deepseasgroup - abyss2100

The future of deep-sea biodiversity in a world of climate change (Abyss 2100)

Objective: Abyss2100 investigates the effects of CO2, temperature, and pressure on invertebrates to better understand how deep-sea animals cope with environmental stress at the molecular, cellular and organism level.

The Total Foundation supports Abyss2100. The project is a collaboration with Dr Bruce Shillito's lab (UPMC, Paris) and links with ongoing international research programmes (e.g. HERMIONE) and key industry collaborators (SERPENT).

Project Summary: Global warming, eutrophication, and anthropogenic carbon dioxide accumulation will impact marine ecosystems, including deep-sea environments. Interest in the response of deep-sea communities comes from recent plans to mitigate the effects of global climate change by disposing of CO2 into the deep ocean. Development of deep-drilling technology makes the exploitation of deep-sea oil and gas reservoirs economically feasible. CO2 reduction is a key task in tackling climate change. Can deep-sea populations living in stable environments coping with the combined effects of climate change and CO2 deposition?.

Abyss2100 is uniquely capable of studying temperature- and pressure-dependent life history adaptations and community patterns in deep-sea invertebrates using molecular, high-pressure, and temperature-controlled facilities at sea and in the laboratory. This allows experimental work on living deep-sea organisms from a variety of deep-sea habitats: polar sites, abyssal plains, and hydrothermal vents.

We assess how marine organisms cope with changes in their environment using molecular, cellular and whole-organism methods. Physiological effects on the individual can translate to changes in populations that impact the ecology of entire communities. We know that climate change can influence deep-sea communities - here we try to reveal how these changes operate.

Irreversible climate change predictions for the late 21st century make this an urgent task. Abyss2100 will help predict changes in biodiversity, ecosystem function, and biological resource availability in response to climate change for the two thirds of our planet that lie in the deep ocean.