March 28, 2023

Mighty oceans and humble ponds play key roles in biodiversity

Whale

<p><strong>By monitoring oceans and peering into ponds, European projects seek to protect an array of animal and plant life.</strong><br />
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Article by&nbsp;SOFIA STRODT from <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/research-and-innovation/en/horizon-magazine/mighty-oceans-and-humble-ponds-play-key-roles-biodiversity?pk_source=youtube&amp;pk_medium=social&amp;pk_campaign=agriculture_environment_health" target="_blank">Horizon</a><br />
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'In January, word emerged that scientists had discovered a new colony of penguins in Antarctica using images from Europe&rsquo;s flagship Copernicus satellite network. By coincidence, the same month marked the start of an initiative that will rely on the same Earth-observation system for different purposes.</p>

<p>The EU-funded&nbsp;<a href="https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101081273">NECCTON</a>&nbsp;project is gearing up to help Europe protect endangered fish and whales. It will harness the&nbsp;<a href="https://marine.copernicus.eu/">European Copernicus Marine Service&nbsp;</a>&ndash; or CMEMS &ndash; to collect more detailed data on species threatened by habitat loss, unsustainable fishing and industrial pollution.</p>

<p><b>From satellites to seabeds</b></p>

<p>&lsquo;This is going to be particularly helpful for policymakers, marine managers and fisheries,&rsquo; said Stefano Ciavatta, coordinator of the project running through 2026. &lsquo;We want to provide better simulations and projections of the state of marine ecosystems and of their ability to support diverse fish communities.&rsquo;</p>

<p>While earth-observation satellites including Europe&rsquo;s flagship Copernicus number in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pixalytics.com/eo-sats-2021/">the many hundreds</a>, it&rsquo;s often claimed that we know less about the&nbsp;ocean floor than we do about the surface of the moon.'<br />
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<a class="btn btn-primary" href="https://ec.europa.eu/research-and-innovation/en/horizon-magazine/mighty-oceans-and-humble-ponds-play-key-roles-biodiversity?pk_source=youtube&amp;pk_medium=social&amp;pk_campaign=agriculture_environment_health" target="_blank">Read the rest of the article on Horizon's website&nbsp;&nbsp;<i class="fa-regular fa-arrow-right">&nbsp;</i></a></p>

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