Network of Leading Ecosystem Scale Experimental AQUAtic MesoCOSM Facilities Connecting Rivers, Lakes, Estuaries and Oceans in Europe and beyond

AQUACOSM-plus

Network of Leading Ecosystem Scale Experimental AQUAtic MesoCOSM Facilities Connecting Rivers, Lakes, Estuaries and Oceans in Europe and beyond

AQUACOSM-plus advances European mesocosm-based aquatic RI by integrating the leading mesocosm infrastructures into a coherent, interdisciplinary, and interoperable network covering all ecoregions of Europe. AQUACOSM-plus widens the user base by extending TA provision (> 13000 person-days), and strengthening the offered services, with 10 new partners, including an NGO and doubling of SMEs. We initiate actions to increase competence in mesocosm science in new EU member states (Hungary and Romania), and emphasize training of young scientists through summer schools covering various disciplines including effective science communication. AQUACOSM-plus develops near-real-time Open Data flows and improved metadata, thus promoting Open Mesocosm Science in collaboration with leading EU-supported initiatives in the EOSC and fosters wider sharing of information, knowledge, and technologies across fields and between academia, industry, and policy makers/advisers. AQUACOSM-plus develops new technological capabilities for mesocosm research, to effectively execute scenario-testing for Climate Change -related pressures on aquatic systems from upstream fresh waters to the sea. These developments include mobile large-scale mesocosm approaches, leading-edge imaging technologies, and affordable methods to obtain high- frequency data on community change and greenhouse gas fluxes in mesocosm settings. AQUACOSM-plus will progress beyond current achievements by actively pursuing RI-RI collaboration with European environmental RIs (LTER, ICOS, DANUBIUS, JERICO) at all project activity levels (NA, JRA, TA). Multidisciplinary joint research, combining observational data and modelling approaches with targeted mesocosm experiments, is a key step towards successfully tackling current and future Grand Challenges. This involves shared capacity building via symposia, expert summits, and open workshops, with the aim of co-designing future aquatic research actions and their RI demands.

April, 2020

March, 2024

9999000

432000

EU / HORIZON 2020, Research Infrastructures

Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V. (FVB), Germany

Ulf Riebesell

Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V., Germany
WasserCluster Lunz-Biologische Station GmbH (WCL), Austrian
Aarhus University (AU), Denmark
Finnish Environment Institute, Marine Research Centre (SYKE), Finland
University of Helsinki, Tvärminne Zoological Station (UH), Finland
Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRAE), France
MARine Biodiversity, Exploitation and Conservation (CNRS-MARBEC), France
CNRS-CEREEP, France
Carl Von Ossietzky University Oldenburg (UOL), Germany
Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU), Germany
Umweltbundesamt (UBA), Germany
Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR), Greece
Magyar Tudomanyos Akademia Okologiai Kutatokozpont (OK), Hungary
Trinity College Dublin (TCD), Ireland
Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Netherlands
NORCE Norwegian Research Centre AS (NORCE), Norway
University of Bergen (UIB), Norway
Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Norway
Centro de Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos – Universidade de Évora (CIBIO-UE), Portugal
INSTITUTUL DE CERCETARI BIOLOGICE CLUJ FILIALA A INCDSB BUCURESTI (ICBCN), Romania
University of Vigo (UVIGO), Spain
AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS (CSIC), Spain
DPEND AB (DPEND), Sweden
Uppsala University (UU), Sweden
Umeå Marine Science Center (UMU), Sweden
Luftförorenings- och klimatsekretariatet (AirClim), Sweden
Middle East Technical University (METU), Turkey
Rsk Adas Limited (Rsk), UK
United Kingdom Research and Innovation (UKCEH), UK
Blue Lobster IT Ltd (BLIT), UK

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