DS³F

The Deep Sea & Sub-Seafloor Frontier

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'The Deep Sea and Sub-Seafloor Frontier project (DS³F) provides a pathway towards sustainable management of oceanic resources on a European scale. It will develop subseafloor sampling strategies for enhanced understanding of deep-sea and subseafloor processes by connecting marine research in life and geosciences, climate and environmental change, with socio-economic issues and policy building. Subseafloor drilling and sampling provide two key aspects for understanding how deep-sea ecosystems presently function and how they may respond to global change: (a) an inventory of current subsurface processes and biosphere, and their links to surface ecosystems, utilising seafloor observation and baseline studies and (b) a high resolution archive of past variations in environmental conditions and biodiversity. For both aspects, an international effort is needed to maximise progress by sharing knowledge, ideas and technologies, including mission-specific platforms to increase the efficiency, coverage and effectiveness of subseafloor sampling and exploration. The deep biosphere has been discovered only within the past two decades and comprises a major new frontier for biological exploration. We lack fundamental knowledge about biomass distribution, diversity and physiological activity of deep biosphere communities at life’s extremes, and their impact on seafloor and deep sea ecosystems. Similarly, the geodynamic processes fuelling biological activity, and how these processes impinge upon the emission of geofuels, hydrocarbon formation and other resources including seafloor ecosystems, need to be understood. This Coordination & Support Action will develop the most efficient use of subseafloor sampling techniques and existing marine infrastructure to study the geosystem, its effects on the deep biosphere and marine ecosystems, and provide a comprehensive “white paper” and an open access web portal for a sustainable use of the oceans and a Maritime Policy.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

The ocean floor has become an attractive new target for resource exploitation, but scientific knowledge of this area is extremely limited. More extensive and in-depth knowledge is required for related sustainable resource and ecosystem management.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

The biosphere of the ocean floor and subfloor has only been discovered in the last few decades, but is already being exploited for mineral resources. Fundamental knowledge of the biology and geology of these regions is lacking, and there is currently no coordinated approach to sample collection and analysis.

A project titled 'The deep sea and sub-seafloor frontier' (DS3F) was funded by the EU to develop sampling strategies aimed at understanding the biological and geological dynamics of the deep seafloor environment. DS3F brought together scientists from fields such as marine biology and geosciences as well as administrators and funding groups to address the problem.

Project work consisted of eight workshops that invited researchers to address various aspects of the marine sciences. The findings of these workshops were then brought to an overarching workshop, which condensed the findings into a white paper detailing the important tasks and directions for deep sea research.

Four topics were designated as key issues in deep sea exploration and exploitation: the climate, ecosystems, geohazards and resources. The paper also identified Europe as key to this field, as it has the technology and the research potential to make a significant contribution.

In order to protect biological and geological resources in the deep sea environment, substantial knowledge and a commitment to research excellence in the field is required. DS3F is the first step towards understanding, and ultimately protecting, this environment.