The MESOAQUA project
The objective of the FP7 EU project MESOAQUA is to construct a network of European marine mesocosm facilities to advance the studies of future aquatic ecosystems from the Arctic to the Mediterranean. MESOAQUA offers a number of activities in aquatic systems during the period from 2009 to 2012 including:
- Networking
- Transnational Access to mesocosm facilities
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Joint Research
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 levels. To study these questions European scientists need access to tools allowing experimental approaches to near-natural pelagic systems.
To meet this need, the MESOAQUA network of European marine mesocosm facilities 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 facilitating the exchange of technology and experience
- Facilitate cross-disciplinary fertilisation and a better coordination of mesocosm research in Europe
- Promote the training of young scientists in the use of experimental ecosystem research
- System level experimentation is required to understand and predict the responses of the pelagic ecosystem to changing aquatic conditions, because of increasing anthropogenic pressures.
- There is no present system for trans-national access to such experimental facilities, particularly not to facilities offering access to different water masses.
- There is no present technology permitting mesocosm experiments in open waters.
One aim of the MESOAQUA project is to build up a Virtual Transnational Pelagic Mesocosm Centre (VTPMC) that involves mesocosm facilities from the Mediterranean to the Arctic. VTPMC is an open web-based centre serving as an information hub promoting transnational coordination and cooperation in pelagic mesocosm-based science facilities. VTPMC is a contact point for distribution of public information from and between MESOAQUA activities as well as promoting communication, networking and joint development of new research cooperation with and between external users.
VTPMC provides smooth, effective communication within the MESOAQUA consortium with the public in order to:
- Attract and select users for transnational access (TA)
- Provide a platform for the dissemination of user results
- Coordinate research activities within the MESOAQUA project on European and International level
- Coordinate the transfer of technology and training
- Cordinate and disseminate the results of Joint Research Activities
- Disseminate all scientific and technical MESOAQUA results
- Disseminate information on new papers, meetings, funding opportunities, and press releases on mesocosm-based aquatic ecosysem science
