The IMEDEA receives a visit from the TREC.
Mallorca is one of the sampling and scientific outreach stops where both the mobile laboratories of the EMBL participate
On Friday, March 8th, IMEDEA welcomed the TREC (TRaversing European Coastlines) expedition, a cutting-edge scientific expedition that will traverse European coastlines over two years, gathering information about their biodiversity and ecosystems.
After eight months of studies along the European Atlantic coast, the 'TRaversing European Coastlines' (TREC) project expands its research to the Mediterranean. TREC represents the first initiative of its kind in Europe, investigating coastal ecosystems and their response to human impacts using a unified methodology across the continent. The importance of this study lies in the vital role of seas and coasts in the biodiversity and sustainability of broader ecosystems, currently threatened by anthropogenic alterations that accelerate species loss and degrade ecosystems.
The central purpose of TREC is to study the biodiversity of terrestrial and marine ecosystems and their interactions. Scientific teams focus on collecting data on aspects such as the presence of pollutants and environmental conditions such as temperature, salinity, and oxygenation. To ensure accuracy in studying organisms in their natural environment, the project brings the laboratory to the sampling site, a strategy that preserves the integrity of biological samples.
With a scope covering 120 coastal sampling sites in 21 European countries, TREC seeks to examine biodiversity and molecular adaptability of life on an unprecedented scale. Standardization in sample collection across Europe will facilitate comparisons and analyses at a previously unattainable level.
Mallorca is the new stop for TREC, and IMEDEA welcomed the researchers, establishing synergies and opening the doors to future collaborations.
The advanced mobile laboratory of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) will investigate coastal marine biodiversity in the areas of El Caragol, Portocolom, and Playa de Muro for a week.
During their visit, they carried out various outreach activities, including a seminar led by Dr. Kiley West from EMBL titled "TREC: a scientific voyage to address environmental challenges" and an educational and entertaining activity called Nexus IslandNEXUS aimed at high school students, which they conducted with students from IES Josep Font i Trias, Esporles.