THE STUDY OF BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES

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THE STUDY OF BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES AND RELATED
SEDIMENT FLUXES THE IOC-BSRC PROJECT PROPOSAL
Could such a project idea be developed into an EC
FP Integrated Project proposal with participation
of research institutions from the BS riperian and
EU countries?
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Project justification Why is there a need such
a project ?
(1) Severe ecological degradation intense
eutrophication, change in phytoplankton
community structure food web, decrease in
biodiversity fish stocks, thus economic
well being of 160 M people adversely affected.
(2) Understanding of biogeochemical processes
their rates, fluxes of nutients POC by
multidisciplinary studies is essential for
ecosystem forecasting
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Main Objectives

• Multidisciplinary investigation of biogeochemical
  processes and
• related sedimentary fluxes, their spatial
  and temporal variability
• in different layers of the water column and
  sea floor sediments

(2) Reconstruction of the past biogeochemical
cycles and the rate of processes using
sediment cores, with a view towards ecological
forecasting.
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Work packages (methods main activities)
(i) Study of particle flux in water column by use
of sediment traps and water column sampling
Analysis of sediment trap material and their
nutrient and POC flux using radiotracer
techniques.
(ii) Study of aerosol fluxes wet and dry
deposition at aerosol stations with
simultaneous time-series satellite monitoring.
(iii) Study of suspended matter fluxes using
satellite observations information on
circulation dynamics and organic productivity.
(iv) Study of palaeo-organic fluxes to obtain
long records of pre-antropocene period
(v) Study of nutrient fluxes at sediment/water
interface on shelf areas.
(vi) Biogeochemical modelling coupling of
biogeochemical processes with physical
circulation and chemistry in the oxic, suboxic
and anoxic water column.
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Outputs - Deliverables
(i) A better understanding of biogeochemical
processes and related nutrient and sediment
fluxes and their dynamics in different layers of
the water column and on the sea floor.
(ii) Determination of the paleofluxes (organic
carbon, carbonate, and detrital
siliciclastic matter), their rates and cyclicity
at decadal to millenial time scales, and
their relation to the past climate changes.
(iii) Accumulation rates and effects of
anthropogenic fluxes in biogeochemical
processes.
(iv) Estimation of nutrient and other fluxes at
sediment/water interface, which is
important for computing the total budget of the
nutrients and their contribution to primary
production in the basin as a whole as well as in
the coastal zone.
(v) Establisment of dynamic model(s) that couple
biogeochemical cycles with physical
circulation and chemistry, and their use in
ecological forecasting.
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Project strategy
The project should establish relations and
cooperation with other previous and ongoing
regional programmes, such as Black Sea GOOS,
GIPME, JGOFS, GEF-BSEP, and with NATO and IAEA
projects.
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Implementation of the project

• The project will be implemented on the basis of
  six different work
• packages (WP)
• (1) Sediment trap
• (2) Aerosol
• (3) Remote sensing
• (4) Database
• Study of fluxes at sediment/water interface,
• Modeling.
• Each WP will managed by WP Coordinator for
  implementing and
• coordinating the tasks, collecting data and
  reporting all results to the
• Project Coordinator.
• The Project Coordinator will be responsible for
  the overall
• coordination.

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Financial requirements

• (Total for three years) Cost (Euro )
• Twelve sediment traps and six mooring equipment
• for the six sediment trap stations 300,000
• 2. Aerosol samplers and precipitation samplers
• and establishment of five stations 100,000
• 3. Operational costs of the sediment trap and
  aerosol stations 300,000
• 4. Two international cruises (10 days
  each) 120,000
• 5. Water column sampling in shelf areas (seasonal
  two years) 100,000
• 6. Personnel training programmes for sediment
  trap
• and aerosol sampling, and workshops
  80,000
• 7. Data collection and analyses, overhead
  payments 1,000,000
• __________________________________________________
  _______
• TOTAL 2,000,000