The MARIO project aims to improve knowledge and monitoring of marine ecosystems in the south-western Indian Ocean to support their conservation. As part of the project, the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (TAAF) are strengthening climate change monitoring in the Éparses Islands, a group of five remote islands and atolls around Madagascar administered as the fifth district of the TAAF.
An action is currently underway during a sea-based campaign aboard the OSIRIS II, from 8 August to 8 September 2026, with oceanographic sensors being installed around the Eparses Islands.
These instruments will contribute to the development of an integrated climate change observatory, complementing monitoring systems deployed through the Green Overseas (GO) programme. Set up on shared infrastructures, these devices will work together and ensure greater consistency in climate observations across the Eparses Islands.
GO pressure sensors monitor sea level and coastal retreat, while MARIO sensors will measure seawater temperature and conductivity, from which salinity can be derived. Together, these parameters will help to improve understanding of ocean circulation, sea level rise, changes in water masses and coral bleaching events, while helping distinguish the effects of warming from other environmental pressures.
The data will contribute to the ReefTEMPS National Observation Service (SNO), which is part of the French Coastal and Littoral Research Infrastructure (ILICO), and will support research and modelling for other scientific partners.
Through MARIO, a project supported by the French Development Agency (AFD) and the European Union (EU), the TAAF are strengthening long-term science-based monitoring and are contributing to regional efforts to better understand climate change and its effects across the south-western Indian Ocean.
