Objective
Microphytobenthos, which is composed of photosynthetic unicellular organisms, could be the most important primary producer in coastal ecosystems containing large intertidal mud flats. In fine-sediment tidal areas, it is composed mainly of diatoms found in the upper millimetres of illuminated sediments where they form biofilms. These biofilms can become part of the phytoplankton when suspended by tidal currents and the interaction of wind and waves with the bottom. In fact, they may constitute much of the fo od available to the meio- and macrofauna. However, these ecosystems are not easily accessible because of the presence of fine sediments that form coastal mudflat. This difficulty limits the number of measurements essential for understanding the spatial st ructure of the populations concerned (structure in this sense signifies the spatial distribution of the biomass, but also the taxonomic composition of the populations). Remote sensing enables this difficulty to be overcome. Microphytobenthic populations c an be mapped from images calibrated by radiometric measurements in the field in association with pigment analyses (characterisation and quantification) of the sediment surface by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The main objective of this pro ject is to determine the spatial distribution, biomass and composition of microphytobenthos assemblages in two macrotidal ecosystems of the European Atlantic coast: Bourgneuf Bay (south of the Loire estuary, France) and the Tagus estuary (Portugal). These data will be used to assess the importance of these primary producers for the carrying capacity of the ecosystems. This objective will require thorough knowledge of pigment analyses in marine sediments by HPLC, expertise possessed by the Oceanographic Inst itute in Lisbon, and a knowledge of signal processing and image analysis, expertise possessed by the Marine Biology Laboratory in Nantes.
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 marine biology
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering signal processing
- engineering and technology environmental engineering remote sensing
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology ecosystems coastal ecosystems
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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.
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.
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.
FP6-2002-MOBILITY-3
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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.
Coordinator
NANTES
France
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.