Sign in

EMBLtrec

@embltrec.bsky.social
750 followers 1.2K following 38 posts

An expedition to study coastal ecosystems and their response to the environment, from molecules to communities

PostsRepliesMedia
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 11/08/2025
“With the Foundation’s backing, principles at the heart of TREC – open data, standardised protocols, and shared analytical approaches – are being adopted across new countries & continents,” said Paola Bertucci, Head @embl.org Scientific Expeditions. Check out this great article on labs on wheels!
061
Reposted by EMBLtrec
EMBL @embl.org · 11/08/2025
With its scientific expeditions, EMBL is pioneering a new era of field-based molecular life sciences. 🚌🔬 Supported by the Klaus Tschira Stiftung & many partners, these ‘labs on wheels’ enable the study of life in context across Europe, with a view to global impact. 🌍🧬 www.embl.org/news/connect...
Collage of three photos: 1) the EMBL TREC fleet is driving next to the coast; 2) three scientists are taking samples on a grassy field; 3) a scientist is cryo-preserving samples. Behind her, there is a lab bench with equipment visible.
0315
Reposted by EMBLtrec
Ibon Cancio @iboncancio.bsky.social · 29/07/2025
@embltrec.bsky.social has published this snapshot of their stop @pie-upvehu.bsky.social Thanks for the kind words! TREC partner snapshot: University of Basque Country Plentzia Marine Station www.embl.org/news/connect...
embl.org
TREC partner snapshot: University of Basque Country Plentzia Marine Station | EMBL
A ‘supersite’ for field research and public outreach provided optimal environment for exchange, as we find out in this interview.
021
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 25/07/2025
From the TREC Blog "My father passed away while I was working on TREC. Doing the work with others gave me the strength to carry on until I could return home to be with my family. It was a very sad time, but showed me how important this project & these people had become" www.embl.org/about/info/t...
041
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
Curiosity microscopes were distributed to local partners at key locations along the TREC – @fondationtaraocean.bsky.social @taraoceans-science.bsky.social expedition route. These microscopes will facilitate, support and expand existing outreach activities for local coastal communities.
030
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
Check out this great article on the Curiosity microscope, used by @embl.org & BIOcean5D to empower teachers to share excitement of plankton discovery with their students! "The Curiosity microscope is fantastic because it will enable us to bring the classroom to the sampling site” bit.ly/3UfeEoz
Scientist looking at laptop screen with images of microscopic organisms seen using Curiosity microscope
151
Reposted by EMBLtrec
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 16/07/2025
TREC is hiring! @embl.org is looking for a field technician/engineer to coordinate soil sampling: plan activities, apply protocols, lead site scouting, coordinate teams & more. Join an amazing international team exploring a hidden universe beneath our feet. Please spread the word! bit.ly/4eSTPbZ
bit.ly
Environmental Technician or Engineer (Soil Lead)
The European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) is Europe’s flagship research institution for the life sciences, bringing together over 110 independent research groups and service teams across six si...
0912
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 16/07/2025
TREC is hiring! @embl.org is looking for a field technician/engineer to coordinate soil sampling: plan activities, apply protocols, lead site scouting, coordinate teams & more. Join an amazing international team exploring a hidden universe beneath our feet. Please spread the word! bit.ly/4eSTPbZ
bit.ly
Environmental Technician or Engineer (Soil Lead)
The European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) is Europe’s flagship research institution for the life sciences, bringing together over 110 independent research groups and service teams across six si...
0912
Reposted by EMBLtrec
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
Coastal sediments lining Europe’s shores hold a hidden archive of microbial biodiversity, past & present. As part of the TREC expedition, scientists collected samples from coastal sites across the continent. Meet Raffaele Siano, who leads TREC's work on coastal sediments www.embl.org/about/info/t...
3133
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
With @embl.org @ifremer.bsky.social
000
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
“TREC has been one of the best experiences of my life," he added. "Working closely with colleagues from EMBL and other partners, sharing responsibility, facing challenges together, all created strong bonds. It’s those human connections I made during TREC that I’ll remember most."
040
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
“What makes TREC unique is that we’re not studying one compartment in isolation. By linking data from water, sediment, and land, we can explore how these systems interact,” said Raffaele in the interview.
130
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
During the TREC expedition, scientists collected two types of sediment samples: surface sediments, which give insights into present-day conditions, and deeper paleocores – long cylinders of sediment that record environmental changes going back decades or even centuries.
110
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
One of the memories of TREC Raffaele recalls is an early sketch he did with Paola Bertucci, TREC’s Head of EMBL Scientific Expeditions, that turned out to be a first draft of TREC’s sampling strategy: “It marked the concrete beginning of our pan-compartment TREC sampling strategy” he said.
110
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
Some answers lie in ocean water, but because it changes rapidly with tides and currents, and plankton records rarely go back more than a few decades, studying the water alone doesn’t provide the full picture. That’s where sediments – and the sediment compartment – come in.
110
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
In our interview, Raffaele points out that few stretches of Europe’s coastline remain untouched by human activity – but in many cases, we don’t actually know what these ecosystems were like before those impacts began
110
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
Raffaele is a marine ecologist whose research focuses on coastal environmental genomics and harmful algal blooms. He is based at the French Institute for Ocean Science @ifremer.bsky.social in Brest, France
110
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
Coastal sediments lining Europe’s shores hold a hidden archive of microbial biodiversity, past & present. As part of the TREC expedition, scientists collected samples from coastal sites across the continent. Meet Raffaele Siano, who leads TREC's work on coastal sediments www.embl.org/about/info/t...
3133
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
Great summary of happenings at the world's largest ever ocean summit #unoc3 by our friends at the BIOcean5D project (cofunded by @horizoneu.bsky.social) aiming to gain a holistic understanding of ocean life "Now, the decisions must be transformed into action" biocean5d.org/a-decisive-m...
biocean5d.org
A decisive moment for the future of our Ocean – BIOcean5D
World leaders, political decision-makers and marine science experts gathered in Nice, France this month for the largest Ocean summit ever organised.
021
Reposted by EMBLtrec
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 21/06/2025
Global ocean temperatures 1850-2024. Temperature is known to play a crucial role in shaping the microbial communities TREC aims to learn much more about #showyourstripes showyourstripes.info
Stripe graph showing increase in global ocean temperatures between years 1850 and 2024, sharply moving from blue (cooler) to red (hotter)
062
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 21/06/2025
Global ocean temperatures 1850-2024. Temperature is known to play a crucial role in shaping the microbial communities TREC aims to learn much more about #showyourstripes showyourstripes.info
Stripe graph showing increase in global ocean temperatures between years 1850 and 2024, sharply moving from blue (cooler) to red (hotter)
062
Reposted by EMBLtrec
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 16/06/2025
The kindness of strangers: TREC collaborator Sirje Sildever (Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia) recalls asking organisations if she could set up air sampling stations on the tops of their buildings "Many people were surprised, but they were very accommodating!" www.embl.org/news/connect...
embl.org
TREC partner snapshot: Tallinn University of Technology | EMBL
TallinnTech was an important TREC partner, and Sirje Sildever shares her thoughts after helping facilitate opportunities in Estonia.
042
Reposted by EMBLtrec
EMBL @embl.org · 13/06/2025
EMBL's TREC expedition wouldn't have been possible without its partners. We spotlight some valuable collaborators, such as the Tallinn University of Technology, #Estonia. We spoke to Sirje Sildever, Assistant Professor @TallinnTech: www.embl.org/news/connect...
embl.org
TREC partner snapshot: Tallinn University of Technology | EMBL
TallinnTech was an important TREC partner, and Sirje Sildever shares her thoughts after helping facilitate opportunities in Estonia.
062
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 16/06/2025
The kindness of strangers: TREC collaborator Sirje Sildever (Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia) recalls asking organisations if she could set up air sampling stations on the tops of their buildings "Many people were surprised, but they were very accommodating!" www.embl.org/news/connect...
embl.org
TREC partner snapshot: Tallinn University of Technology | EMBL
TallinnTech was an important TREC partner, and Sirje Sildever shares her thoughts after helping facilitate opportunities in Estonia.
042
Reposted by EMBLtrec
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
"Never before in human history has there been a more urgent need to understand living systems & how they interact with each other and the environment" Check out this blog from the 'wild frontiers of model organisms' symposium, inc on the importance of TREC's approach of taking the lab to the field
embl.org
Biology beyond conventional model organisms – a whole new world | EMBL
An EMBL | EMBO symposium explored the ‘wild frontiers’ of model organisms, from phytoplankton to sea anemones, waterstriders, roundworms, and more.
14212
Reposted by EMBLtrec
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 08/06/2025
It's #WorldOceanDay – this year’s theme is: ‘Wonder: sustain what sustains us’. One key force sustaining ocean life is microbes. With @embl.org TREC we explored this hidden universe along Europe's coasts, across water, sediment and soil to see how microbial life connects across ecosystems and biomes
World Ocean Day graphic including colourful scientific images of ocean plankton
2339
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
@embl.org @embo.org
000
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
"Never before in human history has there been a more urgent need to understand living systems & how they interact with each other and the environment" Check out this blog from the 'wild frontiers of model organisms' symposium, inc on the importance of TREC's approach of taking the lab to the field
embl.org
Biology beyond conventional model organisms – a whole new world | EMBL
An EMBL | EMBO symposium explored the ‘wild frontiers’ of model organisms, from phytoplankton to sea anemones, waterstriders, roundworms, and more.
14212
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 08/06/2025
TREC teams aboard the @fondationtaraocean.bsky.social @taraoceans-science.bsky.social schooner sampled ocean waters off the coast in parallel with those taken on land. Coordinated methods across biomes allow scientists to build knowledge not just for wonder, but to help sustain what sustains us
Scientists aboard the TARA schooner filter a sample of ocean water
060
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 08/06/2025
Shallow coastal zones are among the most dynamic and diverse habitats on Earth. As part of TREC’s pan-biome approach, scientists are studying their microbial life to understand how these ecosystems contribute to aspects such as carbon cycling, food webs, and coastal resilience
Scientists taking coastal water samples in ocean with mountains in the background
170
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 08/06/2025
Coastal sediments are both habitat and archive – preserving DNA, pollutants & particles from land and sea over time. TREC scientists sampled sediments along Europe’s coastlines, sometimes up to a meter deep, to study biodiversity & understand how ecosystems changed over decades or even centuries
TREC scientist preparing sediment samples during the expedition
110
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 08/06/2025
Soil may seem distant from the ocean, but it plays a vital role in coastal and ocean ecosystem health. TREC sampled soils along Europe’s shores, enabling studies of how land use – from forests to farms to cities – affects microbial life, nutrient cycles, and resilience across land-sea connections
Scientists taking a soil sample during the TREC expedition
110
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 08/06/2025
TREC’s mobile labs visited 44 sites in 21 countries, with scientists collecting tens of thousands of samples from soil, sediment, shallow water & ocean. With partners & volunteers, this effort is now fuelling research into microbial life, pollutants, biodiversity, evolution, and ecosystem change
TREC mobile lab during a expedition stop with around 50 visitors outside
131
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 08/06/2025
It's #WorldOceanDay – this year’s theme is: ‘Wonder: sustain what sustains us’. One key force sustaining ocean life is microbes. With @embl.org TREC we explored this hidden universe along Europe's coasts, across water, sediment and soil to see how microbial life connects across ecosystems and biomes
World Ocean Day graphic including colourful scientific images of ocean plankton
2339
Reposted by EMBLtrec
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
Amazing chance to work with CONTRAST project & TREC expedition coastal sediment samples to map chemical contaminants and how they shape microbial life over time. Based at Ifremer, Nantes in Chemical Contamination of Marine Ecosystems unit www.hellowork.com/fr-fr/emploi... #Postdoc #MicrobialEcology
hellowork.com
Offre Emploi CDD Post-Doctoral Position In Microbial Ecology Ecotoxicology M F Nantes (44) - Recrutement par Ifremer | Hellowork
Decouvrez l'offre d'Emploi Post-Doctoral Position In Microbial Ecology Ecotoxicology M F Nantes (44) en CDD pour Ifremer. Ifremer recrute actuellement ✓ Postulez dès maintenant ✓ Candidature Simple & ...
244
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
@ifremer.bsky.social @embl.org
000
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
More information on the Horizon Europe Project CONTRAST can be found here: www.contrastproject.eu
contrastproject.eu
CONTRAST Project
Solutions to monitor how chemicals of emerging concern are affecting the oceans.
010
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
Amazing chance to work with CONTRAST project & TREC expedition coastal sediment samples to map chemical contaminants and how they shape microbial life over time. Based at Ifremer, Nantes in Chemical Contamination of Marine Ecosystems unit www.hellowork.com/fr-fr/emploi... #Postdoc #MicrobialEcology
hellowork.com
Offre Emploi CDD Post-Doctoral Position In Microbial Ecology Ecotoxicology M F Nantes (44) - Recrutement par Ifremer | Hellowork
Decouvrez l'offre d'Emploi Post-Doctoral Position In Microbial Ecology Ecotoxicology M F Nantes (44) en CDD pour Ifremer. Ifremer recrute actuellement ✓ Postulez dès maintenant ✓ Candidature Simple & ...
244
Reposted by EMBLtrec
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 03/06/2025
Tomorrow, Wed 4 June, TREC's @floravincent.bsky.social @embl.org will speak at DAI Heidelberg, Germany, on the world of plankton and its importance for the future of our planet. Event includes hands-on activities, crafting, quiz & more: see dai-heidelberg.de/en/events/oc... #WorldOceanDay #ocean
DAI poster for talk by TREC's Flora Vincent
2132
Reposted by EMBLtrec
Flora Vincent @floravincent.bsky.social · 03/06/2025
Note: the talk only starts at 18:45 Full program dai-heidelberg.de/en/events/oc... Oceans Day - Deutsch-Amerikanisches Institut. Haus der Kultur.
dai-heidelberg.de
Oceans Day - Deutsch-Amerikanisches Institut. Haus der Kultur.
Join us on our dive into the wonders of our oceans – the lifeblood of our planet. Discover why oceans …
011
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 03/06/2025
Tomorrow, Wed 4 June, TREC's @floravincent.bsky.social @embl.org will speak at DAI Heidelberg, Germany, on the world of plankton and its importance for the future of our planet. Event includes hands-on activities, crafting, quiz & more: see dai-heidelberg.de/en/events/oc... #WorldOceanDay #ocean
DAI poster for talk by TREC's Flora Vincent
2132
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 16/05/2025
The abstract deadline for @same18-bcn.bsky.social – Aquatic Microbiomes on a Changing Planet – conference is fast approaching (25 May). SAME18 will take place 28 September-3 October 2025 on the beautiful Barcelona Biomedical Research Park campus
041
Reposted by EMBLtrec
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 14/05/2025
"At times, the technologies that TREC brought to local researchers felt like ‘science fiction’.. some of them had never seen the species they worked on for years with this level of detail" check out this great interview with TREC partner Romain Troublé @fondationtaraocean.bsky.social, by Ivy Kupec
042
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 14/05/2025
"At times, the technologies that TREC brought to local researchers felt like ‘science fiction’.. some of them had never seen the species they worked on for years with this level of detail" check out this great interview with TREC partner Romain Troublé @fondationtaraocean.bsky.social, by Ivy Kupec
042
Reposted by EMBLtrec
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
The Arctic is threatened by global heating and pollution: @taraoceans-science.bsky.social polar station will both lock into ice and float on water to support researchers in understanding these threats. TREC's Thomas Haize attended the vessel's inauguration in Lorient and shared these great pics!
Inside the Tara Polar Station cabin looking out over ocean in FranceA view of the Tara Polar Station sitting in Lorient harbourA picture of the Tara Polar Station from the outside as it sits in Lorient harbourA picture of TREC's Thomas Haize in front of the Tara Polar Station in Lorient harbour
1115
Reposted by EMBLtrec
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 07/05/2025
Some marine microbes steal tiny structures called plastids from algae for photosynthesis, a relationship that may hold clues to how complex life first harnessed sunlight. TREC collaborator @ehehenberger.bsky.social has a great postdoc opp to study this in Ross Sea Dinoflagellates! 🗓️ Deadline: 17 May
072
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 07/05/2025
Some marine microbes steal tiny structures called plastids from algae for photosynthesis, a relationship that may hold clues to how complex life first harnessed sunlight. TREC collaborator @ehehenberger.bsky.social has a great postdoc opp to study this in Ross Sea Dinoflagellates! 🗓️ Deadline: 17 May
072
Reposted by EMBLtrec
Savvas Paragkamian @sparagkamian.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
Looking forward to reading behind the scenes stories about the great expedition of @embltrec.bsky.social! It was a great interacting with the teams in Athens superstop last year 😊 www.embl.org/about/info/t...
embl.org
Welcome to the new TREC blog!  – TREC
021
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
You can read more about the Tara Polar Station here: fondationtaraocean.org/en/schooner/...
fondationtaraocean.org
Tara Polar Station, drifting polar station in the Arctic
With the Tara Polar Station program, we will establish a long-term, drifting observatory and laboratory to study the ecosystems of the central Arctic Ocean. This observatory will be deployed in the ic...
033
EMBLtrec @embltrec.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
The Arctic is threatened by global heating and pollution: @taraoceans-science.bsky.social polar station will both lock into ice and float on water to support researchers in understanding these threats. TREC's Thomas Haize attended the vessel's inauguration in Lorient and shared these great pics!
Inside the Tara Polar Station cabin looking out over ocean in FranceA view of the Tara Polar Station sitting in Lorient harbourA picture of the Tara Polar Station from the outside as it sits in Lorient harbourA picture of TREC's Thomas Haize in front of the Tara Polar Station in Lorient harbour
1115