Created 22/12/2022
22 Dec
2022

Europe-wide project studies coastal and marine biodiversity from viruses to whales

Researchers from 11 European countries will meet in Heidelberg next month to kickstart a major interdisciplinary project designed to better understand marine biodiversity and its fate in the Anthropocene.

EMBL is coordinating the BIOcean5D project that brings together 30 research partners to holistically explore marine biodiversity at molecular and organismal levels – from viruses to mammals, across space, time, and human scales (5D). 

Biodiversity is essential to sustain marine ecosystems which are, in turn, vital for planetary and human health. But biodiversity is changing at an exceptionally fast pace as marine biota are particularly vulnerable to human activities, and recent surveys of marine ecosystems have revealed a lack of understanding about their abundance and functions.