Through regular sampling surveys, the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) is generating a long-term data series for the Belgian coastal water and sandbank system, a designated site in the Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) network. This dataset contains the learning set used to initially annotate collected images.

Data collected by the Joint Research Activity Project on phytoplankton biodiversity (JRAP1)

<p>Gridded abundance map of Acartia spp. This product was developed with DIVA (Data-Interpolating Variational Analysis). Data was provided by SAHFOS (Continuous Plankton Recorder) for use as an ICES operational oceanographic product.</p>

As part of the Belgian LifeWatch observatory, a permanent Cetacean passive acoustic network is established in the Belgian Part of the North Sea. The sensor network uses C-PODs (Chelonia Limited) to register the presence of harbour porpoise (<i>Phocoena phocoena</i>) in the neighbourhood. Click trains of harbour porpoises are detected and classified using the CPOD software and high and moderate quality click trains are selected. The dataset is published yearly aggregated per hour. In related datasets, described below, aggregated data per minute is available.

Phytoplankton data collected in the framework of Jerico-NEXT JRAP 1. Data were collected using different methods and sensors (fluoroprobe, flow cytometer, phytopam, FRRF).

Tijdens de expedities van de e-learning projecten Expeditie Zeeleeuw en Planeet Zee worden gedurende 4 dagen stalen genomen in het Belgisch deel van de Noordzee. Er worden zowel bodemstalen (Van Veen) als visstalen (sleep met boomkor of plankennet) verzameld, die aan boord worden verwerkt door leerlingen van het middelbaar onderwijs.

In the framework of the Lifewatch marine observatory a number of fixed stations in the Belgian Part of the North Sea (BPNS) are visited on a monthly or seasonal basis using RV Simon Stevin. A grid of nine stations covers the coastal zone and are sampled monthly. Eight additional stations, located further at sea, are sampled on a seasonal basis. Samples are taken using a 55µm mesh size Apstein net and fixed in Lugol's iodine solution. In the lab, the samples are processed using a VS-4 FlowCAM model at 4X magnification, size range imaged is 55-300µm. The identification of the image data is done with the use of a classifier and followed by a manual validation step. Since May 2017, this dataset provides micro- and phytoplankton observations, mainly covering diatoms, dinoflagellates and cilliates, for the Belgian Part of the North Sea (BPNS).

<p>Cruise 21-870 is part of the regular LifeWatch campaigns covering the Belgian Economic Exclusive Zone within the scope of the Flemish contribution to LifeWatch.eu. The dataset covers the two day cruise held from 23 to 25 November 2021 and includes all navigation, meteorological and surface hydrography parameters.</p><p>The data were not calibrated against independent measures but was quality controlled for the presence of outliers, anomalous and impossible values. Data are made available at a 1minute resolution, following the international conventions agreed for this type of data.</p>

For each IHO Sea area, intersecting with the <a href="http://www.marbef.org/data/erms.php" target="_blank">ERMS scope</a>, the total number of unique species and the total number of distribution records together with the same values for the mammals, birds, reptiles, benthos, zooplankton, phytoplankton, macroalgae en angiosperms. The calculations were done with SQL queries, on the complete sea areas. These areas have been clipped with ERMS, which created a little error on the results on intersecting seas, not completely within the study area.

Phytoplankton data collected in the framework of Jerico-NEXT JRAP 1.Biomass and diversity of phytoplankton communities were determined using FerryBox and on line flow cytometer at 4 meters. A new R-shiny application (https://openscience.cefas.co.uk/phytoops_tool/) displays biological, physical and biogeochemical parameters in different UK marine coastal areas in 2016 and 2017.