Gridded abundance product representing chlorophyll-a values in the Dutch North Sea from 1976 till 2014. Chlorophyll –a can be interpreted as a proxy for phytoplankton. The resulting values vary seasonally. The winter concentrations are lower because low light and temperature are not optimal for phytoplankton growth. In spring we observe the highest concentrations occurring in near coastal waters where nutrients from rivers are most abundant. Phytoplankton organisms are responsible for about 45% of annual global photosynthesis. They are as such vital for the functioning of marine food webs (considered in MSFD descriptor 4) and are the main drivers of the global biogeochemical cycles. This product was developed with DIVA (Data-Interpolating Variational Analysis) and the scale is log-transformed abundance (in µg per liter). Data was provided by Rijkswaterstaat (RWS).

Gridded abundance maps representing diatoms and dinoflagellates in the North Atlantic and North Sea between 1958 and 2012. Phytoplankton organisms are responsible for about 45% of annual global photosynthesis. They are as such vital for the functioning of marine food webs (considered in MSFD descriptor 4) and are the main drivers of the global biogeochemical cycles. This product was developed with DIVA (Data-Interpolating Variational Analysis) and the scale represents log-transformed abundance. Data was provided by SAHFOS (Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) data (phytoplankton) from the Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science (SAHFOS)).

Gridded abundance maps of commercial fish species. This product was developed with DIVA (Data-Interpolating Variational Analysis). Data was provided by ICES (IBTS dataset - Fish trawl survey: ICES North Sea International Bottom Trawl Survey for commercial fish species. ICES Database of trawl surveys (DATRAS). The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, Copenhagen. 2010. Online source: http://ecosystemdata.ices.dk.). The maps show clearly the dramatic stock depletion of the last decades in the North Sea. Scale: log-transformed CPUE.

These products are a series of gridded abundance maps of microorganisms in the North Sea from 2007-2008 at four different depth ranges. Micro-organisms are vital for the functioning of marine food webs (considered in MSFD descriptor 4) and are the main drivers of the global biogeochemical cycles. This product was developed with DIVA (Data-Interpolating Variational Analysis). Data was provided by NIOZ (C. Brussaard - Brandsma, J.; Martínez Martínez, J.; Slagter, H.A.; Evans, C.; Brussaard, C.P.D. (2013). Microbial biogeography of the North Sea during summer. Biogeochemistry 113(1-3): 119-136. dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10533-012-9783-3 ).

Gridded abundance maps of seal species. This product was developed with DIVA (Data-Interpolating Variational Analysis). Data was provided by JNCC (Joint Nature Conservation Committee): Dunn, T. 2012. JNCC seabird distribution and abundance data (all trips) from ESAS database. Data downloaded from OBIS-SEAMAP (http://seamap.env.duke.edu/dataset/427).

Gridded abundance maps representing Dinophysis species, phytoplankton taxon richness and algal toxicity along the French coast. This product was developed with DIVA (Data-Interpolating Variational Analysis). Data was provided by IFREMER (REPHY - réseau de surveillance du phytoplancton. Institut Français pour la Recherche et l'exploitation de la mer, Nantes, France.).

Gridded abundance maps of marine mammals (sperm whale, short beaked common dolphin, common bottlenose dolphin, Atllantic spotted dolphin) around the Azores. This product was developed with DIVA (Data-Interpolating Variational Analysis). Data was provided by the Azores Fisheries Observation Programme (POPA).

Gridded abundance map of Caretta caretta around the Azores between 1998 and 2002. This product was developed with DIVA (Data-Interpolating Variational Analysis). Data was provided by the Azores Fisheries Observation Programme (POPA).

Gridded abundance map of marine birds around the Azores. This product was developed with DIVA (Data-Interpolating Variational Analysis). Data was provided by the Azores Fisheries Observation Programme (POPA).

This data product is a series of gridded abundance maps for 40 zooplankton species from 2007 to 2013 in the Baltic Sea, based on a neural network analysis. As input data a combination of EMODnet Biology datasets were used, together with the environmental variables dissolved oxygen, salinity, temperature, chlorophyll concentration bathymetry and the distance from coast. Additionally the position (latitude and longitude) and the year are provided to the neural network. DIVAnd (n-dimensional Data-Interpolating Variational Analysis) and the neural network library Knet were used in this analysis.