Descrizione del progetto
Il ruolo degli ecosistemi polari emergenti nel clima globale
Il rapido ritmo dei cambiamenti climatici nei mari delle alte latitudini sta portando alla nascita di nuovi ecosistemi sia nelle regioni costiere che in oceano aperto. In quest’ottica, il progetto SEA-Quester, finanziato dall’UE, esplora questi ecosistemi polari emergenti, valutando il loro potenziale di sequestro del carbonio blu, l’impatto sulla biodiversità marina e il ruolo nel sistema climatico globale. Il progetto esaminerà tutte le forme di carbonio blu negli ecosistemi marini costieri, pelagici e bentonici, sviluppando a tale scopo anche un sistema di contabilizzazione del carbonio blu. SEA-Quester definirà un metodo per quantificare il compromesso tra la raccolta di biomassa marina e il suo contributo netto al sequestro del carbonio attraverso il fattore di amplificazione biomassa-sequestro. Fornirà inoltre delle raccomandazioni.
Obiettivo
The rapid pace of climate change in high latitude seas is promoting the emergence of novel ecosystems in coastal regions as well as in the open ocean. SEA-Quester, in accordance with the work program (HORIZON-CL6-2023-CLIMATE-01-3), will conduct field surveys, process studies and model analyses to improve our understanding of the causes and consequences of these emerging polar ecosystems; their potential for blue carbon sequestration, their implications for marine biodiversity, and their role in the global eco-bio-geo-chemical climate system. SEA-Quester will do so with a rigorous analysis of blue carbon stocks and their dynamics, laying the foundations for a fit-for-purpose blue carbon accounting with balance sheets for not just carbon sequestration, but other impacted marine ecosystem services such as fisheries production. SEA-Quester considers all forms of blue carbon in coastal, pelagic, and benthic novel marine ecosystems, living and dead, in the water column and in the sediments, and uses a mechanistic approach to reduce uncertainties in model predictions. A key outcome of SEA-Quester will be to develop a thorough means of quantifying the trade-off between harvesting marine biomass and its net contribution to carbon sequestration: the Biomass-Sequestration amplification factor. SEA-Quester will ensure effective exploitation of the project results in international scientific assessments of Blue Carbon potential and by policy-makers (specifically targeting Nationally Determined Contribution estimates), to ensure dialogue, communication and dissemination to National and European governmental bodies, European citizens and NGO’s, and to provide recommendations for optimizing the monitoring of biodiversity and ecosystem services in emerging polar environments.
Campo scientifico
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Parole chiave
Programma(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation ActionsCoordinatore
2800 Kongens Lyngby
Danimarca