Applied planktoscopy : filling the gap in the Global South waters

Plankton diversity in the ocean had long been addressed by species taxonomic description and counting that allowed us to have a glimpse of the complexity of the marine ecosystem. In the current time of fast and threatening changes it is essential to improve skills to quickly process plankton samples to answer pivotal questions about ecosystem functioning. International collaboration allowed for the first time a standardized plankton sampling and processing in the vast South Atlantic Ocean. Plankton imaging was applied not only to acquire scientific data but also to inspire the society to value the plankton invisible world. A diverse and gender balanced team of international and Brazilian researchers are working throughout the 8.000 km of the Brazilian coast, from the estuarine areas of the stunning Amazon river, smaller estuaries endangered by unique pressures, to the southern shelf waters enriched by the La Plata River Plume, looking for the influence of the continental waters in the ocean plankton communities. The international partnership provided by the AtlantECO project/ H2020/ EU  allowed the first oceanographic expedition on board Brazilian sailing boats, the  establishment of on board processing protocols of microbiome samples, the inclusion of early career researchers in international expeditions and the training on the instruments for imaging plankton of different size spectra. The plankton imaging international training had the cascade effect of increasing the collaboration among Brazilian partners towards standardized protocols and sharing data of different marine ecosystems in free access platforms. Results will soon be available to boost the prediction of ecosystem functions of the most understudied ocean on the planet. All this effort was coupled to numerous outreach side events where portable imaging instruments were used for the first time to fascinate kids and general people about the plankton realm.