EMECO

EMECO-NOOS Meeting, 2-3 June, Lowestoft

Towards a North Sea Observatory

A combined EMECO-NOOS meeting will be held in Lowestoft (UK) on the 2-3^rd June 2009. The meeting will start 10:00 on 2^nd June and finish on the 3^rd at 17:00 hours.

Meeting objectives are:

• To initiate a North Sea Observatory (under the umbrella of EMECO)

• To engage with policy colleagues to discuss the interaction between science, observations data and policy making and understand how EMECO information products will best meet current and future policy needs

• To review best funding opportunities and agree a plan of action

• To integrate EMECO plans into the NOOS-community longer term perspective on ecosystem health for the North Sea

Background to EMECO

EMECO is a consortium of organisations with responsibility for both monitoring and assessment of status and also for improving understanding through research in European shelf-seas. The consortium was formed in response to the challenges posed by the new Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) and the need to provide the improved evidence in support of the ecosystem approach.

The strength of EMECO is clarity about the rationale for integration of monitoring, modelling and research effort in European shelf seas. The focus is on putting in place the infrastructure to improve assessment of environmental status by building on current monitoring and modelling capability at regional scale. EMECO will provide the capability to generate timely policy relevant information products in a transparent way designed to promote international agreement about future environmental status and ecosystem health. This capacity will be augmented by the existing NOOS-network established in the NW-Shelf region by National Authorities responsible for monitoring and forecasting of hydrodynamics as storm surge, waves and water transport.

The Marine Strategy Directive (MSD) - compliance on GES Objectives

Consideration is required as to how the scale of each of the eleven objectives for Good Environmental Status (GES) will be applied when it comes to measuring compliance across European Regional Seas. We also needs to consider how regional level assessments be approached and how to address GES objectives in a cumulative manner.

The Directive requires that:

'Member States sharing a marine region...shall co-operate to ensure that...the measures required to achieve the objectives of this Directive...are coherent and co-ordinated across the marine region...'

In the interests of making EMECO as effective as possible this meeting will encourage timely discussion with policy end users of observational data - what information is needed; at which intervals; and on which scales? It will focus on requirements for the North Sea, and the design of a North Sea Observatory and also consider a proposed methodology for creating, in a transparent way, policy relevant information products that will underpin regional scale assessments of good environmental status.

Background to the meeting

Following the recent MarinEra workshop held in France several EMECO partners felt is was timely to review the current status of EMECO and plans bearing in mind potential for funding from the EU. As a result of discussion at the workshop it became clear that there is a need for greater visibility of the North Sea component of the EMECO initiative especially as there is much interest in extending to scope of EMECO beyond the North Sea. For example, Cefas together with other UK and European partners intend to launch a Western Shelf Observatory with a domain extending from the western English Channel, western shelf, Celtic and Irish Seas up to the Malin Shelf.

The meeting will provide an opportunity to evaluate prototype products such as 'internationally agreed maps of chlorophyll' for the North Sea and the methodology to develop this and other similar products. It is anticipated that some of the participants will have a policy background and the meeting will take the opportunity to create a dialogue with policy 'end users'.

Towards a North Sea Observatory

The North Sea Observatory will be a regional component of EMECO.

Whilst aiming to improve partners ability to meet current and future policy driven needs the meeting will also take time to consider some of the key science questions that can be addressed through the creation of a North Sea Observatory. Outstanding questions and issues include causes and consequences of North Sea 'regime shifts', changes in North Sea carrying capacity, occurrence sub-surface deoxygenation, and ecosystem consequences of changes in acidification. The list is not exhaustive and will be revisited and prioritised during the meeting.

Download the EMECO-NOOS meeting agenda