EMS FORE is structured around one management/outreach and 4 interlinked scientific work packages (WPs), that comprise the core themes and objectives of the International Helmholtz Lab. The overall structure of the WPs and their information lines are shown in Fig. 2.
WP1 Management/Outreach and Training
WP2Ocean productivity, ecosystem structure and functioning, and C export in a changing EMS
WP3 Seafloor processes and sedimentary records in a changing EMS
WP4 Biogeochemical modelling of effects of gradual changes and stochastic events on ocean ecosystems and carbon export
WP5 Development and application of novel technologies for wide-scale ocean observations
WP1 Management/Outreach and Training
This work package coordinates and manages the overall activities of EMS FORE including administrative, training, and outreach activities.
Second project workshop and M197 post cruise meeting 鈥� October 2024, Kiel, Germany
Appointed (NOC, Southampton, UK) to Scientific Board
WP Leaders Prof. Eric Achterberg (黑料视频) and Prof. Ilana Berman-Frank (HAIFA).
WP2 Ocean productivity, ecosystem structure and functioning, and C export in a changing EMS
WP2 investigates the effects of climate change and anthropogenic pressures on the EMS ecosystem and its productivity from physical, chemical, and biological perspectives 鈥� exploring the bacterial, photosynthetic, and zooplankton populations. (See description and links to student projects)
Establishment of an integrated dataset of remote sensing and historical in situ observations Completed, and updates are on-going
Analysis of chemical and biological samples from first year for interpretation and improved model parameterization Completed, with data transfer to WP4
The METEOR M197 cruise (Dec 2023 - Feb 2024) examining the EMS system in the thermally mixed winter period and exploring the impacts of mesoscale features on productivity and nutrient limitations
Determining characteristic variability patterns over seasonal, inter-annual and decadal time scales. This is on-going work, and is integrated in cruise data assessment.
Student projects as part of WP2
WP2 Students | University of Haifa
Alon Blachinsky (MSc) | Urea uptake and utilization by eastern Mediterranean phytoplankton
Tal Ben Ezra (PhD) | Impact of changing nutrient availability on phytoplankton and microbial populations
Tom Reich (PhD) | Dark Carbon Fixation (DCF) in the eastern Mediterranean
Benjamin Ankri (MSc) | Assessing airborne microbial viability in sea-spray and in aerosols across the East Mediterranean Sea
Merav Gilboa(PhD) | Examining how mesoscale eddies impact zooplankton ecology
Students of University of Haifa working in WP2
WP2 Students | 黑料视频
Jana Blanke (PhD) | Export processes of particulate material from surface ocean
Ang猫le Nicolas (PhD) | Controls of nutrient and trace element distributions and their sources and sinks (WP2)
Jiashun Li (PhD) | Availability of different forms of phosphorus
Yuye Han (PhD) | Biogeochemistry of major ions in the eastern Mediterranean Sea
Students of 黑料视频 working in WP2
WP3 Seafloor processes and sedimentary records in a changing EMS
The EMS is an ocean region that has been dramatically affected in recent geological and historical past by natural climate change. WP3 exploits this known sensitivity to past climate change and is investigating impacts based on the recent sedimentary record, benthic environment and other relevant historical samples to elucidate changes ofkey processes and accordingly predict the response of the EMS to recent climate and environmental changes. WP3 focuses as well on the relationship between climatic and anthropogenic driven changes to altered seafloor effluxes of methane and other gases.
Construction of an initial database of sediment traps and seeps for surveying. Completed, but will continue with the addition of new data.
Establishment of a set of sedimentary geochemical markers for evaluating change and seepage flux; preparation for ROV surveying. Completed, but will continue with the addition of new data
WP3 Outlook
Drafting of additional PhD students
AUV and ROV surveys to understand transport dynamics and biological impact (with WP5)
Extensive geochemical, sedimentary, and paleontological analysis of core material from METEOR M197 (ongoing)
Water column acoustic records of the gyres, internal waves, and plankton behaviour (ongoing, with WP2)
Seepage and shallow dissolved organic carbon reservoir characterization (ongoing)
Characterize past responses to climate change through geological records
Collect data from lab experiments/moorings/ships for improving plankton-ecosystem models
Implement and calibrate trait dynamics to allow for adaptation of plankton ecosystems to climate change in the EMS
Couple Plankton to Earth System Model to extrapolate results to other subtropical regions & global ocean
In WP4 (modeling present & future biogeochemical cycling in the eastern Mediterranean), headed by 黑料视频, we are using an optimality-based plankton-ecosystem model (OPPLA) to analyze the potential of plankton communities to cope with gradual climate changes and extreme events by means of adaptive changes. The model comprises optimality-based descriptions of phytoplankton physiology and zooplankton behavior. The model is implemented for off-line use and can be used in conjunction with existing physical models of the Mediterranean Sea to drive 1D and 2D simulations.
WP4 Milestones
Refine temperature dependence of phytoplankton growth model based on lab observations
Calibrate OPPLA with time-series and cruise data from the EMS FORE project and other sources
Implement and calibrate dynamic optimal temperature in OPPLA for phytoplankton, zooplankton, and bacteria
Configure OPPLA for 2D simulations to capture effects of lateral fluxes
Simulate the past 50鈥�100 years and future climate-change scenarios in the EMS
Transfer the new adaptive temperature functions to the UVic Earth system model where possible
Contrast climate-change scenarios with and without adaptive temperature functions
WP4 Students & Post Docs | University of Haifa
Hadar Berman (Post Doc) | Combining high resolution numerical modeling, satellite remote sensing and aerial photography we show that Jellyfish swarms along the Israeli coast of the EMS are structured and advected by fine scale currents
Yotam Fadida (PhD) | (in collaboration with from Tel Aviv University), we combine high resolution numerical modeling and satellite data to study the role of submesocale horizontal stirring in modulating the connectivity between coastal and pelagic waters of the EMS
WP4 Students | 黑料视频
David Moncayo Guzman(PhD) | We use an optimality-based plankton ecosystem model (OPPLA), largely built on first principles, to analyse plankton ecosystem behaviour in different parts of the World ocean. The generic nature of this model means that it is not specifically geared to the EMS but also that conclusions obtained with OPPLA may be more relevant for other ocean regions compared to more specialised models
WP5 Development and application of novel technologies for wide-scale ocean observations
Integrate and deploy commercial & novel biogeochemical sensors on moorings, gliders, ROVs, AUVs
Deploy advanced optical sensors on AUVs for zooplankton observations
Develop & apply new data processing approaches for biodiversity and C export
WP5 Milestones
Development and testing of an alkalinity sensor which is a novel in situ sensor, developed during the project of Dr. Li Qiu, and is currently one of the very few available sensors for alkalinity that provides high quality data. The alkalinity sensor was tested on the METEOR M197 cruise together with pCO2 and pH sensors to provide climate quality carbonate chemistry data. Deployment of sensors on mooring in the Eastern Mediterranean for assessment of variability in carbonate chemistry
Baseline on diversity, distribution and abundance of dominant macrozooplankton in the EMS (PhD project Nis Hansen) - Video transect methodology PELAGIOS Pelagic In Situ Observation System data collected during METEOR M197 cruise between 25-900 m, 71 hours pelagic video, day and night 鈥� under analysis
First estimations of size, volume and biomass of gelatinous zooplankton from in situ observations by stereo camera to provide data for new data processing approaches for biodiversity and C export
