Inventory of EU Marine Climate Change Research

BASIN - Basin-scale Analysis, Synthesis, and Integration: Resolving the impact of climatic processes on ecosystems of the North Atlantic Basin and shelf seas

Project website:
http://www.globec.org/

Summary information
Funding:	FP6 - Specific Support Action
Total cost:	133300
Ec contribution:	115071
Start date:	2006-07-01
End date:	2008-03-31
Duration:	21 months
Coordinator:	Michael St. John (michael.st.john@uni-hamburg.de)
Organisation:	Universität Hamburg – Germany
Themes:	Ecosystem changes
Regio:	North Atlantic
Project name:	BASIN - Basin-scale Analysis, Synthesis, and Integration: Resolving the impact of climatic processes on ecosystems of the North Atlantic Basin and shelf seas
Project summary:	Abstract BASIN was a joint EU / North American research initiative designed to elucidate the state of our understanding of the role of the climatically driven mechanisms underlying observed changes in North Atlantic ecosystems and their services as well as to provide the vision necessary to allow us to quantify and understand the consequences of climate and environmental variability and change on the system. The ultimate goal was the development of an understanding of the links between climate and the marine ecosystems of the North Atlantic Basin and the services these ecosystems provide including exploited marine resources, and to use this understanding to develop ecosystem based management strategies that will anticipate the effects of climate change. Objectives The project objectives were to report on the status of climate-related ecosystem research in the North Atlantic Basin and associated shelf seas (from Georges Bank to the Barents Sea and the North Sea shelf). As well, the project documented gaps in systematic observations and process understanding of atmospheric and oceanic parameters, necessary to improve forecasting of ecosystems in the North Atlantic and associated shelves. Furthermore the project developed a metadatabase necessary for the future consolidation of long-term observations from EU and international databases necessary for the modelling and in particular short term prediction of the dynamics of North Atlantic and associated shelf ecosystems. BASIN also reported on the feasibly of developing a joint EU-US-Canadian research program in the field of ocean ecosystems and produced an international science plan. BASIN's final objective was to develop, in concert with representatives from the EU DG Research and program managers from the US National Science Foundation and the Canadian NSERC, an implementation plan for the development of jointly funded EU-North American research programmes. Methodology The BASIN SSA funded four workshops to identify and document the state of the art of climate-related ecosystem research in the North Atlantic Basin and associated shelf seas, assess the feasibility of developing a joint EU-North American basin-scale research program focusing on the ecosystems of the North Atlantic, and seek to develop an implementation plan whereby joint research initiatives involving the EU and other nations (e.g. USA, Canada, Japan, China) can be developed and funded. Based on these workshops, two reports on the status of BASIN scale research have been developed and an International science plan has been generated upon which future research in the region can be based. Information has been made accessible to the interested parties via the BASIN web page as well as via reports published in the GLOBEC series.
Project outputs:	BASIN has generated four reports based on the activities in the funded meetings. These reports assess and report on the status of climate-related ecosystem research in the North Atlantic Basin and associated shelf seas. They also identify and document gaps in systematic observations and process understanding of atmospheric and oceanic parameters, including those of climate, necessary to improve forecasting of ecosystems in the North Atlantic and associated shelves. The reports additionally identify the potential for consolidation of long-term observations from US and international databases for the modelling and in particular prediction of the dynamics of North Atlantic and associated shelf ecosystems and their services. Finally the reports provide a science plan upon which future research programs in the region can be based. These results will benefit policy makers, environmental agencies, researchers in the field and the general public.