To understand the full benefits of EMODnet, users are kindly asked to describe how EMODnet supports them in their daily work and activities.
If you have developed an application using EMODnet products that you would like to share with us or if you use EMODnet data for other purposes, submit your use case by contacting secretariat@emodnet.ec.europa.eu.
Outcomes: Authors present a framework to assess the impacts of mobile fishing gear on the seabed and benthic ecosystems, the principles of which are applicable to all benthic habitats and trawl fisheries, and can be used across a wide range of spatial scales.
How EMODnet Seabed Habitats helped the user:EMODnet provided EUNIS Level 3 habitat maps across European waters.
Outcomes:Authors used an Ecological Niche Model to identify previously overlooked areas of the Mediterranean and Eastern Atlantic, as areas containing soft coral habitats. The model could then be used for future surveys to target areas predicting presence of coral habitats and identify new priority conservation areas.
How EMODnet Seabed Habitats helped the user:EUSeaMap provided information on the distribution of rocky bottomed habitats across the study area.
Authors identified that boundaries of successful no-take MPAs may still be zones of high stress for habitat forming species such as maerl. Additionally, authors suggested that MPA designations should re-consider boundaries in areas with low-resilience, key-forming habitat species.
Outcomes: Authors were able to propose methods for assessing representativity across European MPA's, suggesting the use of biozones and benthic habitats within EUSeaMap as a primary data source. Moreover, assessment habitat classes (revised broad habitats) are proposed based on the crosswalk of MSFD broad habitat types with respect to EMODnet Folk 5 substrate and seabed biological zone classes
This study was published by authors from a range of universities and research institutes. The lead author is a representative of the Department of Biology of Universidade de Aveiro, a Portuguese university.
The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) is the public body that advises the UK and devolved Governments on UK-wide and international nature conservation. They are responsible for the conservation of the offshore marine environment, including a key role in the provision of advice on the designation and management of offshore MPAs.
Authors were able to quantify indicators of ecosystem damage from disturbance of the seabed, highlighting areas with the longest estimated ecological recovery time.
Outcomes: Authors were able to quantify the effects of the invasive polychaete Marenzelleria spp on sediment nutrient cycling in the Baltic Sea. The results identified that an overall reduction in the self-cleaning capacity of the basin would create a higher cost to stakeholders to meet international commitments such as the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.
AQUIND Interconnector is a new subsea and underground High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) electric power transmission link between the South Coast of England and Normandy in France. EMODnet Seabed Habitat’s broad-scale predictive habitat map for Europe, enabled AQUIND to conduct their Environmental Impact Assemssment scoping report in order to identify the main habitat types reported in the region that intersects the proposed cable route.
