In response to the call, HERMIONE has four key scientific objectives that progress logically: investigating the physical dimensions of deep-sea ecosystems, understanding their functioning and interconnections, assessing human and climate impacts, and supporting conservation. Specifically, the project aims to: (1) map the distribution and interconnection of deep-sea ecosystems; (2) understand changes driven by climate, human impacts, and episodic events; (3) study organism adaptations and the role of biodiversity in ecosystem functioning; and (4) provide scientific knowledge for sustainable governance and conservation. The work programme includes public outreach, student training, and rigorous data management with GIS support. The 38 HERMIONE Consortium partners represent a total of 14 European and close neighbouring countries, and include four small business partners.

This project investigates ecosystems at critical sites on Europe’s deep-ocean margin; areas vulnerable to both episodic events (e.g., canyon flushing) and long-term pressures (e.g., climate change). It addresses urgent questions: How will climate change impact the deep-sea floor? How will ecosystem functioning shift? How do species connect across isolated communities? What are the direct effects of human activities, and how can we mitigate them for sustainable ocean use? Answering these requires complex experiments and long-term monitoring of sensitive environments. No single project can provide all answers, but building on previous work like HERMES and aligning with the Deep-Sea Frontier document, this project redirects scientific focus. New priorities include sensitive ecosystems around oceanic islands and in the Arctic (where climate change is most pronounced), cold-water cascading in the Mediterranean (which may diminish with warming), threatened seamount biodiversity under pressure from bottom trawling, and comparisons between cold seep communities and hot seep communities on the mid-Atlantic Ridge.