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

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.

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.

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.

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 – Geology.