MESOAQUA

Network of leading MESOcosm facilities to advance the studies of future AQUAtic ecosystems from the Arctic to the Mediterranean

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'In marine ecology there is an urgent need to understand the functioning of the lower part of the pelagic food web, its response to and effect on climate change, its response to pollution and environmental toxins, and its role in producing food for commercially important species at higher trophic level. This requires access for European scientists to tools allowing experimental approaches to near-natural pelagic systems. To meet this need, we propose a network (MESOAQUA) of European marine mesocosm facilities. MESOAQUA will: - Offer European researchers access to a range of mesocosm facilities in contrasting environments. - Develop and test new technologies that allow access to off-shore environments - Improve the services of the facilities by exchange of technology and experience - Facilitate cross-disciplinary fertilisation and a better coordination of mesocosm research - Promote the training of young scientists in the use of experimental ecosystem research MESOAQUA is necessary because: - System level experimentation is required to understand and predict the responses of the pelagic ecosystem in changing ocean subject to increasing anthropogenic pressure. - There is no present system for trans-national access to such experiemental facilities, particularly not to facilities offering access to different water masses - There is no present technology allowing mesocosm experiments in open waters'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Ocean acidification, temperature increase, pollution and invasive species threaten marine ecosystems, which are a vital source of food for millions of people. Scientists investigated these problems using large aquatic experimental facilities called mesocosms, which reveal how human activity and climate change affect marine food webs.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

In marine ecology, the study of ecosystems and food chains in open seas and waters (pelagic zones) pose particular technical challenges, which can be partially alleviated by the use of mesocosms. Aquatic mesocosms are experimental water enclosures designed to mimic near-natural pelagic systems. Their use is vital to improving understanding of the effects of human activity and climate change on plankton and species higher up the food chain.

Marine mesocosm infrastructure is costly and complex and has only been developed in a few locations around the world, reproducing environments in different water masses. The aim of the EU-funded MESOAQUA project was to increase access to such facilities, thereby advancing studies of aquatic ecosystems from the Arctic to the Mediterranean.

Many of these studies were firsts in their field. They include the first large-scale mesocosm study into the effects of carbon dioxide (CO2)-induced ocean acidification on the plankton community in the High Arctic. MESOAQUA also investigated the combined effects of increased temperature and CO2 on natural marine plankton. In addition, researchers determined the impact of Saharan dust on the biogeochemistry of the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

Most mesocosm activities are conducted in sheltered coastal waters. MESOAQUA took the technology a step further by including open water: the largest environment on Earth. Researchers collaborated with other consortiums to develop and test systems for use in open water research. Such collaborations significantly improved the research standard of European mesocosm facilities through good practice, transfer of technology and dissemination of knowledge.

To date, 46 scientific publications have been published in peer-reviewed international scientific journals, 27 of which are open access. Further, 137 dissemination activities as presentations, posters, PhD thesis, press release and films have been produced during these years.

These works, which focus on different aspects of the marine ecosystem, from ocean acidification to toxin effects, will greatly contribute to understanding how the marine food web will respond to the future climate change. All information about mesocosm research continues to exist and to be regularly updated on the http://mesocosm.eu (web portal). This represents, together with the consortium of people formed during these years, a great legacy of MESOAQUA.