EMODnet as the EU data platform for marine litter data

The European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) is supported by seven major thematic groups: bathymetry, biology, chemistry, geology, seabed habitats, physics and human activities at sea, which collate thematic in situ marine data from different sources and stakeholders in marine research, including the public and private sectors. The data are standardised, harmonised and validated according to common consolidated standards shared within the thematic areas and made available through a unique portal (emodnet.ec.europa.eu) as data snapshots and horizontal thematic maps.

Since 2016, the EMODnet chemistry theme has been extended to marine litter, including coastal (beach) litter, seabed litter (from trawling) and micro-litter (floating and sediment). Finally, information from seabed monitoring and imagery will be included in the macro-litter collection pipeline.

Data management at EU level has been organised according to the FAIR principles in synergy with the Technical Group on Marine Litter (TG ML) of the EU MSFD chaired by the Joint Research Centre, the Regional Seas Conventions and the Member States.

Data on beach litter (nets, bottles, etc.) and seabed litter (i.e. litter collected by fishing trawlers) are managed in two centralised databases, while for micro-litter data the SeaDataNet OceanDataView formats are used, both of which require considerable effort to validate, classify and document metadata. Currently, the marine litter database contains data on 18 012 beach surveys in the period from 2001 to 2024, 32 939 seabed trawls in the period from 2006 to 2024 and 1975 floating micro-litter records in the period from 2011 to 2023. Extensive activities have been carried out to validate and improve the quality of the metadata and data, both in terms of syntax and content.

EMODnet Chemistry has become a major contributor to the data and information sharing provisions of the MSFD by improving the accessibility and interoperability of marine data. It has been adopted as a European data platform to support the assessment of Descriptor 10 (marine litter) and is being extended to Descriptor 8 (contaminants in the environment) and Descriptor 5 (eutrophication).

EMODnet Chemistry has also positioned itself as an essential data service to support global environmental policies by contributing to the Global Partnership on Plastic Pollution and Marine Litter (GPML) with the sharing of data and products on the Digital Platform, the Community of Practise for Data Harmonisation and the G20 Action on Marine Plastic Litter led by the Ministry of the Environment of Japan (MOEJ) with the development of the Atlas of Ocean Microplastic (AOMI). Under the umbrella of the Integrated Marine Debris Observing System (IMDOS).