association for Marine Science, Oban, 286 pp. Link

Black, K.D., Cook, E.J., Jones, K.J., Kelly, M.S., Leakey, R.J., Nickell, T.D., Sayer, M.D.J., Tett, P. & Willis, K., 2002. Scottish Association for Marine Science, 2002. Review And Synthesis Of The Environmental Impacts Of Aquaculture. Report for the Scottish Executive Central Research Unit, 80 pp. Link

Nickell, T.D., 2000. The effects of emamectin benzoate on infaunal polychaetes. DML internal report no. 226, 161 pp.