A month in the Scattered Islands to discover the secrets of reefs and corals
Located in the south-western Indian Ocean, the Scattered Islands not only serve as invaluable environmental and climate indicators but also offer a baseline for biological, geological, oceanographic, atmospheric and even anthropological studies. Virtually uninhabited and unaffected by human presence, these islands present a rare opportunity for multi-disciplinary research.
To set up a coherent research framework, which must answer national needs for knowledge on biodiversity, the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (TAAF), manager of the Scattered Islands, requested help from the CNRS.
The CNRS led an inter-organisation consortium of partners (Marine Protected Areas Agency (AAMP), Foundation for Biodiversity Research (FRB), IRD, TAAF) in deliberations that resulted in the launch of an initial call for expressions of interest and then a call for proposals. Of the 36 project proposals submitted, 19 were selected and are set to receive funds from 2011 to 2013. Project support includes access to the R/V Marion Dufresne, travel costs and small equipment.
Of the 10 selected CNRS projects is REEFCORES, a project co-directed by Gilbert Camoin, senior CNRS researcher, and Stéphan Jorry, researcher at Ifremer. Based on fossil coral reefs and associated sedimentary environments, the objective of REEFCORES is to acquire new data on the variation in sea level and on environmental and climate change from the late Quaternary period to the present and to understand the their impact on coral reef systems in the Scattered Islands.
Full press release (in French):