Brussels, 11/06/2008 (Agence Europe) - An EU-funded research programme to study the acidification of the oceans was launched in Nice on Tuesday 10 June. The EPOCA (European Project on Ocean Acidification) programme brings together 27 partners from nine European countries: Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Iceland, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland. The EU is providing total funding of €6.5 million over four years from its seventh research framework programme (7th RDFP). Ocean acidification results from the absorption of large amounts of CO2. From the start of the industrial revolution just over 200 years ago, the oceans have absorbed around one third of the CO2 produced by human activity. Currently, over 25 million tonnes of CO2 are dissolved in sea water every day. While we have known about acidification since the 1990s, we do not know its effects on marine fauna and flora. The EPOCA project will help researchers better understand the effects of acidification of sea water and its impact on marine organisms and ecosystems. It will also assess the uncertainties and risks linked to acidification of the oceans from cellular to global level, and will bring forward recommendations for political decision-makers. The largest part of the EPOCA project will try to determine how zooplankton, phytoplankton, algae, molluscs and coral respond to acidification, and assess their ability to adapt. For further information, go to: http: //epoca-project.eu (B.C./transl.rt)