PETRI-MED, an ambitious project to monitor marine microbial biodiversity from the space, kicks off

This April has started the PETRI-MED project, an initiative led by the Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC) whose main objective is to develop novel indicators to monitor the Mediterranean marine microbial biodiversity combining satellite optical remote sensing, in-situ genomic analysis, and artificial intelligence.

The assessment and monitoring of microbial plankton biodiversity are essential to obtain a robust evaluation of the marine environment health status. While bulk marine photosynthetic plankton is a proxy for primary production, a fundamental process that supports higher trophic levels, the specific composition of the microbial community is key to unveil a number of biogeochemical processes as nitrogen fixation, carbon sequestration and ocean acidification, that provide valuable indications on ecosystems dynamics and health.

“We wanted to focus on the Mediterranean Sea since it is widely recognized as one of the world’s most important marine and coastal biodiversity hotspots and provides relevant ecosystem and cultural services to millions of citizens”, highlights Marco Talone.

Specifically, the aim of the project is to develop a remote-sensing based index to monitor the status and spatio-temporal trends of microbial plankton community composition, which will allow researchers to delve into the ecological connectivity and its forcings, both natural and human.

Remote sensing, genomics, and artificial intelligence

PETRI-MED will rely on satellite optical radiometric measurements. Optical radiometry measures the fraction of sun light back-scattered from the upper layer of the water column after its interaction with suspended particles and dissolved matter that absorbs or scatters the incident light.

Moreover, satellite data will be combined with state-of-the-art biogeochemical and physical models provided by the Copernicus Marine Service –which provides information on the state of the blue (physical), white (sea ice) and green (biogeochemical) ocean-, and in situ genomic observations through artificial intelligence.

The overall goal of the project, funded by the European Union and the Fundación Biodiversidad, is to provide policy makers and other stakeholders with the adequate knowledge to permit ecosystem management based on quantitative and real-time metrics. This, in turn, will allow to design and implement different protection strategies and policies and to track the viability of the management of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in response to climate change.