Oceanographic cruise to further elucidate how ocean stores carbon

Foredeck of the ' Pourquoi pas? ' oceanographic vessel © Cyril FRESILLON / MIO / Ifremer / CNRS Images From 2 June to 17 July 2023, an oceanographic cruise dubbed APERO, jointly led by CNRS researchers, will be conducted in the north-east Atlantic. This cruise aims to study of the 'biological carbon pump', a mechanism through which the ocean reduces atmospheric carbon levels. The APERO oceanographic cruise kicks off on 2 June 2023. To refine our understanding of oceanic carbon sequestration, a group of scientists-most of them affiliated with the CNRS, Sorbonne University, and Aix-Marseille University-will take to the seas for 40 days onboard two ships from the French Oceanographic Fleet (FOF) operated by IFREMER on behalf of the French scientific community. The APERO cruise is international in breadth and brings together some 120 scientists to pursue an ambitious strategy of ocean observations at depths comprised between 200 and 1000 metres, complemented by innovative approaches in modelling and molecular biology. APERO is supported by the French National Research Agency (ANR). Ocean carbon sequestration is essential to climate regulation but is still poorly understood.