Med-SHIP: Advancing Sustainable and Systematic Hydrographic Surveys in the Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Ship-based Hydrography Program (Med-SHIP) addresses a critical gap
in the monitoring of the Mediterranean Sea by establishing a sustainable initiative for
regularly repeated coast-to-coast zonal and meridional full-depth cruises. Anchored within
the Global Ocean Ship-based Hydrographic Investigations Program (GO-SHIP), Med-SHIP
focuses on collecting Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs) to comprehensively assess the
budget of heat, freshwater, carbon, oxygen, and various nutrients in the Mediterranean
basin.
The program, initiated in 2011 as recommended by the Mediterranean Science Commission
(CIESM), orchestrates cruises through strategic access to Exclusive Economic Zones
(EEZs) in the challenging diplomatic landscape of the region. The Med-SHIP program has
made substantial strides in executing its objectives, conducting zonal surveys from east to
west in 2001, 2011, and 2018, and meridional surveys from north to south in 2016 and 2022.
These surveys adhere to the Repeat Hydrography plan outlined in Schroeder et al. (2015)
and are complemented by contributions from individual countries and the Transnational
Access of the Eurofleets RI. The gathered data, spanning physical, chemical, and biological
EOVs, adhere to the highest international standards and are made publicly accessible in
open data repositories, aligning with the data policy of GO-SHIP. Med-SHIP not only
contributes to the scientific understanding of long-term changes in the Mediterranean but
also fosters regional collaboration and capacity building, bridging gaps between northern
shore countries and those in the Middle East and North Africa.
The Med-SHIP program continues to evolve with planned future surveys. The commitment to
sustained monitoring and collaboration underscores the program's importance in advancing
our understanding of the complex dynamics of the Mediterranean Sea and its implications
for global change.