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Ocean-ICU Improving Carbon Understanding

Descripción del proyecto

Medición y modelización del sumidero de carbono oceánico

El océano actúa como sumidero de carbono, lo que ralentiza el ritmo del cambio climático. En concreto, absorbe el 25 % del CO2 que emitimos a la atmósfera. Aunque el océano desempeña un papel importante en el ciclo del carbono mundial, no es fácil medir y modelizar la absorción de carbono. Por ejemplo, aún no es posible vincular cuantitativamente el almacenamiento de carbono oceánico y las presiones humanas directas, como la pesca y la extracción de minerales. En este contexto, el equipo del proyecto OceanICU medirá estos procesos clave y evaluará su importancia mundial. Transferirá los que sean importantes a los modelos que informan al Grupo Intergubernamental de Expertos sobre el Cambio Climático de las Naciones Unidas, con el fin de resolver el desajuste observado entre los datos de los modelos y las estimaciones del sumidero de carbono oceánico. Esto está en consonancia con los compromisos del Pacto Verde Europeo.

Objetivo

The Ocean plays a crucial role in the global C cycle, taking up approximately 25% of the CO2 we emit to the atmosphere, and thus slowing the rate of climate change. The future trajectory of this sink will affect the timing and intensity of the modifications to human processes that we need to undertake in order to stabilise atmospheric CO2 at 450ppm.

Our ability to measure and model this sink is limited (evidenced by significant discrepancies between measured and modelled C uptake) with the current frontier area of research being a suite of biological processes related to higher trophic level behaviour within the so called biological C pump. This involvement of higher organisms suggests that human activities (fishing, energy and mineral extraction) has the capacity to affect the ocean C sink however we lack the ability to quantitatively link direct human pressures and ocean C storage. Ocean ICU will measure these key processes and evaluate their overall significance, transferring those that are important into models that inform the IPCC process and in this way contribute to resolving the observed model data mismatch of Ocean C sink estimates.

We will take this message directly to the COP in support of the ambition the UNFCCC has to include the ocean C sink in the global stocktake. We will use the fundamental knowledge we acquire around biological systems to evaluate the ability of human interventions in the ocean to alter the carbon cycle and produce management tools that allow the tension between resource extraction and C storage to be addressed. This component will involve extensive dialogue with end users and stakeholders and lead to a Decision Support Tool that will constitute a major contribution to our ability to deliver the Green Deal by allowing us to ask questions around how to manage fisheries and resource extraction in a changed ocean in 50 years time.

Coordinador

NORCE NORWEGIAN RESEARCH CENTRE AS
Aportación neta de la UEn
€ 1 960 878,25
Dirección
NYGARDSGATEN 112
5838 Bergen
Noruega

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Región
Norge Vestlandet Vestland
Tipo de actividad
Research Organisations
Enlaces
Coste total
€ 1 968 878,25

Participantes (23)

Socios (7)