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Phytoplankton is a diverse group of photosynthesizing organisms which account for approximately fifty percent of the primary production on Earth. Increasing our knowledge on phytoplankton dynamics (and plankton in general) is therefore of major importance. In the present research, we aimed to reveal the spatiotemporal dynamics of the phyto- and zooplankton community in the Eastern English Channel, Southern Bight of the North Sea and the Thames estuary. To do so, we organized a JERICO-NEXT Lifewatch cruise in May 2017 on board of the RV Simon Stevin and sampled 44 stations, involving five research institutions from France (CNRS-LOG,), The Netherlands (RWS, NIOZ) and Belgium (UGENT, VLIZ). To quantify the biomass of the phytoplankton community we used a unique combination of three flow cytometers and two Fast Repetition Rate Fluorometerss that were coupled to the underway ferrybox system. These observations were complemented with Water Insight Spectrometer and water profile data (by means of a CTD) and samples for zooplankton, pigment and nutrient analysis. A dedicated data workshop was organized with all partners to conduct a joint analysis on both the biotic and abiotic data. A first exploration of the data, by means of regression-based models and multivariate statistics, suggested that mainly nutrient discharges from the rivers influence the plankton structure. Furthermore, water turbidity is controlling photosynthetic activity and horizontal and vertical variations of photosynthetic properties can be discriminated.

Aim: Ideally, datasets for species distribution modelling (SDM) contain evenly sampled records covering the entire distribution of the species, confirmed absences and auxiliary ecophysiological data allowing informed decisions on relevant predictors. Unfortunately, these criteria are rarely met for marine organisms for which distributions are too often only scantly characterized and absences generally not recorded. Here, we investigate predictor relevance as a function of modelling algorithms and settings for a global dataset of marine species.Location: Global marine.Methods: We selected well-studied and identifiable species from all major marine taxonomic groups. Distribution records were compiled from public sources (e.g., OBIS, GBIF, Reef Life Survey) and linked to environmental data from Bio-ORACLE and MARSPEC. Using this dataset, predictor relevance was analysed under different variations of modelling algorithms, numbers of predictor variables, cross-validation strategies, sampling bias mitigation methods, evaluation methods and ranking methods. SDMs for all combinations of predictors from eight correlation groups were fitted and ranked, from which the top five predictors were selected as the most relevant. Results: We collected two million distribution records from 514 species across 18 phyla. Mean sea surface temperature and calcite are, respectively, the most relevant and irrelevant predictors. A less clear pattern was derived from the other predictors. The biggest differences in predictor relevance were induced by varying the number of predictors, the modelling algorithm and the sample selection bias correction. The distribution data and associated environmental data are made available through the R package marinespeed and at http://marinespeed.org.Main conclusions: While temperature is a relevant predictor of global marine species distributions, considerable variation in predictor relevance is linked to the SDM set-up. We promote the usage of a standardized benchmark dataset (MarineSPEED) for methodological SDM studies.

This report is part of the JERICO-NEXT WP5 on data management. The first objective is the description of the general biological data management practices. This aims at providing procedures and methodologies to enable data collected through the project to comply with the international standards regarding their quality and metadata. The second objective is to focus on the details of biological data quality control. This report is seen as a living document that can be amended during the course of the project to incorporate progressive insights or in light of specific emerging needs.

In JERICO-NEXT, a major effort is initiated towards a stronger integration of biological information as part of the observing networks. These objectives will be realized through the integration of mature technologies and the development of emerging technologies capable of delivering operational biological data. During the recent years, large marine biological data systems have been created to store, archive and integrate traditional marine biological data. In the framework of JERICO-NEXT an operational link will be created with EMODnet biology, the biological component of the European Marine Observation and Data Network and OBIS, the Ocean Biogeographic Information System. This will facilitate the data exchange between the coastal observatories and the existing marine biological data networks and hereby maximize access to marine biological data for any type of user on a marine basin-or-region-wide basis. Integration of data involves the implementation of data quality control steps. Evaluating and documenting data quality is since many years standard practice in disciplines like medicine and genetics, however only the last years similar effort is being done for biologic al data, more particular for biodiversity data. This report is part of the JERICO-NEXT WP5 on data management. The first objective is the description of the general biological data management practices. This aims at providing procedures and methodologies to enable data collected through the project to comply with the international standards regarding their quality and metadata. The second objective is to focus on the details of biological data quality control. This report is seen as a living document that can be amended during the course of the project to incorporate progressive insights or in light of specific emerging needs. Published Refereed Current Standard Operating Procedure Manual

The valuation of nature is an inbuilt component of validating environmental management decisions and an important research field for different disciplines related to conservation, economy and ethics. Here, biodiversity was valued using an ecological approach based on the intrinsic value incorporated in biodiversity per se, regardless of any human association. The Marine Biological Valuation protocol was drawn upon the methodology of terrestrial valuation maps, to support the European MSFD environmental status assessment (descriptor 1 – biodiversity) and national marine spatial planning approaches. To apply the protocol on the Portuguese continental shelf we compiled and analyzed national biological databases for a wide taxonomic range of ecosystem components (seabirds, demersal fish, macrobenthos, marine mammals and sea turtles) and assessed the spatial overlap with existing and proposed conservation areas (Natura 2000 network). The resultant maps described patterns of biological value consistent with the physical and biological oceanographic conditions as well as local hydrodynamics of the Portuguese continental shelf. The results of our approach confirm previously identified valuable areas for protection (particularly in the northern and central regions), but also highlights the value of currently unprotected sites, mainly in the southern region. Biological valuation maps showed to be comprehensive tool to compile and spatially analyze biological datasets. By drawing attention to subzones of biological importance, it constitutes a valuable instrument in making appropriate-scale decisions on the spatial allocation of human activities in the context of the Portuguese marine spatial planning, currently facing the pressure and impacts of increased maritime exploitation.

Piling driving sound is known to impact harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) distribution, but to date detailed knowledge on the combined spatial and temporal components of this impact over longer time periods remains lacking. From May to September 2016, pile driving was taking place at the Nobelwind wind farm located on the Bligh Bank in Belgium. In this period, porpoise activity was recorded using passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) using Continuous Porpoise Detectors (C-PoDs), at various distances from the construction site (1 – > 55 km). In this study, we compared porpoise detections before, during and after pile driving. During piling, porpoise detections decreased at stations located up to 20 km from the location of the piling event. At larger distances (20-55 km), porpoise detections either remained the same or increased slightly during piling events, which may be due to displaced porpoises entering the area. Underwater sound levels were extrapolated for the different locations. Pile driving sound levels at the furthest distance where reductions in porpoise detections were observed were ~159 dB re 1μPa (Lsub>z-p), which is close to the threshold level for major disturbance for harbour porpoise proposed in literature.

The European eel Anguilla anguilla L. is a critically endangered fish species that migrates from coastal and freshwater habitats to the Sargasso Sea to spawn. However, the exact migration routes and destination of European eel are still unknown. We are the first to observe southward migrating silver eels in the North Sea. Eels were tagged with acoustic transmitters in 3 different river catchments in Western Europe and swam to the Dutch-Belgian coastal zone during their spawning migration. Therefore, at least part of the Western European population of eels migrates towards the English Channel, in contrast with the Nordic migration route hypothesis. This different migratory route may affect the energy reserve available for spawning and therefore the contribution of these eels to the population. As such, increasing our knowledge of marine eel migrations contributes to the goal of achieving sustainable eel stock management.

© 2015 Kopf et al. Ocean Sampling Day was initiated by the EU-funded Micro B3 (Marine Microbial Biodiversity, Bioinformatics, Biotechnology) project to obtain a snapshot of the marine microbial biodiversity and function of the world's oceans. It is a simultaneous global mega-sequencing campaign aiming to generate the largest standardized microbial data set in a single day. This will be achievable only through the coordinated efforts of an Ocean Sampling Day Consortium, supportive partnerships and networks between sites. This commentary outlines the establishment, function and aims of the Consortium and describes our vision for a sustainable study of marine microbial communities and their embedded functional traits.