Project description
Meta-ecosystem map to boost restoration
Land, rivers, and oceans are connected. Pollution from farms and wastewater treatment plants flows through rivers and spills into the ocean, thereby endangering marine life and wildlife. This is why it is important not to study land, rivers, and oceans in isolation. Under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the RIVERSEA project studies the transfer of biota and nutrients from rivers into the sea. It explores the impact these transfers have on the ecosystem’s equilibrium, by integrating computer simulations and real-life data. RIVERSEA will develop methods to restore and conserve these interlinked ecosystems. The research conducted will assist in formulating more effective policies aimed at preserving the health and sustainability of European waters.
Objective
Global environmental changes often transcend traditional boundaries between terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems, with many species and nutrients moving across these borders. Despite this, biodiversity and ecosystem functions are typically studied in isolation, and policy goals such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) often address these ecosystems separately. To address this issue, the RIVERSEA project proposes a novel approach by integrating meta-ecosystem science, which accounts for the interconnectedness of ecosystems and aims to enhance our understanding of how spatial fluxes of nutrients and organisms impact meta-ecosystem structure and dynamics.
RIVERSEA seeks to elucidate the effects of nutrient and species fluxes along the river-sea continuum, focusing on how these fluxes influence food-web structure, ecosystem functioning, and stability. Nutrient enrichment from sources like agricultural runoff and sewage disrupts these meta-ecosystems over large spatial distances, leading to simplified food webs, nutrient accumulation, and detrimental outcomes such as harmful algal blooms. This project aims to bridge the gap between community and ecosystem ecology by developing a spatially extended food web model to explore these dynamics. It will also use innovative methods to validate theoretical predictions with empirical data, assessing the impacts of human activities on aquatic ecosystems. Finally, RIVERSEA will formulate restoration strategies to mitigate these impacts and stabilize meta-ecosystems.
The project’s outcomes will provide crucial insights and tools for effective mitigation, adaptation, and restoration efforts, contributing to the EU’s goals of restoring significant land and sea areas by 2030 and 2050. By combining theoretical and empirical approaches across freshwater and marine environments, RIVERSEA will advance our understanding of meta-ecosystem dynamics and support the development of comprehensive restoration strategies.
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 ecology
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences hydrology limnology
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
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.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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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.
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.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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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.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
75007 Paris
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.