EMODnet Biology continues to improve access to marine biodiversity data by introducing a change that allows users to include taxa absences in their data downloads.
Joana Beja, senior scientific data officer at the Flanders Marine Institute Data Centre (VLIZ) and coordinator of EMODnet Biology, has joined the Biodiversity Meets Data (BMD) project’s External Expert Advisory Board (EEAB). Her involvement brings extensive expertise in marine biodiversity data and the European landscape to the BMD project and further strengthens its collaborative efforts.
At the 2026 European Ocean Days, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen announced the launch of a European ocean monitoring and observation initiative called OceanEye, which will lay the foundation for smarter and more effective ocean observation1. EMODnet is the EU marine data service hub for OceanEye, already supporting thousands of in situ data collection efforts to transform primary data into actionable FAIR data and data products as part of its core service.
A diverse delegation of EMODnet experts attended the Ocean Sciences Meeting 2026 between 23-27 February in Glasgow, with presentations and inputs spanning the Central Portal, thematics, data ingestion, and the Secretariat. Topics spanned ocean observations to data and users, from EMODnet's central role as a regional (European) ocean data service for the UN Ocean Decade to the latest thematic innovations in marine data and data products and EMODnet's pivotal role in shaping a resilient,…
On 3–4 February 2026, EMODnet participated actively in the CS-MACH1 Marine Citizen Science (MSC) Data Network workshop held in Ostend (Belgium) and online. The workshop formally launched the Marine Citizen Science Data Network (MCSDN), bringing together over 350 citizen scientists, data experts, cost-effective technology developers and data users from across Europe and beyond to strengthen collaboration and accelerate FAIR marine data flows.
EMODnet’s Biology experts, in collaboration with MedOBIS, have advanced open data and actionable information on seafloor (benthic) biodiversity in the Mediterranean Sea. The dataset and related publication focus on “Bathymetric distribution and temporal trends of macrobenthic communities of the continental shelf of Heraklion Bay (Crete-Greece)”, filling crucial gaps in existing knowledge for the Mediterranean Sea which is characterised as a hot spot of biodiversity and climate change impacts on…
EMODnet thematic Coordinators from Syke, Finalnd (Seabed Habitats) and VLIZ (Biology) are directly contributing to a new European Biodiversity Observation Coordination Centre (EBOCC) project which officially launched on 1 January 2026, holding its kick-off meeting on 11 February 2026. In the project, EMODnet will build on existing collaborations with the (marine and coastal) biodiversity observation and data actors, towards strengthened coordination also across domains, including beyond marine…
The ASTRA project team met online on 20 January to coordinate upcoming steps for publishing new Black Sea biodiversity datasets on EMODnet Biology, supporting open and FAIR marine data accessibility in the region.
The project eDNA Expeditions Phase II, led by the Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS) will harness the power of environmental DNA to build a global biomolecular observatory for marine life.
