CoastCarb — Coastal ecosystem carbon balance in times of rapid glacier melt

Results in brief

Coastal ecosystem carbon balance in times of rapid glacier melt

CoastCarb is an international Research Network that follows an interdisciplinary approach to understand the consequences of Climate Change in the Beagle Channel and the coastal Western Antarctic, a region of recent rapid aerial warming. The CoastCarb Network for Staff Exchange and Training is funded by the Marie Curie Action RISE (Research and Innovation Staff Exchange) of the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme of the European Union (H2020-MCSA-RISE 872690). The activity brings European, South American, US and Canadian scientists together to advance climate and (eco-) system change research. Climate change and intensifying human resource use are causing massive changes to Subantarctic coastal systems and carbon cycling. At the same time, these systems house benthic communities of highest biomass and biodiversity, which sustain important ecosystem services and require strategic observation and management plans. Although they are just beginning to be appreciated by scientists and public, natural (climate mitigation) and cultural ecosystem services (e.g. local fisheries, tourism, sustainable aquaculture) are already jeopardized by the massive scale and velocity of the regional change in Southern Patagonia and at the West Antarctic Peninsula (SP/WAP). The multidisciplinary network CoastCarb joins more than 100 experts in Subantarctic coastal system ecology and ecological modelling to create a knowledge information system with open access data portal and produce dynamic ecosystem models for fjordic and estuarine environments. Using data on carbon budgets and flow (including benthic and pelagic food webs, microbes to megafauna) from across the network, specialists will analyse the relationships between ecosystem services, local stakeholders and communities, to identify barriers and enablers of the sustainable use of marine resources. Study areas along the fragmented SP/WAP coastline are intensively investigated. Data sets from more than 10 recent interdisciplinary research projects of CoastCarb participants, and from the scientific core programmes at coastal stations (AR-DE Carlini-Dallmann, US Palmer, UK Rothera, PL Arctowski) will be used for knowledge compilation. CoastCarb secondments foster capacity building in research and observation for a better understanding of complex ecosystem processes and major hazard scenarios (e.g. harmful algal blooms), and in targeted science stakeholder interaction events.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

Climate change and intensifying human resource use are causing massive changes to Subantarctic coastal systems and carbon cycling. At the same time, these systems house benthic communities of highest biomass and biodiversity, which sustain important ecosystem services and require strategic observation and management plans. Although they are just beginning to be appreciated by scientists and public, natural (climate mitigation) and cultural ecosystem services (e.g. local fisheries, tourism, sustainable aquaculture) are already jeopardized by the massive scale and velocity of the regional change in Southern Patagonia (SP) and at the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP). The multidisciplinary network CoastCarb joins experts in Subantarctic coastal system ecology and ecological modelling to create a knowledge information system with open access data portal and produce dynamic ecosystem models for fjordic and estuarine environments. Using data on carbon budgets and flow (including benthic and pelagic food webs, microbes to megafauna) from across the network, specialists will analyse the relationships between ecosystem services, local stakeholders and communities, to identify barriers and enablers of the sustainable use of marine resources. Study areas along the fragmented SP/WAP coastline are intensively investigated. Data sets from more than 10 recent interdisciplinary research projects of CoastCarb participants, and from the scientific core programmes at coastal stations (ARG-GER Carlini-Dallmann, US Palmer, UK Rothera, PL Arctowski) will be used for knowledge compilation. The established network is based on German, Belgian, Dutch, British, Argentine, Chilean and US participants with new Polish and Canadian partners included. CoastCarb secondments foster capacity building in research and observation for a better understanding of complex ecosystem processes and major hazard scenarios (e.g. harmful algal blooms), and in targeted science stakeholder interaction events.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

ALFRED-WEGENER-INSTITUT HELMHOLTZ-ZENTRUM FUR POLAR- UND MEERESFORSCHUNG · BremerhavenCoordinatorGermany
BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA · BirminghamUnited States
CARL VON OSSIETZKY UNIVERSITAET OLDENBURG · OldenburgGermany
CONSEJO NACIONAL DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS Y TECNICAS (CONICET) · Buenos AiresArgentina
GREENCOAST MEDIA INC · Quathiaski CoveCanada
INSTYTUT OCEANOLOGII POLSKIEJ AKADEMII NAUK · SopotPoland
MINISTERIO DE RELACIONES EXTERIORES Y CULTO · Buenos AiresArgentina
RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY · New BrunswickUnited States
STICHTING NEDERLANDSE WETENSCHAPPELIJK ONDERZOEK INSTITUTEN · UtrechtNetherlands
THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH FOUNDATION, INCORPORATED · TallahasseeUnited States
UNITED KINGDOM RESEARCH AND INNOVATION · SWINDONUnited Kingdom
UNIVERSIDAD AUSTRAL DE CHILE · ValdiviaChile
UNIVERSIDAD DE LOS LAGOS · OsornoChile
UNIVERSITEIT GENT · GentBelgium
UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII · HonoluluUnited States
Universidad Nacional de General Sarmiento · Los Polvorines - Provincia De Buenos AiresArgentina

CoastCarb · Coastal ecosystem carbon balance in times of rapid glacier melt

Results in brief

Coastal ecosystem carbon balance in times of rapid glacier melt

Project objective

Participants

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