European Marine Observation and Data Network | EMODnet

The EMODnet Steering Committee (SC) met with EMODnet coordinators and technical experts at its 17th meeting on 7 and 8 November 2022, with a key focus on the upcoming centralization of all EMODnet services into one unified EMODnet data service. Other topics included highlights from the seven EMODnet thematic lots and data ingestion, including latest outputs and partnerships planning for two upcoming EMODnet flagship events in 2023, namely the 3rd edition of the EMODnet Open Sea Lab hackathon, kicking off on 7 March 2023 and the EMODnet Open Conference & Jamboree, taking place in late Autumn 2023. The EC Marine Knowledge Expert Group joined the 17th EMODnet SC Open Session and also met for a second closed session on 29th November 2022.

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.

To improve the assessment of marine pollution, EMODnet Chemistry has undertaken a thorough revision of the questionnaire used to obtain information on sampling, data analysis methods, and validation procedures for contaminants in seawater, sediment and biota. The revised questionnaire was recently sent out to the network of laboratories that provide data to EMODnet Chemistry in order to improve and update the available information. Despite advances in legislation, there is still relatively little implementation of the requirements of the current directives and protocols.

The latest developments of the European Atlas of the Seas were presented at two conferences that gathered experts from across Europe this month. On 18 November, the Atlas took part in a session of the online 4th International Scientix Conference dedicated to Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and Sustainability. On 30 November, the Atlas contributed to a session on Vessels for Communication of the 2022 CommOcean Conference which brought together scientists and communication specialists in Sète (France) and online. Participants learned about the Atlas’ release of the interactive help in the 24 official languages, the ongoing Education for Climate challenge and the upcoming release of a new function in the Atlas, My Maps! At the same time, the Atlas team learned about great projects and key insights on the latest developments in education and science communication!

From 26 to 28 October 2022, EMODnet Chemistry was in Constanța (Romania) at the hybrid conference MARBLUE 2022 - Blue Growth: Challenges and Opportunities for the Black Sea. The aim of this international conference was to contribute to the protection of the Black Sea by supporting sustainable development in a multidisciplinary way. Free and open access to aggregated, standardised, validated data and data products for the Black Sea is available in the form of regional and global data collections and maps for eutrophication, contaminants, and marine litter through the EMODnet Chemistry web data portal.

Join the final, Open Conference of the Blue-Cloud pilot project pilot project for an opportunity to learn about the main results, achievements and the road ahead of this key component of the EU “Future of Seas and Oceans Flagship Initiative”. Gain insight into the key conclusions stemming from this 3-year effort to build a “marine” thematic community within the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) and into the role it can play in evolving a thriving EU digital marine knowledge system in support of the EU Green Deal and the UN Agenda 2030.

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