The Marine Analyst - An aid to the monitoring and management of marine areas, including marine protected areas

Detalles

Categoría: News News

Nicolas Hoepffner¹, Pascal Derycke¹, Laurent Dubroca²
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1- European Commission – Joint Research Centre, Directorate for Sustainable Resources,
D.2 Water and Marine Resources Unit, via Fermi 2479, I-21027 Ispra (Va), Italy
2- Laboratoire Ressources Halieutiques, Ifremer, Avenue du general de Gaulle, BP 32, 14520 Port-en-Bessin, France

Through the analysis of satellite data and modeling outputs, the Environmental Marine Information System (EMIS) of the European Commission – Joint Research Centre aims at an effective and long-lasting marine and coastal stewardship by providing scientific and technical value-added products to assist in monitoring and assessing water quality, biodiversity, ecosystem health status in Europe and globally. The EMIS spatial data infrastructure and web-GIS viewer (http://mcc.jrc.ec.europa.eu/emis/) allows discovery, navigation and browsing through the data in different ways, according to spatial resolution, the variable to be analysed, and the time period. Another set of applications has been developed to query the data and perform statistical analysis on the region of interest. Additional functions enable the users to download datasets in different formats (netCDF, GeoTIFF), to print maps and to download results directly on ready-to-use PDF files.

EMIS offers web services as Web Map Service (WMS) and time Web Coverage Service (WCS-t) in accordance with the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) specifications and EU INSPIRE standards to ensure full interoperability. The EMIS web services are associated to R-written functions allowing the online processing of the data, their analysis and reporting.

Recently launched, the EMIS Marine Analyst provides simple methods to explore any pre-defined areas of the European seas and global ocean and assess the pressures to which they are exposed. For example, it assists in the management of Marine Protected Areas (MPA) and is conceived as a tool to support the implementation of environmental directives, e.g. the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), through communicating environmental information/indicators of relevance to various policy descriptors. Following the user's election of e.g. a given MPA (MPA list as derived from the UNEP-WCMC World Database on protected areas), the Marine Analyst is evaluating in real time the environmental status of the MPA taking into consideration the EMIS database. The final outcome is given in a format of a report including geographical and bathymetry mapping of the MPA, a range of statistical analysis and time-series plots of the different variables, and the full series of monthly satellite views of each of the variables.

Applying the Marine Analyst around the Balearic Las Salinas Marine Park (all figures are extracted from the marine analyst report):

The marine park of Las Salinas in the western part of the Mediterranean Sea is a protected area located between southeast Ibiza island and the northern tip of Formentera Island. It covers a marine area of ca. 14,000 ha classified in the Natura 2000 Network, as well as being a site of Community Interest and an Area of Special Protection for Birds since 2006.

The marine Analyst report includes 2-D (not shown) and 3-D bathymetry maps of the area, created from the last release (2016) of EMODnet DTM product (http://www.emodnet-hydrography.eu) covering European seas at ca. 230 m grid resolution. The 3-D maps are given in 4 different perspectives, enabling a better vision of the topography on either side of the MPA.

The report also provides EUNIS-compliant information on seabed habitats complemented with geospatial information from the UNEP’s Global Seafloor Geomorphic Features Map (GSGFM), following a methodology described in Tempera (2015). The marine Park and surrounding waters are characterized a large variety of seabed structures profitable to different ecosystems. Posidonia beds extend in shallow waters along the strait between both islands, lying on fine sand. On either side of the strait, the ecosystem progressively shifts from coastal to shelf-edge detritic bottoms.

Together with such structural aspects of the area, the marine analyst reports on a series of environmental variables, with associated maps and statistics, that are relevant to monitor potential changes in the state of the ecosystems, biodiversity and water quality. The variables are either satellite-derived (e.g. sea surface temperature, chlorophyll concentration) or model-derived (e.g. mixed layer depth, bottom temperature and salinity). For example, maps of monthly SST from the satellite-based MODIS-Terra radiometer show the variability of sea surface temperature over a decade within the MPA and surrounding waters.

The associated anomaly maps, calculated from the difference between monthly observation and 10-year monthly climatology, permit the identification of substantial deviations of the environment around the MPA from natural variability. For example, a significant negative anomaly in SST can be observed in May-June 2013 concurring with the local weather forecast that had identified the largest number of cooler days during that period.

Similar maps are provided for time-series of phytoplankton biomass (i.e. chlorophyll concentration) and water transparency (diffuse attenuation coefficient) using data from the MODIS-Aqua sensor. All statistics associated to these variables are provided for the MPA area with the possibility to download the data for further analysis.

In addition to the mean values and standard deviations, trends for each variable are calculated over the time series according to Vantrepotte and Mélin (2009) where the time-series of the variable is decomposed into a seasonal signal, a trend, and a residual component.

Figure 5: Monthly maps of sea surface temperature anomalies

The analysis of the surface variables observed from satellite are complemented with outcomes of 3D hydrodynamic model describing the water column and bottom physics. For example, climatological values (monthly) of the bottom salinity are estimated over a decade period using the freely available General Estuarine Transport Model (GETM; http://www.getm.eu). The variability of these physical parameters are important to evaluate the status of benthic ecosystems within the protected area. 

Lastly, the EMIS marine analyst is reporting on habitats of important commercial fishes and occurrence of alien species. Bluefin tuna feeding and spawning habitats (not shown here) are implemented in the system according to Druon et al. (2016) at spatial and temporal resolution suitable for dynamic management of fisheries. Furthermore, alien species occurring in the area are extracted from the European Alien Species Information network (EASIN; http://easin.jrc.ec.europa.eu) which maintain an inventory of all known alien and cryptogenic species in Europe as required by the Convention on Biological Diversity and EU Regulation on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species. A range number of alien species is given on a 10x10 km grid, with the species names possibly occurring in the studied area (Asterionellopsis glacialis, Atherina boyeri, Calyptraea chinensis, Colpomenia sinuosa, Fusinus rostratus, Gibbula adansonii, G. albida, Haliotis tuberculata, Hexaplex trunculus, Paracaprella pusilla, Percnon gibbesi, Sabella spallanzanii).

As shown (partially) in this example of a local analysis, the Marine Analyst tool of the Environmental Marine Information System (EMIS) has features and components that are specifically dedicated to assisting in the management of marine and coastal waters in Europe and globally. The tool is derived from an EMIS-R package and implemented at the core of the EMIS server.  It provides an interoperable spatial data infrastructure platform enable to integrate and communicate different spatial and referenced datasets and services in a standardized way.

The marine Analyst has been integrated into the Marine Strategy Framework Directive Competence Centre (MCC; http://mcc.jrc.ec.europa.eu) established by the Joint Research Centre to share marine policy information, and provide up-to-date scientific knowledge related to MSFD.

References

• Druon JN., Fromentin JM, Hanke A, Arrizabalaga H, Damalas D, et al. 2016. Habitat suitability of the Atlantic Bluefin tuna by size class: an ecological niche approach. Progress in Oceanography, 130: 188-204.
  
  
• Tempera F, 2015. Bringing together harmonized EUNIS seabed habitat geospatial information for the European seas. EUR – Scientific and Technical Research Reports, Publication Office of the European Union, EUR 27237.
  
  
• Vantrepotte V, Mélin F, 2009. Temporal variability of 10-year global SeaWiFS time series of phytoplankton chlorophyll a concentration. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 66: 1547-1556.
  
  

Marine Scotland Information

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Categoría: News News

Drew Milne
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Marine Scotland has recently launched a new website called Marine Scotland Information (http://data.marine.gov.scot). This is designed to act as a central information portal, providing context and connections for the data and resources that Marine Scotland publishes online. It forms part of the Marine Scotland Open Data Network acting as the link between our geospatial platform National Marine Plan interactive (http://maps.marine.gov.scot) (NMPi) and the Data Publication Portal (http://data.marine.gov.scot) to give an integrated suite of services for end users.

Marine Scotland Information automatically collates resources from the other two portals and combines these in information pages where they can be put into context and related to other maps or data downloads.

Whilst both NMPi and the Data Publication Portal provide specialised functionality, Marine Scotland Information is designed to be approachable by all. Content on Marine Scotland Information is presented through the use of information themes and specific data and map categories. Users are able to search across the wide range of topics or delve directly to the subject or data type they require. Specific map layer and data resource information is automatically kept up to date and users are able to access various levels of detail as required.

All map layers on NMPi now have an associated information page on Marine Scotland Information and the new site also manages the resources previously held on the Marine Scotland interactive website.

Marine Scotland Information was built internally using Drupal, an open source Content Management System, which allowed for a flexible development process and access to a wide range of resources available in the open source community. Taxonomies have been used throughout the portal allowing relationships to be built and presented to users providing a more detailed understanding of the information and data available. It also allows users to access the information through a variety of routes. Additionally, the content of MSI will also be available through machine readable services allowing other systems to harvest our information automatically.

Content on Marine Scotland Information is grouped into three types:

• Information: Text and background, organised into themes that are aligned with the Scottish Government vision for managing Scotland's Seas.
  
  
• Maps: Spatial data presented as interactive or downloadable map sources.
  
  
• Data: Datasets, statistics, downloadable documents, and links to other websites.
  
  

The site is available for all marine stakeholders and demonstrates Marine Scotland’s commitment to openness and transparency in its data for the management of Scotland’s seas.

Ohio Coastal Atlas enters Third Edition

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Categoría: News News

Brian D. George
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Office of Coastal Management
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The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Office of Coastal Management coastal.ohiodnr.gov is currently developing a Third Edition of its Ohio Coastal Atlas. The new Coastal Atlas publication is expected to be completed in late 2017. It will be a 10-year update and will correspond with the Ohio Coastal Management Program’s 20th anniversary.

The widely-successful, 240-page Second Edition (2007) featured 13 chapters and highlighted content that focused on the cultural, ecological, physical and natural resources in Ohio’s Lake Erie basin. It was distributed primarily to coastal decision-makers, local officials, land use planners, coastal engineers, environmental groups, educators and other special interest groups. The forthcoming Third Edition will incorporate updated and newly-acquired GIS datasets, feature new topics of interest, and include all new maps using enhanced cartographic techniques.

The Ohio Coastal Atlas aims to spatially represent big-picture information and topics about Ohio’s portion of Lake Erie and its watershed. Development of the Atlas is a collaborative effort involving many federal, state and local partners.

The interactive map viewer for the Ohio Coastal Atlas can be found at: https://gis.ohiodnr.gov/MapViewer/?config=interactiveatlas

Caribbean Marine Atlas enters Phase 2

Detalles

Categoría: News News

Leonardo Arias, Carolina García-Valencia,
Paula Cristina Sierra-Correa, and
Francisco Arias
Marine and Coastal Research Institute INVEMAR. Colombia

Critical ecosystem goods and services provided by the marine environment in the Caribbean are at risk from threats including weak governance, mismanagement, climate change and the inadequate availability and incorporation of data and information in decision-making. The Caribbean Marine Atlas Phase 2 – CMA2 is working on spatial-based technological solutions in support of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) and the Caribbean Large Marine Ecosystem Project (CLME) and related decision-making, monitoring & evaluation processes for the Region.

The general objective of CMA2 is sustainable operationalization of an online digital “Caribbean Marine Atlas” technology platform in support of ICZM (with special attention to: coastal hazards, climate change, biodiversity & habitats, fisheries, and land-based sources of pollution) and ecosystem-based management for CLME.

This objective will be achieved by:

• Providing and operating an information discovery, Decision-Support (DS)/Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) mechanism for improved Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM), in at least 7 pilot countries, based on state-of-the-art technology for the online publication, management and exchange of spatial data/information layers and ICZM best practices/tools.
  
  
• Contributing with the DS/M&E mechanisms at Caribbean Large Marine Ecosystem level through join efforts with CLME.
  
  
• Enhancing awareness, capacity and participation of key regional and national level stakeholders (both data users and data providers) in the development and use of the information discovery, DS and M&E mechanisms (with special attention to long-term sustainability, and further up-scaling of CMA2 Project results).
  
  
• Providing mechanisms for seeking and acting on feedback to encourage both partners and stakeholders involvement with project milestone events, activities and results, based on the communication plan.

The CMA2 platform will contribute to better governance by the reduction of the vulnerability of coastal socio-ecological systems in Caribbean States, allowing  decision makers faster access to timely data, geospatial services and applications; using processes and shared infrastructure leading to optimization of the information exchange between participants, permitting reuse as well as the adaptation of geospatial resources for the consolidation of a permanent query tool.

BACKGROUND

First Phase (2007-2013)

The Phase 1 of CMA is a joint project of Caribbean countries Barbados, Cuba, Dominica, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos, aimed at providing high quality geospatial data and information related to the marine and coastal zones of the states. The purpose of the CMA1 was to identify, collect and organize available geo-spatial datasets into an atlas of environmental themes for the Caribbean region as a support service to the sustainable development and integrated management of marine and coastal areas of the region. The CMA1 was inspired by the African Marine Atlas project http://www.africanmarineatlas.org

Second Phase (2013-2017)

The CMA2 project, in contrast to CMA1, involved a much large group was invited for the project resulting in 12 participants. They included the national partners Barbados, Belize, Colombia, Dominica, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Trinidad & Tobago, Dominican Republic, Turks & Caicos and Venezuela (Figure 1).

The proposed project will identify the specific, policy-relevant coastal / marine data and information outputs needed across the Region, and develop tools and applications to manage, analyses, produce and publish these outputs. The CMA2 project builds upon the experience and lessons learned in the CMA1, Ocean Data and Information Network the Caribbean and South America (ODINCARSA) and Southeast Pacific Data and Information Network in support of Integrated Coastal Area Management (SPINCAM I & II). CMA2 will form an alliance with SPINCAM for indicators, carry out “twining activities”, as well as use a handbook for measuring the progress and outcomes of Integrated Coastal and Ocean Management written by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC).

The project is implemented through the IODE/IOC/UNESCO with the financial support of the Government of Flanders and the regional coordination by the Marine and Coastal Research Institute (INVEMAR).

ADVANCES

The development of CMA2 started with a detailed work plan definition, followed by a work team consolidation and the identification of stakeholders in the Caribbean region. A review of the state of art of the Coastal Marine Atlas was made. The information was organized to take inventory of spatial information and technology platforms available to Global, Regional and Local (National) levels (Figure 2). 

Geonode v4 and its technology was selected to meet the characteristics and technical specifications required for this project. The CMA2 team is working on a prototype of the Caribbean Marine Atlas with GIS and Geoviewer tools (Figure 3) available at www.caribbeanmarineatlas.net

Within the framework of CMA2, fulfilling its objective of contributing to a better integrated management of coastal zones, the implementation of indicators are proposed that help decision making. The Caribbean Region, despite great diversity amongst the countries that comprise it, have problems and issues that are common. This makes necessary the careful design of a range of indicators which are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and measurable over time; to assist decision-making and management of coastal areas, not only doing it efficiently, but also sustainably and sensitively to the needs of the coastal population. At this stage, the project has proposed an initial battery of 10 indicators, the ultimate goal of these indicators is to generate information that will allow the comparison of the state of different situations common to the countries of the Caribbean, to contribute to the work in the countries of the Caribbean team and provide solutions to problems that exist in the region. The CMA2 team is working on methodologies and search and selection of data sources in each country.

ACHIEVEMENTS

• The project has an operational technological platform active on GeoNode with 178 layers, 7 maps, 35 users, 10 documents, calendar and news.
  Eleven country partners (9 officially committed)
  
  
• Ten indicators developing (each country leads one indicator) (sea level change, coral health, protected coastal and marine area, fisheries total catch by country, frequency, magnitude and assessment of impact of natural disasters, occurrence of anomalies on sea surface temperature, invasive species and threatened species, coastal economic activities, coastal population density)
  
  
• Two training courses with 40 participants from 9 different Caribbean countries (ICZM and Marine GIS) for capacity building
  
  
• A communication plan developed and running: teleconferences, meetings and two national technical visits to Guatemala and the Dominican Republic to support national processes).
  
  
• Presentation at congresses (Gestão Integrada de Áreas Litorais (GIAL) 2016 and IAMSLIC 2016)

Join us http://www.caribbeanmarineatlas.net or more information on CMA2, contact to Paula Sierra-Correa Esta dirección de correo electrónico está siendo protegida contra los robots de spam. Necesita tener JavaScript habilitado para poder verlo. or Carolina García-Valencia Esta dirección de correo electrónico está siendo protegida contra los robots de spam. Necesita tener JavaScript habilitado para poder verlo.

COINAtlantic visualizes the OBIS Canada Integrated Publication Tool entries

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Categoría: News News

COINAtlantic has partnered with four organizations in Atlantic Canada to improve the accessibility of marine biological data. The data from these organizations is being prepared for harvesting by the Ocean Biogeographic Information System, a sister project to ICAN in the IODE program. The vehicle for making the data available to OBIS is the OBIS Canada  Integrated Publishing Tool (IPT).

COINAtlantic has developed a tool that inspects the public entries in the IPT and generates an OGC compatible web mapping service, a layer for each data set, and a KML entry for the COINAtlantic GeoContent Generator (coinatlantic.tools/cgg).