Pathways of organic matter and its implication for biodiversity and sustainable uses in the white sea

Objective

By joint sea-going and land-based research, including exchange of personnel between laboratories, origin, transportation, transformation and nutritional role of particulate organic matter (POM) will be investigated in the White Sea by 3 Russian and3 EU member state institutions. Special attention will be paid to sea ice communities and macro algal remainders as POM sources in this Arctic environment. Benthic POM decomposition in the permanently cold deep waters will be analysed also for hydrological assessments of deep-water renewal.
The role of POM in the food chains, including higher trophic levels (fish, birds), will be studied to explain biodiversity patterns. Together with results from examinations of local developments in uses of marine resources, the ecological baseline information from the project will be used to develop advisory scenarios for sustainable exploitation of the regional resources.

Programme(s)

• FP5-INCO 2 - Programme for research, technological development and demonstration on "Confirming the international role of Community research,1998-2002"

Funding Scheme

Coordinator

Participants (6)