In SDGs-EYES, the effort to achieve a healthier marine ecosystem passes through the development of a science based tool to monitor the evolution of coastal eutrophication and seawater acidification. These processes pose severe threats to the capability of natural ecosystems to persist over time and provide key environmental services. The monitoring system being developed in the project will reach the public audience through an open web platform to enable people and stakeholders to explore by them-selves the marine conditions in recent decades.
In Pilot 3 case study, CMCC’s researchers Tomas Lovato and Dmitry Kondrik, are deploying a set of indicators to evaluate the marine ecosystem status within the North Sea. These indicators will support two specific targets of the marine Sustainable Development Goal 14 (Life Below Water) related to the occurrence of detrimental eutrophication conditions along the coastal areas and the changes in acidification of marine waters. The work of this Pilot combines the scientific definition of these indicators with the best available marine data provided by the Copernicus Marine Service to produce spatial maps over different temporal scales showing the evolution and trends for a specific marine region. The development of this tool also benefits from the interaction with the stakeholder community that iteratively through the project lifetime will be involved to provide feedback and suggestions to improve the final product, as recently occurred in a dedicated Pilot3 webinar.
The North Sea pilot case study is the opportunity to combine the best available scientific information into an open access tool that will enable for a better monitoring of key marine indicators to sustain the achievement of SDG14. The resulting web platform will enable the interactive exploration of marine ecosystem exposure to critical eutrophication and acidification conditions that occurred in recent decades.