Exploring the ocean's last frontier

The old cliché about knowing more about outer space than we do about the inner space of our oceans is often still true today, particularly in deep-sea areas.

The study area comprises the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and its flanks from Iceland to the Azores. Open larger version..

However, this looks set to change in the North Atlantic with the start of MAR-ECO, a pioneering new project to explore the marine life living around the Mid-Atlantic ridge. This deep submerged ridge runs from Iceland down past the Azores through to the South Atlantic Ocean and so far has only been lightly studied.

Scientists involved with the MAR-ECO project will at last be able to study one of the final frontiers of marine research and an area that is also likely to be a hotspot of undiscovered biodiversity.

What is MAR-ECO?

MAR-ECO will focus on the fish, cephalopods (cuttlefish and squid), gelatinous plankton, and crustaceans that live in the waters around the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

It has three central tasks:

- Mapping of species composition and distribution patterns.

- Identification of trophic interrelationships and modelling of foodweb patterns.

- Analyses of life history strategies.

These aims will be achieved by an interdisciplinary approach involving biologists, oceanographers, gear technologists, and others.

The project will be a truly international effort and is attracting partners from many countries surrounding the study area. It will draw on the region's best available technological and scientific expertise, thereby providing the opportunity for new scientific discoveries, technological innovation, and greater understanding of the mid-ocean ecosystem.

To find out more please see the science plan at the Website (www.efan.no/midatlcensus/) which provides considerable background information and discussions of aims and strategies.

The new Norwegian research vessel G.O. Sars has been committed for an extensive MAR-ECO cruise in 2004.

Planning phase starts on schedule

The Science Plan and planning phase proposal submitted earlier this year to Census of Marine Life (CoML) and to the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation of New York (www.sloan.org) was approved, and a generous grant was recently awarded for the eighteen month planning phase that started in November 2001.

The planning phase will include formulation of component project proposals for the subsequent field phase in 2003 and 2004, literature studies and data mining, adaptation of technology and vessels, and promotional activity.

Proposals required
Norway has taken the lead with the project and the responsible institution will be the Institute of Marine Research (IMR) in collaboration with the University of Bergen. Project planning is being undertaken within the current activity plan of IMR, but it is open to multi-institutional and international participation. MAR-ECO will be an umbrella project so sub-groups are currently being formed to develop component projects, and new participants are welcome to join the process of formulating proposals.

Organisation
An International Steering Group organises and oversees the planning, finance, and implementation of the pilot project. Members of the group are:

Odd Aksel Bergstad, IMR, Norway (Chair)
Peter Boyle, University of Aberdeen, UK
Olafur S. Astthorsson, MRI, Iceland
Ricardo S. Santos, University of the Azores, Portugal
Uwe Piatkowski, Univ. Kiel, Germany
Michael Vecchione, NOAA, NMFS, USA
Eugene M. Burreson, Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), USA
Ulf Båmstedt, University of Bergen, Norway
Pascal Lorance, IFREMER, France

For further information please see : www.efan.no/midatlcensus/, www.coml.org/contact or contact:

Odd Aksel Bergstad
Institute of Marine Research
Flødevigen Marine Research Station
N-4817 His, Norway
E-mail: E-mail

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