European acoustics experts meet in Bergen for the DeuteroNoise Mid-Term Meeting
After two years of ground-breaking work on marine noise pollution, the pan-European consortium gathered at the Michael Sars Centre to share their progress and coordinate future efforts.
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Anthropogenic activities in the sea produce high levels of noise pollution, impacting the health of marine ecosystems. This effect is particularly understudied in invertebrate animals, despite their ecological significance. Under the lead of from the University of Padova, the DeuteroNoise project brings together a multi-disciplinary team of scientists from Italy, Spain, Romania and Norway to address this important issue.
Expanding Knowledge on Marine Noise Pollution
Supported by , the project started in November 2022 and will continue until November 2025. After two years of work, the consortium shared their results at the DeuteroNoise Mid-Term Meeting. 鈥淲e have learned that the marine invertebrate deuterostomes we are focusing on are negatively impacted by noise at different developmental stages from embryos, larvae, juvenile to adult organisms, and at different levels both behavioral, physiological, and molecular,鈥� Prof. Manni explained.
The project aims to characterize anthropogenic noise in a vast area in Europe that includes the North Adriatic Sea, North Sea, Black Sea and parts of the Mediterranean. , Senior Researcher at the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn and a leading researcher on the project, highlighted some unexpected results. 鈥淭he type of noise in different basins can be very different from what was previously supposed, and it also affects non-vertebrate animals,鈥� she said. The findings are crucial for identifying the mechanisms that different marine animals such as tunicates or echinoderms use to respond to underwater noise. It will also allow researchers to predict the sensitivities of closely related species that are challenging to study in a laboratory setting.
The Role of the Michael Sars Centre and UiB
, group leader at the Michael Sars Centre, is a scientific coordinator for the project. Together with postdoctoral researcher Sissel Norland, he organized the visit of the consortium in Bergen. 鈥淭he meeting was extremely well attended both in person and online from all the partners鈥�, he said. 鈥淚 was impressed by the amount of scientific progress that we have all made. I was also very happy to see the diversity of approaches used by the consortium researchers.鈥�
鈥淚 was impressed by the amount of scientific progress that we have all made. I was also very happy to see the diversity of approaches used by the consortium researchers.鈥� - Marios Chatzigeorgiou
Hosting the DeuteroNoise meeting at the Centre was no coincidence. 鈥淭he Michael Sars Centre has top-notch lab facilities, so I guess the partners may see the potential for experimental work here and wish to collaborate even more with the Centre in the future鈥�, said Marine Dean , who opened the meeting.
As the leader of the UiB Ocean strategic area, Fiksen also stressed the broader significance of the DeuteroNoise project within UiB鈥檚 oceanic research efforts. 鈥淲e aim to stimulate our participation in international collaborations鈥�, he explained. 鈥淲e hope that the success with DeuteroNoise will encourage many others to engage in similar pan-European, cross-disciplinary calls.鈥�
A Collaborative Effort Across Disciplines
During the meeting, the team was eager to gather in person to discuss their latest findings and plan for the future. 鈥淒euteroNoise is an interdisciplinary project that bring together biologist, physicists and ecologists so it is really essential to meet face to face in order to be able to exchange our experience and set the experiments required to reach our ambitious goals鈥�, Ristoratore explained. 鈥淭he data will not only be published in scientific journal but also presented to stakeholders and citizens鈥�.
As with any ambitious research project, DeuteroNoise has faced several challenges. From logistical hurdles to collaborations across borders and research fields, the team has had to navigate numerous obstacles. 鈥淭he consortium鈥檚 multidisciplinary nature required time to integrate knowledge and competencies鈥�, Manni noted. 鈥淲e also had to adapt to the animals鈥� seasonal cycles and the atmospheric conditions that sometimes limit our field trips.鈥�
Looking Ahead
As DeuteroNoise approaches its final year, the team looks forward to the next stage of the project. After two years spent developing technological tools and performing experiments in the field and in the laboratory, they are now in a position to start sharing the results of their work. 鈥淲e really hope that in the next year and a half we will be able to present to European policy makers conclusive evidence on the impact of underwater noise on marine invertebrate life in the sea鈥�, Chatzigeorgiou concluded.
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JPI Oceans
The Joint Programming Initiative Healthy and Productive Seas and Oceans (JPI Oceans) is a pan-European intergovernmental platform that increases the efficiency and impact of research and innovation for sustainably healthy and productive seas and oceans. Established in 2011, JPI Oceans consists of 19 member countries and one associated member country, in total 42 organisations. Member countries include Norway, Belgium, Greece, Poland, Croatia, Iceland, Portugal, Ireland, Denmark, Romania, Italy, Estonia, Spain, Malta, France, Sweden, Netherlands, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
Five new projects on were awarded after a JPI Oceans call establishing a unique collaboration between Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Poland, Romania, and Spain together with BANOS, BlueMed, NOAA, and the UN Ocean Decade. The projects will begin at the end of 2022, as endorsed UN Ocean Decade Projects.
The overall aim is to decrease existing knowledge gaps and to promote specific lines of research that will contribute to the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive at the regional sub-basin scale, and, therewith, contribute to reaching the Good Environmental Status of the European seas and oceans.
The Consortium
The DeuteroNoise consortium听comprises of seven听partners:
