Objetivo Problems to be solvedMarine fish resources are in a crisis world wide today, probably mainly due to overexploitation of fish stocks. Simultaneously, it is well-known that fish stocks, especially in regions with harsh natural conditions, e.g. the polar oceans, experience large natural variations depending on natural environmental parameters, such as feeding conditions, sea water temperature, ice coverage and radiation conditions. In today's fishery management, only few of these parameters are considered for fish stock size estimation, which is the basis for determining fishing quota. A more comprehensive understanding of the causal chains of natural impact parameters is essential for a more sustainable exploitation of wild fish stocks in the future. This will be even more relevant, if global change (enhanced greenhouse effect, ozone depletion) and its impact on marine ecosystems will come true as expected by the scientific community.Scientific objectives and approachThe main objective of UVAC is to investigate the impact of solar ultra-violet radiation (UVR) on the Northeast Arctic cod stock. This relation will be investigated as part of a more comprehensive impact system, including both other geophysical factors such as climate, and biological species which are important for the cod stock (zooplankton, phytoplankton). The UVR impact will be investigated both statistically using long-term biological and geophysical data records, and in-depth in dedicated field and laboratory experiments. A second major objective is to develop modelling tools, which will be used to estimate cod stock size based on geophysical information available from remote-sensing and ground-based monitoring, thus providing a more reliable basis for a sustainable management of marine resources. The project will be performed using three sets of biological and geophysical data, covering different time scales and having different levels of information. Data over a 100-year period, consisting of annual cod landing records and C. finmarchicus annual biomass estimates on the biological side, and records of local climate conditions, regional climate indices and total ozone/UVR records on the geophysical side, will be used to determine long-term correlations, and, if possible, to separate the impact of climate from that of UVR. Data with a significantly enhanced degree of detail over a 14-year period (1985-1998) will then be used to investigate the impact of UVR on the species involved in more detail. To this purpose, high-resolution maps of relevant UVR parameters, based on remote-sensing data of total ozone and cloud coverage and calculated with state-of-the art radiative transfer models, will be constructed for the cod spawning area. These investigations will be supported by field and laboratory experiments/studies, which will cover the whole scope of biological and geophysical parameters assumed to play a role in the UVR - cod interaction. The combined results of the above work will be used to develop modelling tools (short-term process modelling and long-term modelling) which can reproduce past (observed) cod stock variations and predict variability in the future.Expected impactsThe project will hopefully enlighten the influence of a potentially very important natural parameter on marine ecosystems. Integration of UVR impact processes into fish stock size modelling tools have the potential to improve these tools considerably, both in terms of uncertainty reduction and long-term applicability of such tools, which is of great importance for a future sustainable fishery management. Ámbito científico agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesfisheriesnatural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesenvironmental sciencesozone depletionnatural sciencesbiological sciencesecologyecosystemsagricultural sciencesagricultural biotechnologybiomass Programa(s) FP5-EESD - Programme for research, technological development and demonstration on "Energy, environment and sustainable development, 1998-2002" Tema(s) 1.1.4.-3. - Key action Sustainable Marine Ecosystems Convocatoria de propuestas Data not available Régimen de financiación CSC - Cost-sharing contracts Coordinador NORWEGIAN INSTITUTE FOR AIR RESEARCH Aportación de la UE Sin datos Dirección 15,Hjalmar Johansensgatan 14 9296 TROMSOE Noruega Ver en el mapa Coste total Sin datos Participantes (6) Ordenar alfabéticamente Ordenar por aportación de la UE Ampliar todo Contraer todo AZTI FUNDAZIOA España Aportación de la UE Sin datos Dirección Avda. Satrustegui 8 20008 SAN SEBASTIAN Ver en el mapa Coste total Sin datos BODO REGIONAL UNIVERSITY Noruega Aportación de la UE Sin datos Dirección Morkvedtrakket 30 8002 BODE Ver en el mapa Coste total Sin datos COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES Italia Aportación de la UE Sin datos Dirección Via E. Fermi 21020 BARASSO Ver en el mapa Coste total Sin datos CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS España Aportación de la UE Sin datos Dirección 6,Eduardo Cabello 6 36208 VIGO Ver en el mapa Coste total Sin datos GERMAN AEROSPACE CENTRE Alemania Aportación de la UE Sin datos Dirección Muenchener Strasse 20, Oberpfaffernhofen 82234 WESSLING Ver en el mapa Coste total Sin datos UNIVERSITY OF TROMSOE Noruega Aportación de la UE Sin datos Dirección 201 B,Breivika 9037 TROMSOE Ver en el mapa Coste total Sin datos