NORSE

Biodiversity in Nordic European Seagrass meadows - drivers, responses and resilience

In NORSE, we explore how biodiversity in seagrass meadows responds to human impacts and environmental factors,  and how biodiversity can provide resilience to future stressors. 

Seagrass meadows are coastal ecosystems that provide many ecosystem services and support high levels of biodiversity, including fish, invertebrates, and algae. In Norway, the most common seagrass species is eelgrass  (Zostera marina) which is found in shallow sandy areas across the entire Norwegian coastline. Seagrass meadows and their associated biodiversity are threatened by many human impacts, such as climate change, eutrophication, and overfishing. Through field sampling, NORSE project will explore how biodiversity in northern European seagrass meadows have changed over time and which human and environmental factors have contributed to these changes. Through mesocosm experiments across four different countries (Norway, Sweden, Germany, Finland), we also investigate how seagrass biodiversity responds to different combinations of stressors such as warming, nutrient enrichment, and salinity. Finally, through additional mesocosm experiments in Norway and Finland, we will explore how biodiversity can provide resilience to future human impact such as climate change. The results of this project will help us better manage and protect seagrass meadows and their biodiverse communities.