MISSION MICROBIOMES

Marine microorganisms play a fundamental role in oceanic ecosystems. These microbiomes are key actors in regulating our planet’s health.
Mission Microbiomes is driven by the need to understand how this invisible population of the ocean functions and to study its vulnerability in a changing climate and increased pollution.

SOURCE OF LIFE Benefits On-board lab 5 TYPES OF SAMPLING • 3 LABS • 1 STOCK ROOM
Through photosynthesis, it transforms
light energy and nutrients into organic matter, The Ocean microbiome is composed of all
the basis of the marine food chain. marine microorganisms (viruses, bacteria,
micro-algae, protists, etc.) and the environment REGULATORS OF
ECOLOGICAL BALANCES RESEARCH APPROACHES
within which they evolve. 1 • Surface content 8 8 • Air measures
Marine phytoplankton capture half of the CO2 AND FOCUS Water pumped and continuously
Collecting aerosols above
ONEMEN
E NVIR T
and contribute to half of the O2 generated analysed (salinity, temperature,
the ocean which can carry
bodies of water crossed).
bacteria and viruses.
PHYTOPLANKTON PROTISTS CO2 O2
OCEAN CURRENTS
How is climate change impacting on ocean
50% 50% currents and microbiome distribution?

1 • Chilean coasts: Oxygen depleted areas

by photosynthetic organisms on Earth.
They generate organic matter, 2 • Guyana – Amazonia: connexion and
which sustains the ocean food webs. exchanges between South and North Atlantic
under the influence of the Amazon river
2• The manta net
3 • Weddell sea: a key ocean & climate area with
RESOURCES FOR SOCIETY Collecting all
a major drawdown of surface waters and carbon
floating plastic litter.
This ever-changing biodiversity
potentially abounds with molecules of
4 • Chile and Africa: regions of upwelling of rich 5 6
great interest for biotechnological innovation.
deep ocean waters, with highly productive 2
7
BACTERIA VIRUSES
fisheries and a strong biological carbon pump

START • END 1
Lorient, Brittany FERTILISATION AND POLLUTION
december 2020 How do watersheds land use and pollution, 7 • The front hold
september 2022
including microplastics, alter the microbiomes Stocking samples.
structure and function?
Lisbon
september 2022 5 • Chilean coasts: influence of melting glaciers 6 • Dry labs
on salinity and local microbiomes inside the boat.
4
The expedition Rabat 6 • Great rivers: (Amazon, Orange, Congo,
Ogooué, Senegal) with an important influence
Sailing for 21 months to sample on the Atlantic microbiome 5 • The wet lab
the ocean microbiome and Where most sampling occur.
share with the public
SMALL SCALE PHENOMENA
Cancún 3
How do small scale phenomena (e.g., eddies)
Seneg have to included in models for predicting
the ocean microbiome future state? 3 • The plankton net 4 • The rosette
Pointe à Pitre
al

Dakar Vo
Taking a very large volume of Sampling at various depths
july 2021
lta

august 2022 7 • Atlantic Ocean: understanding the impact of water and specific types of and measuring parameters
2 4 small features (eddies, fronts) on the microbiome. organisms, depending on obtained via sensors (pressure,
the size of the net, from depths temperature, conductivity, oxygen
down to 1000 meters. levels, carbon pump, chlorophyl).

6
n go
Cayenne Co
Og
oo

Sao Tome
ué

A m a z on
Belèm june 2022 Libreville

Salvador de Bahia
september 2021
Boma
The mission in numbers Norway
1
COLLABORATING INVOLVED ON
6 ITINERARY ON BOARD A GLOBAL SCALE
United Kingdom
PA C I F I C Rio de Janeiro
ATLANTIC Walvis Bay
4 Netherlands
2
Iquique
Florianopolis
OCEAN OCEAN Belgium

Valparaiso
4 Or
a
ge 45 1
n

april 2021 organisations Germany

Capetown
from 14 countries
21
2

15
march 2022 around

200
Concepcion Buenos Aires France
4 6 Hungary
stopovers sailors
1
Puerto Montt scientists
march 2021 Switzerland
1 mission, 2 phases Brazil 2
5
1 CHILE WITH THE CEODOS PROGRAM
SOUTH ATLANTIC WITH
THE ATLANTECO PROGRAM
Spain
5 2

Punta Arenas Nutrients rich Italy

upwelling areas 6

70 000 80 21
february 2021
Portugal South Africa
Chile 1 3
kms to cover researchers scientific
9
disciplines
3

Weddell Sea
 WHAT IS THE OCEAN MICROBIOME?
Every liter of water contains between 10 and 100 billion microorganisms, classified in 4 populations: The Microbiome Mission will help us understand
phytoplankton, protists, bacteria, and viruses. This classification does not reflect the immensely rich biodiversity of plankton,
WHO DOES WHAT, AND HOW, in an environment
nor their numerous ecological interactions: symbiosis, parasitism, predation, and protection.
in constant mutation due to climate change
O2
CO2
SUBJECTS OF STUDY

CARBON

GE N E RAT OR
PUMP

O X Y GEN
M IC R O B I O M E
exterior
environ-
stress
ment
factors
JUST AS
THE HUMAN
conductivity MICROBIOME
pollutants
CONTRIBUTES TO OUR WELL-BEING,
THE OCEAN MICROBIOME CONTRIBUTES

A S S O C I AT I O N
Protists POSITIVELY TO THE HEALTH OF THE PLANET

Phytoplankton acidity pH It structures, produces and protects.

The microbiome influences the entire oceanic
size in millimeters: 0.8 to 10 mm
ecosystem, and thus the climate of our planet.
size in micrometers: 0.1 à 10 µm Protists are complex unicellular organisms with
rising a nucleus and sometimes skeletons of glass, stone, The microbiome is an indicator of the Ocean’s
temperatures Phytoplankton consists of all microscopic or organic matter in extraordinary shapes. Certain state of health. Today the human microbiome is
single-cell algae — the micro-algae. are capable of photosynthesis — the phytoplankton. well-studied. In contrast, more than 60% of
Certain bacteria and protists are phytoplankton. Fueled by solar energy, they produce living matter
microbial genes present in the ocean remain
These microorganisms, thanks to chlorophyll from carbon dioxide (CO2), water, and mineral salts.
pigments, use CO2 to produce organic matter to be discovered.
Some of this organic carbon sinks to the bottom
and generate oxygen. They are equivalent of the oceans, sequestering atmospheric CO2 salinity
to plants on land. there for thousands of years.
HUMAN MICROBIOME
marine
currents

SYMBIOSIS P R E D AT I O N temperature

excess of nutrients coming

from land and rivers
PA R A S I T I S M

INTERACTION
Bacteria
size in micrometers: 0.1 à 2 µm
Bacteria are simple unicellular organisms with nuclei.
Some participate in the photosynthetic activity of
the oceans (cyanobacteria). Others recycle dead
plankton into nutritive elements and thus participate
Zooplankton
in the ‘breathing’ mechanism of the oceans.
Still others live in symbiosis with protists and
planktonic animals (zooplankton), providing them
size: 0.5 mm to several meters vital elements.
nitrogen level
Viruses
size in micrometers: 0.01 to 1 µm
Extraordinarily numerous and varied, viruses need
a host in order to multiply. Sometimes they provoke
the mass death of bacteria, protists or zooplankton, oxygen level
especially those that are multiplying too rapidly in
the ecosystem. Most often, they penetrate their hosts
without killing them, contributing new genes and
participating in the microbiome’s equilibrium.

These are multicellular organisms—the animals

in plankton. Often transparent and gelatinous, nutrients
they show complex behavior, including massive
OCCEAN MICROBIOME
vertical migrations several hundred meters deep.
Every night krill, copepods and fish larvae rise to
the Ocean’s surface to feed without being seen.
Zooplankton is in constant interaction with
the microbiome.

Studying in a common
the microbiome understanding determining measuring quantifying identifying assessing environment:
means… a global system what affects stress factors the impact of rivers the influence of the distribution of the Ocean
its functioning plastic pollution the microbiome
in ocean currents
 START • END
Lorient, Brittany
december 2020
september 2022

Lisbon
september 2022

The expedition Rabat

Sailing for 21 months

to sample the ocean microbiome
and share with the public

Cancún

Sénég

al
Pointe à Pitre Vo
july 2021 Dakar

lta
2 4
august 2022

6
ngo
Cayenne Co
Og

oo
Sao Tomé

ué
A m a z o ne
Belèm Libreville
june 2022

Salvador de Bahia Boma

september 2021

6
PACIFIC Rio de Janeiro
ATLANTIC Walvis Bay
Iquique
OCEAN Florianopolis OCEAN
4 Or a

Valparaiso ge

n
avril 2021
Capetown
march 2022
Concepcion Buenos Aires
4
Puerto Montt
march 2021

1 mission, 2 phases
5 CHILE WITH THE CEODOS PROGRAM
SOUTH ATLANTIC WITH
Punta Arenas THE ATLANTECO PROGRAM

Nutrients rich
upwelling areas

Weddell Sea

RESEARCH APPROACHES
& FOCUS

OCEAN STREAMS FERTILIZATION & POLLUTION

How climate change is impacting How watersheds use and pollution
ocean currents and the microbiome such as agriculture or microplastic pollution
distribution ? alter the microbiome structure and function ?

1 • Chilean coasts : oxygen depleted area 5 • Chilean Coasts : influence of the melting glaciers
2 • Guyane - Amazone : influence of Amazon river's on salinity and local microbiomes
outputs on the link between the South and North Atlantic 6 • Great rivers : (Amazone, Orange, Congo, Ogooué,
3 • Weddell Sea : one of the key ocean & climate area Volta, Senegal) with great influence on local oceans
with the major drawdown of surface waters
4 • Chili and Africa : upwellings areas of rich deep ocean
waters driving the most productive fisheries on earth SMALL SCALE FEATURES
and the biological carbon pump How small scale ocean features
alter the ocean microbiome models
at large scale ?

7 • Atlantic Ocean : understand how the

microbiome is modified by small gyres ?