Brief Description:
In summer 2013 a new experimental facility at the AWI Wadden Sea station was completed to simulate the influence of changing environmental conditions on benthic communities in the Wadden Sea. The facility consists of 12 mesocosms, each with 1800 l water volume and a light-permeable cover. Each mesocosm has a tide and current simulation to recreate conditions as natural as possible for the communities. Furthermore, it is possible to manipulate in each basin the temperature, carbon dioxide concentration and nutrients. A multiparameter probe is monitoring and recording continuously and automatically pH, salinity, oxygen content and temperature.
As part of the BIOACID II project, the first experiment was conducted in spring 2014:
April - July 2014: To examine the impact of global warming and ocean acidification, a community of bladderwrack (Fucus vesiculosus forma mytili), Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas), mussels (Mytilus edulis), periwinkle (Littorina littorea, Littorina mariae) and amphipods (Gammarus spp.) was incubated in the mesocosms for 11 weeks. The temperature and CO2 concentration were increased as for the year 2100 predicted.
July - September 2014: In addition to global warming and ocean acidification we will simulate the influence of increased entry of nutrients into the sea.
In spring 2021, the AWI expanded its facility – which it christened AWISOM (‘AWI Sylt Outdoor Mesocosms’). Twelve identical mesocosms equipped with the latest technologies were added, and at the same time, the old tanks were modernised
Contact Person: Dr. Lisa Shama (Lisa.Shama@awi.de)
Publications
Pansch, A., Winde, V., Asmus, R. and Asmus, H. (2016): Tidal benthic mesocosms simulating future climate change scenarios in the field of marine ecology, Limnology and Oceanography: Methods. doi: 10.1002/lom3.10086
Graiff, A., Al Jabani, B., Asmus, H., Asmus, R., Bartsch, I., Bohm, F., Boettcher, M., Eisenhauer, A., Gutow, L., Karsten, U., Kruse, I. , Matthiessen, B., Mensch, B., Pansch, A., Raddatz, S., Schmitz-Streit, R., Tauber, I., Wahl, M., Werner, F. and Winde, V. (2015): Effects of warming and acidification on a benthic community in the Baltic Sea - Kiel Benthocosms, European Journal of Phycology, 50, pp. 89-90.