Uncovering how Northern Europe’s seagrass meadows can withstand human pressures to safeguard biodiversity and our shared coastal future.
The Challenge
Seagrass meadows are among the planet’s most valuable yet overlooked ecosystems, storing carbon, supporting fisheries, and protecting coastlines. In Northern Europe, these underwater grasslands are under increasing threat from nutrient pollution, coastal development, and climate change. Their decline accelerates the loss of biodiversity, weakens natural defenses against climate impacts, and reduces the ocean’s ability to absorb carbon. This degradation directly links to the triple planetary crisis: climate change diminishes their resilience, pollution erodes their health, and biodiversity loss undermines the services they provide to people and nature. Without urgent action, communities across the region risk losing a critical aspect in building sustainable, equitable, and climate-resilient coasts.
The Project
Through the NORSE initiative, GRID-Arendal and partners across the Nordic region are working to understand and address the pressures threatening Northern Europe’s seagrass meadows. The project combines field studies at multiple coastal sites with historical data analysis to track long-term changes in seagrass health and biodiversity. In collaboration with research institutions, NORSE also conducts mesocosm experiments to test how biodiversity influences the resilience of seagrass ecosystems under stressors such as warming waters and nutrient loading. Together, these activities will provide the knowledge needed to guide conservation and restoration strategies, strengthen regional collaboration, and contribute to global efforts to protect marine biodiversity.
Our Transformative Approach
NORSE goes beyond traditional research by combining science, collaboration, and innovation to drive systemic change in how seagrass ecosystems are understood and protected. Our approach is transformative because it:
Co-creates knowledge by uniting scientists, coastal communities, and regional partners to ensure solutions are relevant, inclusive, and actionable.
Innovates through mesocosm experiments that simulate future environmental conditions, providing unique insights into how biodiversity underpins resilience.
Bridges past and present by linking historical data with current fieldwork to reveal long-term trends and guide forward-looking strategies.
Shifts systems and norms by embedding seagrass conservation into broader climate and ocean sustainability agendas, positioning these ecosystems as essential in tackling the triple planetary crisis.
Builds lasting impact by strengthening Nordic collaboration and contributing directly to global initiatives such as the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Through this integrative and forward-looking approach, NORSE and GRID-Arendal are not only identifying today’s threats but also shaping the long-term pathways needed for thriving seagrass meadows and resilient coastal societies.
Why It Matters
Healthy seagrass meadows are a foundation for life along Northern Europe’s coasts through absorbing carbon, nurturing biodiversity, and protecting communities from storms and erosion. By safeguarding these ecosystems, the NORSE project helps secure food resources, strengthen climate resilience, and preserve the natural heritage that future generations depend on. Success means more than restoring underwater meadows: it means ensuring cleaner waters, more sustainable livelihoods, and stronger connections between people and nature. In doing so, NORSE contributes directly to GRID-Arendal’s vision of a healthy and equitable planet and supports global commitments under the Sustainable Development Goals, including climate action, life below water, and sustainable communities.
