Events

The scientific focus of ComEc 2023 will be on key aspects of community ecology, including the impacts of global change on biodiversity, the role of species in communities, sustainability and resilience of natural communities to human pressures, insights into innovative solutions for biodiversity monitoring, mapping and analysis, and many other topics. Accepted work may range from applied modeling approaches to theoretical analyzes, from experimental approaches to data collection and analysis.

A paper recently published on Biogeosciences investigates the Subsurface Oxygen Maximum (SOM) developing between spring and autumn in the Mediterranean Sea, by using the biogeochemical reanalysis of the Copernicus Marine Service. The SOM concentration (230 ÷ 250 mmolO₂ m^-3) and depth (30-100m) display a clear mesoscale variability and is associated with circulation structures, as well as biological production and density cap.

Some deoxygenation trends in the Mediterranean Sea estimated with the biogeochemical reanalysis of the Copernicus Marine Service and with the high resolution climate projections produced under two different emission scenarios (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) have been presented at the ECCWO5 Symposium in Bergen (Norway), 17-21 April 2023.

The MedEAF forecasting system for the Mediterranean Sea has followed the developments of the EU operational marine services: deployed within the MERSEA project (2004–2008), the system has become pre-operational during the MyOcean projects series (2009–2015), and has then finally established a regular and validated operational product delivery in the Copernicus Marine Service (CMS).

A new paper showing how chromatic adaptation shapes the biogeography of phytoplankton functional types in the Mediterranean Sea has been recently published in Progress in Oceanography. The study integrates several novel elements in the Biogeochemical Flux Model (BFM): it includes a bio-optical component that simulates how the different wavelengths of light propagate through the water column, represents nine optically different phytoplankton functional types (PFTs) and explores how the chromatic characteristics of the PFTs allow them to use the available wavelengths of light.

The Ecological Modelling Group (ECHO) of the National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (OGS) has just opened three postdoc positions for marine ecosystem modellers. The formal call is available at the website https://www.inogs.it/en/node/1799. The deadline for application is 21/01/2022. A brief description of the three positions with a summary of the relevant information is in attachment. For general scientific enquiries regarding the positions, please contact: Stefano Querin (squerin@inogs.it, position n. 1), Simone Libralato (slibralato@inogs.it, position n.

The Mediterranean biogeochemical reanalysis of the Copernicus Marine Service has been recently published in Frontiers in Marine Science and provides information on changes and variability in the Mediterranean Sea over the past decades. The reanalysis integrates several novel elements: ERA5 atmospheric forcing, coupling with the new 1/24° physical reanalysis, updated versions of the BFM model and biogeochemical variational assimilation scheme, and several updated observational datasets for assimilation and validation purposes.

During summer, maxima of phytoplankton chlorophyll concentration (DCM) occur in the subsurface of the Mediterranean Sea and can play a relevant role in carbon sequestration into the ocean interior. A numerical model based on in situ and satellite observations provides insights into the range of DCM conditions across the relatively small Mediterranean Sea and shows a western DCM that is 25 % shallower and with a higher phytoplankton chlorophyll concentration than in the eastern Mediterranean.

The Copernicus Marine Service General Assembly (26-28 January 2021) is online! https://marine.copernicus.eu/news/copernicus-marine-service-general-asse... It is possible to watch all the lectures (plenaries, parallel sessions, virtual booths). The ECHO group was present with two contributes: 1.