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EMODnet Biology invites users of marine data made publicly available by Flanders, Belgium including EMODnet Biology data hosted by the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), to participate in an OECD survey of Flemish marine data services. The objective of this survey published on the EMODnet Biology portal and organised in cooperation with a number of other Flemish marine data managers is to get a picture of the use and the social value of the data made available. This 10–15-minute survey is open until 6 December 2022.

This virtual workshop, co-organized and led by the non-profit organisation HUB Ocean and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO) in its role as coordinator of the Ocean Decade, aims to define potential use cases that will explore the sharing of industry-owned ocean data with the ocean research community to improve ocean models and science. The workshop will take place on 22-23 November 2022 and will convene a dozen scientific partners working in the ocean-climate modelling domain. It will contribute to the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development addressing Ocean Decade Challenge #5, which aims to “enhance understanding of the ocean-climate nexus and generate knowledge and solutions to mitigate, adapt and build resilience to the effects of climate change across all geographies and at all scales.”

Applications to the Call for Decade Actions No. 04/2022 are now open. The Call is an invitation for worldwide partners to request endorsement for transformative Decade Actions that can contribute to the Ocean Decade vision on Challenge 6 – Coastal Resilience and on Challenge 8 – Digital Representation of the Ocean. Details are available on the Ocean Decade website's dedicated webpage.

Between 5-19 October 2022, the Ocean Best Practices System (OBPS) are organizing a virtual global meeting with a number of workshops. Goals include guiding the development of best practices and operating practices, promoting their documentation, and sharing them widely using the Ocean Best Practices System. The OBPS repository is hosted by the International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE) of UNESCO.

EMODnet powers the European Atlas of the Seas, a European Commission online communication tool for wider society. For the start of the new school year, the European Atlas of the Seas released its interactive help tool in 24 languages. Thanks to its multilingual features, the Atlas makes it possible for citizens, teachers and students from all around Europe to easily explore a wide range of popular marine topics such as: environment; marine life; nature conservation; sea surface temperature trends; sea level rise; marine litter; fisheries; aquaculture; tourism; energy; transport; and much more! The EMODnet Secretariat presented the latest updates at the European Marine Science Educators Association (EMSEA)'s annual conference on 28 September 2022 in Mallorca, Spain. Have a look at the presentation!

From 12 September 2022, the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), which coordinates EMODnet Central Portal and EMODnet Biology, together with the EMODnet Secretariat as a hosted partner, will move into the new InnovOcean Campus in Ostend. The Campus will also continue to host IODE of UNESCO and European Marine Board, amongst others, together with a new partnership with the Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO). The new official address will be: Jacobsenstraat 1, 8400 Ostend, Belgium. EMODnet services will remain operational during this time. The EMODnet teams look forward to the next chapter of partnerships, and welcome you all to visit Ostend and the InnovOcean campus in the near future!

The summary for the UN Ocean Conference (27 June to 1 July 2022) side event on “Marine Data Interoperability”, that was co-organised by the EMODnet Secretariat, is now available online. Check it out!

Outcomes from the Scientific Event that took place in May/June 2022 will be highlighted at the Ministerial Event in Washington, D.C. the week of July 12-14 2022 (streamed live), which will also feature Ministerial interventions and the signing of the All-Atlantic Ocean Research & Innovation Alliance Declaration.

EMODnet is co-organising a stakeholder workshop on 19 May 2022 titled “Ocean Observation, Marine Data and Services for the EU Green Deal” in collaboration with the H2020 Blue-Cloud and EuroSea projects and the wider research community.

This year, EMD2022 will also host the first European Ocean Literacy Summit on 20 May, bringing together partners and wider practitioners from the marine and maritime community to showcase and celebrate achievements of the first two years of the EU4Ocean Coalition for Ocean Literacy with three key communities.

On 12 May 2022, EU marine data services EMODnet and Copernicus Marine Service are organising a joint webinar to discuss the evolution of these key marine data services in the context of an all Atlantic and global ocean data space. The webinar is supported by the European Commission and in collaboration with the AANCHOR All-Atlantic Cooperation for Ocean Research and Innovation. The event is open and inclusive, intended for all interested stakeholders across the Atlantic Ocean Basin and beyond. A full programme will be available in April 2022.

The #OceanChallenge4Africa online hackathon aims to tackle ocean challenges in the coastal and marine regions of Africa and to pool African energies to grasp opportunities offered by the ocean. It is organized by Mercator Ocean International, IOC Africa and Garage48; and supported by the EU’s Copernicus Marine Service and Segal Family Foundation. It is further held in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme GEMS Ocean, GEO Blue Planet and the African Group on Earth Observations (AfriGEO). The deadline for idea submission and team formation is 22 March 2022.

The Global Partnership on Marine Litter (GPML) is a United Nations coalition among multiple interested parties who are involved in tackling marine litter pollution.

The GPML platform integrates and provides access to up-to-date and reliable data to guide decision-making to achieve the following target of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: preventing and significantly reducing marine pollution of all kinds, by 2025. Most EMODnet Chemistry data products for marine litter, eutrophication, and contaminants are now integrated in the GPML digital platform. Read the related ‘use case’ to get all details on this new collaboration.

Ocean-based industries and conservation organisations are working towards 2030 targets to reduce harmful practices and restore ocean health. The summit will assess whether the targets are ambitious enough, and what policymakers, industry, and investors should do to achieve them.

Did you know that the EMODnet Open Conference virtual exhibition is still open for the public? The exhibition, set up for the EMODnet Open Conference in June 2021 takes the user through an informative journey of the past decade of EMODnet achievements, the latest state-of-the-art in in situ marine data services, key partnerships at EU and global levels – including with the ocean observation community, and EMODnet’s increasing win-win collaborations with the Blue Economy and Business sectors.  There is information on the diverse activities of EMODnet, you can visit the gallery of community posters and get informed on related initiatives such as European Atlas of the Seas. The virtual exhibition closes in Spring 2022.

The 6th edition of the EU Datathon, the annual EU open data competition, includes four challenges. 

The finals will take place on 20 October 2022.