Periodic Reporting for period 2 - MISSION ATLANTIC (Towards the Sustainable Development of the Atlantic Ocean: Mapping and Assessing the present and future status of Atlantic marine ecosystems under the influence of climate change and exploitation)
Berichtszeitraum: 2022-03-01 bis 2023-08-31
MISSION ATLANTIC develops and systematically applies Integrated Ecosystem Assessments (IEAs) in the Atlantic Ocean. IEAs enable identification of ecosystem components most at risk from natural hazards and the consequences of human activities. The project employs all available information on those sources, the pressures they impose and the ecosystem components that are affected, to identify the most important risk factors for sustainable development of the Atlantic Ocean. MISSION ATLANTIC develops and tests high-resolution numerical ocean ecosystem models, as well as employing advanced statistical approaches, artificial neural networks, and risk assessment methods in support of the IEA cycle. Cross-Atlantic seagoing activities will collect new observations on the shelf and open ocean, across benthic and pelagic biomes, to validate ecosystem models and explore the biogeography of plankton and fish communities. Advanced combinations of marine robotic solutions and acoustic sensors are further developed and deployed to provide new data and to deliver the next generation of autonomous systems in support of IEAs.
The ambition in MISSION ATLANTIC is to advance the Operational Readiness Level (ORL) of the Integrated Ecosystem Assessment approach (IEA) in each case study area (CS) and at the whole Atlantic basin-scale providing: data, models, indicators and an engaged forum of stakeholders to present, discuss and validate project's results. The specific case study areas considered are: Norwegian Sea, Celtic Sea, Canary Current system, North Mid Atlantic Ridge, South Mid Atlantic Ridge, Benguela Current, South Brazilian Shelf.
MISSION ATLANTIC aims at supporting the “All Atlantic Ocean research alliance” and the implementation of the Galway and Belem statements. In 2017, the European Union, South Africa and Brazil and co-signed the Belém statement on Atlantic Research and Innovation Cooperation for the South and tropical Atlantic and Southern Ocean. Following the Galway Statement, which focuses on North-Atlantic cooperation, the Belém statement furthers the integrated approach to research and development across the whole Atlantic Ocean and its bordering countries.
The ambition in MISSION ATLANTIC is to advance the Operational Readiness Level (ORL) of the Integrated Ecosystem Assessment approach (IEA) in each case study area (CS) and at the whole Atlantic basin-scale providing: data, models, indicators and an engaged forum of stakeholders to present, discuss and validate project's results. The specific case study areas considered are: Norwegian Sea, Celtic Sea, Canary Current system, North Mid Atlantic Ridge, South Mid Atlantic Ridge, Benguela Current, South Brazilian Shelf.
MISSION ATLANTIC aims at supporting the “All Atlantic Ocean research alliance” and the implementation of the Galway and Belem statements. In 2017, the European Union, South Africa and Brazil and co-signed the Belém statement on Atlantic Research and Innovation Cooperation for the South and tropical Atlantic and Southern Ocean. Following the Galway Statement, which focuses on North-Atlantic cooperation, the Belém statement furthers the integrated approach to research and development across the whole Atlantic Ocean and its bordering countries.
During the first 18 months of its implementation MISSION ATLANTIC has moved towards this ambition and advanced on the specific objectives of the ten work packages. A review of available data and data collection activity has been conducted to increase data availability and to support IEA at the whole Atlantic scale. This has resulted in a metadata portal that is available online under the project’s website. Stakeholders have been systematically engaged to promote their inclusion and increase awareness of the activities and results, as well as to define relevant management objectives at regional scales. The socio-ecological networks linking human activities, pressures, ecosystem components and ecosystem services have been delivered in each CS and the results are available as infographics on the project’s website. Workshops have been conducted to identify key ecosystem indicators in each CS and to deliver an initial qualitative risk analysis of these socio-ecological networks, which have been submitted as dedicated deliverables. Common methods to conduct management strategy evaluation (MSE) have been identified and discussed with CS leads. End-to-end ecosystem models have been developed and are presently running at the global scale with the first specific instance (Celtic Sea) of this model being available for all to “run your own “experiments”,on the project website. All these scientific and technical activities have substantially advanced the IEA cycle (scoping, indicators, risks and vulnerabilities, scenarios) in all CS regions and at the whole Atlantic scale.
In general, MISSION ATLANTIC has delivered against all the identified key performance indicators (KPIs) and in particular pursued a proactive role in promoting clustering with concurrent EU projects relevant to Atlantic ecosystem assessment.
MISSION ATLANTIC has advanced according to the planned tasks and activities including achievement of all planned deliverables. This is despite the significant impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic which among the other has forced to cancel all in presence meetings, including those with stakeholders. The pandemic has had significant impacts on sea going activities, which are indeed delayed in the project but with no major effects on the general workplan.
In general, MISSION ATLANTIC has delivered against all the identified key performance indicators (KPIs) and in particular pursued a proactive role in promoting clustering with concurrent EU projects relevant to Atlantic ecosystem assessment.
MISSION ATLANTIC has advanced according to the planned tasks and activities including achievement of all planned deliverables. This is despite the significant impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic which among the other has forced to cancel all in presence meetings, including those with stakeholders. The pandemic has had significant impacts on sea going activities, which are indeed delayed in the project but with no major effects on the general workplan.
We delivered the first integrated, holistic approach for marine ecosystem assessments applied at regional scale across a large latitudinal gradient in the Atlantic Ocean, for both pelagic and benthic habitats and including their physical and biological components. This first phase of the IEA has then delivered conceptual socio-ecological models for all case study areas as well as the identification of the targeted management objectives in each region.
The scoping phase of the IEA has included a policy review that demonstrated that Atlantic policies are mostly sectoral without considering interactions between sectors or cumulative impacts across sectors on the marine ecosystems. The institutional setting of ocean management is highly fragmented and operate at various scales, challenging ecosystem based management development for achieving cross-sector and multiple ecosystem objectives and risks from cumulative impacts.
A first qualitative risk assessment was also delivered in each region and all CS identify fisheries as the sector with highest risk of impact. Other sectors with high risk of impact include shipping, agriculture, waste-water treatment, tourism/recreation, land-based industry, and coastal infrastructure. Maps of these pressures at the whole Atlantic scale have been also compiled and delivered in this reporting period. Data supporting IEA have been reviewed and collated into a new metadata catalogue available under the project's website. The existing and available data are identified from data sources covering large marine disciplines: atmosphere, biological oceanography, chemical oceanography, cross-discipline, environment, human activities, marine geology and physical oceanography.
Mobility and training programmes have been started in MISSION ATLANTIC and the project has delivered several open science tools and a first review of the skills and training needs required to increase capacity of performing integrated ecosystem assessment in the Atlantic Ocean. The learning objectives have been compiled and will provide the framework for future training activities in the project.
MISSION ATLANTIC has contributed to the All Atlantic forum initiatives and participated and co-organized a series of events on integrated ecosystem assessments and on science-policy interface. Within these collaborations MISSION ATLANTIC has delivered a framework for future Atlantic cooperation on seafloor mapping efforts and prioritisation of seabed targets for IEA.
The scoping phase of the IEA has included a policy review that demonstrated that Atlantic policies are mostly sectoral without considering interactions between sectors or cumulative impacts across sectors on the marine ecosystems. The institutional setting of ocean management is highly fragmented and operate at various scales, challenging ecosystem based management development for achieving cross-sector and multiple ecosystem objectives and risks from cumulative impacts.
A first qualitative risk assessment was also delivered in each region and all CS identify fisheries as the sector with highest risk of impact. Other sectors with high risk of impact include shipping, agriculture, waste-water treatment, tourism/recreation, land-based industry, and coastal infrastructure. Maps of these pressures at the whole Atlantic scale have been also compiled and delivered in this reporting period. Data supporting IEA have been reviewed and collated into a new metadata catalogue available under the project's website. The existing and available data are identified from data sources covering large marine disciplines: atmosphere, biological oceanography, chemical oceanography, cross-discipline, environment, human activities, marine geology and physical oceanography.
Mobility and training programmes have been started in MISSION ATLANTIC and the project has delivered several open science tools and a first review of the skills and training needs required to increase capacity of performing integrated ecosystem assessment in the Atlantic Ocean. The learning objectives have been compiled and will provide the framework for future training activities in the project.
MISSION ATLANTIC has contributed to the All Atlantic forum initiatives and participated and co-organized a series of events on integrated ecosystem assessments and on science-policy interface. Within these collaborations MISSION ATLANTIC has delivered a framework for future Atlantic cooperation on seafloor mapping efforts and prioritisation of seabed targets for IEA.