"EMODnet News Digest" Newsletter Issues

Save The Date! Blue-Cloud Open Conference, 8 December 2022 in Brussels (08/12/2022)

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.

New information collected for a better assessment of marine pollution (28/11/2022)

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.

EMODnet Steering Committee highlights the network’s progress towards centralisation, with an upgraded, unified, EMODnet data service coming soon in January 2023 (29/11/2022)

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 Chemistry at the 1st International Joint Conference MARBLUE 2022 (28/11/2022)

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.

European Atlas of the Seas presented at the Scientix and CommOcean conferences (28/11/2022)

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!

OECD survey of Flemish marine data services available via EMODnet Biology (28/11/2022)

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.

EMODnet at the Pan-European Sea Level Rise Conference 2022 (26/10/2022)

On 17-18 October 2022, ocean stakeholders gathered in Venice, Italy for the first edition of the Sea Level Rise Conference. The conference was organised by the Knowledge Hub on Sea Level Rise, a joint effort between JPI Climate and JPI Oceans, in collaboration with its Italian partners and with endorsement by the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. The Conference brought together researchers, stakeholders and policy professionals to exchange on regional to local sea level change in Europe. Jan-Bart Calewaert, Head of the EMODnet Secretariat, participated in the closing panel as Co-leader of the Task Group on Communication. Also present on a panel that took stock of existing capability was Dr. Antonio Novellino, Research Manager at ETT and Coordinator of EMODnet Physics who shed light on the vast amount of open, free and harmonised data and information related to Sea Level Rise and coastal adaptation already available via EMODnet services.

EMODnet for Business workshop (27/10/2022)

On 20-21 October 2022, EMODnet together with EC DG MARE organised a workshop on “EMODnet marine data for the offshore renewable energy sector in the Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea”. The workshop was attended by over 80 offshore renewable energy experts with representatives from diverse sectors including research, policy, marine data services and non-governmental agencies. EMODnet was well represented thematic experts from geology, seabed habitats, bathymetry, chemistry, human activities, Data Ingestion, Central Portal and the EMODnet Secretariat. The agenda included a demonstration of the latest EMODnet services, use cases of how the offshore renewable energy sector uses EMODnet data and data products, and dialogues on data requirements and data sharing. This workshop was the second in a series, with the first workshop focusing on the Northeast Atlantic, North Sea and Baltic Sea.

EMODnet provides advice on marine data sharing and use to the UN Global Compact’s Ocean Stewardship Coalition (26/10/2022)

In October 2022, EMODnet was invited to join the Offshore Renewables and Marine Spatial Planning sprint workshop, organised by the UN Global Compact Ocean Stewardship Coalition ocean management working group ‘Offshore Renewables and Sustainable Ocean Planning’. The series of four weekly meetings gathered key knowledge stakeholders to identify, communicate, and address the challenges associated with Maritime Spatial Planning for offshore renewables. The EMODnet Secretariat and EMODnet Human Activities presented EMODnet to the international community bringing key updates on EMODnet’s offer of marine environmental, human activities data and data products, including the hosting of National EU Member State Maritime Spatial Plans. Key messages and testimonials from the recent EMODnet workshops on “Marine Data for the Offshore Renewable Energy sector” were also presented.

2nd EMODnet-Copernicus Marine Coastal Workshop: Report and presentations out now (26/10/2022)

The report and presentations are now available from a Coastal workshop convened by EMODnet and Copernicus Marine Service on 22nd September 2022. The meeting brought together experts from the Copernicus Marine Service, EMODnet, European Commission DG Defis, DG MARE and CINEA. Discussions focused on the latest coastal marine data and data products offered by each service, existing gaps and requirements for future evolution, synergies and alignments across data services and with wider European and global initiative. The agenda, minutes and presentations are available on the EC Maritime Forum.

Citizen Scientists rescue two historical marine datasets through an EMODnet Biology initiative (26/10/2022)

The EMODnet Biology team is happy to announce the successful outcome of its initiative to engage volunteers to rescue a selection of identified historical biological data using citizen science platforms. The data rescued through the DoeDat platform (a platform developed, hosted and maintained at the Meise Botanic Garden in Belgium) was digitised by 4 volunteers. The data rescued via Zooniverse (the world’s largest and most popular platform for people-powered research) involved 14 volunteers. The volunteers' efforts are highly appreciated. Following the digitisation, data managers will process, quality control and reformat the data so that it follows the same standards as any other biodiversity dataset published via EMODnet Biology. A full report will be published shortly. The lessons learned will be used in the future in assessing a large-scale initiative to engage volunteers in data rescue efforts.

EMODnet Chemistry at the 7th International Marine Debris Conference (26/10/2022)

EMODnet Chemistry Coordinator OGS, Italy was an author of the presentation titled “Coastline Litter in Europe - Data for policy” given by Georg Hanke of the European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC) at the latest edition of the 7th International Marine Debris Conference which took place on 18-23 September 2022 in Busan, Republic of Korea. This follows a long and successful collaboration between EMODnet Chemistry and JRC to provide the most comprehensive marine litter database in Europe. The presentation was part of the conference general topic “Stories and lessons from around the world: how monitoring can help develop measures to combat marine litter”.

EMODnet Chemistry manages beach litter data in the Baltic Sea (26/10/2022)

In 2021, the Commission for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea, also known as the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM), asked all countries that are signatories to the Helsinki Convention to submit 2016-2021 data from national coastal litter monitoring to EMODnet Chemistry. Since then, EMODnet Chemistry ingested, harmonised and validated data collected between 2016 and 2021 on 141 beaches in 9 countries. The data will be used to produce the beach litter indicator in the third State of the Baltic Sea' holistic assessment report (HOLAS).

Detection of abnormal vessel behaviour (20/10/2022)

A key user of EMODnet Human Activities vessel density maps is Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency supporting EU Member States and Schengen Associated Countries in managing the EU’s external borders and fighting cross-border crime. The EMODnet’s vessel density maps, a data product that was first released in 2019 has been kept up to date ever since. Frontex applications combine EMODnet map services with other internal and external map services for supporting detection of abnormal vessel behaviour.

Mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030”: an Atlantic-Arctic lighthouse (24/11/2022)

On 24 – 25 November 2022, the European Commission, with the support of Ireland, will organise an event 'Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030: an Atlantic-Arctic Lighthouse'. This event, taking place at the National Maritime College of Ireland in Cork, aims to mobilise a wide range of stakeholders to join the Mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030”, and particularly the Atlantic-Arctic lighthouse.

Call for Decade Actions No. 04/2022 (15/10/2022)

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.

EMODnet Chemistry publishes recommendations for ocean acidification data management (26/09/2022)

EMODnet Chemistry has significantly expanded the new edition of the guidelines entitled "Updated guidelines for SeaDataNet ODV production: Eutrophication & Contaminants". The recently published manual explains to data providers which standards, tools and software provided by the SeaDataNet infrastructure are adopted by EMODnet Chemistry to harmonise and validate data. A list of the most important problems and common errors and how to solve or avoid them is also part of the guide. In addition to information on the correct submission of data for pollutants and eutrophication, this edition includes a full section on ocean acidity.

EMODnet organises 12th Technical Working Group (23/09/2022)

On 21 and 22 September, technical experts from across the EMODnet thematic lots gathered in a hybrid meeting to focus and discuss progress on the centralisation of the EMODnet data services. The centralisation will be completed by the end of 2022, bringing a number of benefits to the user through centralised data discovery, access and visualisation directly from the EMODnet Central Portal and a common map viewer. The minutes and presentations will be made available on the EC Maritime Forum in due course.

Mission "Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030": an Atlantic-Arctic Lighthouse (24/11/2022)

This event aims to mobilise a wide range of stakeholders to join the Mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030”, and particularly the Atlantic-Arctic lighthouse. The event will focus on the political commitments to implement the Mission and agree on concrete measures and actions in the Atlantic-Arctic basins to protect and restore marine and freshwater ecosystems and biodiversity, and boost coastal resilience. This follows the wider dialogues on Mission Ocean as part of the EU Research and Innovation Days which took place on 28-29 September 2022.

EMODnet Marine Data for the Offshore Renewable Energy sector in the Northeast Atlantic, North Sea and Baltic Sea areas (23/09/2022)

On 20-21 September 2022, EMODnet together with EC DG MARE organised a workshop on “EMODnet marine data for the offshore renewable energy sector in the Northeast Atlantic, North Sea and Baltic Sea”. The workshop was attended by more than 65 offshore renewable energy experts with representatives from diverse sectors including industry, research and marine data services. EMODnet was well represented by thematic experts from physics, biology and human activities, together with the EMODnet Secretariat. The agenda included a demonstration of the latest EMODnet services, use cases of how the offshore renewable energy sector use EMODnet data and data products, and dialogues on data requirements and data sharing. A second workshop on the same topic, focusing on the Mediterranean and Black Seas will follow on 20-21 October 2022.

Dialogues with Industry (14/09/2022)

The Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), Marine Technology Society (MTS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and industry partners launched a new Ocean Decade action - a forum for compact and meaningful dialogue with new and established companies, academia, and government. Through a successful and thriving mix of the public and private technologies and players, Dialogues with Industry will aim to dismantle barriers and highlight opportunities towards achieving a mature, vibrant ocean observing enterprise.

2nd EMODnet-Copernicus Marine Thematic Workshop on Coastal Issues (23/09/2022)

On 22 September the second EMODnet-Copernicus Marine Thematic workshop on Coastal issues took place, two years after the first workshop in June 2020. The meeting brought together EMODnet and Copernicus Marine Service experts together with inter-DG representation from the European Commission and CINEA. The workshop focused on dialogue between the two EU marine data services EMODnet and Copernicus Marine Service with a specific focus on the coastal area. Existing capabilities and emerging areas for collaboration across EMODnet themes and between EMODnet and Copernicus Marine were assessed, and concrete joint contributions to European (e.g. EU DTO, Green Deal) and global (UN Ocean Decade) initiatives/strategies were defined. A report will follow on the EC Maritime Forum.

EMODnet Human Activities joined 2nd workshop by the Community of Practice on data sharing, information and communication technology serving MSP (26/09/2022)

On the 1st of September, The Community of Practice (CoP) on Data sharing, information and communication technology serving Maritime Spatial Plans (MSP) organised its second Workshop meeting on "Coherence of the MSP data and information". EMODnet Human Activities attended the workshop online. Guest presentations were given by among others the Danish Maritime Authority and the Italian National Research Council, who both indicated to use EMODnet in their work.

EMODnet Biology creates R packages for EMODnet webservices (26/09/2022)

Over the past couple of years EMODnet Biology has been focusing on the development of R packages that allow users to access EMODnet data via OGC webservices. These are now publicly available.

Blue education and the European Atlas of the Seas: new developments! (22/09/2022)

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!

Smart specialisation strategies for a sustainable blue economy. The interregional dimension (12/10/2022)

DG MARE has identified smart specialisation strategies (S3) as a key tool for implementing the Communication on a Sustainable Blue Economy (SBE), as an integral part of the European Green Deal (EGD). DG MARE has set up the S3 thematic platform for SBE, to support blue economy interregional partnerships/value chains. The promotion of best practices, lessons learned and future perspectives is extremely valuable in fine-tuning the support provided by the S3 thematic platform for SBE.

EMODnet Seabed Habitats Modelled Map Collection (26/09/2022)

The EMODnet Seabed Habitats Map viewer contains over 80 modelled maps of specific habitat type. Models showing the predicted presence/absence of OSPAR habitats such as Lophelia pertusa and the newly listed Kelp Forests, are available to view, download or add as a web mapping service (WMS). Models for other Regional Sea Convention areas include spatial distributions of coralligenous outcrops across the Mediterranean Sea and over 20 species distribution models in the Baltic Sea.

Blue-Cloud Final Conference (08/12/2022)

Take part in the final conference of the Blue-Cloud 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”.

EMODnet Secretariat, Central Portal and Biology teams move to new InnovOcean campus (22/09/2022)

On 12 September the EMODnet Secretariat moved into their new offices in the new InnovOcean Campus in Ostend, which is hosting also the Flanders Marine Institute administering EMODnet Biology, European Marine Board, IODE Project Office, the Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO), the regional coastal heritage team Kust Erfgoed and the Province of West Flanders coastal office. The new official address is Jacobsenstraat 1, 8400 Ostend (Belgium).

EMODnet signs Memorandum of Understanding with Euro-ARGO ERIC (08/08/2022)

In July 2022, EMODnet and Euro-ARGO ERIC (European Research Infrastructure Consortium for Observing the Ocean) jointly signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formalise the ongoing dialogues and relationship between EMODnet and the Euro‐Argo ERIC. EMODnet co-signatories to the MoU included the Coordinators of EMODnet Physics, EMODnet Chemistry and the EMODnet Secretariat. Read the full article, including the many areas of collaboration in the link below. EMODnet will actively participate in the 7th Argo Science Workshop on 11-13 October 2022 in Brussels, Belgium (see upcoming meetings below).

EMODnet Central Portal, Biology and Secretariat teams are moving! (29/08/2022)

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!

EMODnet Biology data archeology via citizen science efforts (25/07/2022)

Two citizen science digitisation projects were set up during the summer and the results are coming in. The EMODnet Biology citizen science project available through the DoeDat platform is underway. The initial project has been digitised by four citizen scientists. The data management team at VLIZ is now in the process of reformatting and quality controlling the data so that it can be published. In late August, another citizen science project was made available via the platform Zooniverse Once the work is completed by the citizen scientists, the data management team at HCMR will proceed with the reformatting and quality control ahead of data publication. Keep an eye out for further updates and more projects of this type during the coming months.

EMODnet Biology contributes to the Ocean Best Practices System (OBPS) Newsletter (31/08/2022)

In the summer, EMODnet Biology contributed to the Ocean Best Practices System (OBPS) August-22 Flash news, highlighting work towards EMODnet standards and a book published in 2022 on “Ocean Science Data” to which many EMODnet thematic Coordinators, Secretariat and wider experts contributed.

EMODnet Chemistry responds to EC survey on chemical data for safety assessments (30/08/2022)

EMODnet Chemistry has provided expert input to a consultation on a new EC initiative on ‘Chemical safety – better access to chemicals data for safety assessments’. This initiative aims to improve access to chemicals data by removing technical and administrative obstacles, to make it easier to access and use all available data and will increase transparency. EMODnet is well-placed to contribute as a leading EU marine data service, with EMODnet Chemistry providing standardised, harmonised and FAIR marine water quality data, amongst other thematic areas spanning pollution, eutrophication, marine litter and more. Read more about the initiative and EMODnet Chemistry’s response in the link below.

EMODnet Chemistry teaches PhD students and young scientists (08/08/2022)

During the summer, EMODnet Chemistry enthusiastically participated as a tutor in various training courses and summer schools. EMODnet Chemistry Coordinator National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics - OGS (Italy) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research - AWI (Germany) participated in the training course 'Practical Introductory Course to Marine Monitoring Hardware and Procedures', held at OGS headquarters in Italy, from 20-24 June 2022, as part of the Interreg SHAREMED Mediterranean - TransNational On-Demand Actions project. The synergies between SHAREMED and EMODnet Chemistry were presented during the SHAREMED Summer School 'Tools, Databases and Knowledge to address and assess pollution and environmental threats in the Mediterranean waters' from 27 June to 1 July 2022 at IPMA - Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere, Lisbon, Portugal. The EMODnet data infrastructure was also presented at the Blue Growth Summer School "The Copernicus Marine Service as a supporting tool to foster Sustainable Blue Economy", organised by the OGS from 2 to 8 July 2022.

EMODnet at the 2022 Marine Robotics Summer School (26/07/2022)

EMODnet Physics gave a Guest Lecture on 'Quality Control and Data Management – EMODnet: methods and tools in the global glider data exchange' at the 2022 Marine Robotics Summer School. The Summer School was an initiative jointly organized by the MIT Portugal Program (MPP), LSTS – Underwater Systems and Technology Laboratory (FEUP), and the University of Azores. It took place at Faial Island, in the Azores, between July 11 and 22. The attendees acquired expertise in marine robotics and oceanography, more specifically in applications for ocean observation, archaeology, and mapping of ecosystems.

EMODnet presented at SciNMeet kick off meeting (18/07/2022)

On 12 July 2022, during the launch event of 'The Science We Need for the Mediterranean Sea We Want' (SciNMeet) Programme, Alessandra Giorgetti of the National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics (OGS, Italy) and Sissy Iona of the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR, Greece) presented EMODnet, with a special focus on Chemistry and Ingestion data infrastructures. EMODnet is involved in the activities of Task Team 6 (TT6) of SciNMeet on Data Sharing. TT6 is facilitated by A. Giorgetti, Scientific Coordinator of EMODnet Chemistry.

Now online! Summary for UN Ocean Conference side event (08/08/2022)

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!

ICES workshop on Transparent Assessment Framework (TAF) stock assessment outputs (13/09/2022)

​​​This two-day free online workshop on 13-14 September 2022 provides introduction, demonstrations, and exercises in producing ICES Transparent Assessment Framework (TAF) assessment outputs and working within the GitHub environment. The workshop is mainly aimed at people working with stock assessment models who need guidance to run the models through TAF.

Ocean Best Practices: Workshop VI (05/10/2022)

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.

7th Argo Science Workshop (11/10/2022)

On 11-13 October 2022, the 7th Argo Science Workshop ‘OneArgo for a changing ocean’ will take place in Brussels (Belgium) and also online. It will be hosted by Euro-Argo in the framework of the Euro-Argo RISE and EuroSea H2020 European Union projects. It will take place in the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences in Brussels, as a hybrid event with in-person and virtual attendance options.

Sea Level Rise Conference 2022 (17/10/2022)

The Sea Level Rise Conference 2022 on 17-18 October will bring together researchers, stakeholders and policy professionals at Scuola Grande San Giovanni Evangelista (Venice, Italy) to exchange on regional to local sea level change in Europe. The conference is organized by the Knowledge Hub on Sea Level Rise, a joint effort between JPI Climate and JPI Oceans, in collaboration with its Italian partners and with endorsement by the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.

EU Datathon (07/02/2022)

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.

5th GEO Blue Planet Symposium (24/10/2022)

The Copernicus Marine Service, a close partner of GEO Blue Planet, is pleased to announce the 5th GEO Blue Planet Symposium that will be held from 24 to 28 October 2022 in Accra, Ghana.

Fugro joins the EMODnet Associated Partnership Scheme (30/06/2022)

EMODnet is pleased to announce that Fugro has joined the EMOD-network as an Associated Partner in June 2022. Fugro is the world’s leading Geo-data specialist, operating at sea, on land and by air in the fields of geodetic, geotechnical, and geophysical business. The partnership recognises the many areas of ongoing collaboration and sets the scene for stronger collaboration into the future spanning data sharing and use to the exchange of standards and best practices for data collection and management.

On 29 June, Fugro and EMODnet co-organised a side event on Marine Data Interoperability at the UN Ocean Conference (see news above), discussing public-private marine environmental data sharing and much more.

The EMODnet Annual Report 2021 is out! (30/06/2022)

Wish to know more about EMODnet and its results? 2021 saw the beginning of a new era. Download the EMODnet Annual Report 2021 to learn about the main achievements, key facts and figures, partnerships, new products and services, the EMODnet Open Conference and Jamboree 2021, wider events and much more!

Setting sail for EMODnet Data Ingestion III (29/06/2022)

At the kick-off meeting of the third phase of the EMODnet Data Ingestion project, the participants were visibly happy to meet up again for a much-awaited face-to-face meeting that allowed the newcomers to get to know the old hands of the network. The meeting brought together some 40 participants on 16 and 17 June in Glyfada (Athens, Greece), in the beautiful setting of the Oasis Hotel. Our warm thanks go to the HCMR colleagues for their excellent welcome and special efforts to accommodate the remote participation of 24 additional persons in a hybrid setting.

Vacancy: EMODnet ICT & GIS Support Officer (30/06/2022)

The EMODnet Secretariat is recruiting! Will you become our next colleague? Do you have a passion for the Ocean? Do you want to join EMODnet’s mission in making marine data and knowledge open, free and available for all? The call for an ICT & GIS Support Officer is open until 8 July 2022.

An ICT & GIS Support Officer

EMODnet Chemistry Datasets provide high quality harmonised and integrated data to the Copernicus Marine Service Thematic Assembly Centre products (16/06/2022)

The Copernicus Marine Service is a key user of EMODnet in situ harmonised, standardized and integrated data, to validate satellite-derived data and as input to models. In the framework of the MoU signed between EMODnet Chemistry and the In Situ Thematic Assembly Centre (INSTAC) of Copernicus Marine Service, the version 2018 of the six EMODnet regional quality controlled and aggregated datasets for eutrophication and acidification were integrated in the INSTAC BioGeoChemical products. These large, integrated EMODnet data are the result of extensive work in marine data management, harmonization, standardization conducted by EMODnet, in collaboration with SeaDataNet.

EMODnet and European Atlas of the Seas at the UN Ocean Conference 2022 (04/07/2022)

From 27 June – 1 July 2022, ocean stakeholders gathered in Lisbon (Portugal) for the second UN Ocean Conference. Experts from across the EMOD-network co-organised and participated in a number of activities, including a side event on Marine Data Interoperability co-organised by EMODnet, IOC-UNESCO, Fugro, IODE/IOC, VLIZ, Copernicus Marine Service and the Intertidal Agency, in collaboration with the EC and the UN Ocean Decade Data Coordination Group, for which EMODnet is a co-Chair, and a side event on “Digital Ocean Systems” co-organised by Mercator Ocean International, amongst others.

Ocean Literacy also featured highly on the agenda with a side event on Ocean Literacy Dialogues co-organised by the EC DG MARE, the European Ocean Literacy Coalition EU4Ocean and IOC-UNESCO.

In addition, EMODnet was highlighted as a key marine data service and infrastructure for the EU Green Deal, Digital Twin Ocean, UN 2030 Agenda and the UN Ocean Decade. The European Atlas of the Seas communication tool was also noted to be the mapping tool selected by the EC for reporting the evolution of Mission “Restore our Ocean, seas and inland waters by 2030”. And it was celebrated as a tool for education at the event Creating Good Vibes' Generations which brought together the Escola Azul community, the Portuguese network of Blue Schools, a key component of the European Ocean Literacy EU4Ocean Coalition.

Planning for the future of Europe's Marine Space - European MSP Stakeholder Conference, Brest – June 2022 (30/06/2022)

EMODnet Human Activities attended the European MSP Stakeholder Conference - Planning for the future of Europe's Marine Space - that took place on 14-15 of June in Brest, France. The event attracted more than 450 participants in person and online, from different countries, and sectors: local and national representatives, European Commission, academics, maritime industries, NGOs, members of the AM MSP team. Amongst the many ideas and lessons of the event, the importance of dialogue, coherence and improving outreach to the wider public was highlighted. Importantly, this event also marked the first occasion that the European MSP Community could come together since the Global Pandemic.

Geohab 2022 (30/06/2022)

EMODnet Seabed Habitats participated in the recent Geohab 2022 Conference held in Venice, Italy. This event was hosted by the CNR-ISMAR Institute.

EMODnet Biology at the 22nd UN Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea meeting (16/06/2022)

EMODnet Biology was invited to provide the regional (European) perspective to the International cooperation and coordination in advancing ocean observing and addressing related challenges. EMODnet Biology’s presentation by Coordinator Joana Beja (VLIZ, Belgium) was one of the very few that addressed a data system and the data publication aspect.

World Ocean Day, 8 June 2022 (30/06/2022)

At the occasion of World Ocean Day 2022, the EMODnet Secretariat celebrated EMODnet and the benefits of marine data collection, management and open/free marine data services for all. 

Talking Blue Sustainability - Governing the oceans of tomorrow: How ocean monitoring delivers on the blue arm of the Green Deal, 22 June 2022, online (30/06/2022)

This online event gathered experts to discuss existing European ocean observation and marine monitoring capability and future needs to support the EU Green Deal.

EMODnet Governance and EC Marine Knowledge Expert Group Spring 2022 meeting minutes (30/06/2022)

Meeting minutes and presentations are available for:

• 16th EMODnet (Spring 2022) Steering Committee Meeting
• 7th EC Marine Knowledge Expert Group (MKEG) Meeting Minutes
• 11th EMODnet (Spring 2022) Technical Working Group Meeting

All-Atlantic Ocean Research Forum 2022 (Ministerial Event) (12/07/2022)

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 showcases its value for the EU Green Deal at European Maritime Day 2022 (20/05/2022)

On 19-20 May 2022, EMODnet experts from across the network joined hundreds of marine and maritime stakeholders in Ravenna, Italy and online for European Maritime Day 2022. At the event, EC DG MARE hosted a workshop on Ocean Observation and the Blue Economy Observatory, which presented the ‘EC Ocean Observation – sharing responsibility’ initiative, explored synergies with the Blue Economy Observatory and launched the EC Blue Economy Report 2022 co-produced with the Joint Research Centre (JRC) which features EMODnet and the European Atlas of the Seas.

On 19 May, EMODnet co-organised a workshop with European projects EuroSea and Blue-Cloud on ‘Ocean Observations, marine data and services for the European Green Deal’ with EMODnet Chemistry and the Secretariat presenting concrete use cases of EMODnet data and data products for the EU Green Deal. In addition, EMODnet Human Activities moderated a workshop on Aquaculture and EMODnet Biology presented at a workshop on the Digital Ocean.

Read more on EMODnet’s activities at EMD2022, including further information on EMODnet and European Atlas of the Seas’ contribution to the EC Blue Economy Report 2022.

The EMODnet community showcased its partnerships with EMOD-PACE, Copernicus Marine Service and the EU All-Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance at the UN Ocean Decade Laboratory (25/05/2022)

Following endorsement from the United Nations (UN) Ocean Decade, EMODnet co-hosted two Satellite Activities to the UN Ocean Decade Laboratory 6 ‘An Accessible Ocean’: (i) Expanding Data Interoperability between Europe and Asia; and (ii) EU Marine Data Services for the All-Atlantic and Global Ocean Data Spaces: Services and benefits offered by EU Marine Data Services COPERNICUS Marine Service and EMODnet. Both webinars took place as online events on Wednesday 11 May 2022, bringing together the international community.

EMODnet Secretariat organised the 9th European Atlas of the Seas Steering Committee meeting (25/05/2022)

The EMODnet Secretariat coordinates the technical and communication developments of the European Atlas of the Seas, an EC communication tool for marine data, information and knowledge, powered by EMODnet. On 11 May 2022, the EMODnet Secretariat organised the 9th European Atlas of the Seas Steering Committee meeting, which was joined by members of different EU institutions including DG MARE, CINEA, EEA, ICES, JRC and EUROSTAT.

EMODnet contributes to the EU4Ocean #MakeEUBlue campaign and EU4Ocean Summit 2022 (30/05/2022)

The EMODnet Secretariat, EMODnet Coordinators and the European Atlas of the Seas shared their 9 collective pledges for the ocean in the framework of the #MakeEUBlue campaign ahead of the EU4Ocean Ocean Literacy Summit on 19-22 May in Ravenna (Italy), organised within European Maritime Day 2022 (EMD). The Atlas was also promoted at the EU4Ocean stand at EMD and at the Ocean Literacy Festival and the EMODnet Secretariat actively contributed as co-organisers, facilitators and speakers.

During the summit, organisations, young people and teachers from across Europe came together to celebrate their work over the past two years and their commitment to the ocean.  Director-General of the Directorate-General Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE), Charlina Vitcheva, rewarded the best initiatives with the EU4Ocean awards. Submit your #MakeEUBlue pledge online, watch the recordings of the plenary sessions of the EMD and the EU4Ocean summit and join the EU4Ocean Platform!

EMODnet Biology invited as a panelist to join the 22nd UN Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea meeting (25/05/2022)

EMODnet Biology will be presenting the regional (European) perspective to the International cooperation and coordination in advancing ocean observing at the 22nd UN Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea meeting (6 - 12 June 2022) and addressing related challenges discussion topic.

Marine Strategy Framework Directive: up-to-date marine litter data from EMODnet Chemistry (26/05/2022)

An up-to-date, harmonised and validated data set for beach litter has recently been released to the Technical Group on Marine Litter (TGML) for the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) by EMODnet Chemistry. Twenty-two Member States corrected, updated and resubmitted these data spanning from 2015 to 2020 with EMODnet Chemistry providing the harmonised database in collaboration with the EC Joint Research Centre. Currently TGML has been using this data set to define the new EU quantitative baselines for beach litter. These are of great relevance to the MSFD implementation programs of monitoring and mitigation measures.

New summary of the extents of MSFD benthic broad habitats per sub-region and country (26/05/2022)

To assist EU Member States with reporting under MSFD, EMODnet Seabed Habitats have recently produced a summary of the extent of each MSFD Benthic Broad Habitat Type per country and sub-region. These summaries are contained within an Excel spreadsheet and are freely available to download from the Documents and Outreach page.

Ocean Decade Ocean Observing Co-Design Workshop (07/06/2022)

The Ocean Observing Co-Design Programme will host an online Ocean Decade Co-Design Workshop on 7-9 June 2022 to kick-start the development of transformative co-design processes and to shape plans for advancing co-design projects. Teams will work on the development of co-design ‘exemplar’ projects, for example around providing the ocean information needed to national governments for carbon budgets, users of marine heatwave information, and improving the forecasting of hurricanes and tropical storms.

UN Ocean Conference (27/06/2022)

The EMODnet community will be actively participating in the UN Ocean Conference, taking place from 27 June to 1 July 2022.

EMODnet is co-organizing an official side event on 29 June 18:00-20:00 GMT+1 on marine data interoperability in collaboration with Fugro, Mercator Ocean International, Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), IOC-UNESCO, International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE) and the UN Ocean Decade Data Coordination Group. Find more information about this side event and how to register on the side-event webpage. 

EMODnet is also involved in a number of other activities from Atlantic research to ocean literacy.

Stay tuned and keep an eye on the EMODnet website for more information on our presence at the UN Ocean Conference 2022.

All-Atlantic Ocean Research Forum 2022 (Ministerial Event) (12/07/2022)

The All-Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance 2022 Forum is taking place 30-31 May 2022 in Brasilia, Brazil, and online, co-hosted by the United States and Brazil, in collaboration with the European Commission. over two events between May and July 2022.

Outcomes from this Scientific Event will be highlighted at the Ministerial Event in Washington, D.C. the week of 12-14 July 2022 (streamed live), which will also feature Ministerial interventions and the signing of the All-Atlantic Ocean Research & Innovation Alliance Declaration. Registrations will open soon!

7th Argo Science Workshop (11/10/2022)

In October, the 7th Argo Science Workshop: ‘OneArgo for a changing ocean’ will take place as a hybrid event with in-person attendance option in Brussels, Belgium. It will be hosted by Euro-Argo in the framework of the Euro-Argo RISE and EuroSEA H2020 European Union projects.