Overview
On July 19, 2023, the BlueMissionAA CSA started a weekly webinar series focused on the dissemination of solutions developed by Mission Ocean & Water and All-Atlantic projects, which can be further scaled-up or replicated in other areas. The main theme of this series is the preservation and restoration of marine and coastal ecosystems and biodiversity, but we will also promote solutions for the restoration of freshwaters systems, marine pollution, and carbon neutral blue economy developed in other basins that could be of interest for the Atlantic and the Arctic.
In the first episode, was the CLIMAREST project, which demonstrated innovative solutions for marine restoration in five different environments across a latitudinal gradient, from the high-Arctic Svalbard at 79°N to the Madeira archipelago at 33°N.
Programme
14:00
Welcome, Jose Luiz Moutinho, BlueMissionAA / AIR Centre
14:05
Introduction to the CLIMAREST project (Coastal and Climate Resilience and Marine Restoration Tools for the Arctic Atlantic Basin), Marta Pujol, Project Manager, CLIMAREST / Research Scientist, Climate and Sustainability, SINTEF Ocean
14:10
Demo site 1: Svalbard, Norway. Habitat: Arctic fjords affected by global warming and human activities, Anatoly Sinitsyn, SINTEF Industry
14:20
Demo site 2: Ireland. Habitat: Seagrass meadows restoration, Ricardo Bermejo, University of Malaga, and Liam Morrison, University of Galway
14:30
Demo site 3: France. Habitat: Oyster reefs restoration, Martin Perrot, Seaboost
14:40
Demo site 4: Spain. Habitat: Sedimentary soft-bed ecosystems affected by aquaculture, Pablo Sanchez-Jerez, University of Alicante
14:50
Demo site 5: Madeira. Habitat: Rocky substrates, Paola Parretti, MARE
15:00
Q&A moderated by Jose Luiz Moutinho, BlueMissionAA / AIR Centre
Speakers
SPEAKER
Anatoly Sinitsyn
Svalbard demo site
Anatoly Sinitsyn was raised in St. Petersburg, Russia, and now lives in Trondheim, Norway. Sinitsyn lived 8.5 years on Longyearbyen while working as PhD Student/Post Doc/Ass. Prof/Researcher at SINTEF, and his professional areas and interests include geotechnics, coastal dynamics, cultural heritage and groundwater in permafrost.
Sinitsyn has a long portfolio of both past and ongoing projects, and currently works as a researcher for SINTEF Industry in the infrastructure department.
SPEAKER
Ricardo Bermejo
Ireland demo site
Ricardo Bermejo is a marine ecologist and phycologist. His primary research goals are focused on understanding the ecology and biogeography of assemblages dominated by macrophytes at various biological levels, ranging from population genetics to landscape patterns.
Additionally, Bermejo investigates the influence of human pressures on littoral ecosystems and explores applied phycology areas such as seaweed cultivation, bioindicators, and ecosystem restoration. He is currently involved in the EU-funded project CLIMAREST, which aims to restore key marine habitat-forming species to mitigate climate change, where he collaborates with Dr. Liam Morrison on seagrass restoration in Ireland.
SPEAKER
Liam Morrison
Ireland demo site
Liam Morrison is a lecturer at the University of Galway in Ireland and is the Course Director and Academic Coordinator for the MSc in Marine and Freshwater Resources: Management at the University, as well as the Deputy Director of the Ryan Institute’s Centre for One Health (COH).
Research interests include: marine contaminants, nutrient dynamics and eco-physiology of opportunistic macroalgal blooms (including invasive species) in estuaries and coastal bays, seagrass restoration, and the application of Earth Observation technologies in marine monitoring and assessment, all of which are aimed at obtaining data to support policy on environmental protection. Dr Morrison (h-index = 38, i10-index = 73, Citations = 5000, as of 13/07/23) has published 90+ peer reviewed journal papers in leading international journals.
SPEAKER
Martin Perrot
France demo site
Martin Perrot manages and develops maritime ecological engineering for the Egis group, as COO of its dedicated subsidiary Seaboost. Holder of a master’s degree in environmental and agricultural engineering and specialized in integrated management of coastal ecosystems, he coordinates the development of innovative turnkey solutions for the restoration of marine ecosystems.
After several years working on environmental impact assessment of coastal and offshore development projects, Perrot cofounded Seaboost, a company specialized in developing and providing turnkey solutions for nature-inclusive design of maritime infrastructures, marine habitat restoration and nature-based solutions for coastal erosion mitigation.
SPEAKER
Pablo Sanchez-Jerez
Spain demo site
Pablo Sanchez-Jerez has a PhD in Marine Biology from the University of Alicante, and a Masters in Oceanography from the University of Vigo. He has been a lecturer in the Department of Marine Science and Applied Biology since 1998 and a full professor in Environmental Management of Aquaculture since 2020 at the University of Alicante.
Sanchez-Jerez researches the sustainable management of marine resources, including the use of artificial habitats for the restoration of Posidonia oceanica meadows and the management of marine protected areas, with a focus on environmental management of coastal aquaculture. He has over one hundred papers published, focusing on the interaction with wild fish and fisheries, and is an associated editor of the Journal of Aquaculture Environment Interactions (Elsevier). During the last few years, Sanchez-Jerez has studied the seabed associated with mussel production areas in the North of Spain, in order to establish multi-trophic cultures and favour the restocking of the European lobster.
SPEAKER
Paola Parretti
Madeira demo site
Paola Parretti is an enthusiastic marine biologist with a great passion for marine ecology and marine conservation. She is originally from Italy, but right after her master’s degree she moved to the Azores (Portugal) where she completed her PhD on marine non-indigenous species in oceanic islands.
Nowadays she works as a postdoctoral researcher at \ (Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre) on the island of Madeira (Portugal). During her career, Paola has developed a genuine interest in marine social science as an important tool to better manage the marine environment.
Resources
Climarest: Coastal restoration from Svalbard in the North to Madeira in the South.
July 19, 2023, Atlantic & Arctic Lighthouse Weekly Hour S01E01 with Climarest
July 19, 2023, Atlantic & Arctic Lighthouse Weekly Hour S01E01 with Climarest PDF - Climarest: Resilient ecosystems for resilient communities
Relevant links
CLIMAREST is an EU-funded research project consisting of 18 partners from along the length of the European coastline. The project belongs to the EU Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters, and is a member of the Lighthouse for the Arctic and Atlantic Basin.