Substrate and Habitat Maps in the Mediterranean Basin ©EMODnet Seabed Habitats
Since its inception in 2009, EMODnet Seabed Habitats (ESH) has evolved through multiple phases, each enhancing data quality and geographic scope. The project is a collaborative effort, bringing together a consortium of European experts in benthic ecology and seabed mapping. EMODnet Seabed Habitats Basin by Basin StoryMap is a resource that offers an in-depth exploration of EMODnet Seabed Habitats data across nine distinct sea basins and areas. The basins/areas covered are Atlantic Ocean, Arctic Ocean, Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea, North Sea, Caspian Sea, Caribbean Sea (European overseas territories), and Other Seas.
The "Other Seas" category encompasses European marine regions not traditionally classified under the major basins. This includes areas such as the Canary Islands, Adriatic Sea, Azores, Atlantic High Seas, and Norwegian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). These regions are characterised by diverse oceanographic conditions, unique biodiversity, and varying degrees of human impact. These areas often serve as critical habitats for endemic species, migratory routes, and are vital for regional fisheries and maritime activities.
The StoryMap serves to illustrate the extent and resolution of habitat-related data collated by the consortium. This highlights the vital importance of data providers in these regions. Without the engagement and commitment from these providers, effective delivery of EMODnet outputs would not be possible.
The consortium partners provide their data to the project and identify other datasets at a national level. This has facilitated ingestion of significant datasets from national organisations such as IMR (Norway), NPWS and BIM (Ireland), Natural England, IPMA (Portugal), MST-(Denmark), Office of Biodiversity (France), Department of Fisheries and Marine Research (Italy) and IMAR-Institute of Marine Research (Belgium). These are just a selection of the many entities that contribute to, and support the EMODnet effort.
Identification and ingestion of datasets in non-FAIR data environments, such as the Caribbean, proves challenging. However, the consortium and its sub-contractors have successfully secured data co-operation with the likes of Ifrecor (French Coral Reef Initiative), French Scientific Ocean Assistance, Natural Reserve of St-Martin Office of Biodiversity, Turks & Caicos Islands Government, and Martiniquan Marine Environment Observatory (OMMM). It is an aim of EMODnet Seabed Habitats to demonstrate the value of contributing data to the effort through development of relevant, usable and freely available products in these areas.
The EMODnet Seabed Habitats (ESH) project has been collating marine habitat maps in European sea waters since 2016. The EMODnet Central Portal now hosts over 1000 survey maps covering all European sea basins and is in the process of publishing maps collated from the Caribbean. Most maps are in vector format and are free to download, while some maps have restrictions and can only be viewed. The best way to access these data and products is via EMODnet Seabed Habitat map viewer, Web Mapping Services (WMS) and Web Features Services (WFS). The best practice for accessing and downloading data and related outputs are demonstrated in a related EMODnet Seabed Habitats Tutorial StoryMap on Accessing Data.
ESH Basin by Basin StoryMap Link: EMODnet Seabed Habitats Basin by Basin StoryMap
ESH Accessing Data StoryMap Link: EMODnet Seabed Habitats Tutorial StoryMap on Accessing Data