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Climate awareness · October 2025 MaHeWa represented at the “Cycles for the Climate” event organised by Météo-France in Toulouse |
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On 5 October, Alexandre Ganachaud, Research Director at IRD (Laboratoire d’Études en Géophysique et Océanographie Spatiales – LEGOS) and member of the MaHeWa project, represented the consortium at the “Cycles for the Climate” event organised by Météo-France at the Lac de la Ramée in Toulouse. This friendly and engaging day dedicated to climate change awareness brought together many institutional, scientific, and citizen actors around activities, talks, and workshops. |
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Scientific data · October 2025 The HOPE buoy reveals unprecedented planktonic dynamics during marine heatwaves |
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The recent data from the HOPE buoy, deployed in New Caledonia, are enriching MaHeWa’s analyses on the effects of marine heatwaves by revealing very high-frequency dynamics of surface planktonic biomass — capable of quadrupling within hours — which in turn accelerates the formation of carbon-rich “marine snow” that sinks toward the deep ocean. |
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Field mission · October 2025 Strengthening ciguatera surveillance in Lifou with the CIGUAWATCH initiative |
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Illustration: Awareness seminar for healthcare staff. To improve surveillance, the Marine Biotoxins Laboratory (ILM) travelled to New Caledonia in late September to continue deploying the CIGUAWATCH platform, which enables real-time monitoring of ciguatera cases. This mission is part of the MaHeWa project, dedicated to studying marine heatwaves in the Pacific. |
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Science outreach · October 2025 Students and a researcher decode together the 2016 marine heatwave in the Pacific |
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Our colleague Cyril Dutheil worked with the middle school class (3ème B) of Collège Olympe de Gouges in Cadaujac to make a complex scientific study about marine heatwaves more accessible. This science outreach work was published in the journal DECODER, which is dedicated to making research available to everyone. |
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Annual meeting · September 2025 First annual meeting of the MaHeWa project in Tahiti |
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The first annual meeting of the MaHeWa project was held from 26 to 29 September 2025, at the Ifremer station in Vairao (Tahiti, French Polynesia). This four-day meeting brought together most of the project participants: around fifty climatologists, oceanographers, biologists, anthropologists, and economists based in institutes and universities in French Polynesia and New Caledonia. Researchers from mainland France also participated via videoconference during dedicated morning sessions. Scientific presentations on the project’s progress and ongoing activities alternated with workshops on tools, specific subjects, and work sites. |
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New PhD student · July 2025 Welcome to Célia Caillibot, PhD student within MaHeWa studying ciguatera in New Caledonia |
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Since July, Célia Caillibot has joined us at the Ifremer representation office in New Caledonia. Under the supervision of Thierry Jauffrais (IFREMER), Nicolas Lebouvier (UNC), and Philipp Hess (IFREMER), she will be working as part of Work Package 2: Ecological Vulnerability and Biological Impacts. |
