Underwater Inquiry: A UCL Team’s Exploration of Loch Ness

Last October, a team from University College London (UCL) embarked on a fascinating research expedition to Loch Ness, joining veteran naturalist Adrian Shine and the skipper of Deepscan for a unique scientific endeavour. Their mission? To retrieve core samples from the loch bed—unlocking secrets buried beneath its dark waters. In this blog, written by one of the students, they’ll share their experience, from the thrill of being out on the legendary loch to the challenges of deep-water sampling and what these findings could reveal about Loch Ness’s ancient past.

UCL Team’s Exploration of the Loch

Last October, my classmates and I embarked on a field trip we won’t soon forget. As a group of curious international students studying aquatic ecosystems, we are collectively inspired by opportunities to engage more deeply with waterbodies and their inhabitants. Our latest journey took us to the legendary Loch Ness, where history, science, and mythology converge.

As we wound through the picturesque Cairngorms, each of us carried a personal intention. Personally, I was on the lookout for a highland cow. Some of us were determined to swim in the loch—just to say we’d experienced its myth-laden waters. Others looked forward claiming a piece of Scottish heritage from one of the gift stores, whether in the form of an embroidered kilt or shortbread wrapped in tartan.

Collectively, we sought to obtain two types of information from Loch Ness: paleolimnological, in a sample of loch-floor sediment, and cryptozoological, through The Loch Ness Centre’s immersive exhibit chronicling perspectives on local legends. By the end of the day, with a firm grasp on the environmental and cultural history of the ecosystem, we finally felt we could weigh in on the age-old question: could “Nessie” truly exist?

Our adventure began at the Drumnadrochit Hotel, where the plan was laid out: two paths of inquiry awaited us. First, we would board the Deepscan vessel and take a sediment core from the deepest part of the loch. Second, we would immerse ourselves in a historical exhibit chronicling the inception of the Loch Ness mythology and the scientific endeavours to uncover its truths.

Nestled within peat-rich hills but sequestered from agricultural or municipal runoff, Loch Ness is exemplary as an immense, oligotrophic loch: murky, nutrient-poor waters limit light penetration and primary productivity. With a volume of approximately 7.5 cubic kilometres contained in the glacial trough, Loch Ness dwarfs all freshwater bodies of England and Wales, which only total about 7.3 cubic kilometres combined. These numbers are drawn from calculations based on sonar surveys, in which researchers employ echolocation—a technique inspired by dolphins and bats—to map underwater terrains and track aquatic life, including the elusive Nessie.

The loch’s ancient and murky waters provide an ideal setting for a mystery. Despite advances in sonar technology, the vastness of this ecosystem proves challenging for exploration, leaving room for speculation about the legendary cryptid’s existence. While there is more to be understood about the immense depths, we can also learn from them: the floor of Loch Ness is composed of layered sediments that offer a rich record of environmental changes over millennia. By extracting sediment cores, we can study the loch’s past and uncover stories about its evolution coming into existence over 10,000 years ago.

Onboard the Deepscan vessel with Adrian Shine, we coasted over calm waters to the centre of the loch where the sonar indicated the depth below us was 223 meters. While stationary on the surface, we lowered the sediment corer, handing off rope and responsibility between our team members as the transparent, cylindrical sampling vessel made its journey down. Inside the boat’s cabin, we could see the object’s descent recognized by the sonar system and depicted on the screen. Outside by the winch, we waited with bated breath to feel the tether jolt when the meter-long tube lands and fills with lake-floor substrate; the plunger fires on impact, creating a pressure imbalance that holds the sediment layers exactly where they are while we retrieve the messenger and cap it for transport back to UCL.

By collecting the silt, clay, and other organic matter that has accumulated at the base of this dimictic loch, paleolimnologists can recognize distinct laminae, particles, and even fossils to compose a timeline of Loch Ness history. These biological proxies not only inform how water bodies respond to and record changes in the environment, such as pollution or acidification, but also facilitate an in-depth understanding of past ecosystems. In 1997, a paper co-written by scientists of the UCL Environmental Change Research Centre and Adrian Shrine of the Loch Ness Research Unit demonstrated how sediment profiles can represent a baseline for pre-anthropogenic pollution levels as well present levels of accumulated pollutants and an approximate timeline of particulate presence. Three specific markers discussed in this study include: benthic and planktonic diatoms, whose relative presence indicate changes in loch productivity from nutrient enrichment; spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCPs) produced by the combustion of fossil fuels, which first appear between 1850 and 1870 and become more abundant in the mid-20th century; and radionuclides Caesium 137, Americium 241, and Caesium 134, which depict the permanently traceable deposition of
fallout from weapons testing and the meltdown at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

With our sediment core sealed, labelled, and secured in the van, the next educational endeavour would be a guided tour through the full history of Loch Ness’s famous mystery: Nessie and her enigmatic appearances. The interactive Loch Ness Centre experience was compelling, informative, and, at times, downright eerie. We found ourselves transported to relive the inception of a great mystery––within moments of entering the meticulously curated rooms, we were imagining ourselves overhearing whispers of a local monster at the Drumnadrochit Hotel pub 80 years ago, plunging beneath the loch’s murky waters like divers searching for the elusive creature, or debating the capacity in which the fabled creature might exist. The immersive experience wove together centuries of myth and modern investigation, leaving us captivated but eager to discuss the enduring allure of Loch Ness.

Science is more impactful when paired with a good story. In our journey to Loch Ness, science and storytelling go hand-in-hand. While we may not discover hard evidence of a gargantuan aquatic reptile, our journey certainly brought us a deeper understanding of Loch Ness’s ecological and cultural history, while leaving us with more questions than answers—a hallmark of good science and great adventures alike.

Find out more about past and present research in the centre