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H2020Doctoral network2016–2020

MicroArctic · Microorganisms in Warming Arctic Environments

Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Duration
2016-04-01 → 2020-03-31
EU contribution
€3,897,006
Participants
21
Scheme
MSCA-ITN-ETN

Lines connect the coordinator with its partners. CORDIS does not always give exact coordinates for projects before 2014. These points are placed at city or country level.

Results in brief

Microorganisms in Warming Arctic Environments

The Arctic plays a key role in the Earth’s climate system and there is a need to estimate the impact that environmental change will have in this area. One third of the global carbon pool is stored in northern latitude ecosystems and microbial processes are at the heart of transformations in this carbon pool. Thus, there is considerable socio-economic interest in predicting how the carbon balance in the Arctic will respond to ongoing climate warming. The initial objectives of the MicroArctic network were to: (1) provide urgently needed training in Arctic microbiology and biogeochemistry preparing a new generation of professionals for critical roles in the coming years of Arctic meltdown and; (2) significantly advance our understanding of changes and adaptation in Arctic microbial communities and feedbacks with biogeochemical cycles to the fast Arctic warming and climate change. In this ITN, we trained the next generation of Arctic microbiology and biogeochemistry experts to be able to respond to the need for governance and leadership in public, policy and commercial interests in the region. The training was both diverse and unique because it combined a range of practical skills for work in a challenging environment with specific knowledge about microbiology and biogeochemistry in order to deliver a detailed framework and database of the functional diversity and potential of Arctic microorganisms adequate for exploitation in economic and environmental services.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

The Arctic plays a key role in the Earth’s climate system and is an area of growing strategic importance for European policy. In this ETN, we will train the next generation of Arctic microbiology and biogeochemistry experts who, through their unique understanding of the Arctic environment and the factors that impact ecosystem and organism response to the warming Arctic, will be able to respond to the need for leadership from public, policy and commercial interests. The training and research programme of MicroArctic is made up of seven interlinked Work Packages (WP). WP1 to WP4 are research work packages at the cutting edge of Arctic microbiology and biogeochemistry and these will be supported by three overarching WPs (WP5-7) associated with the management, training and dissemination of results. WP1 will deliver information about the role of external inputs (e.g., atmospheric) of nutrients and microorganism that drive biogeochemical processes in relation to annual variation in Arctic microbial activity and biogeochemical processes. WP2 will explore ecosystem response on time scales of 100s of years to these inputs using a chrnosequence approach in the already changing Arctic. The effect of time and season and the warming of the Arctic on ecosystem functioning and natural resources will be quantified through geochemical analyses and next generation multi-omics approaches. Complementing WP1 and WP2, WP3 will focus on organism response and adaptation using a range of biochemical, molecular, experimental and culturing approaches. WP4 will address specific applied issues such as colonisation by pathogenic organisms and biotechnological exploitation of Arctic ecosystems. MicroArctic will bring together interdisciplinary experts from both the academic and non-academic sectors across Europe into a network of 20 Institutions across 11 countries.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

  • AARHUS UNIVERSITET · Aarhus CCoordinatorDenmark
  • ABERYSTWYTH UNIVERSITY · AberystwythUnited Kingdom
  • DR. BRILL + PARTNER GMBH INSTITUT FUER HYGIENE UND MIKROBIOLOGIE · HamburgGermany
  • DYNAMIC EXTRACTIONS LTD · SLOUGHUnited Kingdom
  • ECOLE CENTRALE DE LYON · EcullyFrance
  • EIDGENOSSISCHE FORSCHUNGSANSTALT WSL · BirmensdorfSwitzerland
  • GFZ HELMHOLTZ-ZENTRUM FUR GEOFORSCHUNG · POTSDAMGermany
  • HASKOLINN A AKUREYRI · AkureyriIceland
  • HYDREKA SAS · LYONFrance
  • INSTITUTUL DE BIOLOGIE BUCURESTI · BucurestiRomania
  • Icelandic Institute of Natural History · GarðabærIceland
  • KOBENHAVNS UNIVERSITET · KOBENHAVNDenmark
  • MBIOINFORM APS · BRONSHOJCity levelDenmark
  • NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM · LondonUnited Kingdom
  • UNIVERSITAET INNSBRUCK · InnsbruckAustria
  • UNIVERSITAET POTSDAM · PotsdamGermany
  • UNIVERSITETSSENTERET PA SVALBARD AS · LongyearbyenNorway
  • UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL · BRISTOLUnited Kingdom
  • UNIVERSITY OF NORTHUMBRIA AT NEWCASTLE · NEWCASTLE UPON TYNEUnited Kingdom
  • UNIVERZA V LJUBLJANI · LjubljanaSlovenia
  • V.N. Sukachev Institute of Forest · KrasnoyarskRussia

Links

Data: CORDIS, © European Union