In Situ Monitoring of Oxygen Depletion Associated with Hypoxic Ecosystems of Coastal and Open Seas, and Land-Locked Water Bodies

General Information

Hypoxic (low oxygen) conditions in aquatic ecosystems increase in number, duration and extent due to global warming and eutrophication. Global warming will lead to degassing of oxygen, increased stratification, reduced deep-water circulation and changes in wind patterns affecting transport and mixing. Projected increases in hypoxia (e.g. doubling of “dead zones”) are accompanied by enhanced emission of greenhouse gases, losses in biodiversity, ecosystem functions and services such as fisheries, aquaculture and tourism. A better understanding of global changes in oxygen depletion requires a global observation system continuously monitoring oxygen at high resolution, including assessment of the role of the seafloor in controlling the sensitivity of aquatic systems to and recovery from hypoxia.

The HYPOX project will monitor oxygen depletion and associated processes in aquatic systems that differ in oxygen status or sensitivity towards change: Open ocean, oxic with high sensitivity to global warming (Arctic), semi-enclosed with permanent anoxia (Black Sea, Baltic Sea) and seasonally or locally anoxic land-locked systems (fjords, lagoons, lakes) subject to eutrophication. HYPOX will improve the capacity to monitor oxygen depletion globally, by implementing reliable long-term sensors to different platforms for in situ monitoring; and locally by training and implementing competence around the Black Sea. HYPOX will contribute to GEOSS tasks in the water, climate, ecosystem and biodiversity work plans, and will comply to GEOSS standards by sharing of observations and products with common standards and adaptation to user needs using a state of the art world data centre. HYPOX will be connected to the GOOS Regional Alliances and the SCOR working group and disseminate new knowledge to local, regional and global organisations concerned with water and ecosystem health and management.

EU-Programme Acronym and Subprogramme Area	ENV-2008-4.1.2.1
Project Type	Small or medium-scale focused research project
Contract Number	Grant Agreement 226213
Co-ordinator	Max-Planck Institut für Marine Mikrobiologie (DE)

Total Eligible Costs (€)	Hereon Eligible Costs (€)	EC Funding for Hereon (€)
4.665.282	235.030	176.272

Contact Person at Hereon

Prof. Dr. Emil Stanev, Institute for Coastal Research, KSD Phone: +49 4152 87 1597, Fax : +49 4152 87 1565 E-mail contact

Participants

Alfred-Wegener-Institut für Polar- und Meeresforschung AWI (DE), A.O. Kovalevskiy Institute of Biology of Southern Seas (UA), Eidgenössische Anstalt für Wasserversorgung, Abwasserreinigung und Gewässerschutz (CH), Göteborg Universitet (SE), Institut für Ostseeforschung Warnemünde IOW (DE), Institut Francais de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer IFREMER (FR), Istanbul Technical University ITU (TR), Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (IT), Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen-KNAW (NL), Leibniz-Institut für Meereswissenschaften an der Universität Kiel IFM-GEOMAR (DE), Max-Planck-Institut für Marine Mikrobiologie (DE), National Institute of Marine Geology and Geo-Ecology (RO), The Scottish Association for Marine Science SAMS (UK), Universität Bremen (DE), University of Patras (GR)

Last Update: 16. April 2021