Welcome to the KOSMOS 2014 Gran Canaria Blog

Welcome to the KOSMOS 2014 Gran Canaria Blog!

On this site, we will report regularly about work and life in Taliarte, Gran Canaria.

Right now, everybody is busy packing boxes and bags. A lot of things have to be planned and organised until the experiment can start in the end of January 2014. Even three of the KOSMOS mesocosms are dismantled for container shipping to the Canary Islands. The others will be picked up by the German research vessel POSEIDON at GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel on January 14, 2014.

The KOSMOS 2014 GC experiment will show us, how the plankton community of nutrient-poor open ocean waters reacts to ocean acidification. After working in the Arctic, the North Atlantic and the Baltic Sea, we are thrilled to find out more about the effects of climate change for the oligotrophic system that makes up about 70 per cent of the word’s oceans.

We will place fish larvae in our large test tubes after some weeks to learn more about the future development of economically important fish species. With a large plastic bag, we will capture deep-sea water and add it to simulate an upwelling event. Nobody ever tried this before! And if the collection of Saharan dust at Cape Verde succeeds, we will also be able to intersperse this natural-like extra-feeding the tiny creatures of the Atlantic enjoy from time to time.

You see: Lots of reasons to stay tuned!

P.S.: You would like to find out more about ocean acidification?
Then visit the Basics & Downloads on the BIOACID website!