Scientists at the UK’s National Oceanography Centre (NOC) are leading a new, five-year funded project to investigate the alarming expansion of ocean deserts—vast regions of the ocean with little life or nutrients.The
Scientists at the UK’s National Oceanography Centre (NOC) are leading a new, five-year funded project to investigate the alarming expansion of ocean deserts—vast regions of the ocean with little life or nutrients.
The research, supported by a USD$3.5 million (£2.6 million) European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grant, will explore whether microscopic organisms called diazotrophs could slow or even reverse this trend.
Subtropical gyres, often referred to as “ocean deserts," cover more than 60% of the ocean's surface. These regions are expanding at an unprecedented rate of five million square kilometers per decade—an area equivalent to the Amazon Rainforest or the entire European Union.
As global temperatures rise, scientists are concerned about the long-term impact of this expansion on marine ecosystems and the Earth's climate, which would reduce ocean productivity, affecting marine food webs and the ocean’s role as a carbon sink.
The new project, called EXPAND, will focus on the Indian Ocean subtropical gyre, the least understood of these ocean deserts. It includes partners from France, USA, Canada and South Africa.
Project lead and NOC senior scientist Dr. Mar Benavides highlights the urgency of understanding what drives the expansion of ocean deserts—and whether biological nitrogen fixation can help counteract its effects.
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