Related EU Projects

Global warming and environmental pressures are endangering not only Europe's coasts but also the habitats and human development around them. For Europe to monitor its seas and coasts effectively and address these pressures, the continent's coastal observatories must join forces and work closely together. With this in mind, the EU-funded JERICO (Towards a joint European research infrastructure network for coastal observatories) project gathered European coastal observatories and encouraged joint research initiatives and standardisation through a unified European organisation for data management.

Work began by taking stock of existing technology and methods, best practices and key challenges in order to lay down a common vision and strategy for coastal observatories. Project partners harmonised operation and maintenance methods by carrying out technical studies on various observing systems. They delivered best practice guidelines and quality control standards, and introduced ways to enhance the service components of coastal observatories via technological improvements and innovation. Transnational access was offered to several unique European coastal observatories and calibration facilities for international research and technology development. This enabled scientists and engineers to freely access coastal infrastructures not otherwise available in their homelands. Transnational activities also helped to foster joint research initiatives across national boundaries. The JERICO team evaluated the management of distributed data from other infrastructures and European projects. It set up a dissemination platform to boost the visibility of JERICO and raise the awareness of industry, academia and government. JERICO introduced a networked infrastructure based on an end-to-end coastal monitoring process, from data acquisition to dissemination. It will improve environmental monitoring efforts and improve predictions of climate-related impacts.

Article:

http://cordis.europa.eu/docs/results/262/262584/final1-articl-int-inov_jerico.pdf

Final presentation:

http://cordis.europa.eu/docs/results/262/262584/final1-presentation-jerico-recto-verso.pdf

Progress in marine science supported by European joint coastal observation systems: The JERICO-RI research infrastructure: DOI: 10.1016/j.jmarsys.2016.06.004

Deliverables:

http://www.jerico-ri.eu/project-information/deliverables/

As well as being detrimental to life in an aquatic ecosystem, increases in hypoxia also affect the wider environment. Under hypoxic conditions, substantial losses in biodiversity, ecosystem function, and services such as fisheries, aquaculture and tourism can occur and additional greenhouse gases may be released from the ocean seafloor. The EU-funded HYPOX project took the first steps towards implementation of a global observation system for better understanding oxygen changes in aquatic systems. Researchers monitored oxygen depletion and associated processes in target areas, which differed in oxygen status and sensitivity to change. They included the deep Arctic Ocean, the semi-enclosed waters of the Black and Baltic Seas, fjords, and lagoons and land-locked lakes.

In order to maximise the knowledge generated by HYPOX, partners deployed a variety of reliable long-term sensors on different platforms for in situ monitoring of oxygen depletion and associated parameters. Targeted field campaigns were conducted to investigate the environmental impacts of hypoxia. These impacts included the effect of hypoxia on the distribution of seafloor organisms as well as on biological and chemical processes involved in the large-scale cycling of elements. The consortium also adopted and refined numerical tools for predicting hypoxia and for separating natural variability from man-made changes. Existing long-term monitoring data was also analysed to better understand the history of a water body's oxygenation status. Core samples were taken from the seabed of the Black Sea, as well as lagoons and lakes. These enabled scientists to examine the past, since a record of earlier biological and chemical conditions are preserved in the sediment. Project results and modelling expertise will serve as a basis for accurate forecasts of oxygen depletion. This in turn will contribute to the planning of appropriately tailored climate change adaptation methods. Studies of previously eutrophied systems, such as the Swiss lakes, show how a reduction in nutrients from human activities can help alleviate the problem of oxygen depletion. HYPOX has provided European policy and decision makers with the necessary knowledge of oxygen depletion in aquatic systems. This enables them to develop effective sustainable development strategies and negotiate internationally binding treaties.

Final report:

http://cordis.europa.eu/docs/results/226/226213/final1-hypox-m19-36-final-report-120803-200dpi.pdf

Data portal:

http://hypox.pangaea.de/front_content.php?idcat=414

The Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) initiative, now called Copernicus, provides valuable climate and weather information to various end users, including academia and business. One of these services, namely wind and wave forecasting, can be improved by integrating ocean wave data and by linking atmosphere and ocean models. Funded by the EU, the MYWAVE (A pan-European concerted and integrated approach to operational wave modelling and forecasting - a complement to GMES MYOCEAN services) project aimed to complete the groundwork needed to establish new GMES products that will offer users a more complete picture of the world's oceans.

Research was geared towards improving wind and water data handling and improving the physics of current wave models. It also produced new and more accurate wave forecasts using earth observations and defined standard methods for ocean wave modelling. Various local-area models were coupled to provide more accurate wind-wave interactions and incorporated better physical modelling of water on the ocean surface. Several new sources of data also contributed to the model, including satellite radar data and ocean wind data. Researchers also improved data assimilation through the use of neural networks and these sources used to cross-validate and remove errors in the model. Project partners focussed on implementing a fully assembled forecasting tool that employs the data and algorithms produced. The tool will reduce uncertainty in global system models and pave the way for the inclusion of ocean waves into GMES services. In addition, MYWAVE proposed a verification system to accompany delivery of wave forecasts via a Marine Core Service. It set out working procedures, data formats and governances that are compatible with the existing MYOCEAN verification system that will transfer into the Copernicus programme. The project provided improved wave models which were made available for assessment by national meteorological services and integration into operational services provided to European users. As the well as the intrinsic value of accurate wave forecasts for industry and local authorities MYWAVE will also have significant scientific benefits.

Open Access Publications:

Link

Link

Link

Open Access Database:

Link

Marine environments are threatened by pollution through a variety of activities, both directly and indirectly. The varying types, sources, levels and impacts of pollution in marine environments make it very difficult to develop efficient monitoring tools. In addition, monitoring strategies need to be adapted de-pending on the “use” of the marine environment (e.g., aquafarming, tourism, transport) or for the quality of marine environments as natural ecosystems themselves. The major aim of the BRAAVOO project and its contribution to the Ocean of Tomorrow program (FP7-OCEAN-2013) is to develop innovative solutions for measurement of high impact and difficult to measure marine pollutants. In contrast to classical environmental analytics, which is based on site sampling, ex-situ sample extraction and purification, and high-end sophisticated compound detection, the strategy of BRAAVOO is to provide near real-time in-situ sampling and analysis.

The BRAAVOO concept of near real-time in-situ sampling and analysis is based on the use of three types of biosensors, to enable both the detection of a number of specific marine priority pollutants and also of general biological effects that can be used for early warning. The first type of biosensor uses label-free antibody-based immuno-sensing on innovative nanooptical platforms such as bimodal evanescent waveguides or asymmetric Mach-Zehnder interferometers. The second sensing platform consists of live bacterial “bioreporters,” which produce bioluminescence in response to chemical exposure. Finally, the photosystem II fluorescence of marine algae is exploited to monitor changes induced by toxic com-pounds.

BRAAVOO has rigorously tested the three biosensor systems for their analytical performance, responding to a set of targeted pollutants that include algal toxins, heavy metals, organic compounds related to oil, and antibiotics. To enable low-cost real-time measurements, the three biosensors were miniaturized, multiplexed and integrated into biosensing instruments, which allow simultaneous multianalyte detection. The instruments include the optical elements for biosensor signal generation and readout, the microelectronics for data storage, and specific macro- and microfluidics to expose the biosensors to the aqueous samples or calibration solutions. The modules were tested as stand-alone instruments with manual operation (e.g., sample addition manually), and were integrated in a marine buoy and an un-manned surveying vessel (USV). Integrated sensor instruments could be operated autonomously and remotely, store and transmit data to a remote observer. The performance of the stand-alone biosensors and biosensors in their integrated form was tested at field sites in Italy and Ireland, and was further bench-marked using spiked marine samples with known target compound concentrations. Comparative chemical analytics showed reasonable agreement between the two types of measurements, although limits of detection in biosensor measurements without sample pre-treatment were generally (and not surprisingly) higher than in chemical analytics with extensive sample purification and concentration.

Overall, the developed biosensors and biosensor instruments allow flexible and innovative solutions for marine monitoring in terms of efficiency (sample analysis in hours instead of the days or weeks needed for standard sampling, transport to external labs and subsequent analyses) and cost. Further bench-marking on real samples and sites will be necessary to improve the robustness of the biosensor instruments and protocols, and to validate the biosensors' responses in comparison to classical analytics.

Final Summary report:

http://cordis.europa.eu/docs/results/614/614010/final1-braavoo-final-sum-report-vs3-pu.pdf

The EU-funded GROOM (Gliders for research, ocean observation and management) project set out to fill gaps in current marine research infrastructures (RIs) for the benefit of science, industry and society. The new European infrastructure is based on several dedicated gliderports for the maintenance and operation of European gliders. GROOM scientists investigated and documented the advantages of using gliders for ocean prediction and optimal sampling in the OOSs as well as the policy and management of data collected by gliders. Authorities were approached regarding safety and legal aspects of glider operations and possible financial models were reviewed. In addition, the team carried out studies on performing synergistic experiments with other platforms and the testing of new sensors.

Project partners studied the innovation aspect of operating gliders. They analysed a variety of novel sensors available in the market and under development, as well as their readiness for gliders. These sensors pave the way for broad perspectives in the design of experiments with gliders for physical, chemical and biological ocean research. Data flow and work flow protocols and formats were developed. GROOM also defined and implemented a dedicated data management system for gliders in Europe. Trial glider deployments were undertaken to test and assess the designed fleet operation techniques. Synergies with other ocean observing platforms were also explored, including testing sensor deployment. The team analysed existing European glider infrastructure and defined a future European infrastructure for gliders based on the current state of play.

GROOM drew up a roadmap to establish and implement a European RI during the period 2015-2020. It will be most useful for academic oceanographic research and operational oceanography systems, which provide crucial information on marine activities to the commercial sector, governmental organisations and recreational users.

Data flow within the Glider European Research Infrastructure -  http://cordis.europa.eu/docs/results/284/284321/final1-geri-dataflow.pdf

Helping marine  science reach new depths -  http://cordis.europa.eu/docs/results/284/284321/final1-groom-international-innovation-2volets.pdf

Modular Organization of the Glider European Research Infrastructure - http://cordis.europa.eu/docs/results/284/284321/final1-geri-modular-organization.pdf

GROOM Deliverables (in general – mainly minutes of meetings etc.) - http://www.groom-fp7.eu/doku.php?id=public:deliverables