Research Highlights

Referencing MEECE:

Please use the following to acknowledge MEECE in peer reviewed publications:
'This work was (partially) funded by Theme 6 of the EC seventh framework program through the Marine Ecosystem Evolution in a Changing Environment (MEECE No 212085) Collaborative Project'.

Peer reviewed papers highlighting the work of MEECE scientists

Assessing impacts of invasive phytoplankton: The Baltic Sea case A framework for determining the impacts of invasive species from 1980-2008 in the Baltic Sea identified twelve of fifty one phytoplankton species as non-native based on the European Alien Species Database (DAISIE), based on the study by Olenina et al. (2010). According to the bioinvasion impact assessment method, BPL (Biopolution Level Index) (Olenin et al. 2007) only the dinoflagellate species, Prorocentrum minimum was categorized to have a recognizable environmental effect (BPL 4)...... Read more
Why is the Eastern Baltic cod recovering? About five-six years ago, the eastern Baltic cod stock was at a very low level and suffered from high fishing pressure. Suddenly fishing mortality substantially declined and reached the target of the EU long-term management plan already in 2008. The biomass of the stock more than tripled compared to the level in mid 2000s. This positive change happened surprisingly fast, especially when compared to many other depleted cod stocks in Europe where similar positive developments have not been achieved despite of large management efforts....Read more
Using indicators for evaluating, comparing and communicating the ecological status of exploited marine ecosystems. Part 1: the IndiSeas Project
The IndiSeas Working Group has developed a suite of indicators, designed to provide insight into the effects of fishing on exploited ecosystems. Using data from 19 ecosystems, across 32 countries, a list of candidate indicators were proposed and evaluated on the basis of four criteria: ecological significance, sensitivity, measurability and public awareness...Read more

OSMOSE-ROMS coupled ecosystem model demonstrates emergent behaviour
A shift in trophodynamic relationships in the OSMOSE-ROMS coupled end-to-end ecosystem model is a product of the models emergent behaviour. This atypical for coupled ecosystem models outcome exhibits time-dependent plasticity in dynamic species-to-species relationships, as observed in all ecosystems. Published in the Ecological Modelling, the approach captures a new range of dynamics that may provide greater insight into the effects of fishing and climate... Read more

Projected 21st century decrease in marine productivity: a multi-model analysis
Climate change will lead to a decrease of primary productivity (PP) of the global ocean between 2% and 13% at the end of the century. This is the major output of a multi-model analysis carried out as a joint work of many international projects, including MEECE. Four Earth System Models have been used to evaluate the change in marine PP under the SRES A2 emission scenarios....Read more

Trend analysis of indicators: a comparison of recent changes in the status of marine ecosystems around the world.
Time-series of ecological and exploitation indicators collected from 19 ecosystems were analysed to investigate whether there have been temporal trends in the status of fish communities....Read full abstract

Fish recruitment prediction, using robust supervised classification methods
Improving our ability to predict recruitment is a key element in fisheries management. However, the interactions between population dynamics and different environmental factors are complex and often non-linear, making it difficult to produce robust predictions. ‘Machine-learning’ techniques (in particular, supervised classification methods) have been proposed as useful tools, to overcome such difficulties... Read full abstract

Highlights of general interest:

Satellite Maps of Phytoplankton Health
The MODIS sensor on NASA’s Aqua satellite is demonstrating its capacity to detect phytoplankton chlorophyll fluorescence for globally monitoring climate-phytoplankton physiology interactions. Phytoplankton Chl a fluorescence is a remotely retrievable property registering a variety of physiological characteristics with a long history of research and application, but satellite observations have been limited to date and mainly focused on near-shore areas and harmful algal blooms. Read more....

Acid test for pelagic species behaviour and development
Studies on marine calcifiers, corals, mussels and echinoderms (Fabry et al. 2008), have shown depressed calcification rates at increased CO2 levels and experiments with marine fish larvae have shown toxic effects of CO2 on certain stages during the development with increased mortality in high CO2 treatments (Kikkawa et al. 2003, 2004). Recent studies have shown exceptions to expectations. In the latest issue of Science (26 June 2009), Checkley and colleagues demonstrate a similar example using white sea bass larvae... Read more