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TREC

Traversing European Coastlines

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

A scientific voyage to address environmental challenges

With TREC, we embark on a journey through European coastlines to explore the biodiversity and molecular adaptability of microbial communities as well as key selected organisms. We focus on coastal habitats as they are the richest in species biodiversity and they also often present the highest levels of pollution. 

By combining the expertise and infrastructure of EMBL and our multiple European partners, TREC aims to initiate a new era of coastal ecosystems exploration. The goal is timely and ambitious – to observe, model, and understand the effects of changing environments on organisms and communities, at the cellular and molecular levels.

TREC is a flagship project of Planetary Biology, one of the transversal themes launched by EMBL’s new Programme “Molecules to Ecosystems” 2022-2026.

We want to address major issues of human and planetary health:

Measure the amounts and study the effects of organic and inorganic pollutants.

Survey biodiversity loss and monitor the impact of invasive species.

Identify carbon fixation pathways and develop new harnessing strategies.

Measure the impact of global warming and acidification on ecosystems; study molecular adaptations.

Explore symbioses to understand molecular mechanisms of organismal interactions.

Identify new antibiotics, track antimicrobial resistance spread, and design control strategies.

Explore

Learn more about the expedition and our activities

Projects

Discover the scientific projects driving the expedition

Mobile Service

Find out how TREC and local research projects will be supported through EMBL’s new mobile service

Training

Scientific workshops and courses for the researchers


04 Nov 2024

TREC in numbers: the expedition’s impact so far

In less than two years, the EMBL-led TREC expedition has demonstrated that large-scale international collaboration is essential for driving ground-breaking planetary and human health research with soc…

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16 Oct 2024

All eyes on science!

EMBL Rome volunteers participated in the European Researchers’ Night organised by the CNR in Montelibretti, attended by over 1,500 visitors. They prepared activities and games reflecting the wide vari…

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16 Aug 2024

TREC expedition concludes sampling in Greece

The TREC expedition concluded its sampling in Greece and strengthened scientific exchange and collaborative networks with their Greek partners during a political and scientific stakeholder event in At…

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