“STORM-IO” (Sea Turtles for Ocean Research and Monitoring in the Indian Ocean)
The INTERREG-V Indian Ocean project “STORM-IO” (Sea Turtles for Ocean Research and Monitoring in the Indian Ocean) aims to exploit biologging technology to sample the properties of the tropical Indian Ocean and study the life cycle of different species of marine turtles inhabiting this region by equipping them with satellite tags equipped with miniaturized environmental sensors.
Start date : 15 / 09 / 20
End date : 31 / 03 / 2023
INTERREG financing :
Total project budget: €618
Amount of total FEDER funding: €525
Amount of financing other than FEDER total: Region 46 / State €384,83
Presentation, objective(s):
The INTERREG-V Indian Ocean project “STORM-IO” (Sea Turtles for Ocean Research and Monitoring in the Indian Ocean) aims to exploit biologging technology to sample the properties of the tropical Indian Ocean and study the life cycle of different species of marine turtles inhabiting this region by equipping them with satellite tags equipped with miniaturized environmental sensors. STORM-IO focuses on the western tropical Indian Ocean and, in particular, its southwest basin (SWOI; 0-40°S – 30-60°E). This region where intra-seasonal atmospheric variability and activity
cyclonic are among the largest on the planet, is home to five species of sea turtles, 4 of which are critically endangered. STORM-IO aims, in particular, to provide positioning, temperature, salinity and, to a lesser extent, fluorescence data at high spatio-temporal resolution to develop, improve and evaluate biological and ocean models used by ecologists. and oceanographers.
Operation partners:
STORM-IO is part of a dynamic of regional cooperation aimed at structuring the scientific community in the fields of physical oceanography and marine ecology. This program, led by the University of Reunion (LACy) in close collaboration with the marine turtle observatory of Reunion (Kelonia), is based on a cooperative network made up of numerous Reunion, regional and metropolitan research organizations, and marine reserves and NGOs, pooling for the first time their resources and knowledge to effectively answer the research questions addressed in this project.
Initially made up of 8 French partners (Center for the Study and Discovery of Marine Turtles, Kelonia, Inria, Mercator-Océan, TAAF + the three LACY supervisory authorities: University of La Réunion, CNRS, Météo-France), and five partners regional – in Seychelles (Seychelles Islands Foundation), Comoros (Directorate of Meteorology, Moheli Marine Park, Association for Socio-Economic Development of Itsamia) and Mozambique (Ponta di Ouro Marine Reserve) – the STORMIO project has generated significant enthusiasm, both at the national and regional level. Many organizations not involved during the setting up of the project have expressed the wish to integrate STORM-IO, some of which have been integrated: IFREMER (France) and University of Unilurio (Mozambique). The associated letters of intent and/or agreement have been provided to the instructing service. In addition to these new scientific cooperations, links with the new marine animal observation sub-network – Animal Borne Ocean Sensors (AniBOS) – of GOOS have been strengthened with a view to benefiting from the infrastructure soon to be implemented in the framework of this new global network, but also to contribute to the democratization of observations by biologging within the international community.
Note also that the global STORM program also involves a South African partner (Nelson Mandela University) in order to extend the planned work to the southern region of the Mozambique Channel and the Aiguille Current (the activities of this partner are financed independently of the STORM-IO project via CNES funding). Links were also created with other regional projects such as TIMOI (INTERREG OI), Ocean Front Change (Belmont Forum) and QWIO (FFEM).
The website : http://www.storm.re
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