Abed El Rahman Hassoun

Researcher

GEOMAR/CNRS

Kiel, Germany/Lebanon

Dr. Abed El Rahman Hassoun holds a PhD in Oceanology, prepared between Université de Perpignan Via Domitia (UPVD), France and the CNRS of Lebanon since 2014. He is currently a researcher at GEOMAR, Kiel, Germany working on extracting gaps in the EU Ocean Observing System to provide actionable recommendations to the EU commission. His main study area is the Mediterranean Sea. He is interested in long-term marine biogeochemical trends (e.g., ocean acidification, deoxygenation, warming, etc..) in the context of climate change. He is also interested in assessing impacts of climate change on biodiversity, mainly on phytoplankton and the occurrence of HABs. Also, he supervised several Master and PhD students. Dr. Hassoun worked as a consultant for the IAEA-Monaco (in 2021) and the Ocean Frontier Institute-Canada (in 2021 and 2022) on topics related to ocean acidification and ocean carbon cycle. He is interested in bridging gaps between science and stakeholders/policymakers to improve actions and protect marine ecosystems and ultimately vulnerable communities. He is the founder of the Ocean Acidification Mediterranean Hub (OA Med-Hub), and is a member of the GOA-ON Executive Council and the EuroSea Gender and Diversity Board. Dr. Hassoun is a co-champion in outcome 6 of the UN Ocean Decade Programme OARS.

Iris Hendriks

Cientifico Titular of the Spanish Research Council (CSIC)

Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies (IMEDEA, CSIC-UIB)

Spain

Iris E. Hendriks (PhD) defended her thesis in 2004 at the University of Groningen (the Netherlands). She then moved to Spain, where she is now a permanent researcher working for the Spanish Research Council (CSIC) at IMEDEA (Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies), Mallorca. Since 2018 she is leading a monitoring series in the Balearic islands (Balearic islands Ocean Acidification Time Series; BOATS) measuring coastal pH. She is evaluating how much of the observed variation is caused by marine vegetation, as she is interested in the carbon drawdown behind the pH signal and subsequent burial by coastal vegetation. Additionally she is interested in how much of the sea-air emissions of greenhouse gasses are influenced by processes in coastal marine vegetation.

Nina Bednarsek

Senior Scientist

National Institute of Biology

Slovenia

Combining biological observations with experiments and modelling, my work focuses on human-related impacts on ecosystems, biogeochemical responses, as well as potential mitigation and adaptation strategies. I study the interactions between marine calcifiers and associated ecological, biogeochemical and oceanographic processes, including multiple climate change stressors, such as ocean acidification, warming, deoxygenation and extreme events (e.g., Marine Heat Waves, etc), etc. Currently, the most important component of my research relates to the 'CDR Strategies'. Various approaches involve the assessment of the marine macrophytes, ocean alkalinity enhancement and electrochemical ocean capture, with all of them aimed at exploring the effectiveness of the intervention to mediate climate impacts and assure ecosystem conservation with positive socio-economic benefits.

Fatima Zohra Bouthir

Researcher

Physical and biogeochemical marine laboratory, Department of Oceanography, Institut National de Recherche Halieutique (INRH)

Casablanca, Morocco

My research field is biogeochemistry and environmental impact assessment indicators in the marine environment, with special attention on the distribution of contaminants (heavy metals and organometallic compounds). Recent work is focused on the monitoring of coastal environmental conditions in the context of ocean acidification. I participated in many oceanographic cruises.

Steeve Comeau

Research Scientist

Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche, CNRS

Villefranche-sur-mer, France

I am a marine biologist/ biogeochemist working in the Laboratoire d’Océanographie de Villefranche (Sorbonne University, CNRS), France. I work on the effects of climate change, including ocean acidification, on a variety of benthic organisms such as corals, coralline algae, and macroalgae. My study involves the use of various experimental units (mesocosms) to understand the physiological response of benthic organisms to a changing environment. I am also involved in the monitoring of the carbonate chemistry in the Bay of Villefranche.

Michele Giani

Associate Researcher

National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (OGS)

Trieste, Italy

I am a marine chemist; my research focuses on the biogeochemical cycling of biogenic elements in the marine environment and the interaction between natural and anthropogenic processes that lead to dystrophies in the marine environment. I am currently investigating land-ocean interactions that affect carbon cycling and atmosphere-ocean CO2 exchange in the marine environment, as well as the role of key factors that enhance or reduce coastal acidification. I have participated in 40 oceanographic cruises in the Mediterranean Sea, Pacific and Antarctic Oceans. I am PI of the Integrated Carbon Observation System - station Miramare in the Adriatic Sea.

Lina Hansson

Initiatives Coordinator and Secretary of the Monaco Blue Initiative

Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco

Monaco

Lina Hansson holds a MSc in Biotechnology Engineering from the University of Lund, Sweden. She has more than 10 years’ experience in managing scientific projects in an international and multicultural environment. She was the Project Manager of the first large-scale EU project on ocean acidification (2008-2012) and Project Officer of the Ocean Acidification International Coordination Centre of the IAEA Environment Laboratories in Monaco (2012-2019). Lina joined the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation in 2020 as a Marine Project Officer and Coordinator of the Monk Seal Alliance, then took up a role as Coordinator of the Foundation's Initiatives - collaborative partnerships on priority topics - in 2021. She is co-Secretary of the Monaco Blue Initiative, a platform for debate bringing together key players in ocean conservation and governance.

Valeria Ibello

Lecturer

Middle East Technical University, Institute of Marine Sciences (METU-IMS)

Turkey

Valeria Ibello is a lecturer at Middle East Technical University, Institute of Marine Sciences (METU-IMS) since 2013. She is a biogeochemical oceanographer with combined experience in ecosystem modeling, experimental research, and remote monitoring. She has taken part in several national and international research projects, both as research and coordinator. Her research has explored the role of nitrogen fixation and dissolved organic matter in oligotrophic environments, carbon sequestration mechanisms associated with organic matter aggregation, dynamics of the carbonate system and the air-sea CO2 fluxes combining field observations and satellite data. She holds two post-university courses on Ocean Acidification and Global Biogeochemical Cycles at METU-IMS.

Evangelia Krasakopoulou

Professor

University of the Aegean

Mytilene, Greece

Evangelia Krasakopoulou is a Chemical Oceanographer and has worked at the Institute of Oceanography of the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR) from 1994 to 2013 when she took up her duties as Associate Professor at the Department of Marine Sciences of the University of the Aegean. Her scientific interests include: biogeochemical cycling and dynamics of bio-elements in transitional, coastal and open sea environments, study of the CO2-carbonate system and air-sea CO2 exchange, transport of natural and anthropogenic carbon and the resulting ocean acidification. During her career, she is constantly actively involved in EU and national multidisciplinary research projects focusing on the biogeochemical processes and dynamics in the coastal and open sea environment of the Eastern Mediterranean and their responses to circulation features, climatic and environmental change.

Nayerah A. Shaltout

Associate professor

Marine Chemistry Laboratory, Marine Environment Division, National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries

Egypt

I am a representative of the ministry of higher education and scientific research and the Egypt focal point in BlueMed initiative, European Commission, from 2018 until now. I am an Executive Committee member of the Global Ocean Acidification Observing Network (GOA-ON) (2017 until now), a co-chair of Ocean Acidification Africa Regional Hub (2019 until now), and a member of the OA Med-Hub steering committee.