1. Chemical Oceanography Unit – Members Alberto Vieira Borges, FNRS Research associate Biogeochemistry of aquatic systems Bruno Delille, BSP Researcher Carbon cycle in the Southern Ocean and climatic feedbacks Willy Champenois, PhD student Carbon cycle in the Posidonia oceanica meadows Nicolas-Xavier Geilfus, PhD student Sea ice CO 2 dynamics Yefanlan José Mathieu Koné, PhD student Carbon cycle in tropical coastal ecosystems Kim Suykens, PhD student Carbon cycle in the Gulf of Biscay and climatic feedbacks Marc-Vincent Commarieu, technician Laboratory analysis and field work

2. Chemical Oceanography Unit – Study Sites The Chemical Oceanography Unit carries out research on the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) in several environments : - Estuaries, lagoons and mangroves - Posidonia seagrass meadows - Southern Ocean - Arctic and Antarctic sea-ice - African lakes To better constrain the absorption of CO 2 by aquatic systems.

3. Chemical Oceanography Unit – Methods “Classical” oceanographic cruises Automated system on board the Belgica Automated system on a fixed station in the Scheldt Adapted for “extreme” and minimal conditions Mesocosm experiments O 2 and CO 2 mooring in Corsica (Calvi) Two experimental approaches : - « Manned » field work - Autonomous systems (Belgica, Scheldt and Corsica) Scaling of data from Remote Sensing images Collaboration with several modelling groups

4. Chemical Oceanography Unit – Scheldt EU IP CARBOOCEAN (http://www.carboocean.org/) & FNRS FRFChttp://www.carboocean.org/ Monitoring of pCO 2 in the Upper Scheldt (Antwerpen – Ste Anna station) Determine the long-term changes of pCO 2 related to nutrient and organic carbon input regulation policies and initiatives

5. Chemical Oceanography Unit – Belgian Coastal Zone EU IP CARBOOCEAN (http://www.carboocean.org/)http://www.carboocean.org/ Monitoring of pCO 2 in the Belgian Coastal Zone (automated system on the Belgica since September 2000) Determine inter-annual variability of pCO 2 dynamics

6. Chemical Oceanography Unit – Belgian Coastal Zone Belspo BELCOLOUR-2 (http://www.mumm.ac.be/BELCOLOUR/EN/)http://www.mumm.ac.be/BELCOLOUR/EN/ Derivation of pCO 2 fields in the Belgian Coastal Zone from remote sensing imagery (Chla, SST) and modelling (SSS)

7. Chemical Oceanography Unit – Gulf of Biscay Belspo PEACE (http://www.co2.ulg.ac.be/peace/)http://www.co2.ulg.ac.be/peace/ Carbon cycling in coccolithophorid blooms in the frame of ocean acidification

8. Chemical Oceanography Unit – Calvi mooring MIS FNRS (http://www.co2.ulg.ac.be/posidonia.htm)http://www.co2.ulg.ac.be/posidonia.htm Monitoring of O 2 and pCO 2 in Posidonia meadow (Calvi) since 2006 Determine long term changes of productivity (Gross Primary production (GPP) and Community Respiration (CR))

9. Chemical Oceanography Unit – Mediterranean Sea EU IP SESAME (http://www.sesame-ip.eu/)http://www.sesame-ip.eu/ Evaluation of air-sea CO 2 fluxes in the Mediterranean and Black Seas in the frame of EU IP SESAME

10. Chemical Oceanography Unit – Southern Ocean Assement of air- sea CO 2 fluxes in the Southern Ocean (scaled from RS images) Assement of the penetration of anthropogenic CO 2 in the Southern Ocean Belspo BELCANTO-III (http://www.co2.ulg.ac.be/belcanto/index.htm)http://www.co2.ulg.ac.be/belcanto/index.htm

11. Chemical Oceanography Unit – Sea-ice Dynamics Belspo BELCANTO-III (http://www.co2.ulg.ac.be/belcanto/index.htm)http://www.co2.ulg.ac.be/belcanto/index.htm Sea-ice biogeochemistry in Arctic and Antarctic sea-ice (atmospheric fluxes of climatologicaly active gazes (CO 2, DMS)). Antarctic sea ice in spring and summer acts as a sink for atmospheric CO 2 of about 0.025 PgC yr -1

12. Chemical Oceanography Unit – Lake Kivu FNRS FRFC CAKI (http://www.co2.ulg.ac.be/kivu.htm)http://www.co2.ulg.ac.be/kivu.htm Carbon cycling in a meromictic « killer » lake Surface waters are net autotrophic but a source of CO 2 due to geothermal (magmatic) inputs

13. Chemical Oceanography Unit – Modelling Modelling of Carbon and CO 2 cycles in collaboration with several groups : - Bay of Calvi (M. Grégoire) - Ligurian Sea - Dyfamed (M. Grégoire) - Black Sea (M. Grégoire & J.-M. Beckers) - Southern Bight of the North Sea Past 50 years (N. Gypens & C. Lancelot) - Southern Bight of the North Sea present 3-D (N. Gypens & G. Lacroix) - Scheldt (N. Gypens & C. Lancelot ; E. Dellhez & E. Deleersnijder) - Southern Ocean & Antarctic sea-ice (C. Lancelot & H. Goosse)