The annual meeting of EMODnet Biology focused on providing all the partners an update of the progress so far and plans for the coming year and future. It was also an opportunity for the consortium partners to provide feedback on the work they have been doing for the different Work Packages they are involved in. The meeting counted with 35 colleagues from all but two partner organisations, with roughly 54% of those on site and the remaining 46% online.
EMODnet, represented by EMODnet Biology Coordinator Joana Beja, VLIZ, Belgium, presented EDITO-Infra and EMODnet’s contribution in a webinar hosted the European project Iliad titled ‘Digital Twins of the Ocean and Biodiversity’.
Dear EMODnet partners, colleagues and friends,
A very Happy New Year to you all! The EMODnet New Year’s letter is something of a tradition, written by the Head of the EMODnet Secretariat. In 2024, the baton passes to me, Kate Larkin, as I took on the role of Head of Secretariat in Spring 2023. On behalf of the EMOD-network I wish the previous Head, Jan-Bart Calewaert, well in his new activities in the global ocean data domain, whilst he remains a trusted advisor to EMODnet.
The EMODnet Biology course hosted by the Ocean Teacher platform has been updated. This new version is open to self-enrolment until May 2025 and includes a new section on how to provide information on seabed habitats.
On 27-30 November over 340 partners, associated partners, and stakeholders of the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) gathered in Brussels for the third EMODnet Open Conference and Jamboree. The week kicked off with a Partner Jamboree with the >120 partners exchanging on their latest service developments and joint activities. The Open Conference was a public event, moderated by Karen Coleman.
On 29th November, the two EC marine data services EMODnet and Copernicus Marine Service launch a joint statement on the EU in situ marine data landscape. The statement explains the complementarity between the two EU marine knowledge assets, and explains how the services work together, following a high-level agreement between DG DEFIS and DG MARE and the signature of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2016.
This project aims to compile comprehensive marine biodiversity time series in Europe, to disentangle the major patterns and drivers of long-term biodiversity trends using various taxonomic and functional diversity metrics, species traits, and environmental variables. The submitted data need to fulfill several requirements: minimum 8 sampling years, sampling location for the respective taxa does not change over time, sampling method, taxonomic resolution and season do not change, list of taxa...
A questionnaire was prepared to collect feedback from stakeholders that develop work within the marine biodiversity domain. This includes, primarily, those involved in the Regional Sea Conventions working groups, ICES working groups, European Union Technical Groups and Horizon projects.
We welcome responses via this link until the end of 2023.
EMODnet was pleased to exhibit at the ICES Annual Science Conference 2023 which took place in Bilbao, Spain on 11-15 September 2023. ICES is a key stakeholder to EMODnet, with ICES being a partner and data provider to multiple EMODnet thematics, including Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Data Ingestion. EMODnet experts are also members of a number of ICES Working Groups. The event also saw the launch of the OSPAR Quality Status Report 2023, to which EMODnet data/data products contributed.
OSPAR, the Regional Sea Convention for the Northeast Atlantic Ocean is a key user of EMODnet data, data products and services. EMODnet data and data products are regularly used as evidence to support regional sea-basin assessments.