Harmonized seabed substrate datasets and insights from EMODnet Geology

Human activities and increasing pressures on marine and coastal environments have highlighted the need for accessible, reliable, and harmonized marine information. Since 2009, the EMODnet (European Marine Observation and Data Network) Geology project has been collecting and harmonizing geological data from all European sea areas, and Caspian and Caribbean Seas. This work, carried out in collaboration currently with 39 partners and subcontractors, has focused on creating cross-boundary, multiscale datasets from scattered and heterogeneous sources for diverse applications.

Seabed substrate is one of the main parameters describing marine environment. Project addresses seabed substrates and related characteristics and over the years, EMODnet Geology has developed several data products such as harmonized seabed substrate maps based on sediment grain size, sedimentation rate datasets, and a seabed erosion index derived from literature. These products have evolved, incorporating additional attributes like seabed surface features (e.g., seagrass meadows, bioclastic bottoms, ferromanganese concretions) and confidence assessments to improve usability and usefulness.

Building on this foundation, the latest phase of the project introduces new data additions to the data catalogue. One of the additions to complement existing sedimentary information is organic carbon data, which is essential for understanding carbon cycling, climate regulation, and ecosystem health. At the same time, we have initiated work on identifying and classifying sedimentary environments within national datasets to better capture dynamic processes and environmental variability, to support modelling and interpretation of marine systems. Basic work on these new datasets is underway, and we are in the early stages of method development to integrate this new information.

After more than fifteen years, EMODnet Geology has established itself as one of the main providers of publicly available, harmonized in situ seabed data. Continued development, both updating existing products and introducing new datasets, will ensure the relevance of this information for addressing future challenges in marine and coastal management and research.

The EMODnet Geology project is funded by The European Climate, Environment and Infrastructure Executive Agency (CINEA) through contract CINEA/EMFAF/2024-25/3.6/4500124305 for European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) - Lot2/CINEA/2024/OP/0006 (Geology)