EMODnet Chemistry with Blue-Cloud to drive open marine science
Since the proposal of Blue-Cloud 2026, the importance of EMODnet Chemistry for this project and vice versa is crystal clear. Let us find out why together and see what happens.
Blue-Cloud 2026, funded by the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme, builds on the Blue-Cloud pilot project started in 2019. Combining the interests of the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) and the Blue research communities it established a pilot cyber platform to provide researchers with access to multidisciplinary datasets from observations, analytical services and computing facilities that are essential for marine sciences. Blue-Cloud has always valued and networked what Europe has developed over the last decades: an impressive aquatic environmental observation, data processing and sharing, modelling and forecasting capability that is second to none in the world. In this context, the Blue Cloud partnerships recognise the key role played by the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) as well as the Copernicus satellite observation programme, SeaDataNet and the European environmental research infrastructures.
The Blue-Cloud 2026 project is coordinated by CNR, Trust- IT & MARIS and mobilises a solid, multidisciplinary and dedicated team of 40 partners from 13 EU countries. Since January 2023, the partnership has been working on improving the Discovery & Access Service for FAIR data and the Blue-Cloud Virtual Research Environment (VRE), which brings together several e-infrastructures. 3 WorkBenches for data-intensive processes focusing on selected Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs) in physics, chemistry and biology are being developed, as well as 5 virtual labs. A Blue Strategic Roadmap and a Digital Twin of the Ocean Task Force will also be established.
The Blue-Cloud VRE is an e-infrastructure that already hosts multiple Virtual Labs and offers a variety of services. In this context, EMODnet Chemistry data accessible through the Blue-Cloud Data Discovery and Access Service will be used to realise and test the virtual laboratory named 'Marine Environmental Indicators': a tool for calculating online metocean information and indicators of the environmental quality of the Mediterranean and global oceans.
Concerning the new workbenches, several organisations such as MARIS, OGS, IFREMER, HCMR and Uliege are providing their expertise through EMODnet Chemistry to develop the 'EOV Workbench for Eutrophication': Chlorophyll, Nutrients, Oxygen'. This will be a user-configurable toolbox for creating customisable, validated datasets and assessing the consistency of the information. In turn, workbenches and virtual labs integrated into the Blue-Cloud virtual research environment will help EMODnet, CMEMS and selected RIs to create harmonised and validated data collections for specific EOVs, also looking at the World Ocean Data. The data collections are of great importance for analysing the state of the environment and predicting its evolution and possible impacts of measures.
Finally, Blue-Cloud is interacting with EMODnet and other key stakeholders via surveys, workshops and targeted meetings to formulate and implement the Blue-Cloud 2026 key exploitable results. To this end, a joint workshop of Blue-Cloud 2026 and EMODnet entitled "Benefiting from Maritime Data to Drive Marine Innovation" was held on the occasion of European Maritime Day.
EMODnet Chemistry, is part of one of the Blue Data Infrastructures in Blue Cloud 2026. Through the metadata, datasets published in EMODnet Chemistry are discoverable and accessible via the Data Discovery and Access Service from Blue Cloud. Such datasets are then used to develop the Virtual Laboratories, whose main objective is to combine different types of data to derive innovative data products. For example, the VLab Carbon Plankton Dynamics combines biological, chemical and carbon data from EMODnet Biology, EMODnet Chemistry and ICOS to understand what are the drivers in phytoplankton dynamics.
The event, which also involved Technopôle Brest-Iroise and the European Ocean Observing System Framework (EOOS), aimed to ensure that the marine data collected, presented and used are those needed to drive European marine and maritime innovation in Europe. More details are available in the agenda .
Check out the forthcoming events!
- 8 June, Blue-Cloud virtual labs
- 13-15 June vre-hands-workshop