Long-term Observations Reveal Environmental Conditions and Food Supply Mechanisms at an Arctic Deep-Sea Sponge Ground

Deep-sea sponge grounds are hotspots of benthic biomass and diversity. To date, very limited data exist on the range of environmental conditions in areas containing deep-sea sponge grounds and which factors are driving their distribution and sustenance. We investigated oceanographic conditions at a deep-sea sponge ground located on an Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge seamount. Hydrodynamic measurements were performed along Conductivity-Temperature-Depth transects, and a lander was deployed within the sponge ground that recorded near-bottom physical properties as well as vertical fluxes of organic matter over an annual cycle. The data demonstrate that the sponge ground is found at water temperatures of −0.5°C to 1°C and is situated at the interface between two water masses at only 0.7° equatorward of the turning point latitude of semi-diurnal lunar internal tides. Internal waves supported by vertical density stratification interact with the seamount topography and produce turbulent mixing as well as resuspension of organic matter with temporarily very high current speeds up to 0.72 m s−1. The vertical movement of the water column delivers food and nutrients from water layers above and below toward the sponge ground. Highest organic carbon flux was observed during the summer phytoplankton bloom period, providing fresh organic matter from the surface. The flux of fresh organic matter is unlikely to sustain the carbon demand of this ecosystem. Therefore, the availability of bacteria, nutrients, and dissolved and particulate matter, delivered by tidally forced internal wave turbulence and transport by horizontal mean flows, likely plays an important role in meeting ecosystem-level food requirements

A comprehensive study of the tides around the Welsh coastal waters

A computational model has been used to explore characteristics of the barotropic tide around the Welsh coast in detail for the first time. Proper understanding of tidal characteristics is vital for the sustainable use of marine resources; particularly for industries such as marine energy extraction, aggregate mining, aquaculture, as well as regulators and agencies with responsibilities for the resource management and public safety. In shallow water areas, the influence of bathymetry and energy dissipation leads to the generation of higher harmonics that cause complex tidal phenomena. The Celtic and Irish seas, which enclose the Welsh coast (UK), are heavily industrialised shallow water seas with macro-to mega-tidal semi-diurnal tides. It is shown that tidal distortion is significant in the Bristol Channel (S. Wales) and in the large shallow estuaries of the N. Wales coast; for much of the west coast this is only significant in localised areas around headlands and islands. Tidal dominance switches from flood dominant in the south and north to ebb dominant on the west coast. Highly complex patterns of vorticity in the tidal residual flow are noted. All these factors mean that careful siting of industry and coastal management interventions is required to avoid disruption of the natural system

Picking Up the Pieces—Harmonising and Collating Seabed Substrate Data for European Maritime Areas

The poor access to data on the marine environment is a handicap to government decision-making, a barrier to scientific understanding and an obstacle to economic growth. In this light, the European Commission initiated the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) in 2009 to assemble and disseminate hitherto dispersed marine data. In the ten years since then, EMODnet has become a key producer of publicly available, harmonised datasets covering broad areas. This paper describes the methodologies applied in EMODnet Geology project to produce fully populated GIS layers of seabed substrate distribution for the European marine areas. We describe steps involved in translating national seabed substrate data, conforming to various standards, into a uniform EMODnet substrate classification scheme (i.e., the Folk sediment classification). Rock and boulders form an additional substrate class. Seabed substrate data products at scales of 1:250,000 and 1:1 million, compiled using descriptions and analyses of seabed samples as well as interpreted acoustic images, cover about 20% and 65% of the European maritime areas, respectively. A simple confidence assessment, based on sample and acoustic coverage, is helpful in identifying data gaps. The harmonised seabed substrate maps are particularly useful in supraregional, transnational and pan-European marine spatial planning

Marine Litter Database and associated products

EMODnet Chemistry set up the MLDB in 2018 to gather and harmonize available marine litter data at the European scale. Several publicly accessible visualization products are regularly updated from the contents of this database. The aim of the MLDB and the visualization products associated is to provide a synthetic and intuitive sight of the high quantity of information and relevant aspects collected in the marine litter datasets at the Pan-European scale

EMODnet Geology – towards new standards on harmonizing marine geological data of the European seas - and beyond

&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;High-quality maritime spatial planning, coastal zone management, management of marine resources, environmental assessments and forecasting require comprehensive understanding of the seabed. Already in 2008 and in response to these needs the European Commission established the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet). The EMODnet concept is to assemble existing but often fragmented and partly inaccessible marine information into harmonized, interoperable, and publicly freely available data layers encompassing whole marine basins. As the data products are free of restrictions on use, the program is supporting any European maritime activities in promotion of sustainable use and management of the European seas.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt; &amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Now in its fourth phase, the EMODnet-Geology project is delivering integrated geological data products that include seabed substrates, sediment accumulation and seabed erosion rates, seafloor geology including lithology and stratigraphy, Quaternary geology and geomorphology, coastal behavior, geological events such as submarine landslides and earthquakes, marine mineral resources, as well as submerged landscapes of the European continental shelf at various time-frames. All new map products are presented at a scale of 1:100,000 all over or finer but also at coarser scales to ensure maximum areal coverage. Thus partner updates of single-scale products at 1:250,000 and 1:1,000,000 were encouraged and these data products have been uploaded when available. A multi-scale approach is adopted whenever possible.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt; &amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The EMODnet Geology project is executed by a consortium of 39 partners and subcontractors which core is made up by 23 members of European geological surveys (Eurogeosurveys) backed up by 16 other partner organizations with valuable expertise and data.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt; &amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The EMODnet concept is, however, not restricted to the European seas only, as also the Caspian and the Caribbean Seas are included in the geographical scope of the EMODnet Geology project, and selected methods were shared with the EMODnet PArtnership for China and Europe (EMOD-PACE) project (2019-2022).&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt; &amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Discover Europe&amp;amp;#8217;s seabed geology at: &amp;lt;em&amp;gt;https://emodnet.ec.europa.eu/en/geology&amp;lt;/em&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt; &amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;amp;#160;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;</jats:p

Analysing the added value of surface features information in the Seabed substrate data from the European sea areas - EMODnet Geology

&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Increasing anthropogenic pressure in marine and coastal environments emphasizes the importance of the easily accessible, reliable, and suitable data on marine environment, to support conservation, research, and sustainable marine management decisions. The EMODnet (European Marine Observation and Data network) Geology project has been aiming to address this demand by collecting and harmonising geological data at different scales from all the European sea areas since 2009, at present with a collaboration of about 40 partners and subcontractors.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt; &amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Seabed substrate data has been collected since the beginning of the EMODnet Geology project and it is one of the key elements shaping the physical structure of benthic habitats. In the project, national seabed substrate data is harmonised into a shared schema, based on the sediment grain size. However, there are some geologically and ecologically important seabed surface features, which cannot be explained only by grain size e.g., bioclastic features, moving sediment and FeMn concretion fields. Therefore, the project has also collected information on these features that partners have considered vital for the seabed environment. At best, this data could be a valuable addition to define e.g., geodiversity of the seabed environment when grain size distribution is insufficient.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt; &amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The first review of the collected data aimed to identify and analyse the surface features, their occurrence and briefly discuss the prospects this additional information could provide. However, the development of a valuable surface features database requires further work, like developing guidelines concerning data collection methods, terminology, and classification. This work will need collaboration with different stakeholders and end users.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt; &amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The EMODnet Geology project is funded by The European Climate, Environment and Infrastructure Executive Agency (CINEA) through contract EASME/EMFF/2020/3.1.11 - Lot 2/SI2.853812_EMODnet &amp;amp;#8211; Geology.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;</jats:p

EMODnet Biology: Unlocking European marine biodiversity data

EMODnet Biology (hosted and coordinated by the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ)) is one of the seven themes within the European Marine Observation and Data network (EMODnet). The EMODnet Biology consortium aims to facilitate the accessibility and usage of marine biodiversity data. With the principle of "collect once, use many times" at its core, EMODnet Biology fosters collaboration across various sectors, including research, policy-making, industry, and individual citizens, to enhance knowledge sharing and inform decision-making.EMODnet Biology focuses on providing free and open access to comprehensive historical and recent data on the occurrence of marine species and their traits in all European regional seas. It achieves this through partnerships and collaboration with diverse international initiatives, such as the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS), Marine Regions and the European node of the Ocean Biodiversity Information System (EurOBIS) among others. By promoting the usage of the Darwin Core Standard (Wieczorek et al. 2012), EMODnet Biology fosters data interoperability and ensures seamless integration with wider networks such as the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and the Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS), serving as a significant data provider of the latter, as it is responsible for most of its data generated in Europe.Since its inception, EMODnet Biology has undertaken actions covering various areas, includingproviding access to marine biological data with spatio-temporal, taxonomic, environmental- and sampling-related information among others;developing an exhaustive data quality control tool based on the Darwin Core standard, the British Oceanographic Data Centre and Natural Environment Research Council Vocabulary Server (BODC NVS2) parameters and other controlled vocabularies used;creating and providing training courses to guide data providers;performing gap analyses to identify data quality and coverage shortcomings;creating and publishing marine biological distribution maps for various species or species groups; andinteracting with international and European initiatives, projects and organizations.Furthermore, EMODnet Biology contributes to the overall EMODnet initiative, which covers multidisciplinary data and products. Thanks to the use of standard protocols and tools across disciplines, EMODnet Biology products can contribute to multidisciplinary analysis of pressures and impacts on key marine species and habitats, and, lastly, support a better management and planning of the maritime space.In conclusion, EMODnet Biology plays a pivotal role in biodiversity informatics by providing users with a wealth of accessible and reusable marine biodiversity data and products. Its collaborative approach, extensive partnerships, and adherence to the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data principles (Wilkinson et al. 2016) as well as to the Infrastructure for Spatial Information in Europe (INSPIRE) metadata technical guidelines (European Commission Joint Research Centre 2013) and the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standards make it a valuable resource for advancing knowledge, informing policies, and supporting sustainable management of marine ecosystems