OSU OREME: understanding the sea at the Marine Station
Protecting the environment: a key issue for the 21st century at the heart of I-SITE. At UM, environmental observation—an essential prerequisite for its preservation—is carried out atthe Mediterranean Environment Research Observatory (OREME).
An observatory of space sciences (OSU) that aims to study and analyze environmental changes, particularly at the Sète Marine Station.
The arrival at the "castle," as the residents of Sète affectionately call it—via the Thau lagoon or along the Plagette neighborhood—is breathtaking. At the end of the Quai de la Daurade, the historic building of the Cette Zoological Station[1]impresses with its immensity and elegance.
Renamed the Sète Marine Station and affiliated with the University of Montpellier in 1879, the facility was inaugurated in 1896. "To ensure its seamless integration into the city of Sète, the UM Marine Station has a dual mission, both scientific and cultural," explains Eric Servat, director ofOSU OREME, which
brings together, in addition to the Marine Station, some twenty observation services, an Environmental Information System, an analytical geochemistry platform, and the MEDIMEER experimental marine ecology platform.
Support for Observation
On the first floor of the Station, in his ship-like office (wood paneling, panoramic windows), Sébastien Mas details the observation activities carried out on site, namely technical and logistical support and long-term monitoring of the evolution of the biophysical and chemical variables of the Thau lagoon and the Sète foreshore. The aim is to link these different variables with local and global changes or with crisis events (floods, storms, droughts, etc.). "Every two weeks, we take samples off the coast of Sète for the National Coastal Observation Service ( SOMLIT). The results of these samples are then sent to and stored in the SOMLIT national database, " explains the CNRS research engineer who has been head of the Sète Marine Station since 2015. "Medium- and long-term observation of environmental change is essential to understanding how marine ecosystems respond to natural environmental constraints and anthropogenic effects."
Medimeer
Providing experimental facilities to marine ecology research teams from around the world is the mission of the MEDIMEER platform, located at the heart of the Marine Station. In addition to the cutting-edge scientific expertise of its team, MEDIMEER offers the opportunity to conduct experiments under controlled conditions in large-volume experimental enclosures—mesocosms—with the ability to manipulate and control environmental forcings. These mesocosms make it possible to isolate a body of seawater representative of the ecosystem under study and thus to quantify and qualify the impact of global changes on that ecosystem. "In October, MEDIMEER hosted the European AQUACOSM project, which aims to determine the impact of rising temperatures on marine plankton communities," explains Sébastien Mas, who participated in this large-scale operation on the Thau lagoon. In order to accurately observe the reaction of marine ecosystems to climate change, various simulations were carried out in situ, within the marine mesocosms of the MEDIMEER platform (increase in temperature and light intensity). "The experimental facilities offered by MEDIMEER to the national and international scientific community are unique in France and around the Mediterranean," emphasizes the scientist, who specializes in the use of optical sensors in marine ecology.
[1] The town of Sète did not acquire its definitive spelling until 1928.
Key figures
- 8 research units that are members of the OSU
- 73 full-time equivalents participate in OREME missions, including 7 at the Marine Station.
- 2 technical platforms: AETE-ISO (analytical geochemistry) and MEDIMEER
- 1 OSU environmental information system
Culture: the link between science and the general public
The first cultural event aimed at the general public took place at the Marine Station in 1920: a sensational exhibition of a real whale skeleton, says Marielle Laurens, the station's administrative manager. Following the exhibition of Bernard Collin's correspondence (Ma petite Jeannie chérie – June 2018), the station plans to organize an exhibition in 2019 to raise awareness of the scourge of plastic and its devastating impact on the marine ecosystem.
Photos © Camille Salvador