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

CSC - Cost-sharing contracts

Coordinator

ALFRED WEGENER INSTITUTE FOR POLAR AND MARINE RESEARCH

Address

Columbusstrasse
27515 Bremerhaven
Germany

Participants (6)

AABO AKADEMI UNIVERSITY

Finland

Address

Domkyrkotorget 3
20500 Turku / Abo

GOETEBORG UNIVERSITY

Sweden

Address

Kemivagen 10
412 96 Goeteborg

MOSCOW STATE UNIVERSITY

Russia

Address

Vorobiery Gory
119899 Moscow

P.P.SHIRSHOV INSTITUTE OF OCEANOLOGY - RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

Russia

Address

Nakhimovsky Ave. 36
117851 Moscow

UNIVERSITY OF WALES - BANGOR

United Kingdom

Address

Askew Street
LL59 5EY Gwynedd

ZOOLOGICAL INSTITUTE - RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

Russia

Address

Universitetskaya Nab 1
199034 Sint Petersburg