Workshop 1: Optimising mesocosm design and operational procedures (WP3)
Dates: 04-07/12/2017 in Évora (Portugal)
Contact person: Tatiana Tsagaraki (Partner: University of Bergen), Miguel Araujo (Partner: CIBIO-UE)
The workshop will aim to:
Identifying the strengths and weaknesses of existing facilities and approaches spanning the full range from river, lake, brackish and marine environments, concerning indoor and outdoor, pelagic, littoral and benthic facilities:
Discussing and agreeing on best practices in mesocosm applications, including experimental design, replication, randomisation, core parameters to be measured, statistical data treatment and analysis, data reporting and archiving.
The workshop will engage the broader mesocosm community with representatives from all environments, AQUACOSM mesocosm facilities and selected international experts. Special effort will be taken to bring to the workshop representatives from stakeholders and end users outside the project consortium. The ambition is to reinforce a network of leading experts, produce recommendations/checklists for existing mesocosm approaches and infrastructures, develop guidelines on best practices for mesocosm experimentation, and prepare a roadmap towards future mesocosm technologies serving the needs of tomorrow’s research communities.
Venue
Fundação eugénio de Almeida Conference Centre Largo do Conde de Vila Flor 7000-804 Évora
http://www.fundacaoeugeniodealmeida.pt/forum/conference-center-/3786.htm
Programme
5th December
09:00 - Welcome session and logistics
09:15 - Presentation of goals for the workshop
Guest Talks: Strengths and weaknesses of existing mesocosm facilities spanning the full range from river, lake, brackish and marine environments, concerning indoor and outdoor, pelagic, littoral and benthic facilities for studies of:
9:30 – Ecosystem functioning (Robert Ptacnik, University of Vienna)
9:50 - Pollution (Ketil Hylland, University of Oslo)
10:10 - Climate change (Ulf Riebesell, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel)
10:30 - Coffee break
11:00 - Series of four 15 min talks on best practices in mesocosm applications, including 11:00 - Experimental design, replication, and randomisation (Antony Underwood, University of Sydney)
11:20 - Core parameters to be measured (Martin Wahl, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel)
11:40 - Data treatment and analysis (Pedro Peres Neto, Concordia University Montreal)
12:00 – Modelling practices (Selina Vage, University of Bergen)
12:20 – Data reporting and archiving (Rob Thomas, Marine Institute of Ireland)
12:40 – Lunch
14:00 – General comments of preparation for breakout groups
14:30 – Parallel breakout group sessions
17:30 – End of sessions
19:30 – Social dinner
6th December
9:00 - Parallel break out group sessions
10:30 - Coffee break
11:00 - Parallel break out group sessions
12:30 - Lunch
14:00 - General discussion and synthesis for groups 1
15:30 - Coffee break
16:00 - General discussion and synthesis for groups 2
17:30 – Conclusions from break out groups
19:30 – Social Dinner
7th December
09:00 – Welcome & Background:
09:30 - Contributors presenting suggestions
10:30 – Coffee break
10:45 - Contributors presenting suggestions (continued)
12:30 – Lunch
14:00 - Contributors presenting suggestions (continued)
15:00 – Preparation for breakout groups
15:15 – Coffee and breakout in discussion groups
16:15 – Summary of discussion groups, general discussion and way forward
17:00 – End
19:30 - Dinner
Travel
Évora is connected to Lisbon by a reliable and inexpensive public transport network. There are frequent bus and train services from Lisbon.
By bus:
Bus travel is the recommended means of public transport between Lisbon and Evora, as it offers a greater number of daily departures than the train. The bus journey from Lisbon to Evora takes 1 hour and 45 minutes and a single ticket costs €12.50. The inter city coach service is operated by Rede Expresso and the buses are clean, modern and have air conditioning and internet. Tickets can be purchased from Sete Rios bus station (served by the Jardim Zoológico metro station on the blue metro line) or via the internet at www.rede-expressos.pt
Internet tickets can be purchased up to 30 days in advance, but they are non-refundable and no alterations can be made to the tickets. When booking the ticket via the internet, ensure the destination is Évora, not Évora Alcobaça, which is a small town north of Lisbon.
By train:
Evora is connected to Lisbon by the Lisbon-Evora intercity rail route. A single ticket costs €12.20 in economy class and the journey takes 1 hour and 35 minutes. There are a total of 9 stops along the route, with Evora being the last station. The Lisbon to Evora train service is operated by Comboios de Portugal (CP). Tickets can be purchased from www.cp.pt or from a train station. The train departs from the Oriente train station (served by the Oriente metro station on the red metro line) and passes through the Sete Rios train station, which is close to the bus station where buses depart to Evora.
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