Picking Up the Pieces—Harmonising and Collating Seabed Substrate Data for European Maritime Areas
The poor access to data on the marine environment is a handicap to government decision-making, a barrier to scientific understanding and an obstacle to economic growth. In this light, the European Commission initiated the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) in 2009 to assemble and...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2019-02-01
|
| Series: | Geosciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/9/2/84 |
| _version_ | 1818187675760328704 |
|---|---|
| author | Anu Marii Kaskela Aarno Tapio Kotilainen Ulla Alanen Rhys Cooper Sophie Green Janine Guinan Sytze van Heteren Susanna Kihlman Vera Van Lancker Alan Stevenson the EMODnet Geology Partners |
| author_facet | Anu Marii Kaskela Aarno Tapio Kotilainen Ulla Alanen Rhys Cooper Sophie Green Janine Guinan Sytze van Heteren Susanna Kihlman Vera Van Lancker Alan Stevenson the EMODnet Geology Partners |
| author_sort | Anu Marii Kaskela |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The poor access to data on the marine environment is a handicap to government decision-making, a barrier to scientific understanding and an obstacle to economic growth. In this light, the European Commission initiated the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) in 2009 to assemble and disseminate hitherto dispersed marine data. In the ten years since then, EMODnet has become a key producer of publicly available, harmonised datasets covering broad areas. This paper describes the methodologies applied in EMODnet Geology project to produce fully populated GIS layers of seabed substrate distribution for the European marine areas. We describe steps involved in translating national seabed substrate data, conforming to various standards, into a uniform EMODnet substrate classification scheme (i.e., the Folk sediment classification). Rock and boulders form an additional substrate class. Seabed substrate data products at scales of 1:250,000 and 1:1 million, compiled using descriptions and analyses of seabed samples as well as interpreted acoustic images, cover about 20% and 65% of the European maritime areas, respectively. A simple confidence assessment, based on sample and acoustic coverage, is helpful in identifying data gaps. The harmonised seabed substrate maps are particularly useful in supraregional, transnational and pan-European marine spatial planning. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T23:14:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-45ac4812aaea4afeb51bb54c1736a292 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3263 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T23:14:48Z |
| publishDate | 2019-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geosciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-45ac4812aaea4afeb51bb54c1736a2922022-12-22T00:46:34ZengMDPI AGGeosciences2076-32632019-02-01928410.3390/geosciences9020084geosciences9020084Picking Up the Pieces—Harmonising and Collating Seabed Substrate Data for European Maritime AreasAnu Marii Kaskela0Aarno Tapio Kotilainen1Ulla Alanen2Rhys Cooper3Sophie Green4Janine Guinan5Sytze van Heteren6Susanna Kihlman7Vera Van Lancker8Alan Stevenson9the EMODnet Geology Partners10Geological Survey of Finland GTK, 02151 Espoo, FinlandGeological Survey of Finland GTK, 02151 Espoo, FinlandGeological Survey of Finland GTK, 02151 Espoo, FinlandBritish Geological Survey, Edinburgh, Currie EH14 4BA, UKBritish Geological Survey, Edinburgh, Currie EH14 4BA, UKGeological Survey Ireland, DO4 K7X4 Dublin, IrelandGeological Survey of the Netherlands, PO Box 80015, NL-3508 TA Utrecht, The NetherlandsGeological Survey of Finland GTK, 02151 Espoo, FinlandRoyal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, 1000 Brussels, BelgiumBritish Geological Survey, Edinburgh, Currie EH14 4BA, UKThe EMODnet Geology Partners are provided in the Acknowledgments.The poor access to data on the marine environment is a handicap to government decision-making, a barrier to scientific understanding and an obstacle to economic growth. In this light, the European Commission initiated the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) in 2009 to assemble and disseminate hitherto dispersed marine data. In the ten years since then, EMODnet has become a key producer of publicly available, harmonised datasets covering broad areas. This paper describes the methodologies applied in EMODnet Geology project to produce fully populated GIS layers of seabed substrate distribution for the European marine areas. We describe steps involved in translating national seabed substrate data, conforming to various standards, into a uniform EMODnet substrate classification scheme (i.e., the Folk sediment classification). Rock and boulders form an additional substrate class. Seabed substrate data products at scales of 1:250,000 and 1:1 million, compiled using descriptions and analyses of seabed samples as well as interpreted acoustic images, cover about 20% and 65% of the European maritime areas, respectively. A simple confidence assessment, based on sample and acoustic coverage, is helpful in identifying data gaps. The harmonised seabed substrate maps are particularly useful in supraregional, transnational and pan-European marine spatial planning.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/9/2/84marine geologyseafloor mappingseabed substrateharmonisationconfidencespatial scaledata gapsEuropean seasEMODnet |
| spellingShingle | Anu Marii Kaskela Aarno Tapio Kotilainen Ulla Alanen Rhys Cooper Sophie Green Janine Guinan Sytze van Heteren Susanna Kihlman Vera Van Lancker Alan Stevenson the EMODnet Geology Partners Picking Up the Pieces—Harmonising and Collating Seabed Substrate Data for European Maritime Areas Geosciences marine geology seafloor mapping seabed substrate harmonisation confidence spatial scale data gaps European seas EMODnet |
| title | Picking Up the Pieces—Harmonising and Collating Seabed Substrate Data for European Maritime Areas |
| title_full | Picking Up the Pieces—Harmonising and Collating Seabed Substrate Data for European Maritime Areas |
| title_fullStr | Picking Up the Pieces—Harmonising and Collating Seabed Substrate Data for European Maritime Areas |
| title_full_unstemmed | Picking Up the Pieces—Harmonising and Collating Seabed Substrate Data for European Maritime Areas |
| title_short | Picking Up the Pieces—Harmonising and Collating Seabed Substrate Data for European Maritime Areas |
| title_sort | picking up the pieces harmonising and collating seabed substrate data for european maritime areas |
| topic | marine geology seafloor mapping seabed substrate harmonisation confidence spatial scale data gaps European seas EMODnet |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/9/2/84 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT anumariikaskela pickingupthepiecesharmonisingandcollatingseabedsubstratedataforeuropeanmaritimeareas AT aarnotapiokotilainen pickingupthepiecesharmonisingandcollatingseabedsubstratedataforeuropeanmaritimeareas AT ullaalanen pickingupthepiecesharmonisingandcollatingseabedsubstratedataforeuropeanmaritimeareas AT rhyscooper pickingupthepiecesharmonisingandcollatingseabedsubstratedataforeuropeanmaritimeareas AT sophiegreen pickingupthepiecesharmonisingandcollatingseabedsubstratedataforeuropeanmaritimeareas AT janineguinan pickingupthepiecesharmonisingandcollatingseabedsubstratedataforeuropeanmaritimeareas AT sytzevanheteren pickingupthepiecesharmonisingandcollatingseabedsubstratedataforeuropeanmaritimeareas AT susannakihlman pickingupthepiecesharmonisingandcollatingseabedsubstratedataforeuropeanmaritimeareas AT veravanlancker pickingupthepiecesharmonisingandcollatingseabedsubstratedataforeuropeanmaritimeareas AT alanstevenson pickingupthepiecesharmonisingandcollatingseabedsubstratedataforeuropeanmaritimeareas AT theemodnetgeologypartners pickingupthepiecesharmonisingandcollatingseabedsubstratedataforeuropeanmaritimeareas |