The IMBeR Eutrophication Study Group (ESG) conducted its kick-off meeting online on 25 October 2022. The meeting was hosted by the group Co-Chairs, Prof. Dongyan Liu and Prof. Peter Thompson, from SKLEC of ECNU (China), and CSIRO (Australia), respectively. Prof. GiHoon Hong, IMBeR Strategy Director, welcome all participants and assured administrative support from the IMBeR IPO. The presentation from Peter created a shared understanding of the group background, followed by discussions around group aims, deliverables, and upcoming activities.
Eutrophication has been a lingering issue for many decades. Scientists and managers have a good understanding of its cause and consequence and are trying to find effective strategies to reduce the negative impact of nutrient enrichment. However, they are not always meet our expectations. The non-linear response of the ecosystem, beyond a specific-model-driven policy, has perplexed the public and the scientific community. In addition, global warming and elevated CO2 appear to enhance harmful algal blooms (HABs) occurrence in mid and high-latitude regions despite the nutrient reduction policy adopted. These climatic aspects have not been factored in yet most administrations. Taking on these challenges, this group discussed to develop the understanding of diverse responses of marine ecosystems to eutrophication under climate regimes, as its first attempt in the coming three years. The group is formed by 13 researchers connected different research groups in eight countries on five continents. New members will also be considered when the synthesis topics become more concrete.
Their next online meeting is scheduled in late-December. Look forward to sharing more updates from this group soon.
