EuroSea
The oceans provide us with food and oxygen. They are trade routes and climate buffers. They serve us as places for recreation, but often also as waste dumps. Storms, rising sea levels, tidal waves and pollution threaten people and ecosystems along the coasts. This is particularly true of Europe that is closely interlocked with the ocean with its large peninsulas, marginal seas and bays. Yet despite the immense importance of the oceans, there are still major gaps in our knowledge of what happens inside the seas. This is partly due to missing or insufficiently linked observations. These knowledge gaps make it difficult to assess the present state and predict future developments to plan for a sustainable use of the oceans. An international consortium of 55 partners has now joined forces in the EuroSea project with the aim to significantly improve ocean observation in Europe and beyond. The European Union is funding the project with a total of 12.6 million euros until 2023. The partners in the EuroSea consortium are scientific institutions as well as non-public partners from 13 European countries as well as Brazil and Canada. In addition to improving measurements directly in the ocean, EuroSea focuses on the quality and usability of the collected data, and on systems to use the data for operational forecast services.
The project intends to pave the way for a sustained ocean observing system that not only provides researchers, but also users such as fisheries, aquaculture, coastal protection, offshore energy generation and ultimately the public with the information they need and demand. In doing so, it also contributes to the United Nations' sustainable development goals, the UN Decade for Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, and the G7 Initiative Future of the Seas and Oceans.
Achievements and recommendations for the future of ocean observing and forecasting systems
EuroSea is a holistic large-scale project encompassing the full value chain of marine knowledge, from observations to modelling and forecasting and to user-focused services. This report summarizes the legacy of EuroSea as planned and measured through a dedicated impact monitoring protocol, a holistic assessment of the project's successes in advancing and integrating European ocean observing and forecasting systems. The EuroSea legacy report is presented through an aggregation and analysis of the EuroSea work towards achieving its impacts.
The achievements and findings of the project have been documented in open source publications, best practices, reports, and project’s deliverables on lessons learnt.
The advancement of the European ocean observing and forecasting system can be achieved through a combination of stronger cooperation between different elements of the value chain, technological developments, and increased ocean observing activities. The EuroSea approach towards the integration of these elements, fostering collaborative planning and priority-setting, and considering the expected impacts throughout the process, has offered a unique holistic overview of the European ocean observing and forecasting system and its opportunities beyond the state of the art.
More info at www.eurosea.eu
Video of the project presentation
Responsible Research and Innovation - Factsheet
News
26/01/2021 - The 2nd EuroSea annual meeting and general assembly
21/09/2022 - EuroSea itinerant exhibition
31/03/2023 - Mapped the monitoring programs of biological variables in European seas
29/09/2023 - New impulses for interdisciplinary ocean observing and forecasting
