EMODnet Seabed Habitats provides a single access point to European seabed habitat data and unique products like the EUSeaMap broad-scale seabed habitat map for Europe, with diverse uses from produces aiding marine spatial planning to supporting marine habitat assessments. EMODnet has recently updated a storymap which visually illustrates the data and data products available from EMODnet Seabed Habitats on the EMODnet Portal.

This map shows the total annual catch of fishery products by Member States and some other major fishing nations, such as the United Kingdom, Norway, Iceland and Turkey.

This map shows the point locations and operational status of offshore wind farms in European seas.

This map shows the median number of cigarette related litter items per beach per year along 100 metre segments of the European beaches between 2001 and 2022.

This map shows the ratio of Marine Protected Area (MPA) and the national marine waters area for each European Union country in 2020.

On 10 October 2024, EMODnet, Copernicus Marine Service and EUMETSAT delivered the second webinar in the EU Ocean Data Series bringing together experts – including early career ocean professionals - to explore how Earth observation, in situ, and modelled marine data support the UN Ocean Decade initiative.

EMODnet’s Bathymetry Coordinator, Shom, France, EMODnet Human Activities experts and the EMODnet Secretariat were among EMODnet experts at the Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) Week Conference in Marseille, France on 22-24 October, celebrating a decade of EU achievements. Conor Delaney, EMODnet Technical Coordinator spoke on the panel “Data, Innovation, and Harmonisation within MSP” highlighting EMODnet’s key role in shaping European MSP, including making EU Member State MSP plans available in geospatial format.

At the Ocean Best Practices Workshop VIII, held from October 14-18, 2024, EMODnet and Copernicus Marine Service collaborated to present best practices for enhancing data and service interoperability within the European Digital Twin of the Ocean (EU DTO). During the session on October 16, 2024, EMODnet Biology Coordinator Joana Beja (VLIZ) presented on its conventions used, with wider discussions on critical standards for data integration, focusing on the EDITO-Infra project, which aims to create a robust EU infrastructure supporting the EU DTO.

EMODnet Biology Coordinator (VLIZ) speaks at MARBLUE Black Sea Conference and Ocean Best Practice System workshop

Between 7-9 October 2024, EMODnet Coordinators and wider experts convened in Brussels, Belgium for a series of EMODnet governance meetings. The 21st EMODnet Steering Committee (SC) open session was attended by diverse representatives of the EC and EU agencies, including CINEA, EC DG MARE, DEFIS, ENV and RTD. Discussions included EMODnet for EU Policy, the EC Ocean Observation Initiative and the EMODnet Vision 2035. This was followed by the 16th EMODnet Technical Working Group, with representatives from the EMODnet Central Portal technical team, thematic and data ingestion experts, EC DG MARE and CINEA.