Project description
Tracking whale sharks to predict climate-driven migration
Our oceans are rapidly changing as the climate warms, making conditions increasingly hostile for marine life. Additionally, changes may be too fast for species to adapt. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the SharkPath project will explore the risks by tracking the world’s largest fish. It will attach biologging tags to whale sharks expected to move to cooler regions as the oceans become warmer. The tagging will gather precise 3D data on their movement, water temperature and oxygen availability as well as the risk of collisions with ships. The project’s goal is to help make more accurate predictions of future migration routes and habitat shifts. Ultimately, the project will pave the way for improved conservation efforts and marine spatial planning.
Objective
Climate-driven ocean warming and deoxygenation are altering pelagic habitats and reshaping marine ecosystems, yet the behavioural responses of large migratory species remain poorly quantified in three dimensions. SharkPath will pioneer the use of a next-generation biologging tag that integrates high-resolution oxygen and temperature sensing to investigate the fine-scale vertical and horizontal movements of whale sharks. The resulting high-resolution environmental-behavioural dataset will support the development of novel 3D species distribution models that explicitly incorporate physiological thresholds. By linking behaviour to shifting thermal and oxygen landscapes at the long-term highest resolution yet, these models will improve predictions of climate-driven habitat shifts, identify ecological corridors, and quantify collision risks with shipping for an endangered marine species. By combining biologging, movement ecology, and spatial modelling, SharkPath addresses a key environmental and technological gap, providing critical evidence for transboundary marine spatial planning and conservation of pelagic megafauna under future climate scenarios. These insights will uncover critical migratory corridors and support the design of transboundary, climate-resilient conservation strategies in hotspots such as Cabo Verde and the Gulf of Guinea. Aligning with the BBNJ Agreement and the UN 30×30 biodiversity goal, SharkPath will fill key technological and ecological gaps to safeguard pelagic connectivity in a rapidly changing ocean.
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 biological sciences zoology mammalogy cetology
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology ecosystems
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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.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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.
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-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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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) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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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.
4485-661 VAIRAO, VILA DO CONDE
Portugal
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.