Hotspot Ecosystem Research and Man's Impact On European Seas (HERMIONE) is an international multidisciplinary project, started in April 2009, that studies deep-sea ecosystems.HERMIONE website, Weaver et al. (2009). "The future of integrated deep-sea research in Europe: The HERMIONE project". Oceanography 22 (1), March 2009. HERMIONE scientists study the distribution of hotspot ecosystems, how they function and how they interconnect, partially in the context of how these ecosystems are being affected by climate changeSchloesser, Manfred (2009). European deep-sea research: Climate changes and deep-sea ecosystems in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Innovations Report (website). and impacted by humans through overfishing, resource extraction, seabed installations (oil platforms, etc.) and pollution. Major aims of the project are to understand how humans are affecting the deep-sea environment and to provide policy makers with accurate scientific information, enabling effective management strategies to protect deep sea ecosystems. The HERMIONE project is funded by the European Commission's Seventh Framework Programme, and is the successor to the HERMES project, which concluded in March 2009.
Introduction Europe's deep-ocean margin, from the Arctic to the Iberian Margin, and across the Mediterranean to the Black Sea, spans a distance of over 15,000 km and hosts a number of diverse habitats and ecosystems. Deep water coral reefs, undersea mountains populated by a multitude of organisms, vast submarine canyon systems, and hydrothermal vents are some of the features contained therein.Schloesser, Manfred (2009). Ausbrüche des Tiefsee-Schlammvulkans Haakon Mosby ("Outbreaks of the Deep Sea Mud Volcano Haakon Mosby"). Innovations Report (website). The traditional view of the deep-sea realm as a hostile and barren place was discredited long ago, and scientists now know that much of Europe's deep sea is rich and diverse.Marum - Zentrum für Marine Umweltwissenschaften an der Universität Bremen (2009). Erstmals lebende Tiefseeaustern im Mittelmeer entdeckt! ("For the First Time, Living Deep Sea Oysters Discovered in the Mediterranean!"). GMX (website).
However, the deep sea is increasingly threatened by humans: most of this deep-ocean frontier lies within Europe's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and has significant potential for the exploitation of biological, energy, and mineral resources. Research and exploration over the last two decades has shown clear signs of direct and indirect anthropogenic impacts in the deep sea, resulting from such activities as overfishing, littering and pollution. This raises concerns because deep-sea processes and ecosystems are not only important for the marine web of life, but also fundamentally contribute to the global biogeochemical cycle.
The knowledge obtained by the HERMES project (EC FP6), has contributed to our understanding of deep-sea ecosystems.See for instance the March 2009 issue of Oceanography , dedicated to HERMES, with 16 articles on its contributions. (PDFs viewable at website.) The HERMIONE project investigates ecosystems at critical sites on Europe's deep-ocean margin, aiming to make major advances in knowledge of their distribution and functioning, and their contribution to ecosystem goods and services. HERMIONE places emphasis on the human impact on the deep sea, and on the translation of scientific information into science policy for the sustainable use of marine resources. To achieve this, HERMIONE uses an integrated interdisciplinary approach; experts in biology, ecology, biodiversity, oceanography, geology, sedimentology, geophysics, and biogeochemistry, will work alongside socio-economists and policy-makers.
Hotspot research The HERMIONE project focuses on deep-sea "hotspot" ecosystems including submarine canyons, open slopes and deep basins, chemosynthetic environments, deep water coral reefs, and seamounts. Hotspot ecosystems support high species diversity, numbers of individuals, or both, and are therefore important in maintaining margin-wide biodiversity and abundance. HERMIONE research ranges from investigation of the ecosystems' dimensions, distribution, interconnection and functioning, to understanding the potential impacts of climate change and anthropogenic disturbance. The ultimate objective is to provide stakeholders and policymakers with the scientific knowledge necessary to support deep-sea governance, sustainable management and conservation of these ecosystems.
To obtain the data needed, HERMIONE scientists are spending over 1000 days at sea, using more than 50 research vessels across Europe. Sharing vessels and equipment between partners will help through shared knowledge, expertise and data, and will also maximize the research effort, increasing efficiency and productivity. Technology will be used, with Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) one of the critical pieces of equipment being used for a wide range of maneuvers and surveys, from precision sampling of methane gas at cold seeps to microbathymetry mapping to examine the structure of the seabed. Large arrays of instrumented moorings, shared by different partner institutions, will be deployed in experimental areas, allowing HERMIONE to develop experimental strategies beyond any national capacity.
Study areas
The HERMIONE study sites were selected on the following basis:
The Arctic because of its importance in monitoring climate change; Nordic margin with abundant cold-water corals, extensive hydrocarbon exploration and the Haakon-Mosby mud volcano (HMMV) natural laboratory; Celtic margin with a mid-latitude canyon, cold water corals and the long term Porcupine Abyssal Plain (PAP) monitoring site; Portuguese margin with the highly diverse Nazare and Setubal canyons; Seamounts in the Atlantic and western Mediterranean as important biodiversity hotspots potentially under threat; Mid Atlantic Ridge (MAR) ESONET site to link cold seep to hot seep chemosynthetic studies; Mediterranean cold water cascading sites in the Gulf of Lions and outflows of the Adriatic and Aegean Seas.
The HMMV, PAP, MAR and central Mediterranean sites link to the ESONET long-term monitoring sites and will provide valuable background information.
Hotspot ecosystems
Cold-water coral reefs Deep water coral reefs are found along the northeast Atlantic and central Mediterranean margins, and are important biodiversity hotspots.Freiwald and Roberts (eds) (2005) "Cold-water Corals and Ecosystems" Springer, Berlin Heidelberg, 1243 pp The recent HERMES project lists more than 2000 species associated with cold-water coral reefs worldwide. As well as flourishing live coral, the dead coral frameworks and rubble that are frequently found close by attract a myriad of fauna from the microscopic to the mega, and may be fundamental in coral ecosystem replenishment. Coral reefs provide a habitat for fish, a refuge from predators, a rich food source, a nursery for young fish, and are also potential sources of a wide range of medicines to treat ailments from cancer to cardiovascular disease.
There are several known coral hotspot areas on Europe's deep-ocean margin, including the Scandinavian, Rockall-Porcupine and central Mediterranean margins, and there remain many questions about them, such as how each of the sites are connected to one another,Henry et al. (2006). "First record of Bedotella armata(Cnidaria:Hydrozoa) from the Porcupine Seabight:do north-east Atlantic carbonate mound fauna have Mediterranean ancestors?" Biodiversity Records how they arose, what drives the distribution of the reefs, how the larvae disperse and settle, how the corals and associated species reproduce, finding their physiological thresholds, how they will fare with increased ocean warming, and whether ocean warming induces a spread of coral reefs further north into the Arctic Ocean. New research will also build on previous work to define the physical environment around cold-water coral reefs such as hydrodynamic and sedimentary regimes, which will help to understand biological responses.
HERMIONE scientists use cutting-edge technology to try to answer these questions. High-resolution mapping of the seafloor will be carried out to determine the location and distribution of cold-water corals, and photographic observations will be made to assess changes in the status of known reefs over time, such as their response to climatic variation or their recovery from destruction by fishing trawlers. To assess biodiversity and its relationship with environmental factors such as climate change, DNA barcoding and other molecular techniques will be used.
Submarine canyons Submarine canyons are deep, steep-sided valleys that form on continental margins. Stretching from the shelf to the deep sea, they dissect much of the European margin. They are one of the most complex seascapes known to humans; their rugged topography and challenging environmental conditions mean that they are also one of the least explored. Advances in technology over the last two decades have allowed scientists to uncover some of the mysteries of canyons, the size of which often rival the Grand Canyon, USA.
One of the most important discoveries is that canyons are major sources and sinks for sediment and organic matter on continental margins.Shepard et al. (1979). "Currents in submarine canyons and other seavalleys" AAPG Studies in Geology (8), Tulsa, OKCarson et al. (1986) "Modern sediment dispersal and accumulation in Quinault submarine canyon - a summary" Marine Geology 71 (1-2) p1-13 They act as fast-track pathways for sediment and organic matter from the shelf to the deep sea,De Stigter et al. (2007). "Recent sediment transport and deposition in the Nazaré Canyon, Portuguese continental margin" Marine Geology 46, December 2007 and can act as temporary depots for sediment and carbon storage. Particle flux through canyons has been found to be between two and four times greater than on the open slope, though the transfer of particles through canyons is thought to be largely "event-driven",Palanques et al. (2008). Continental Shelf Research 28 (15) p1947-1956, August 2008Arzola et al. (2008). "Sedimentary features and processes in the Nazaré and Setúbal submarine canyons, west Iberian margin" Marine Geology 250 (1-2) p64-88, April 2008.Canals et al. (2006). "Flushing submarine canyons" Nature 444, p3574-357, September 2006 which introduces a highly variable aspect to canyon conditions. Determining what drives sediment transport and deposition within canyons is one of the major challenges for HERMIONE.