Periodic Reporting for period 1 - OBAMA-NEXT (OBSERVING AND MAPPING MARINE ECOSYSTEMS – NEXT GENERATION TOOLS)
Reporting period: 2022-12-01 to 2024-05-31
OBAMA-NEXT aims to deliver accurate, precise and relevant information characterizing marine ecosystems and their biodiversity. This will be achieved by examining new/emerging technologies, including remote sensing, eDNA, optical instruments and citizen science, as supplement to existing marine monitoring techniques for enhancing our capacity to predict ecosystem function and biodiversity with higher spatial and temporal resolution. This critical evaluation will contribute to amending/producing Essential Ocean/Biodiversity Variables (EOVs/EBVs) and shaping next generation monitoring programs. OBAMA-NEXT will strengthen Europe’s capability in acquiring and utilizing biological ocean observations and ensure its proper use for better management of marine resources through strong public outreach and active stakeholder communication.
• In WP1, we have established the Practitioners Advisory Board (PAB) with wide representation of various types and levels of stakeholder interests. We have gathered knowledge on their needs, requirements and priorities related to the project activities, and established a process with PAB consultation meetings for co-creation of Information Products (IP) to better meet the policy needs. We have made an initial specification of the IP catalogue, turning it into a living document to describe the continuous development of IPs and their relevance to stakeholders.
• In WP2, we have produced a general overview of emerging technologies already extensively used for studying and mapping the diversity in pelagic habitats. We have agreed to share data already collected or newly collected through the project from emerging technologies (e.g. eDNA, flow cytometry, remote sensing, biologging) to formulate and construct IPs according to the policy needs. We have identified best practices for new technologies, built new data flows and data processes to be able to share our data across the learning sites.
• In WP3, we have completed an extensive review on current and emerging techniques for mapping benthic habitats. This report assesses the most relevant techniques for marine benthic mapping, covering platforms, sensors and other methods. It details each technique’s strengths, weaknesses, and readiness levels for routine monitoring of benthic habitats. A coherent mapping study involving several OBAMA-NEXT learning sites has been prepared, including a standardized operational manual for collecting drone data during field activities taking place in summer 2024.
• In WP4, we have created guidelines that provide a roadmap describing trustworthy and reliable AI-based solutions to address user and policy needs related to biodiversity monitoring. We have developed a suite of tools, including statistical and AI methods, to describe the distribution of single species and communities as well as habitats. We have identified best practices for visualization and scientific representation of ecological biodiversity indicators, investigated uncertainty measures associated with standard mapping methods (Kriging and GAMs) and identified methods to reduce the prediction uncertainty through combinations of methods.
• In WP5, we have established the community of the Learning Sites (LSs) where tools will be demonstrated and evaluated with lessons learned. This has primarily involved the collation of individual site data and establishment of a metadata catalogue. Data have also been summarized across the LSs concerning oceanographic variables, novel methodologies and IPs. We have also surveyed access to data for assessing Marine Protected Areas.
• In WP6, we have completed an evaluation of EU and international marine policy requirements, identifying marine policy data needs and gaps across eight major instruments. We have established metadata tables matching policy needs with the IP catalogue, making recommendations for the IPs to further strengthen their policy relevance. Significant attention has been exerted towards the development of IPs functional to the improvement of design and assessment of MPA network coherence as well as to assess the blue carbon potential of seagrass and salt marsh habitats across Europe. Finally, we have outlined a conceptual framework exploring the interlinked structure of four elements linking marine biodiversity governance to IPs: Planning phases, governmentalities, techno-optimism, and uncertainty.
• In WP7, we have developed and implemented a data management plan to ensure all partners adhere to FAIR data sharing principle. We have created open-access platforms such as Zenodo repository for the project to include preprints, papers and datasets generated through the project. Furthermore, we have actively communicated the project and disseminated project results, as well as engaged with other relevant scientific projects and networks, including collaboration on two editions of the AZTI’s summer school and coordinated activities with our sister project MARCO-BOLO. We have developed infographics and animated videos to deliver the key messages to the different target audiences.
• In WP2, we have produced a general overview of emerging technologies already extensively used for studying and mapping the diversity in pelagic habitats. We have agreed to share data already collected or newly collected through the project from emerging technologies (e.g. eDNA, flow cytometry, remote sensing, biologging) to formulate and construct IPs according to the policy needs. We have identified best practices for new technologies, built new data flows and data processes to be able to share our data across the learning sites.
• In WP3, we have completed an extensive review on current and emerging techniques for mapping benthic habitats. This report assesses the most relevant techniques for marine benthic mapping, covering platforms, sensors and other methods. It details each technique’s strengths, weaknesses, and readiness levels for routine monitoring of benthic habitats. A coherent mapping study involving several OBAMA-NEXT learning sites has been prepared, including a standardized operational manual for collecting drone data during field activities taking place in summer 2024.
• In WP4, we have created guidelines that provide a roadmap describing trustworthy and reliable AI-based solutions to address user and policy needs related to biodiversity monitoring. We have developed a suite of tools, including statistical and AI methods, to describe the distribution of single species and communities as well as habitats. We have identified best practices for visualization and scientific representation of ecological biodiversity indicators, investigated uncertainty measures associated with standard mapping methods (Kriging and GAMs) and identified methods to reduce the prediction uncertainty through combinations of methods.
• In WP5, we have established the community of the Learning Sites (LSs) where tools will be demonstrated and evaluated with lessons learned. This has primarily involved the collation of individual site data and establishment of a metadata catalogue. Data have also been summarized across the LSs concerning oceanographic variables, novel methodologies and IPs. We have also surveyed access to data for assessing Marine Protected Areas.
• In WP6, we have completed an evaluation of EU and international marine policy requirements, identifying marine policy data needs and gaps across eight major instruments. We have established metadata tables matching policy needs with the IP catalogue, making recommendations for the IPs to further strengthen their policy relevance. Significant attention has been exerted towards the development of IPs functional to the improvement of design and assessment of MPA network coherence as well as to assess the blue carbon potential of seagrass and salt marsh habitats across Europe. Finally, we have outlined a conceptual framework exploring the interlinked structure of four elements linking marine biodiversity governance to IPs: Planning phases, governmentalities, techno-optimism, and uncertainty.
• In WP7, we have developed and implemented a data management plan to ensure all partners adhere to FAIR data sharing principle. We have created open-access platforms such as Zenodo repository for the project to include preprints, papers and datasets generated through the project. Furthermore, we have actively communicated the project and disseminated project results, as well as engaged with other relevant scientific projects and networks, including collaboration on two editions of the AZTI’s summer school and coordinated activities with our sister project MARCO-BOLO. We have developed infographics and animated videos to deliver the key messages to the different target audiences.
OBAMA-NEXT has in the first 18 months primarily focused on establishing an infrastructure (data, algorithms, models) for producing scientific results, although several scientific highlights have also been achieved:
- Reviewing existing and emerging technologies for mapping biodiversity in pelagic and benthic habitats. These two reviews are fundamental pillars for focusing the work on relevant methods, highlighting strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of different technologies.
- Developing an algorithm to map the presence of coccolithophores in the Black Sea from satellite data. These results show long-term declines of coccolithophore blooms, associated with climate change.
- Establishing a standard data processing chain from raw flow cytometry data to AI/ML algorithms for identifying taxonomical units at high resolution.
- Demonstrating the use of drones for benthic mapping through ML algorithms using feature segmentation to produce high-resolution maps of benthic communities in nearshore waters.
- Developing methods to process acoustic survey data and trawling data to produce biomass indicators, maps of fish assemblages, and assess environmental effects on species abundance in the Baltic Sea.
- Producing predictive maps on fish larval production areas based on larvae sampling data and fisheries statistics by means of species distribution models. These maps identify hot spots for fish nurseries of high conservation value.
- Producing maps for the distribution of harbour porpoises from tagged animals in the Danish Straits.
- Developing a mapping approach that combines the advantages of Ordinary Kriging and 2-dimensional GAMs.
- Reviewing existing and emerging technologies for mapping biodiversity in pelagic and benthic habitats. These two reviews are fundamental pillars for focusing the work on relevant methods, highlighting strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of different technologies.
- Developing an algorithm to map the presence of coccolithophores in the Black Sea from satellite data. These results show long-term declines of coccolithophore blooms, associated with climate change.
- Establishing a standard data processing chain from raw flow cytometry data to AI/ML algorithms for identifying taxonomical units at high resolution.
- Demonstrating the use of drones for benthic mapping through ML algorithms using feature segmentation to produce high-resolution maps of benthic communities in nearshore waters.
- Developing methods to process acoustic survey data and trawling data to produce biomass indicators, maps of fish assemblages, and assess environmental effects on species abundance in the Baltic Sea.
- Producing predictive maps on fish larval production areas based on larvae sampling data and fisheries statistics by means of species distribution models. These maps identify hot spots for fish nurseries of high conservation value.
- Producing maps for the distribution of harbour porpoises from tagged animals in the Danish Straits.
- Developing a mapping approach that combines the advantages of Ordinary Kriging and 2-dimensional GAMs.