Adrian Shine   

Adrian Shine  is the leader of the Loch Ness & Morar Project and has been engaged in fieldwork in the Highlands since 1973 when he constructed the manned underwater observation chamber "Machan". He has subsequently led over 1000 students and lay volunteers on expeditions; training them to observe, sample and record data. In more recent collaborations, projects have involved workers from some 20 universities and academic institutions within the UK and overseas.
 
As a naturalist, he has used the Loch Ness controversy as a vehicle for interpreting the dynamics and diversity of deep lakes. For example in 1987, he organised "Operation Deepscan", a sonar sweep of Loch Ness which became a world media event with over 23 international TV crews in attendance. The media monster was slain and interest was directed towards possible underlying truths revealed through the loch's food chain and huge internal waves. Thus, the concept of lake physics received a wider exposure than would be possible in any other way.

In the course of hundreds of TV, radio and video appearances, Adrian's stance has always been to use media interest in all things "Nessie" to question, challenge and stimulate serious enquiry but also to popularise subjects people may not immediately consider interesting. For example, during an "Encounters" interview, he successfully managed to convey the idea that Loch Ness mud really is fascinating and important!

He has published over a dozen scientific papers and articles on Loch Ness and has initiated collaborations with researchers and students from over 20 universities, developing innovative new sampling equipment and techniques.

The inherent difficulties of working within a large and deep lake have required the design of special equipment. The Project has developed fixed and deep towed underwater television methods for the study of fish and invertebrates. Similarly, acoustics have opened visual overviews of large scale mechanisms. For example, the graphic capture of a 40m underwater surge wave in 1985 was only possible through the use of echo sounders.

More recently the Loch Ness Project designed and constructed the "Swatch ROSETTA" coring system which has successfully recovered the entire ten thousand year Holocene sedimentary sequence from the lake bed at a depth of 200m. This sets a  record for UK freshwaters..

The promotion of Loch Ness as an important area for its excellent laminated sediments, its mysterious "scattering layer" and the discovery that the loch may be "bacteria driven" led to the growth of the Loch Ness Field Centre. Facilities include a lochside hut/base camp and harbour with laboratory areas at the Loch Ness Centre.

His latest project is “Operation Groundtruth”, which is a search of the loch bed for objects of historical interest. Finds include the wreckage of John Cobb’s 1952 water speed record jet boat “Crusader” and a rare example of a “Zulu” sailing fishing vessel from the turn of the last century.

Adrian has collaborated on, and written, video scripts aimed at the popular market. He wrote and designed the millennial refurbishment to the Loch Ness Exhibition which was opened in 1999. This major undertaking helped achieve for the Centre, the prestigious "Dynamic Place" premier award 2001 and merited the endorsement of Scottish Natural Heritage. It has also been awarded  5 star visitor attraction status  by the Scottish Tourist board. The exhibition integrates pulse-flow visitor management, audio-visuals and real artefacts.

In 2005 he designed and presented the stereoscopic production called "The 3D Loch Ness Experience" which may be found on Edinburgh's "Royal Mile" and in 2006 published his 32 page booklet "Loch Ness".

Small Sample of Media Experience

TV Commercial USA  - Main Presenter on commercial for  Toyota Motor Company
(MJZ Productions - Saatchi and Saatchi)
 
Film Cameo Role  with Werner Hertzog  - "Incident at Loch Ness"  

BBC Radio Four  - "Today Programme" Interview

BBC Radio Four – Saturday Live - interview

Channel Five -  "Terry and Gaby" TV Show Interview

International/National  Documentaries. -  Numerous  Interviews and/or consultancy

Production Consultant to BBC Natural History Unit  - "Alan Titchmarch, The Nature of Britain"

Production Consultant to BBC Science Unit  - "Steve Leonard's Search for the Loch Ness Monster"

Production Consultant to National Geographic Channel - "Naked Science - Loch Ness"

Production Consultant BBC Natural History Unit "Fossil Detectives

"Loch Ness 2000" Exhibition production, design, author and narration.  Loch Ness Exhibition Centre - Loch Ness
 
"3D Loch Ness Experience" Stereo Film Production, design, author and presenter.  - Edinburgh 

Scottish Tourist Board  - "Tartan Week in New York" - Ambassador for Loch Ness
Adrian Shine is 58,  married and lives and works at  Loch Ness.


Some ScientificPublications
Bennett.S and Shine, A.J. (1993) Review of Current Work on Loch Ness Sediment Cores. Scottish Naturalist 1993. 105:55-63.
Cooper, M.C., O'Sullivan, P.E., Harkness, D.D., Lawson, E.M., Bull, D., Kemp, A.E.S., Peglar, S.M., Matthews, N.M., Jones, R.I. and Shine, A.J. (1998) 14C Dating of laminated sediments from Loch Ness, Scotland.  Radiocarbon, Vol 40, No2 : 781-793. 
Cooper, M.C., O’Sullivan, P.E. and Shine, A.J. (2000) Climate and solar variability recorded in Holocene laminated sediments – a preliminary assessment. Quaternary International 68-71 : 363-371 
Griffiths,H.I., Martin,D.S., Shine,A.J., and Evans,J.G. (1993). The Ostracod Fauna (Crustacea, Ostracoda) of the Profundal Benthos of Loch Ness. Hydrobiologia, 254: 111-117. 
Jones, R.I., Fulcher, A.S., Jayakody, J.K.U., Laybourn-Parry, J., Shine, A.J., Walton, M.C. and Young, J.M. (1995) The horizontal distribution of plankton in a deep, oligotrophic lake- Loch Ness, Scotland. Freshwater Biology  33: 161-170 
Jones, V.J., Battarbee, R.W., Rose, N.L., Curtis, C., Appleby, P.G., Harriman, R. and Shine, A.J. (1997)  Evidence for the pollution of Loch Ness from the analysis of its recent sediments. The Science of the Total Environment 203 : 37-49
Laybourn-Parry, J., Walton, M.C., Young, J., Jones, R.I. and  Shine, A.J. (1994) Protozooplankton and bacterioplankton in a large oligotrophic lake- Loch Ness, Scotland.        
Martin, D.S. and Shine, A.J.,(1993) The Food and Feeding Relationships of Pelagic Fish in Loch Ness. Scottish Naturalist 105: 149 –174. 
Martin, D.S. and Shine, A.J., and Duncan, A (1993) The Profundal Fauna of Loch ness and Loch Morar. Scottish Naturalist 105: 113-136.
Sanders, G., Jones K.C. and Shine., A.J., (1993) . The Use of a Sediment Core to reconstruct the Historical Input of Contaminants to Loch Ness: PCB’s and PAHs. Scottish Naturalist 105:87-111
Shine. A.J., (1975) Loch Morar Expedition Report
Shine. A.J., (1976) Loch Morar Expedition Report
Shine. A.J., (1980) Loch Ness &Morar Project Expedition Report 
Shine. A.J., (1983) Loch Ness & Morar Project  Expedition Report
Shine, A.J. (1983) The Biology of Loch Ness. New Scientist 17th Feb.
Shine, A.J. (1993) Postscript: Surgeon or Sturgeon? Scottish Naturalist 105 : 271-282. 
Shine, A.J. Kubecka, J.,  Martin, D.S. and Duncan, A. (1993) Fish Habitats in Loch Ness. Scottish Naturalist 105 : 237-255. 
Shine, A.J. and Martin, D.S. (1988) Loch Ness Habitats Observed by Sonar and Underwater Television. Scottish Naturalist 105:111-199. 
Shine, A.J. Martin, D.S., Bennett, S. and Marjoram, R.S. (1993) Allochthonous Organic Inputs as an Explanation of Spatial Biomass Gradients Observed in the Pelagic and Profundal Zones of Loch Ness. Scottish Naturalist 105 : 257-269. 
Shine, A.J., Martin, D.S. and Marjoram, R.S. (1993) Spatial Distribution and Diurnal Migration of the Pelagic Fish and Zooplankton in Loch Ness. Scottish Naturalist 105:195-235. 
Shine, A.J., Minshull, R.J. and Shine, M.M. (1993) Historical background and Introduction to the Recent Work of The Loch Ness and Morar Project. Scottish Naturalist 105:7-22. 
Young,I. and Shine, A.J. (1993). Loch Ness Bathymetric and Seismic Survey, December 1991. Scottish Naturalist 105:23-43.