The scientific Expedition
The aim of the expedition is to study the biodiversity and ecosystems on land and at sea, as well as the interactions of organisms with each other and with the environment. The scientific teams collect information on factors such as the presence of pollutants, antibiotics, pesticides, or hormones, as well as temperature, salinity, and oxygen levels. At each point where the EMBL team and collaborators sample soil, sediments, and shallow water, the schooner Tara samples the associated marine ecosystems – on the same day and in the immediate vicinity. Biological samples are fragile: as soon as a drop of water or crumb of soil is removed from its natural environment, the organisms within them begin to change. To maximise the integrity of organisms and to study them in the context of their natural environment, TREC is bringing the lab to the samples, instead of samples to the lab. In total, TREC will examine the biodiversity and molecular adaptability of life at the molecular scale at 120 coastal sampling sites across 21 European countries.The pan-European nature of this project means that samples will be taken in a standardised fashion. This will make it possible to compare and probe data across Europe instead of a regional or national system in a way that was not previously possible.
EMBL acknowledges the generous support of many institutions, donors and sponsors, in particular the Manfred Lautenschläger-Foundation, Eppendorf SE, Carl Zeiss Microscopy, and Friends of EMBL in helping make TREC possible.
What is TREC?
- TREC (Traversing European Coastlines) is a project led by the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), in collaboration with the Tara Ocean Foundation and the European Marine Biology Resource Centre (EMBRC), to study coastal ecosystems and their response to natural and human-made challenges.
- TREC will examine the biodiversity and molecular adaptability of life at the microbial scale at 120 coastal sampling sites in 21 European countries during 2023 and 2024.
- At each site, samples are taken and analysed in a standardised fashion. This will make it possible to compare and probe data across Europe instead of a regional or national system in a way that was not previously possible.
- It is the first continent-wide project of its type and combines the rich expertise and infrastructure of EMBL, Tara, the EMBRC, and more than 70 European institutions.
- TREC will initiate a new era of coastal ecosystems exploration, by combining scientific expertise, local knowledge of ecosystems and processes, and EMBL’s latest technology developments and experience in examining life at the smallest scales.
Why is TREC important?
- Europe’s coastlines are environments rich in life, industry, culture, and heritage, with 40% of Europe’s population living within a coastal region.
- Our seas and coasts play critical roles in the stability and sustainability of wider ecosystems. But they are under threat from human activity, including pollution, construction, and the effects of climate change.
- The aim of the TREC expedition is to reach a new and comprehensive understanding of coastal ecosystems and their responses to changing environments at the molecular and mechanistic levels. In this way, we can help provide new knowledge and discoveries, as well as diagnostic tools, preventative measures, and potential solutions to reverse detrimental changes in the future.
What does the expedition involve?
- Using a small fleet of mobile labs and vehicles from EMBL, and at sea the schooner Tara from the Tara Ocean Foundation, researchers will collect water, soil, and air samples from coastal land areas, shorelines, inshore and offshore waters, right along the coast of Europe. This is the first time this has been done on such a scale.
- We will study 120 of these transects from land to sea – a transect includes samples from soil, shallow and shore waters as well as sediment. It is complemented by studying aerosols, selected model species, and many environmental factors from temperature to precipitation.
- At each site, for example, we expect to identify thousands of novel microscopic species or to measure in selected animals the impact of toxins we detect in the respective environment.
- We will sample at 120 sites in 21 European countries. These sites have been chosen based on the location of our local partners, who have the necessary regional historic knowledge and the ability to conduct regional long-term monitoring, to, for example, capture seasonal effects.
- TREC involves many different, highly collaborative projects; a list of sub-projects submitted by the growing network of collaborators is accessible online. For specific topics related to the TREC expedition (scientific projects, operational oversight, policy questions, public engagement and communications strategy, etc.).
For more information about TREC press here