MODUSS

Marine Observatory Development with aUtonomous Silicate Sensor

Coordination

Lucie Cassarino

Project type

European

Funding

Bienvenüe

Project duration

Start Date

22/12/2024

End Date

22/12/2024

Links

Silicon (Si) is the essential nutrient for siliceous organisms in marine environments, such as diatoms. As they consume Si and carbon to grow and then sink to the deep-sea, these organisms link together ocean productivity and the biological carbon pump. The SO account for 30% of the world's primary production making the SO one of the most productive systems on the planet. The SO nutrient rich waters supply other oceans with nutrients via the ocean circulation and thus control the global productivity and also have a crucial role in the regulation of the climate. Today, due to warming, changes of marine life are expected in the SO, in response to the modifications of the physico-chemical environment. In the West Antarctic long term survey of oceanographic parameters, have shown the complexity of the marine system and highlighted changes in the food web interlinked to climate changes. In East Antarctica, no survey of nutrient or environmental parameters variability has been done yet, and it remains unclear how the situation will evolve. Because the SO is a key player in the regulation of the climate it is important to gather observation data to draw the best holistic picture of the marine Si cycle. MODUSS aims to provide the first nutrient data from the East Antarctic Ocean. It will push forward our understanding of the Si distribution, the primary production in the SO and the global ocean. MODUSS’ strategy is unique as it will explore new avenues. At the French Antarctic Dumont D’Urville station, a Si nutrient sensor will be connected to an underwater cabled observatory and data live transmitted to Brittany all year long. MODUSS will also contribute to the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development which urge for the improvement of new data acquisition through multi-year fieldwork programs and observatories. [av_slideshow img_copyright='left' size='no scaling' control_layout='av-control-default' slider_navigation='av-navigate-arrows av-navigate-dots' nav_visibility_desktop='' nav_arrow_color='' nav_arrow_bg_color='' nav_dots_color='' nav_dot_active_color='' img_copyright_font='' av-desktop-font-img_copyright_font='' av-medium-font-img_copyright_font='' av-small-font-img_copyright_font='' av-mini-font-img_copyright_font='' img_copyright_color='' img_copyright_bg='' animation='slide' transition_speed='' autoplay='false' interval='5' img_scale='' img_scale_end='10' img_scale_direction='' img_scale_duration='3' img_scale_opacity='1' conditional_play='' img_scrset='' lazy_loading='disabled' alb_description='' id='' custom_class='easy-slider-text' template_class='' av_uid='' sc_version='1.0'] [av_slide id='203703'][/av_slide] [av_slide id='203705'][/av_slide] [av_slide id='203707'][/av_slide] [/av_slideshow]