Montpellier Environmental Research Observatory (OREME)

General presentation

The Observatoire de REcherche Montpellierrain de l'Environnement, an Internal School of the University of Montpellier, is an Observatory of the Sciences of the Universe dedicated to the study of hazards and the vulnerability of Mediterranean environments. The Observatory therefore focuses on natural hazards and the impact of global and anthropogenic changes on the living and inert Mediterranean space, thanks to the skills of its partners in geosciences, hydrosciences, biodiversity sciences and ecology.

OREME's essential mission is to collect, integrate and share the heterogeneous data associated with these disciplines, and to highlight correlations that could not be identified beforehand. The key to this process is the discovery of systematic signals that can be used to assess the impact of global or anthropogenic change, and to understand the mechanisms behind its environmental effects.

Director: Eric Servat

Key figures

• 7 affiliated research units (Géosciences Montpellier, Hydrosciences Montpellier, Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive, Laboratoire Écosystèmes lagunaires, Institut des Sciences de l'Évolution, Centre de Bio-Archéologie et Écologie, Laboratoire Univers et particules de Montpellier)
• 2 observation platforms for the Mediterranean environment (GLADYS - Integrated Coastal Study and AETE - Water Pollution Analysis)
• 1 marine station at Sète (SMEL)
• 9 FTEs assigned to OSU OREME and 73 FTEs participating in the observatory's missions via research units

Training

Dedicated to research and observation, the Observatory does not welcome students on its premises, but participates in the Environmental Sciences training courses offered by the University of Montpellier. For example, OREME contributes to the Master's degree in Environmental Sciences, which offers 5-year postgraduate courses combining excellence in research and the transfer of knowledge to the professional world.