Project description
The role of submarine volcanoes in ocean fertilisation
Plankton require iron to grow but this essential nutrient is scarce in many ocean regions and is traditionally thought to be delivered mainly by atmospheric dust. However, hydrothermal iron released from underwater volcanoes may represent a major, overlooked source of phytoplankton fertilisation. The ERC-funded HARVEST project investigates how iron emitted by shallow submarine volcanoes influences phytoplankton production and ocean ecosystems. Focusing on the Tonga volcanic arc, where large phytoplankton blooms occur within an iron-limited ocean, HARVEST will track how hydrothermal iron is released, transported and reaches surface waters. By combining field observations and modelling, the project will upscale these findings to assess the global role of submarine volcanic iron in ocean productivity and the carbon cycle.
Objective
HARVEST investigates how iron released from submarine volcanoes stimulates the growth of phytoplankton, especially in nutrient-poor ocean regions. Iron is known to be a limiting nutrient for photosynthesizing plankton, but research has mostly focused on iron delivery via atmospheric dust. The contribution of iron from hydrothermal sources – leached out of hot rock along the volcanically active plate boundaries – has been largely overlooked. This process, however, may drive a significant component of primary production in iron-limited ocean areas.
HARVEST addresses this critical knowledge gap through a holistic investigation of hydrothermal iron sources on the seafloor, and the mechanisms by which iron is transported to the ocean’s sunlit surface layer. A focus is on shallow seamounts in volcanic arcs and hotspots, which are hypothesised to have the most direct hydrothermal impact on surface waters, but remain the least studied. Measuring, modelling and comparing iron fluxes from shallow versus deep submarine sources, HARVEST advances from local through regional to global scales. Its main fieldwork area around Tonga-Lau features large and recurrent phytoplankton blooms, and the range of tectonically relevant settings. HARVEST will track iron-laden hydrothermal plumes, their dispersal, and their effects on phytoplankton, using ship-based surveys, autonomous vehicles and long-term moorings.
Dedicated ocean models with a biogeochemical compartment will simulate the transport of hydrothermal plumes on regional and global scales, away from their hydrothermal sources, and into the sunlit ocean layer. This will clarify the role of hydrothermal iron on primary production and on the carbon cycle in present and future climate scenarios. Thus HARVEST will reveal the overlooked contribution of submarine volcanism to ocean fertilisation, opening up new views into the interconnectedness of solid earth, oceans, and marine life.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences geology volcanology
- natural sciences biological sciences botany
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC-SYG - HORIZON ERC Synergy Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-SyG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
75794 PARIS
France
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