Objective Phytoplankton are responsible for a major part of global primary production due to the immensity of the marine realm and are heavily implicated in global biosphere equilibriums by driving elemental chemistry in surface oceans, exporting massive amounts of C to sediments and influencing ocean-atmosphere gas exchange. Climate change will alter the marine environment within the next 100 years. Increasing atmospheric CO2 has already caused higher aquatic pCO2 levels and lower pH (ocean acidification) and rising temperature will impact ocean stratification, and hence light and nutrient conditions. Phytoplankton will be affected by these Earth system transformations in many ways, altering the complex balance of biogeochemical cycles and climate feedback mechanisms. Prediction of how phytoplankton may respond at the cellular and ecosystem levels is a key challenge in global change research. The proposed project will investigate physiological reactions of 3 important phytoplankton groups (diatoms, coccolithophores, cyanobacteria) to environmental factors which will be affected by global change (pCO2/pH, light, nutrients). Using an innovative combination of cutting-edge mass-spectrometric and fluorometric techniques, a suite of in vivo assays will be applied in lab and field experiments to develop a process-based understanding of cellular responses. Specific biogeochemical issues will be addressed since diatoms are the main drivers of vertical organic C fluxes, coccolithophores regulate ocean alkalinity through calcification, and N2-fixing cyanobacteria control availability of reactive N. These are relevant in different marine zones, from Southern Ocean to equatorial oligotrophic waters. Data will significantly improve understanding of key processes in phytoplankton and will be exploited in multidisciplinary contexts ranging from molecular to ecological processes and, through cellular and ecosystem models, to predictions of marine biosphere responses to future global change Fields of science natural sciencesbiological sciencesmarine biologynatural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesatmospheric sciencesmeteorologybiospheranatural sciencesbiological sciencesecologyecosystemsnatural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesatmospheric sciencesclimatologyclimatic changesnatural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesgeochemistrybiogeochemistry Keywords CO2 Global Change MIMS N2-fixation calcification gas exchange photosynthesis phytoplankton Programme(s) FP7-IDEAS-ERC - Specific programme: "Ideas" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013) Topic(s) ERC-SG-PE8 - ERC Starting Grant - Products and process engineering Call for proposal ERC-2007-StG See other projects for this call Funding Scheme ERC-SG - ERC Starting Grant Host institution ALFRED-WEGENER-INSTITUT HELMHOLTZ-ZENTRUM FUR POLAR- UND MEERESFORSCHUNG EU contribution € 1 399 984,00 Address AM HANDELSHAFEN 12 27570 Bremerhaven Germany See on map Region Bremen Bremen Bremerhaven, Kreisfreie Stadt Activity type Research Organisations Administrative Contact Catherine Audebert (Ms.) Principal investigator Bjoern Christian Rost (Dr.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data Beneficiaries (1) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all ALFRED-WEGENER-INSTITUT HELMHOLTZ-ZENTRUM FUR POLAR- UND MEERESFORSCHUNG Germany EU contribution € 1 399 984,00 Address AM HANDELSHAFEN 12 27570 Bremerhaven See on map Region Bremen Bremen Bremerhaven, Kreisfreie Stadt Activity type Research Organisations Administrative Contact Catherine Audebert (Ms.) Principal investigator Bjoern Christian Rost (Dr.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data