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United Nations Environment Programme HERMES (Hotspot Ecosystem Research on the Margins of P.O. Box 30552, Nairobi 00100, Kenya European Seas) is an interdisciplinary research programme Tel: +254 (0) 20 7621234 involving 50 leading research organizations and business Fax: +254 (0) 20 7623927 partners across Europe. Its aim is to understand better the Email: [email protected] biodiversity, structure, function and dynamics of ecosystems Website: www.unep.org along Europe’s deep-ocean margin, in order that appropriate and sustainable management strategies can be developed © UNEP, April 2009 based on scientific knowledge.
Prepared for For more information, please visit www.eu-hermes.net The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in collaboration with the HERMES project. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The HERMES project, EC contract no GOCE-CT-2005- AUTHORS 511234, was funded by the European Commission’s Sixth Philip Weaver, Caspar Henderson, Stefan Hain Framework Programme under the priority ‘Sustainable Development, Global Change and Ecosystems’. Thanks also CITATION to our project partners for supplying images and graphics. Weaver, P., Henderson, C. and Hain, S. The HERMES Story, UNEP, 2009. For all correspondence relating to this report please contact [email protected] URLs www.unep-wcmc.org/oneocean/pdf/TheHERMESstory.pdf www.eu-hermes.net/publications_public.html
Photos Front cover: ROV image based on a NOAA Ocean Explorer A Banson production photo, and (clockwise from top right) JAGO (IFM-GEOMAR); Design and layout Banson NERC-NOCS; MARUM/MPI; JAGO (IFM-GEOMAR); University Printed in the UK by The Lavenham Press of Aberdeen; JAGO CSIC. Title page: IFREMER/MEDECO.
UNEP promotes The contents of this report do not necessarily reflect the views or environmentally sound practices, policies of UNEP or contributory organizations. The designations globally and in its own activities. This employed and the presentations do not imply the expressions of report is printed on FSC paper, using any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNEP or contributory vegetable-based inks and other eco- organizations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, friendly practices. Our distribution policy city or area and its authority, or concerning the delimitation of its aims to reduce UNEP’s carbon footprint. frontiers or boundaries. Layout 2 q8 24/4/09 14:29 Page 3
The HERMES Story
Contents
PREFACE 5
MAN’S DEEPEST ADVENTURE, AN URGENT CHALLENGE 7
GETTING UNDER WAY 9 HERMES objectives, goals and aims 9 HERMES work packages, the work package leaders and their institutions 11 The HERMES consortium 14 HERMES science panels and science-policy interfaces 16 HERMES study areas 20
WORKING TOGETHER 21
WHAT DID WORK... AND WHAT DID NOT 27
LIMITATIONS AND NEW OR UNANSWERED QUESTIONS 31 Top tips if you want to set up something like HERMES 34 HERMES facts and figures 34
THE HERMES WORK PACKAGES 1 Open slope systems 8 2 Cold-water corals and carbonate mound systems 10 3 Cold seep systems 12 4 Anoxic microbial systems 18 5 Canyon systems 22 6 HERMES GIS 24 7 Ecosystems modelling 26 8 Sustainable management and policy advice 28 9 Data management 30 10 Education and outreach 32
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Preface
Y NAME IS PHILIP WEAVER. I am Director of the open a small window for the reader onto these dark and Natural Environment Research Council’s Strategic unknown areas of our planet, and the diverse seascapes, MResearch Division at the National Oceanographic habitats and organisms found there. It should demonstrate Centre in Southampton (NOCS), UK, and coordinator of the importance of understanding the processes, functions the interdisciplinary EU deep-sea research project Hotspot and services of the deep sea, which are essential for the Ecosystem Research on the Margins of European Seas marine environment and for life on Earth. It should also (HERMES). inform about the threats and impacts that deep-sea ecosystems are facing as a result of human activities and If you have flicked through this publication, you might climate change, and the need for policies and management have noticed that the main text – excluding the boxes – is measures to address and reduce these. Above all, it should written in a narrative, personal style, which is unusual for inspire people to initiate or engage in future research, this kind of report. Let me explain the background and especially in the 90 per cent of the deep sea for which we rationale for presenting it this way. At the 2008 Annual have as yet no information at all. Meeting of HERMES, I discussed with the HERMES partners the preparation of the final project report, which we had to Having agreed on these ambitious objectives, we wondered submit to the European Commission (EC), our major funder, how best to achieve them. Policy and decision makers are at the end of the project in March 2009. Taking into account busy people with very little time and few opportunities to the wealth of data and information gathered over the four concentrate on any one thing. They are bombarded with years of HERMES, it was clear that this final report would be documents, reports and publications – so how could we get a substantive, if not voluminous, piece of work. It seemed a them to read this one, and not just flick through and file it? shame for it to be submitted to Brussels just for the benefit of We decided on an unusual approach: to write the main text a few EC officials. Stefan Hain, who represents the United of the report in the style of an informative, interesting – if not Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in HERMES, pro- entertaining – personal story. The onus of telling The HERMES posed that we consider publishing a kind of ‘illustrated Story fell on me as the coordinator, with help from Caspar executive summary’ as a product for wider circulation, not Henderson, an Oxford-based journalist and writer, and many only within Europe but also globally. other HERMES colleagues.
In the subsequent months, we discussed this proposal further. If you continue reading – and remember The HERMES Story We agreed that the product should be suitable for policy and in your future work – we have achieved our objective. decision makers with a view to informing them about the main results, discoveries, lessons learned and highlights of the research. But not only that: we also wanted to share with this target group some of our passion and fascination for the deep oceans. Deep-sea researchers are among the few fortunate people who have access to the largest, most remote and most ‘alien’ environment on Earth, and the report had to Professor Philip Weaver
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The dredging and sounding arrangements on board HMS Challenger. NOAA Photo Library
RV Polarstern on a HERMES cruise in the Arctic. Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Germany
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Man’s deepest adventure, an urgent challenge
uman curiosity about the deep sea goes way back. mation to determine whether and what the effects and HSome 2,400 years ago, Aristotle was dissecting crea- repercussions will be. In addition, we do not know the tures dragged up from the depths of the Aegean. But it was impacts and consequences of climate change on the deep- really in the 19th century that systematic study began with sea environment. If current predictions and models come expeditions like that of HMS Challenger (1872-1876), true and major ocean currents are altered, decrease or stop which studied deep-sea life in all the world’s oceans. Some altogether, what does this mean for the deep-sea ecosystems of the traditional instruments and sampling devices – such and species that depend on them? Even without such as dredges and nets – have changed little over time and are dramatic and catastrophic events, we know from obser- still in use today. In more precise areas of marine science, vations of shallow-water communities such as tropical reefs enormous progress was achieved only with the develop- that climate change weakens their resilience and acts in ment of new technology, especially in the second half of synergy with more local anthropogenic impacts, often exa- the 20th century. Satellites enabled vessels to navigate with cerbating the effects. This is a particular concern for fragile high accuracy, even in remote parts of the oceans. By com- and vulnerable deep-sea ecosystems and biodiversity. bining Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation with detailed bathymetric maps, we can now find submarine Scientists have found proof that life and processes in the features quickly, and can revisit interesting locations for deep sea are – in general – much more diverse, complex repeat measurements. Another huge leap for deep-sea and fragile than originally thought. Nevertheless, there is science was the development of remotely operated vehicles still a common misconception that the oceans, and the deep (ROVs) in the late 1980s, which for the first time allowed sea in particular, are so vast that disturbances here and there scientists to actually see and observe the sea floor in order do little harm. Only 100 years ago, the Amazon rainforest to guide research and sampling strategies. was perceived as so large that no human activity could threaten it. Today, we have already lost over 20 per cent of Despite all the technological advances, however, over 90 its previous extent. The same can easily happen with deep- per cent of the deep sea is still unexplored, and it remains sea environments and ecosystems, with one important the largest and perhaps the strangest environment on Earth. difference: we cannot see changes in the deep sea directly. We are only just beginning to understand the physical Unless we act now, it may be too late to rectify adverse and biological processes that take place there, so increasing changes by the time we recognize them. our knowledge is a matter of real importance and urgency. With the depletion of resources such as oil and gas reserves Continued investment in deep-sea science is absolutely vital on land and fish stocks in shallow waters, pressure on for making informed and solid decisions on how best to the deep sea is rising. Technological advances enable protect, manage and utilize the resources and functions of today’s trawlers to fish at depths of 1,500 metres or even our oceans in a sound and sustainable manner. The work more, and permit exploration for oil and gas at 3,000 we have done together in HERMES has made several out- metres. Other industrial activities, such as deep-sea mining standing contributions to scientific knowledge, but not only and carbon dioxide sequestration to combat climate that: HERMES has also helped advance the way in which change, are on the horizon. The potential and resources of science can be used by decision makers and the wider the oceans are tremendous, but poorly managed exploration public for sustainable development. With HERMES, we may lead to disaster. At present, many activities are being seem to have ‘got it right’, and I hope that our results and carried out in areas for which we have little or no infor- experience will provide useful guidance for others.
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Rockall Bank Nordic margin Celtic margin
Black Sea Catalan margin margin Adriatic margin
Portuguese margin Balearic margin Cretan Sicily margin Channel HERMES open slope study sites on the European margins
WORK PACKAGE 1: OPEN SLOPE SYSTEMS
Continental slopes connect shelf areas and the deep sea: areas along the European margins, using consistent all exchanges of matter and energy between these two protocols. The investigations into the number of major marine environments occur across the continental meiofaunal taxa and nematode species richness – slope. Open slopes constitute only 20 per cent of the nematodes account for 80-90 per cent of total faunal world’s oceans, but the biogeochemical and ecological abundance in deep-sea sediments – show, inter alia,that processes that take place there are essential for the slopes can be considered hotspots of benthic bio- functioning of our biosphere. Several goods, including diversity. Slopes are optimal systems for investigations biomass, bioactive molecules, oil and gas, and services into large-scale and bathymetric distribution patterns, such as climate regulation, nutrient regeneration and which could potentially guide the planning of biodiversity food production, provided by deep-sea ecosystems are conservation in deep-sea areas. produced and/or stored along the open slopes of Latitude and longitude do not necessarily influence continental margins. Global-scale studies indicate that distribution: it seems that the spatial variability of the functioning and efficiency of deep-sea and slope food sources and quality is a more important driver of ecosystems increase exponentially where there is higher large-scale species distribution and biodiversity along biodiversity, which suggests a positive interaction be- open-slope systems. Biodiversity patterns also depend tween deep-sea benthic species. This has important on specific topographic and ecological features, as well as implications: open slopes host a large proportion of water depth, accentuating the need to investigate further the Earth’s as yet undiscovered biodiversity, and a loss the link between deep-sea biodiversity and geosphere of 20-30 per cent of deep-sea biodiversity can result in a characteristics. Biodiversity turnover, i.e. beta diversity, in 50-80 per cent reduction in the key processes of deep- open-slope systems is extremely high, leading to an sea ecosystems. elevated regional (i.e. gamma) diversity. Most samples HERMES provided the opportunity to test several contained a different set/composition of species. There hypotheses and enigmas surrounding deep-sea and are indications that this reflects high substrate hetero- open-slope biodiversity. For the first time, a large number geneity and topographic complexity, a postulate that will of samples were taken and analysed from various slope have to be examined further.
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Getting under way
o help the reader understand and value what HERMES BENGAL, ENAM and STEAM in the mid-1990s followed Thas achieved, I would like to outline where we have by ACES, ANAXIMANDER, CORALMOUND, COSTA, come from. As recently as two decades ago, deep-sea ECOMOUND, EUROSTRATFORM, PROMESS and scientific research was mostly carried out by small, national METROL, amongst others. Such projects brought together teams at marine research institutes and universities. Even leading experts from across Europe, and in doing so helped the largest research projects typically involved fewer than to build trans-European communities of researchers in the a dozen experts, mostly representing a narrow range of respective disciplines. But with the exception of OMEX, few expertise. In the 1990s, that started to change. In Europe, of these projects had a significant interdisciplinary element. under earlier Framework Programmes for research, the In general, the groups involved in one of these projects did European Commission (EC) funded a number of inter- not talk very much to those involved in another. national research projects and partnerships to study the oceanography, geology, geochemistry and biology of the Several of us recognized that while we were gaining European margins and deep seas. These included OMEX, knowledge in different, sometimes quite specific fields, the
HERMES OBJECTIVES, GOALS AND AIMS
HERMES was designed to gain new insights into the catastrophic events and to global change, and because biodiversity, structure, function and dynamics of marine man’s exploitation of the deep European margin is ecosystems along Europe’s deep-ocean margin. It rep- progressing rapidly. resented the first major attempt to investigate and Some of the societally relevant questions that understand deep-water ecosystems and their environ- HERMES set out to answer were: ment in an integrated way by bringing together expert- • What is the likely effect of global change on an ise in biodiversity, geology, sedimentology, microbiology, ecosystem’s ability to provide ‘goods and services’ physical oceanography and biogeochemistry. Study sites and on our attempts to manage them? extended from the Arctic to the Black Sea and included • To what extent do human activities, such as fish- open slopes as well as biodiversity hotspots such as cold- ing or hydrocarbon extraction, interfere with water coral reefs and carbonate mounds, cold seeps, ecosystems? canyons and anoxic environments. • How vulnerable are ecosystems to man’s intrusions In addition to improving knowledge about the and how quickly are they able to recover? generic relationship between environmental parameters, • How can we mitigate the negative environmental biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, the aim of the impacts of man’s activities and reach a sustainable project was to provide a framework for integrating balance in accord with the European Union’s science, environmental modelling and socio-economic commitment to sustainable development and indicators in ecosystem management. There is great international treaties? pressure to improve understanding of deep-water eco- • What is the likely effect of global change on an systems because of their possible biological fragility, ecosystem’s ability to provide ‘goods and services’ global relevance to carbon cycling and/or susceptibility to and on our attempts to manage them?
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Left: The coral community at the Tisler Reef, off Sweden. T. Lundalv Right: Lophelia pertusa and Madrepora oculata in the Sicily Channel, central Mediterranean. MARUM/University of Bremen
WORK PACKAGE 2: COLD-WATER CORALS AND CARBONATE MOUND SYSTEMS
Cold-water corals thrive in all oceans at depths of At the Tisler Reef, located in the Skagerrak at the around 200-4,000 metres. They are known to occur off border between Norway and Sweden, benthic landers – the coasts of more than 40 countries, a number which is metal frameworks equipped with an array of sensors – steadily increasing as new discoveries are made. One of were deployed to study the (tidal) flow of water masses the best-known cold-water coral areas is the North-East over the reef, and whether the corals change the quality, Atlantic. Here, the ‘white’ coral species, Lophelia pertusa quantity and composition of suspended particles and and Madrepora oculata, can build complex, three- particulate organic matter (the ‘reef effect’). The results dimensional structures (‘reefs’; see picture above left), show a preferential removal of nitrogen, indicating which form part of a cold-water coral belt stretching that cold-water coral reefs have an impact on the bio- along the East Atlantic continental margins from chemistry of the environment, and are hotspots of northern Norway to the southern tip of Africa. mineralization activity in the ocean. The HERMES studies in the North-East Atlantic bene- The Mediterranean is known for its wealth of fossil fited from the results of the Atlantic Coral Ecosystem cold-water communities, but has very few locations Study (ACES), which was funded by the European with small, living coral colonies (see picture above Commission under the Fifth Framework Programme. This right). Using state-of-the-art mapping combined meant that in this area, research under HERMES could with observations by remotely operated vehicles, concentrate on more detailed investigations of the HERMES cruises discovered numerous new coral sites genesis, build-up and demise of deep-water coral com- during inspections of shelves (which are much narrower munities over time, the environmental conditions under than in the Atlantic), seamounts and often steeply which Lophelia reefs flourish, and the ecological func- inclined or overhanging canyon walls and escarpments. tions these reefs have for other species and biodiversity. Measurements of the environmental conditions at In situ research was supported by laboratory studies these sites indicate that the ‘white’ corals in the on corals: Lophelia spawned in temperature-controlled Mediterranean are living close to their ecological limit, aquaria, allowing documentation of the larva of this but nonetheless are not as isolated and rare as was species for the first time. previously thought.
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lack of collaboration across disciplines meant that we research, and feed these into the EC in the hope that were missing opportunities. Often, the reason or explana- some of them would later appear in the call (the EC receives tion for a certain scientific finding, such as the behaviour suggestions from a wide range of sources in the lead up of a fish or the existence of a cold-water coral reef at a to a call). In the end the call was published in 2003 and it certain location, cannot be explained purely by biological did indeed ask for a large ‘Integrated Project’ involving investigations. Information and input from oceanographers, biology, microbiology, geology, geochemistry and physical geologists and others is needed to answer these and further oceanography. complex questions. FIRST STEPS IN PREPARATION THE CALL It fell to me to coordinate our group and the preparation of During the build-up to the European Union’s Sixth a project proposal – but it could just as well have been one Framework Programme for Research and Technological of the others. They comprised some of the most outstanding Development it became apparent that the EC would include scientists in each field and, without doubt, could have done large multidisciplinary projects in the call it sent out to an excellent job. We thought long and hard about how we Europe’s ocean science community. So a number of us could meet the challenges set out by the Commission: began a series of meetings to establish how we could work • how to break the work down into a series of work together. One task was to identify the key areas that needed packages;
HERMES WORK PACKAGES, THE WORK PACKAGE LEADERS AND THEIR INSTITUTIONS
The HERMES project is structured around 10 work packages: five focused on specific ecosystems, and five devoted to themes that underpin the work on ecosystems and translate the resulting data into usable products.
COORDINATOR Prof. Phil Weaver, NOCS
Project Steering Committee
Project management Scientific Dr Vikki Gunn, NOCS management board WP7 Ecosystems modelling WP2 Dr Karline Soetaert, NIOO-CEME WP1 WP4 Corals and WP3 WP5 Open slope Anoxic carbonate Cold seep Canyon systems microbial mound systems systems Prof. Roberto systems Danovaro, systems Dr Jean-Paul Prof. Paul Tyler, CoNISMa-ULR Foucher, Prof. Dr Antje NERC-NOCS Prof. André IFREMER Boetius, MPG Ancona Freiwald, UERL
Dr Ingo Shewe, AWI Dr Ingo Shewe, WP6 HERMES GIS
WP9 Data management Prof. Miquel Canals, UB
WP8 Sustainable management WP10 Education and outreach Dr Anthony Grehan, NUIG Prof. Laurenz Thomsen, JUB
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Upper left: Sampling chemosynthetic fauna in the central Nile Deep Sea Fan, eastern Mediterranean. IFREMER/MEDECO Upper right: Macrofauna at home on authigenic carbonate crust near cold seeps in the Storegga region on the Nordic margin. IFREMER/Viking Lower left: Anemones and basket stars colonize the carbonate crust near Storegga, Nordic margin. IFREMER/Viking
WORK PACKAGE 3: COLD SEEP SYSTEMS
Cold seeps are areas on the ocean floor where concentrations of chemical compounds around seeps as water, minerals, hydrogen sulphide, methane or other an energy source. hydrocarbon-rich fluids, gases and muds leak or The Håkon Mosby mud volcano is one of the largest are expelled through sediments and cracks by gravita- on the European margin, measuring more than a tional forces and/or overpressures in often gas-rich kilometre across. Active mud expulsion occurs at its subsurface zones. In contrast to hydrothermal vents, centre and this is surrounded by an area of deformed these emissions are not geothermally heated and are older mud flows, which indicate periodic mud expulsion therefore much cooler, often close to the surrounding caused by temporal variability in the strength of the seawater temperature. Cold seeps are numerous in geochemical processes. The release of methane often European waters and can form a variety of small- to leads to the construction of authigenic carbonate crusts, large-scale features on the sea floor, including mud pavements or slabs. volcanoes, pockmarks, gas chimneys, brine pools and Most seeps studied under HERMES along the hydrocarbon seeps. European margin display a biological zonation, with All these features are geologically driven ‘hotspots’ of bacterial mats covering part of the sea floor in the active increased biological activity. The seeps feed microbial centre, and larger animals occurring (often in dense communities as well as specialized metazoan ecosystems patches) on the surrounding, older structures. However, dominated by a few taxa, for example tubeworms and communities on different cold seeps were often found bivalves with symbiotic bacteria, which occur in large to differ in terms of species composition, which indicates numbers of individuals. These chemosynthetic biota are a high variability of ecosystem processes and associated adapted to low oxygen levels and utilize the elevated biodiversity at different spatial scales.
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• how to study individual ecosystems; in our research proposal. This was, I think, one of the first • how to integrate results between ecosystems; times this had been done with regard to a marine scientific • how to create an interdisciplinary project where research project on such a scale, certainly with regard to the biologists, geologists and physicists could work deep seas. together; • how to make strong connections with policy makers THE PARTNERS and provide them with the information and data One of the critical things learnt from previous projects is they needed; that you must be absolutely confident of the quality of your • how to provide training opportunities for as many partners. First-class scientific capabilities are essential, of students as possible; and course; but on their own they are not enough. What we • how to publicize the results of the project as widely needed for HERMES to succeed was a will for the partners as possible. to work together by sharing data, integrating their work with that of other scientists from both their own and other Considerable effort went into formulating our proposal disciplines, and taking on board the policy aspects of the and we met in a series of locations. One of the earliest work. Partners must also be highly competent managers, meetings took place in a remote, snow-bound hunting with excellent financial management skills and the ability lodge in Switzerland. Another was held in March 2003 at an to deliver on time. Without the right management skills old waterfront hotel in Buckler’s Hard near Southampton even the best projects can founder. Another important in England. consideration for HERMES was the ability of partners to provide ship time and access to specialist equipment. ADVANCING EUROPEAN AND GLOBAL GOALS The EC wanted to support research into the marine I was confident that we had the nucleus of an outstanding environment through one of the ‘instruments’ of the Sixth team thanks to our long experience and the many dis- Framework Programme. These instruments – or funding cussions that had already taken place. The HERMES mechanisms – were designed either to facilitate a ‘Network scientists were all – and still are – leaders in their fields, of Excellence’ or an ‘Integrated Project’. A Network is extremely organized, and well versed in what is required intended to bring together a large number of scientists to for EC-funded programmes and projects. Equally important, provide a durable structure for European research with much they came from many of the key laboratories and insti- of the research being funded by the individual countries of tutions across the continent involved in deep-sea research, Europe. An Integrated Project, by contrast, is created to do and so provided our group with the beginnings of a new research, new science. At one stage it looked as if the representative and balanced pan-European enterprise. EC favoured a Network. Many of us in the scientific The work package leaders were chosen from this initial community, however, believed the case for an Integrated set of key partners. In a project as large as HERMES, these Project was very strong. We knew that there was an urgent leaders would become critical – firstly to form the manage- need for more research on the European continental margins ment team to guide the overall project and secondly to lead and deep seas, and we were confident that we could do it. their respective areas of research or activity. A good example of a knowledge gap that needs to be filled is the impact on cold-water corals of bottom trawling for fish: We also recognized that in order to meet our aims it we did not know how long the corals take to recover (if at was essential to include other players too – partners who all), the extent to which they are part of a large ecosystem could contribute specific skills or expertise to the project – complex that is important for fish reproduction, and so on. though of course we had to be careful to limit the number HERMES had the potential to go a long way towards of partners to a manageable level. Before long we reached answering questions like these. Not only that: as an 45, and as the coordinator I was getting worried: 35 would Integrated Project it would help build a strong community have been the preferred maximum from the point of view and partnership of scientists, with valuable benefits beyond of manageability. Even with 45, some good groups were the lifetime of the project itself. The EC came to share this left out – not because we did not need them but because view. At this stage in the process, we were also making a the size of the consortium had to match the budget special effort to incorporate studies into the social and available. (See box overleaf for a full list of the HERMES economic issues relating to hotspots and European margins partners.)
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THE HERMES CONSORTIUM
Partner Partner No. Name (acronym and country) No. Name (acronym and country) 1 Natural Environment Research Council – 25 University of Birmingham (UNI BHAM, UK) National Oceanography Centre Southampton 26 Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NERC-NOCS, UK) (NIOO-CEME, Netherlands) 2 Institut Français de Recherche pour 27 University of Aberdeen (UNIABN, UK) l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER, France) 28 University of Liverpool (ULIV, UK) 3 Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research 29 Doyuz-Eykul University Institute of Marine (NIOZ, Netherlands) Sciences and Technology, Izmir Group 4 University of Barcelona (UB, Spain) (IMST, Turkey) 5 Hellenic Centre for Marine Research 30 Scottish Association for Marine Science (HCMR, Greece) (SAMS, UK) 6 Leibniz-Institut für Meereswissenschaften 31 University of Aveiro (U.Aveiro, Portugal) (IFM-GEOMAR, Germany) 32 National Institute of Marine Geology and 7 Consiglio Nazionale della Richerche Geo-Ecology (GeoEcoMar, Romania) (CNR-ISMAR, Italy) 33 Intergovernmental Oceanographic 8 Alfred-Wegener-Institut für Polar- und Commission of UNESCO (IOC, France) Meeresforschung (AWI, Germany) 34 Université Pierre et Marie Curie – Paris 9 University of Tromsø (UiT, Norway) (UPMC, France) 10 National University of Ireland, Galway 35 Université de Bretagne Occidentale (NUIG, Ireland) (UBO, France) 11 Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen- 36 Université Mohammed V, Institut Scientifique Nürnberg (UERL, Germany) (ISRabat, Morocco) 12 Gent University (UGent, Belgium) 37 Challenger Oceanic Systems and Services 13 Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (COSS, UK) (CSIC-ICM, Spain) 38 Volcanic Basin Petroleum Research 14 Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per (VBPR, Norway) le Scienze del Mare 39 Praesentis (PRA, Spain) (CoNISMa-ULR Ancona, Italy) 40 MEDIAN (MEDIAN, Spain) 15 The Max Planck Society, Institute for Marine 41 MMCD Multimedia Consulting GmbH Microbiology (MPG, Germany) (MMCD, Germany) 16 Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique 42 Olex A/S (Olex AS, Norway) (CNRS-CEFREM/LSCE, France) 43 ArchimediX (ArchimediX, Germany) 17 Instituto Hidrográfico (IH, Portugal) 44 Proteus (Proteus, France) 18 Jacobs University Bremen GmbH 45 Jobin Yvon (JY SAS, France) (JUB, Germany) 46 * Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas 19 University of Bremen (RCOM, Germany) (IBSS, Ukraine) 20 University of Wales, Cardiff (UWC, UK) 47 * P.P.Shirshov Institute of Oceanology 21 Institute of Marine Research (IMR, Norway) (IORAS, Russia) 22 University of Gothenburg, Tjarno Marine 48 * Odessa National University (ONU, Ukraine) Biological Laboratory (UGOT, Sweden) 49 * Lomonosov Moscow State University 23 University of Southampton, School of Ocean (MSU, Russia) and Earth Science (USOU, UK) 50 * United Nations Environment Programme 24 Instituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e (UNEP, Kenya) di Geofisica Sperimentale (OGS, Italy) * became a HERMES partner in October 2006
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As for the commercial sector, we identified the key busi- nesses that would do a good job for us – a number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with competence in biotechnology, the development and manufacture of specialist equipment such as remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), and leading providers of economic and social analysis, outreach and education work. So we did achieve something of a balance between big labs, small labs and commercial partners. We were also able to welcome five additional partners in October 2006 by utilizing a special call from the EC for targeted third countries to join existing research projects such as HERMES.
WRITING THE PROPOSAL The proposal was written in two stages. The first submission was made in October 2003 and was limited to 20 pages. It provided the structure of the project and an outline of the research, but not the full details. We heard that it had been successful on 2 December 2003 and then had just six weeks to produce the full proposal, something that – given the scale, complexity and demands of each of the work packages that we envisaged – presented a real challenge to timing and coordination. I would like to take a moment to describe how we went ahead: writing a successful proposal is not an easy thing to do and our experience may be useful for others.
First, I called a meeting for the whole partnership – the first time we had met collectively – on 17-19 December at the Royal Holloway University of London, and 90 scientists turned up. This venue was inexpensive, close to Heathrow airport and therefore easily accessible. At the meeting we went through in detail how we would achieve our project goals and what each partner would contribute. It was an intense but rewarding experience because we all began to realize the benefits of working across the various scien- tific disciplines. The research of one partner provides the basis for further investigations by another, like a jigsaw puzzle fitting together. I made the mistake of programming parallel sessions so that we could get through more work, but it soon became apparent that many partners wanted
Upper: A multi-armed brisingid sea star at a depth of 800 metres in the Lisbon Canyon. NERC-NOCS Middle: Crinoids in the Whittard Canyon. NERC-NOCS Lower: The echinothurid sea urchin Calveriosoma hystrix at a depth of 1,321 metres in the Nazaré Canyon. NERC-NOCS
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HERMES SCIENCE PANELS AND SCIENCE-POLICY INTERFACES
Human activities impacting or threatening deep-sea composed of key European and international policy ecosystems are rapidly increasing and require a policy makers, stakeholders from industry, NGOs and inter- response. To facilitate this, HERMES developed inter- national institutions, and leading scientists. The SPP’s faces to enhance connectivity between research and objective was to establish a strategic dialogue between policy, and to ensure that stakeholders engaged in the the spheres of research and policy in order to develop development of global, regional and national policies or improve mechanisms by which science was made have effective and prompt access to HERMES results available to support and guide the agenda and priorities and products. of international deep-sea policy debates. The SPP The Science Implementation Panel (SIP) was made (pictured) met three times: in 2006 to discuss critical up of seven members representing the key potential end- scientific, socio-economic, governance and manage- users of HERMES results, including representatives ment issues for the deep sea; in 2008 with a focus on from the European Commission (DG Environment, DG how deep-sea research can support ocean governance; Maritime Affairs and Fisheries), the United Nations and at the end of the project in 2009 to present the main Environment Programme, non-governmental organi- results and products achieved under HERMES, as well as zations (NGOs), the hydrocarbon industry (StatoilHydro) the future work of the follow-up projects HERMIONE and the Census of Marine Life. SIP members attended (www.eu-hermione.net) and CoralFISH (www.eu-fp7- the annual HERMES science meetings in order to interact coralfish.net) under the European Union’s Seventh with the HERMES community and advise on key political Framework Programme. and societal developments, issues and milestones that In addition to the work of SIP and SPP, HERMES might have had a bearing on the project’s research experts had ad hoc meetings with policy makers and activities and data collection. The SIP also made sug- formed partnerships with relevant authorities at the gestions to the HERMES Steering Committee about national and regional level. They engaged in and pro- potential adjustments to the work plan in order to focus vided input to the discussions of numerous international research efforts in areas with the most relevance to fora, including the International Seabed Authority (ISA), pressing or emerging policy issues. the International Council for Exploration of the Seas The high-level Science Policy Panel (SPP) was (ICES), and the OSPAR and Barcelona Conventions.
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to work in more than one research area and most of them habitats and variations in food supply, which govern wanted to understand the whole project, which of course is the distribution of organisms and ecosystems. What should crucially important. also not be forgotten is that not all environmental factors and conditions can actually be measured, especially in the Following this meeting, I cleared my diary and dedicated deep sea. So we had to find modellers who were able to all my time to coordinating the proposal writing. Typically, bridge this gap. I would draft a ‘ghost’ section or ‘straw-man’ outline for each work package and send it to the respective work We also made special efforts from the outset to reach out package leader for comment and rewriting. They would and link our project results to organizations and institutions send the section back to me, vastly improved of course. But beyond the scientific community. Environmental non- often it would be over-length too (each section had a governmental organizations (NGOs), for example, are particular page limit and consisted of components from always calling for more research. Why not invite them to several work packages), and I would edit (or ask other engage with HERMES from the beginning? Similarly for colleagues to edit) quite ruthlessly. This process of writing industry: why not work with them to understand their needs, and re-writing would happen two or three times, and concerns and priorities? A process like this that tries to take colleagues in my own lab helped with the editing. While account of the interests and concerns of government, waiting for changes to come back on one section I would industry and civil society at the foundation stages needs be working on another. We did have to be quite hard on careful preparation and dedicated mechanisms. We decided the writing in order to achieve a balance, especially since to have two HERMES working groups: a Science Policy Panel the work package leaders were world experts in their and a Science Implementation Panel. As I envisaged it, the field, and this led to some lively discussions about how Science Policy Panel, or SPP, would provide a high-level and what could be fitted in. We also had to balance the forum where HERMES scientists could discuss issues with volume of work to match the length of the project, the policy makers, industrial users of the oceans and NGOs. budgets available and the expertise of the partners. Each The SPP would meet just three times during the course of partner had been allocated an indicative budget, though it HERMES: once at the beginning to discuss what we were was already apparent at the writing stage that partners were going to do, once in the middle of the project, and again at willing to contribute additional efforts and assets from the end to show what we had achieved. The smaller Science national resources, such as ship time and studentships. In Implementation Panel, SIP, would attend our annual science the end the writing went well because people had faith in meetings where the SIP members could comment on the the coherence of the overview. value of the work we had completed and make suggestions to keep upcoming work focused on the key issues. This SPP At the same time, we kept trying to think of how we could and SIP approach was quite innovative, I think. break new ground. One of the key things we had to do was create an interdisciplinary project where biologists, Another innovation was that from the beginning we took geologists and physicists would share data and work to- outreach to education and media seriously via a dedicated gether to understand ecosystems in the context of their work package. Our outreach work included, amongst other physical environment. A good example of this is mud activities, a media strategy and the development of a volcanoes, in which fluids are generated in the rocks separate part of the HERMES website with a wealth of hundreds of metres below the sea floor by geological material produced specifically for schools. We also decided processes and then migrate to the seabed where they feed that it was important to take teachers and students out to biological communities. To understand how mud volcanoes sea: a hands-on approach to get them involved in our work and what they mean for the deep-sea environment, research and give them a sense of ownership. After all, the geologists and biologists have to work together. Another work should deliver benefits for the next generation, not just good example is the study of submarine canyons, which for today. In one sense we were working for them. Through requires expertise in geology, oceanography and biology. working with UNEP we were able to contribute to a TV These canyons were cut into the continental margins by documentary on cold-water corals that was broadcast geological processes and today capture sediment according every day for a week on the BBC World Service, thus to the prevailing ocean currents, which they then channel spreading word of our discoveries to over 163 million to the deep sea. These processes create a wide variety of homes in 200 countries.
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Sampling microbial carbonate chimneys in the Black Sea. MARUM/MPI
WORK PACKAGE 4: ANOXIC MICROBIAL SYSTEMS
Anoxic microbial ecosystems are found in areas devoid consumption, petroleum degradation and microbial of oxygen, which precludes the existence of higher life calcification. forms and hence grazing of microorganisms. Resembling By quantifying the biomass and distribution of the conditions on early Earth, such ecosystems are found microbes in situ and linking these results to geological, at and below the ocean floor, extending several kilo- geochemical, physical and biological measurements, metres below the seabed, limited only when tempera- HERMES scientists provided for the first time answers to tures reach above 120°C. It was estimated that about a some key questions such as: third of all biomass on Earth thrives in such anoxic • What are the characteristics (e.g. ecosystem struc- ecosystems. Hotspots of anoxic microbial life occur espe- ture, energy budget) and driving forces (e.g. fluid cially at localized features such as hydrocarbon- and flow from gas hydrate dissociation) of active cold-seep systems, where fluids and gases (e.g. methane) geological structures harbouring anoxic microbial are released from the sea floor. The permanent absence ecosystems? of oxygen in the Black Sea basin provides a natural • Are there unique key microorganisms and biogeo- laboratory, enabling HERMES scientists to study anoxic chemical pathways involved in this biosphere- microbial processes, including the formation of massive, geosphere coupling? 10-centimetre-thick microbial mats and the development • How resilient are these geo-ecosystems, how do and structure of carbonate build-ups and microbial reefs they respond to external forces, and what is their associated with methane seepage. global significance, e.g. as sinks and sources in car- Anoxic habitats hold a great diversity and biomass bon cycling and gas emission to the hydrosphere? of bacteria and archaea, many of which are still to be discovered, especially in deep subsurface sediments. The large-scale integration of European expertise and HERMES investigated and visualized the interaction laboratories under HERMES, combined with advanced between selected geological structures (e.g. cold seeps underwater technology and modern tools of molecular and mud volcanoes) forming habitats for anoxic life, and geochemistry and biology, enabled the detailed des- microbial communities that impact these structures cription and more holistic understanding of the bio- through their activities, such as gas production and diversity and function of anoxic marine ecosystems.
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HIGH MARKS BUT HEAVY SEAS All of this, and more, was in the proposal we submitted to the EC. The reviewers gave us a score of 29 out of 30 – an approval rating so high that it was almost unheard-of for any European project. At least one reviewer said it represented ‘tremendous value for money’. The Commission would provide EUR20 million, but together with all the co- investments from partners and Member States (e.g. ship time, equipment and laboratory use), the overall project value would be nearer EUR60-70 million. We were delighted, of course, only to be all the more dismayed when we learned that the EC had decided to cut its contribution from EUR20 million to EUR15 million. The cuts were made for budgetary reasons, against the advice of the reviewers. Many people were upset and in disbelief. We considered two options to manage this cut: reducing the time we spent on the project from four years to three, or trying somehow to deliver the programme with three quarters of the funding that we believed was necessary. We decided on the latter: the budget for each work package was cut by an average of 25 per cent.
Apportioning the potential budget is always difficult when writing a proposal. We did it according to the amount of work each partner was expected to achieve (for example, how many scientists and how many disciplines), the value of the equipment they could provide, the amount of ship time they could bring to the project and whether or not they had a management role. Of course this is not an exact science, but it is essential to provide indicative budgets early to each partner so that their aspirations are kept within reasonable bounds. I also tried to build the concept that we should be linking national programmes via this project so that partners would be able to add nationally funded efforts. This concept worked spectacularly well. The project, once it started, was so large that it captured people’s imaginations and they wanted to maximize their participation. In a kind of ‘snow-ball’ effect, more PhD studentships, ship time and personnel were added during the life of the project, all paid for by national resources.
Upper: A scorpion fish at a depth of 1,268 metres in the Whittard Canyon off Ireland. NERC-NOCS Middle: The common mora, photographed at a depth of 981 metres in the Porcupine Seabight. Oceanlab Aberdeen Lower: A redfish (Sebastes viviparus) resting below a colony of the reef-building coral Lophelia pertusa at the Tisler Reef, northeast Skagerrak, at a depth of 99 metres. T. Lundalv
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HERMES STUDY AREAS
Svalbard margin
Nordic margin
Porcupine/ Rockall
Black Sea
Gulf of Cadiz/ Southern Portugal Eastern Mediterranean
Western Mediterranean Central Mediterranean
HERMES study areas Coral Areas of mud mounds Landslide Cold seep sites
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Working together
e finally started work in April 2005. Notwithstanding want to be in the middle of nowhere because people need Wthe size of our project, I was absolutely determined to escape in the evenings in smaller groups. You also need that we would build a sense of shared ownership, a real good facilities and transport connections. That combination team of which everyone felt genuinely a part from the very is rare. For us, out of season in Rhodes, Majorca and the beginning. To make this happen, it was important that we Algarve turned out to be ideal. Our first annual meeting took organized our yearly meetings appropriately. From the first place in 2006 after the first year of scientific research, and kick-off meeting, which took place on the island of Rhodes it was also the first time for the Science Implementation in April 2005, our meetings consisted of plenary sessions – Panel (SIP) to meet and comment on our research plans. This everybody together: no hiving off into working groups – at was a learning curve for us all, but the SIP worked really which the different work package teams presented their well. With the SIP experience, we arranged meetings with work, and those from other groups listened and interacted. policy makers in Brussels to explain more details of our We had so much to get through at the annual meetings that research, and to follow up their queries, such as how to they usually lasted for five days, but with hindsight it was define areas for conservation in the deep sea. time well spent, and we did take a mid-week break with a field trip. This had the benefit of allowing the scientists to get The community spirit that began to build at annual meetings to know each other. This is very important when dealing was strengthened by encouraging researchers from different with a team of up to 150 scientists, many of whom did not institutions to join research cruises organized by others. know each other at the outset of the project. On one, for example, we had people from Southampton, Aberdeen, Cardiff, Liverpool, Ancona, Aveiro, Barcelona, A number of people have said that they would much rather Cork, Ghent and Texel. Marine research, particularly in the go to a HERMES meeting than one of the other big interna- deep oceans, can take you to sea for three or four weeks at tional scientific meetings with multiple parallel sessions. At a time. This is long enough for people to get to know each HERMES, everyone is together for all sessions, everyone is other properly. Some of the trips were specifically designed interested in everything that is going on, and there is a great to cover a wide range of research, bringing several partners deal of interaction between senior and younger scientists. together. This was not only so that we could share sophis- The way to get people working together is to start from where ticated equipment to achieve things jointly that we would they feel ‘comfortable’ and to explore common interests – not otherwise have been able to do; it also gave us a lever for for example, spectacular physical and biological phenomena generating coverage in national and international media – such as cold-water corals and deep underwater canyons – they were ‘showcase cruises’, where the public could get a and carry people along from there to the wider issues and view of some of the best European marine science in action. questions that affect these most remarkable systems. These cruises used remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) that are tethered to the ship with a cable, but are self-powered so It really helps to have a good location for your meeting. You that they can descend to the seabed and make very detailed ideally need a reasonably comfortable hotel because you maps, carry out experiments, collect specimens and take are going to be there for quite a few nights, and people do numerous photos and videos. not work well unless they can sleep well. The hotel should be reasonably cheap because you want to get as many THE HERMES PROJECT MANAGER students to attend as possible. For preference, it will be in a The importance of a good project manager cannot be small town so that there are few distractions. But you do not overstated. It is a crucial position, and in no small part
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Adapted from CEFREM CNRS-University of Perpignan/University of Barcelona, Fugro Survey Ltd and AOA Geophysics
Dense water cascading
Canyon axis - 100 m
Giant furrows
Bathymetric image of the Cap de Creus Canyon in the northwest Mediterranean, showing the mechanism for dense water cascading - 800 m
WORK PACKAGE 5: CANYON SYSTEMS
Submarine canyons are major geomorphologic features heterogeneous array of large- to small-scale habitats. extending for tens to hundreds of kilometres offshore, HERMES scientists discovered that the upper and middle and just as impressive and spectacular as their counter- parts of the canyon have a rugged topography with steep parts on land. Underwater, they dissect the world’s scarp slopes, overhangs, gullies and sediment-covered continental shelves and slopes, connecting shallow terraces, indicating that particularly the upper part of coastal areas with the deep abyssal plains. In certain the canyon is subject to strong currents, high turbidity locations they are associated with episodic events known and sediment transport along the canyon floor. The as ‘dense water cascading’, transporting huge water lower part of the canyon, some 120 kilometres from the masses from shallow areas into the deep sea – vital for canyon head, is at present a markedly lower-energy the health of fish stocks and ecosystems in both areas. environment, although coarse gravel layers indicate a Although the location of submarine canyons is quite much more active past with catastrophic processes well charted, until recently they were difficult to study capable of transporting boulders up to a metre across. because of their sinuous shape, steep walls and narrow The great variation in morphology and physical con- channels, which made it difficult to navigate observation ditions in canyons is reflected in their variety of eco- and sampling devices. Dynamic ship positioning and re- systems and biodiversity. In the Nazaré Canyon certain motely operated vehicles now make it possible to enter groups, such as sea lilies and gorgonians, tend to be found and see the canyons for the first time. Under HERMES, a on exposed, rocky surfaces, while infauna and large, number of canyons were investigated, including the shelled protozoans (xenophyophores) dominate the Nazaré Canyon off Portugal. Named after the nearby muddy sediments at a depth of 3,400 metres. Diversity town, this canyon is not linked to a river system. It begins tends to decrease with depth, and the biodiversity of any close to the beach and extends to a depth of 5,000 given small habitat may be low; however, due to the sheer metres some 210 kilometres to the west, providing a number and heterogeneity of habitats and communities major pathway for the transport of sediment, nutrients over its whole length and depth, the Nazaré Canyon is and pollution into the deep sea. a magnificent biodiversity hotspot in need of further Along its route, the Nazaré Canyon provides a vast, research and careful, sustainable management.
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determines the success (or failure) of the project. As the surface water, making it denser, so that it sinks to coordinator, I was the ‘official face’ of the project, but I the sea floor and then flows down-slope into the deep trusted and relied on the project manager. We were fortunate Mediterranean Sea. The huge amount of cascading water to have Victoria (Vikki) Gunn, who works with my office in displaces the highly valuable deep-sea shrimp Aristeus Southampton. I have known her for many years so was antennatus (marketed as ‘crevette rouge’), but it also carries confident that she would do a good job. The success of with it nutrients and oxygen that lead to a rejuvenation of HERMES proved me right. the shrimp population three to five years later. A concern, however, is that global warming is likely to reduce the THE NEXT GENERATION frequency and intensity of cascading events, with con- A particular concern for us was how to maximize support sequent impacts on the fishery. The second is evidence of within HERMES for the next generation of scientists. This the effect of deep-sea fishing in the Porcupine Seabight. was important as we had 100 PhD students and more David Bailey and his colleagues have shown that the small than 40 post-doctoral fellows associated with the project. deep-water fishery in the area has a disproportionate impact From the second annual meeting forwards, we particularly on the non-target species (bycatch), with abundance of both encouraged young people to make presentations: some target and non-target species being reduced by 50 per cent. 60 per cent of the presentations at our meetings were made This significant impact did not only occur in the depth range by post-doctoral or PhD students. We wanted them to gain where commercial fishing took place (up to a maximum confidence and have a higher profile in the project. After depth of around 1,600 metres), but extended considerably all, they are able to concentrate 100 per cent of their time deeper, to as much as 2,500 metres. This means that fishing on research, whereas established scientists have other roles can cause declines in areas that were previously thought to such as teaching and management. We also made special be unaffected, with important implications for the design efforts through HERMES for many people, especially the and management of fisheries and marine reserves in terms younger post-doctoral students, to visit labs in other of their vertical and horizontal boundaries. Member States to get to know their ways of working. It is precisely this kind of activity that builds the foundation for The third representative piece of research is that of Roberto productive collaborations in the future, even beyond the Danovaro and colleagues – who found that even a small HERMES project. We also ran residential workshops for our biodiversity loss in deep-sea ecosystems may seriously im- young scientists, including training in the use of global pair the functioning and sustainability of those ecosystems. information system (GIS) technology and interview training A loss of 20-25 per cent of species could cause a reduc- for job applicants. tion of 50-80 per cent in the ecosystem functions that provide goods and services and help to regulate the global SCIENTIFIC HIGHLIGHTS biogeochemical and ecological processes which are essen- The highlights of the HERMES project, especially across the tial for our biosphere and for human well-being. physical and biological sciences, are many and various; too numerous to cover here. Details can be found in the It must be stressed that these are just three examples from a March 2009 issue of Oceanography, while the HERMES great range of research, all aimed at understanding deep- website (www.eu-hermes.net) offers links to some of the sea ecosystems in order to inform decisions about their most exciting discoveries and results, including those conservation and management. that are still coming out. There is also a little more detail in the boxes throughout this report. Still, I will briefly A TYPICAL DAY AT SEA mention three pieces of research that are representative of As for a typical day at sea, most people work a 12-hour shift, what we have done in HERMES and help to show why from noon to midnight or vice versa. An expedition leader research into the hotspots and margins of our seas is so vital usually works through the day in order to overlap both shifts. for the future. First thing in the morning, you look at what has been happening overnight. Over breakfast and a cruise ‘wash-up’ The first is identification of the intensity and impact of dense you talk with the ship’s captain and others about the water cascading in the Gulf of Lions. Miquel Canals and challenges (including the all-important weather and sea his colleagues have shown that dense water cascading forecast) and plans for the day ahead. Then, typically, you is caused by northerly winds in cold winters that cool organize the day’s work by talking to the scientists about
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Land Coral suitability > 75% National border
0510 km Norwegian waters
Swedish waters
Predicted habitat suitability in the Skagerrak for Lophelia pertusa (pictured), based on bathymetry, slope and bathymetric position index Adapted from De Mol, B. et al. (2009) HERMES-GIS: A tool connecting scientists and policy-makers. Oceanography Vol. 22 (1), March 2009, pp. 144-153
WORK PACKAGE 6: HERMES GIS
Geographic information systems (GISs) are tools to of all collected data with results from a specific location gather, transform, manipulate, analyse and produce is achieved by means of data models. These aid the information – often in the form of maps – related to the interpretation as frameworks representing both spatial Earth’s surface. The large volume of diverse data gathered and non-spatial objects; store time-series data; and under HERMES is archived using the PANGAEA archive provide three-dimensional graphics/maps of morpho- and library (see box on page 30). logical structures such as canyons or mud volcanoes that In order to make the HERMES data accessible to influence environmental conditions at a certain location. users within and beyond the HERMES community, The HERMES GIS is also a useful tool for modelling and to provide them with tools to analyse and visualize and predicting the distribution of ecosystems and these data, a dedicated, web-based HERMES GIS was habitats. The geographical distribution of key species developed. Given the large geographic area covered by such as Lophelia pertusa and ecosystems such as cold- HERMES, the HERMES GIS is managed at a regional scale. water coral reefs is affected by a combination of different This allows the display of very detailed information, such physical, oceanographic and biological factors and as side-scan sonar and multibeam imagery, sub-sea-floor variables. Predictive modelling generates habitat suita- profiles, bathymetric data and photographic images at bility maps, which show the geographical areas that various scales. Its multifunctional design supports a wide match the environmental requirements of the species. range of uses, from queries for the planning of new Predictive maps created by the HERMES GIS, together research cruises to interpretation of research findings for with Ecological Niche Factor Analyses (ENFA), reinforced policy making. the general consensus that the North-East Atlantic is a The HERMES GIS is able to combine information key region in the global distribution of Lophelia pertusa, from across all work packages, for example by layering and enable the (cost-) effective planning of future expe- and superimposing socio-economic information on sea- ditions and surveys by remotely operated vehicle to find floor maps showing biological, geological and oceano- and study further the cold-water coral reefs of the graphic patterns, features and conditions. The integration European deep-water margins.
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what they want to do over the next 24-72 hours, and you because of changed priorities, broken equipment or bad schedule experiments. At the same time, data are coming on weather. Still, even the greatest frustrations are forgotten board from a wide range of instruments including the ROV when, for example, you see the graduate students mature in (if it is being used), and everything needs to be assessed. confidence and, thanks in part to their shipboard work, eventually get jobs. It is also great to see stories about your Take a visit to a mud volcano. You arrive at a new site. You findings being picked up by the media and in the TV news. could do a short mapping survey with the ship, perhaps to That shows you are really reaching the public. identify the major features. Then you can send down the ROV, which is connected to the ship by a power and data Finally, social events on board should not be forgotten. cable. It can be used to make a very detailed map of the mud Working in cramped conditions around the clock and with volcano by traversing to and fro (rather like mowing the no space to escape is challenging. Groups and people have lawn). It does this at a height of a few tens of metres above to get to know (and respect) each other. If you get it right, the seabed, rather than from hundreds to thousands of the scientists will bond into a team. Cruises, especially long metres, which is the height between the sea floor and the ones, build work relationships and friendships that can last ship you are on. By analysing the ROV map, you decide to a lifetime. take samples here, here and here, and place experiments on the seabed at various locations. You are constantly up- dating the programme. There might be a whole chain of A selection of HERMES-GIS data layers experiments: geochemical sampling, incubation, seabed temperature measurements, specimen collection. ROVs descend and ascend from the seabed at about 1 metre per Water masses Currents second. So it can take hours to get to the sea floor, and you have to plan several things for the ROV to do while it is there Samples in order to maximize its use. While this is going on, you are also probably receiving a lot of information from shore – the blessing and the curse of shipboard email. Seismic Multibeam At sea, you have to be very flexible. You are constantly Tectonic reinterpreting data and using your findings to plan the next experiments, which can be subject to all kinds of changes and dilemmas. If, for example, the science is fantastic at Geology one site and you decide to stick around there for longer than you had originally planned, that will reduce time for Landslides another site. It is hard work, but few things are more rewarding than trying your best to get the most out of an oceanographic cruise. Slope
One regular daily science meeting is vital while you are on Distance the ship. And you have to communicate with the outside world too – we recounted the progress of our expeditions via the web, including Classroom@Sea (www.classroom@ Topography sea.net), where students and others were encouraged to write daily blogs. Obviously, if you have teachers or other guests on board, then you have to spend time with them. You need Bathymetry feedback on all aspects of life at sea, not just the science, but other activities such as how to feed a shipboard team of up Adapted from De Mol, B. et al. to 50 people, how to navigate or how to keep the engines (2009) HERMES-GIS: A tool connecting scientists and policy-makers. running. You also have to try to reduce the frustration and Oceanography Vol. 22 (1), March 2009, pp. 144-153 boredom people might feel when they are unable to work
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The HERMES Story Ecosystems – A Practical Guide. Adapted from Soetart, K & Oevelen, D.v. (2009) Modeling Food Web Interactions in Benthic
CO2
Simplified phytoplankton f0 f6 benthic zooplankton Detritus carbon Detritus 10 2 food web f1 f3 - 10 3 m suspension and f2 BacBacteriateria FaunaFauna
epibenthic feeders CO2 Oceanography f4 f5 Three-compartment food-web model
bacteria 10 -2 - 10
meiobenthos Vol. 22 (1), March 2009, pp. 128-143
(phyto)detritus 0 predators m deposit feeders burial
The factory analogue f1 f2 f6 f7 respiration Ingestion production f3 f4
defecation f5 The organism level
The mass balance dB = f1 + f2 + f3 – f4 – f5 – f6 – f7 dt ingestion defecation predation basal growth respiration respiration
WORK PACKAGE 7: ECOSYSTEMS MODELLING
Deep-sea benthic systems are notoriously difficult and development of innovative sustainable management/use expensive to sample. Even more than for other systems, strategies and marine environmental protection policies. many connections and interactions among biological As part of the modelling work under HERMES, linear groups cannot be directly measured in deeper waters, inverse models (LIMs) were developed to reconstruct and data sets remain incomplete and uncertain. In such material and energy flows through food webs, where cases, mathematical models are often used to quantify only a small number of flows have actually been biological interactions, such as mass and energy flows determined empirically, for example by stable isotope between the abiotic environment and the biota (i.e. measurements. These models add mass balance, physio- between geochemistry and microbes), and between logical and behavioural constraints, and diet information ecosystem components (i.e. from bacteria to higher to the scarce measured data, and thereby provide a trophic levels). The results of such models increase our snapshot of the magnitude of food-web flows. Two understanding of how natural change and anthropoge- examples – a very simple three-compartment food-web nic impacts, affecting inorganic and abiotic properties, model, and a simplified benthic carbon food web for propagate through food webs to higher trophic levels. the Porcupine Abyssal Plain – demonstrate how LIMs This will in turn provide insights into changes in integrate scattered information and lead to better insight ecosystem functional relationships and biodiversity, into the structure and functioning of the deep-sea food which underpin scenario forecasts and analysis for the webs and biotic communities on the European margin.
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The HERMES Story
What did work... and what did not
t is astonishing, and gratifying, how much went right during the project, and made available to the wider Iwith HERMES. Indeed, the most stressful moments were scientific community after the project. This has proven to right at the beginning when we had our budget cut by 25 be an ongoing challenge. Despite repeated calls and per cent. How do you tell a group of absolutely fantastic reminders, advice and guidance, and forms to ease data and enthusiastic scientists that their work is to be curtailed? input, some partners are quite slow in uploading their Another bad moment was when it became clear that it research data. This is a challenge faced by many pro- would be difficult for us to collect the samples needed grammes and overall HERMES has done as much as, and by our biotechnology company. At the outset, we did not probably more than, other projects. fully appreciate the legal and jurisdictional challenges that bio-prospecting would raise. And in the end, no MISSED OPPORTUNITIES bio-prospecting was done: that work remains ‘parked’. With the benefit of hindsight, and taking into account the Fortunately, this did not compromise any fundamental good engagement and contributions that StatoilHydro made aspect of our scientific work. In the longer term, bio- to HERMES, we could perhaps have made more effort prospecting on the continental margins and in the deep sea to involve other European oil companies such as BP, Shell may hold enormous potential for Europe, but that lies and Total. Another thing we are still asking ourselves is how beyond the scope of HERMES. we could have increased the effectiveness of our edu- cational outreach work. On some fronts it worked extremely Apart from that, though, very little went wrong. One of the well, e.g. the distribution of posters to schools. However, smaller commercial partners, a German firm producing the daily blogs about life at sea prepared during cruises only educational material, went out of business. Fortunately, they worked with a few schools that were directly involved. had already done their work for HERMES, with a focus on Could we somehow have involved children’s TV to spread coral reefs. There was also a delay to the UK ‘showcase’ the word? cruise owing to the later-than-scheduled delivery of a brand-new research vessel equipped with a sophisticated Another area where we could perhaps have done more was dynamic positioning system, necessary to support a remotely institutional capacity building in some newer EU Member operated vehicle (ROV). When the RRS (Royal Research States and in countries on our common borders, such as Ship) James Cook was finally ready in 2007, NERC (the UK Romania, Ukraine or Morocco. There is real potential in Natural Environment Research Council) gave us the cruise these countries, and we need to do everything we can time we needed and we were able to achieve everything to improve their participation in future projects like we had set out to do. HERMIONE (see page 36). We benefited tremendously from the involvement of Moscow State University, which ran two One final concern, however, remains: data management, ‘Training-through-Research’ expeditions on their Russian availability and storage. Obviously, it was clear from the vessel the RV Professor Logachev (see box on page 32). outset that a huge amount of data would be created under HERMES. We established a special HERMES work package GOOD TIMES on data management, which together with the HERMES GIS There were so many good times in HERMES that it is hard work package would ensure that the wealth of information to pick just a few. For scientists of my age – and I realize would be managed appropriately, shared between partners that to the younger students we must seem like dinosaurs –
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The integration of natural and social sciences in HERMES Goods and Adapted from Burbridge (2002) services Board Position Paper 5. www.esf.org/publications/position- Users Functions
Environmental Margin processes ecosystems
Hydrology Integrating Marine Science in Europe Particulate transport Nutrient
HOTSPOTS flux Energy papers.html Geo-habitat IS description and G classification . ESF Marine
NATURAL SCIENCES SOCIAL SCIENCES
WORK PACKAGE 8: SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT AND POLICY ADVICE
One of the major objectives of the HERMES project was policies, agreements and legislative measures that regu- to improve the scientific basis and policy support for the late human activities which threaten or impact the quality protection and preservation of the marine environment, of the marine environment. including vulnerable deep-sea ecosystems. The ultimate HERMES made significant progress in developing aim of this was to promote the maintenance of bio- genuine interdisciplinary research to allow the integra- diversity and habitat integrity so that the European seas tion of knowledge emerging from the natural sciences would remain healthy and productive. into the socio-economic and governance work of Today, there is an array of legal instruments and the project and vice versa. The HERMES partnership multilateral environmental agreements and treaties that included bio- and socio-economists and an expert on aim to mitigate human impacts on the marine environ- marine law. In collaboration with natural scientists, ment as a means to ensure the sustainable use of offshore these experts carried out economic and legal research resources. The effective implementation of these mea- on deep-sea ecosystems and the goods and services sures at national and international level is essential for they provide, the human activities impacting them, achieving agreed goals, objectives and commitments, and their governance and sustainable management. such as those set down by the World Summit on They also informed the HERMES community about Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg in 2002. relevant policy issues as they emerged at the regional The scientific information acquired through HERMES and global level in order to identify policy-relevant is directly relevant for the assessment of the status of the scientific research results and breakthroughs under marine environment, as well as providing a basis for the HERMES, and then to make them promptly accessible, valuation of ecosystem goods and services. This facilitates in a concise and comprehensible format, to managers integration of environmental concerns into the different and policy makers.
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it is still tremendously exciting to see detailed images and videos from the sea floor. When I started going to sea in 1980, we simply dangled instruments and nets over the side of the ship and worked on whatever we were lucky enough to pull up. Now, it is very different. Ships fitted with swath bathymetry systems can easily produce a detailed map of the seabed. Modern ROVs send back even more detailed topographic data and fantastic images in real time. Slowly, as the survey progresses, physical features become clear, and you can zoom in to identify particular sites of interest. On our expeditions we saw stunning seascapes, such as submarine landslides, mud volcanoes with methane bubbles escaping, cold-water coral reefs so beautiful and colourful they rival the Great Barrier Reef, not to mention the vast canyons. And then there are the extraordinary creatures: crinoids, tripod fish, enormous sponges, octo- puses and red squid, crabs and herds of sea cucumbers on the seabed. The richness, and strangeness, of life in deep waters is just amazing.
MYSTERIES I have been asked what the greatest surprises and mysteries were. The truth is that every time you go to sea to investigate the deep waters, you raise more questions than you answer. That is the nature and beauty of this research. Still, everyone will have their favourites. I have already mentioned some of the larger physical features and the animals, but some of the less immediately conspicuous things are intriguing too. For example, there are very large rounded boulders 4,300 metres down at the bottom of the Nazaré Canyon. How on Earth did they get there, so far from the beach?
Upper: An aggregation of basket stars (Gorgonocephalus caputmedusae) at a depth of 290 metres in the Bratten area, Skagerrak. T. Lundalv Middle: Corals and associated fauna in the Bay of Biscay. RCMG/UGent Lower: A crab beneath a slab of carbonate at the summit of the Napoli mud volcano, eastern Mediterranean. IFREMER/MEDECO
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The HERMES Story PANGAEA® - Publishing Network for Geoscientific & Environmental Data
WORK PACKAGE 9: DATA MANAGEMENT
Efficient information handling and knowledge manage- page. Web-based tools include a text-based search ment are the fundamental building blocks of scientific engine, a geospatial search tool (‘PangaVista’) and research, particularly for large international, inter- a powerful data-mining tool (‘ART’). Users have disciplinary projects like HERMES. Data management the option to extract any subset of data from the within HERMES was carried out by the World Data system, and display the retrieved information Centre for Marine Environmental Sciences (WDC- through user-friendly visualization tools – for MARE) and the PANGAEA Network (www.pangaea.de). example the mini-GIS ‘PanMap’, the plotting tool PANGAEA is hosted by the Alfred Wegener Institute ‘PanPlot’,and ‘Ocean Data View’.The functionality for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) and the Centre of PANGAEA also allows for the distribution of for Marine Environmental Sciences (MARUM) – both restricted data and enables project members to HERMES partners – and was conceived not only as a define flexible access rights to their data sets. long-term data archive and storage facility but as a flex- • Long-term archiving and publication of data. ible scientific tool for the processing and publication of Publication of data includes linkage of data with geo-referenced data originating from a heterogeneous corresponding publications and the attachment and dynamic scientific environment. Data management of data-specific abstracts/comments. To ensure under HERMES had the following objectives: the widest possible dissemination, metadata • ‘Pooling’ of project data and meta-information were also passed to international clearing-house (data description) in accordance with international mechanisms. standards, including data maintenance, harmoni- • Support for processing and synthesis of data, in zation and quality control and their acquisition/ particular the harmonization of project data and incorporation into the information system. preparation of compiled data sets for visualization • Providing all scientists with general access to the and analysis in GIS. pooled data throughout the project via the web • Distribution of acquired data to the data storage/ interfaces of PANGAEA and a HERMES-specific web handling system and linking to other databases.
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Limitations and new or unanswered questions
rom the beginning, it was clear that HERMES would Nazaré Canyon located further north has no river Fnot be able to address all questions related to the connection. Nevertheless, we have found that this latter environment of the European margins. We had to make a canyon is much more active in channelling sediment from choice. HERMES concentrated on a representative set of the shelf to the deep sea. Also, canyons in themselves geological and biological ‘hotspots’ such as canyons, consist of a large variety of habitats and ecosystems, ranging carbonate mounts, cold seeps and cold-water corals. We from rock surfaces exposed by strong currents, providing were aware that some important hotspots, such as sea- substrate for corals and other sessile organisms, through mounts and hydrothermal vents, were missing. Also, we areas where mud is deposited and colonized by infauna had to concentrate and focus our research on certain areas communities, to areas of mobile sand where colonization is (see map on page 20). So, from the outset, it was apparent not possible. In the Nazaré Canyon, we can distinguish that HERMES would not be able to provide information on between the upper, middle and lower parts of the canyon, the distribution of ecosystems across all of the European each with particular environmental conditions, features continental margin. and ecosystems.
In addition, the results of HERMES research raised further Another aspect that HERMES was not designed to in- questions. What does a ‘hotspot’ mean, i.e. how can we vestigate in detail, but which became very apparent during define it in biological, geological or socio-economic terms? our research, is just how much human activities are already As the name suggests, hotspots are localized features that affecting the ecosystems of the deep European margin. The stand out from the surrounding environment, like oases in impact of bottom fisheries on vulnerable ecosystems such as the desert. Concentrating on these oases, such as a single cold-water coral reefs is well known and documented, and mud volcano, cold seep or canyon, carries the risk of using many reefs investigated under the HERMES work package 2 the surrounding slope simply as a reference background. showed scars and signs of fishing impact. What came as a Just because large parts of the European margin are surprise was the amount of lost or discarded fishing gear apparently featureless expanses of sediments, are they less and other marine litter (including plastic bags, bottles and important than the hotspots? The research under HERMES the occasional rubber boot). In certain areas, the sheer suggests that this is not the case, and that slopes, for quantity of remnants of nets and long lines made operations example, are an important factor and habitat for deep-sea by remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) very difficult – getting biodiversity. It also became apparent that individual hotspots entangled in these nets and lines means the end of the are not uniform, but consist of numerous micro-habitats, particular ROV mission, and can lead to damage to or loss making their study much more complex. of equipment worth hundreds of thousands of euros. To date, most observations of marine litter in the deep sea are Other questions arose regarding the role and importance anecdotal, and we need to quantify the occurrence of of canyons, which seem to depend very much on their marine litter and the impact this has on the environment as location. The canyons on the Atlantic margins off Portugal a basis for policy and decision makers to act. and Spain are subject to ocean tides and internal waves, which can influence water circulation, whereas canyons These and other questions will be addressed under the new in the Mediterranean are more influenced by dense water interdisciplinary deep-sea research project HERMIONE cascading as mentioned earlier. Off Portugal, the Setúbal (Hotspot Ecosystem Research and Man’s Impact ON Canyon appears to link to the Tagus River whereas the European seas), which is briefly outlined at the end of this
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Students and scientists aboard the RV Professor Logachev examine sediment cores from the bottom of the Gulf of Cadiz during a Training-through-Research expedition. TTR
WORK PACKAGE 10: EDUCATION AND OUTREACH
A vital objective of the HERMES project was to educate Cook cruise. The teachers worked as part of the and enthuse a wide range of social groups about the HERMES scientific team and relayed their experiences value of the offshore environment and the importance to schools across Europe via the Classroom@Sea of using its resources in a sustainable and responsible website. In a similar vein, Jacobs University, Bremen, manner. Raising awareness of such issues is critical in took the ambitious step of involving both teachers and assisting governments to make decisions about the school pupils on one leg of the International Polar Year management of Earth’s resources and ensuring that they cruise aboard RV Polarstern in early summer 2007. Both are understood and supported by the public. cruises provided a novel way to engage schoolchildren The ‘live’ coverage of research expeditions was an and the public, demonstrating how marine science is innovative aspect of the HERMES outreach programme carried out. that proved particularly popular with schools. On a HERMES also provided training and research oppor- number of occasions, HERMES partners provided cover- tunities for more than 100 postgraduate students, im- age of their scientific studies at sea via daily internet plementing the multidisciplinary approach that has been blogs written by scientists, research students, teachers key to the success of the project as a whole. A series of or school pupils on board the research vessel. workshops specifically designed for HERMES students The Classroom@Sea initiative (www.classroom aimed to provide sound, cross-disciplinary background atsea.net), run by the National Oceanography Centre, knowledge of the main strands of its research. Hands-on Southampton (UK), was intended to bridge the gap practical training at sea was provided by IOC-UNESCO’s between marine science and the classroom. Over a Training-through-Research (TTR) Programme (http://ioc. six-week period in summer 2007, two schoolteachers unesco.org/ttr) in addition to the many interdisciplinary participated on each of the three legs of the RRS James research cruises within the HERMES project.
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report. This new project will focus more on the human impact on deep-sea ecosystems, and continue what HERMES demonstrated so successfully: that sound deep- sea research can provide guidance and powerful arguments for the adoption of measures and policies to ensure the conservation, protection and sustainable management and use of the deep sea.
DEEP-SEA RESEARCH IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES AND SMALL ISLANDS This report is primarily intended for policy and decision makers across the world, not least those from developing countries and small island developing states (SIDS). If you belong to the latter, you might think: ‘All very interesting, but my country cannot afford deep-sea research.’ Does deep-sea research always have to be expensive? The simple answer to this question is ‘no’. It certainly helps to have the funds and resources to operate large research vessels, submersibles and ROVs, but there is a lot of information and knowledge to be gained even with lower investment and fewer high-tech tools. New Zealand offers a good example. This country belongs to the forefront of deep- sea research, and it may come as a surprise that it does not yet (to my knowledge) possess a work-class ROV (with manipulator arms capable of carrying out experiments and sampling).
The key to engaging in deep-sea research and finding out more about the deep waters under your jurisdiction and beyond is capacity building. Try to establish a deep-sea research unit at your national marine institute or university. The first activity your experts will have to undertake is to investigate what data and information is already available. An amazing amount of information can be gained by a thorough search of the literature, including the reports and voyage journals of the historic oceanographic expeditions at the end of the 19th century, such as the HMS Challenger expedition. Several of these expeditions may have worked
Upper: A single-celled protozoan at a depth of 4,345 metres in the Nazaré Canyon. The specimen on the right of the image is approximately 5-6 centimetres in diameter. NERC-NOCS Middle: The octopus Benthoctopus johnsoniana at a depth of 813 metres in the Nazaré Canyon. NERC/NOCS Lower: The yellow stalked crinoid Anachalypsicrinus nefertiti at a depth of 3,600 metres in the Nazaré Canyon. NERC-NOCS
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TOP TIPS IF YOU WANT TO SET UP SOMETHING LIKE HERMES
• Never think you are writing a project just to • Choose good work package leaders who can do science, because you are doing a lot more operate as a team and lead effectively. They than that. will need to know what is going on amongst their numerous partners and be able to report • Find partners who can work together as a team, on this. not just independently. • Stay in touch with the EC (or sponsoring • Take ownership and lead clearly. organization). Take real care with the annual report, but also ensure that there is plenty of other • Keep a tight control of finances from the very communication. earliest stages. • Build in links to policy makers, corporations, • Factor in capacity building for those with fewer small- and medium-sized enterprises and non- resources. governmental organizations from the beginning.
• The kick-off meeting and annual meetings are vital • Remember to make the process enjoyable! for developing a team spirit. Try to ensure that all partners understand the breadth of the project.
HERMES FACTS AND FIGURES
Number of partners: 50 (listed on page 14) Number of research vessels used: 29
Number of countries represented: 17 Number of PhD students associated with the project: (Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, > 100 Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine, United Number of scientific publications so far: > 100, with Kingdom) many more in preparation or in review
Funding received from European Commission: Number of HERMES deliverables (i.e. outputs, products EUR15.5 million etc. such as reports): > 145
Estimated total value of project: EUR60 million Number of HERMES videos on YouTube: 18 (www.youtube.com/HERMESproject) Duration of project: 48 months (1 April 2005 – 31 March 2009) Number of HERMES Newsletters: 15 (www.eu-hermes.net/newsletters.html) Number of days at sea on HERMES-related cruises: > 1,350 days Number of HERMES briefing documents (HERMES Deep-Sea Briefs): 5 Number of days at sea using ROV/AUV/manned (www.eu-hermes.net/briefs.html) submersible: > 400 days
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in your waters. Museum collections are another source of information. In fact, large parts of our knowledge about the global distribution of cold-water corals (see the global cold-water coral GIS at http://bure.unep-wcmc.org/marine/ coldcoral/viewer.htm) is based on an analysis of museum specimens.
Historic background information can be combined with bathymetric maps. Detailed maps of the topography of the sea floor are readily available (e.g. GEBCO: www.gebco.net). They will provide researchers with a better understanding of the larger morphological features of the continental shelf and the deeper waters, i.e. where there are canyons, seamounts, abyssal plains, etc. If there has been exploration for oil and gas resources in your waters, then you are very fortunate. All these exploration activities entail detailed mapping of the sea floor and the underlying sediments. It should be no problem to gain access to these data and maps. They are detailed enough to identify smaller topographic features such as ridges and elevations in the metre scale, potential hotspots and habitats for rich deep- water communities such as cold-water coral reefs.
Your country may be in the process of delineating and extending its continental shelf in accordance with the procedures set out in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). This involves the geographic and geomorphological analysis and interpretation of the continental slope and margins, often with help from international experts and support programmes, such as the UNEP Shelf Programme (www.continentalshelf.org). With very little additional effort, the same data sets and maps used in preparing a proposal for extending the continental shelf can also be interpreted to gain information about the environmental conditions and ecosystems in the area, something which the ‘Greening-the-Shelf’ initiative under the UNEP Shelf Programme is promoting. Not only will your country gain information about what features and ecosystems can be expected in its deeper, offshore waters, it will also have a basis for managing these additional areas
Upper: The deep-sea crab Chaceon sp. at a depth of 639 metres in the Whittard Canyon. NERC-NOCS Middle: The lobster Nephrops sp. at a depth of 642 metres in the Whittard Canyon. NERC-NOCS Lower: A sea spider Collossendeis sp. at a depth of 2,173 metres in the Setúbal Canyon. NERC-NOCS
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in case the proposal to extend your exclusive economic only do they provide the opportunity for your experts to zone (EEZ) is successful. demonstrate their work and results and to learn about new analytical methods and approaches, they are also a fertile The fishing industry is another vital (and often under- environment for new project ideas, from exploring oppor- estimated) source of information about life in the deeper tunities for researchers from developing countries and SIDS waters. What is the depth range of the fisheries in your to participate in deep-sea expeditions to identifying and EEZ? The species composition of catches, including the formulating proposals for large multilateral, collaborative bycatch, reveals a lot of information about the deep-water research projects. Who knows – maybe in a few years’ environment. Obviously, at a certain stage there is a need to time, a large deep-sea research project will take place in ‘ground-truth’ all this information and data, as well as the your waters? associated hypotheses and assumptions. This means actually going out to take samples and observing the deep-water WHAT NEXT? environment in situ. Again, it is helpful to have large vessels From the outset of HERMES I talked to the EC about the fu- and a variety of gear, but it is not absolutely necessary. Small ture of deep-sea research and how we could carry work for- grab samplers or corers can be operated from any vessel ward. HERMIONE (which stands for Hotspot Ecosystem (including chartered fishing vessels) that has a winch with Research and Man’s Impact ON European seas) will meet enough cable to reach the deep-sea floor. Advances in many of those challenges. It places a special emphasis on digital photography mean that there are now photo and research into man’s impact on the deep-sea environment video systems for underwater observations that are not through fishing, litter and pollution, on the socio-economics very expensive, have few logistical requirements and are of conservation and on how the scientific community can easy to maintain and operate, even from smaller vessels and best work with policy makers. There is also new research on fishing boats. hydrothermal vents, oceanic islands and seamounts that was not part of HERMES. Finally, there is always the chance to encourage or establish a larger, collaborative deep-sea research project in your I am very excited about the potential of HERMIONE. We waters. Again, the main requirement for this is not necessarily start our work with a tremendous amount of information ‘in a large amount of funds, but a good team of enthusiastic the bank’, and a sharper focus on the urgent scientific, scientists and experts. Most international deep-sea con- economic and social questions that need to be tackled. The ferences provide participation support for experts and continuity between HERMES and HERMIONE means that students from developing countries and SIDS to attend these we have been able to keep a number of our key partners meetings. UNEP, for example, supported the research teams together. Findings and experience to date will be carried from Brazil, Colombia and Russia to attend the Fourth forward, feeding directly into what we do and what we can International Deep-sea Coral Symposium (1-5 December publish during the lifetime of HERMIONE, the next chapter 2008, Wellington, New Zealand). The importance of such in Europe’s contribution to the exploration of the fascinating international meetings should not be underestimated. Not frontiers so important to our common future.
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R f R t o c es s es pa ea in The journey into the deep continues e m rc Marg arc I h on the h and Man’s
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www.unep.org United Nations Environment Programme P.O. Box 30552, Nairobi 00100, Kenya Tel: +254 (0) 20 7621234 Fax: +254 (0) 20 7623927 Email: [email protected] Website: www.unep.org
The HERMES Story
nder the Sixth Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (2003-2006), the UEuropean Union funded more than 10,000 projects. This is the story of one of the 40 most successful: Hotspot Ecosystem Research on the Margins of European Seas (HERMES).
HERMES had five main objectives: 1. to understand better the natural drivers that control ocean margin ecosystems; 2. to understand better the biodiversity and ecosystem function of ‘hotspot’ ecosystems; 3. to forecast changes in biodiversity and ecosystem functioning linked to global change; 4. to develop concepts and strategies for the sustainable use of marine resources; 5. to provide an integrated framework for data management, training, education and outreach.
About 90 per cent of the oceans are deeper than 200 metres (‘deep sea’). These remote and dark waters are by far the largest habitat on Earth, yet only about 5 per cent of this mysterious final frontier has been explored. The information gained so far shows that the deep sea harbours a large variety of seascapes, home to an enormous diversity of ecosystems and organisms. The deep sea is crucial for the functions, services and resilience of the oceans. The deep sea affects every human being and all life on Earth.
HERMES set out in 2005 as the first major attempt to study European deep-water environments in an integrated way, and to provide data and information to underpin future national and regional policies.
The HERMES Story is published jointly by HERMES and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to inform policy and decision makers from around the world about the lessons learned and the amazing new insights into deep-sea biodiversity, structure, function and dynamics discovered under HERMES. The HERMES Story highlights the need for concerted action to protect the deep sea against the increasing pressures, threats and impacts from human activities and climate change, and provides inspiration for the development of similar deep-sea research projects in other regions.
UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre National Oceanography Centre, Southampton 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 ODL European Way United Kingdom Southampton Tel: +44 (0) 1223 277314 SO14 3ZH Fax: +44 (0) 1223 277136 United Kingdom Email: [email protected] Tel: +44 (0) 23 8059 6666 Website: www.unep-wcmc.org Website: www.noc.soton.ac.uk