AndreaBozzo/ceres-open-data-index huggingface dataset:
Seasearch Marine Surveys

This dataset consists of habitat and species records made by volunteer scuba divers. The data from 1978-1987 comprises sub-littoral surveys carried out by members of the Marine Conservation Society. The data from 1988-2000 comprises data using the initial Seasearch methodology by members of the Marine Conservation Society and associated organisations, including Sussex Seasearch. The data from 2001 onwards has been collected using the revised Seasearch methodology which has two main levels of detail. The Observation Form level provides a single sample containing habitat and species data from each site. The Survey Form level provides multiple habitat and species lists. This data has been collected from dives organised by the Marine Conservation Society, County Wildlife Trusts, Sussex Seasearch, dive clubs and individuals. Data has been entered by MCS and partner organisations and is freely available.
Purpose of data capture: To provide baseline information on marine habitats and species throughout the UK. 

Methods of data capture: Data is obtained from visual observations by divers. Most participating recorders have been through a training process and some are professional marine biologists. Records are validated before entry into Marine Recorder. 

Data quality: Data is provided by volunteers who have a wide range of species knowledge. Most have been through a training programme. Records are validated before entry into Marine Recorder. 

Additional information: All data is held in marine Recorder both centrally and at a local level. Additional functionality is available in Marine Recorder, particularly as far as survey and habitat data are concerned. Users wishing to access the fuller data should email info@seasearch.org.uk in the first instance.
Roscoff Inventories: marine fauna and flora since 1800

These inventories list marine species observations performed in the Roscoff area since 1830. Observations result from a review of historical literature and observations made by voluntary contributors and the scientific teams of the Roscoff Marine Station. Taxonomic groups documented in the inventories are macroalgae, marine benthic macroinvertebrates and fish. Inventories provide information (when known) about: location, collection date, collection type, collector, and species biology (habitat, reproduction period).
Caulerpales (Chlorophyta) of the Kenyan coast (July 1985 - September 1989)

This dataset contains a list of species of Caulerpales (genera Avrainvillea, Chlorodesmis, Halimeda and Udotea) and herbarium vouchers sampled off the Kenyan coast during the period July 1985- September 1989. Sampling of Caulerpales was done by snorkeling and material was collected in plastic bags. All specimens were determined using light microscopy. Most part of the material was also collected in a herbarium. The data were digitized by VLIZ from the original report: Verellen, A. (1990). Avrainvillea, Chlorodesmis, Halimeda, Udotea: Caulerpales (Chlorophya) van de Keniaanse kust; Avrainvillea, Chlorodesmis, Halimeda, Udotea: Caulerpales (Chlorophya) of the Kenyan coast. MSc Thesis. Rijksuniversiteit Gent. Faculteit Wetenschappen: Gent. VOL. 1 (99 P., ill.); vol. 2 (70 p., fig.) pp.
EMODnet Digital Bathymetry (DTM 2024) - Tile F2

The "EMODnet Digital Bathymetry (DTM)- 2024" is a multilayer bathymetric product for Europe’s sea basins covering:
•  the Greater North Sea, including the Kattegat and stretches of water such as Fair Isle, Cromarty, Forth, Forties,Dover, Wight, and Portland 
•  the English Channel and Celtic Seas  
•  Western Mediterranean, the Ionian Sea and the Central Mediterranean Sea 
•  Iberian Coast and Bay of Biscay (Atlantic Ocean) 
•  Adriatic Sea (Mediterranean) 
•  Aegean - Levantine Sea (Mediterranean). 
•  Madeira and Azores (Macaronesia) 
•  Baltic Sea 
•  Black Sea 
•  Norwegian and Icelandic Seas 
•  Canary Islands (Macaronesia) 
•  Arctic region and Barentz Sea

The DTM is based upon 22032 bathymetric survey data sets and Composite DTMs that have been gathered from 66 data providers from 28 countries riparian to European seas and beyond. Also Satellite Derived Bathymetry data products have been included fro Landsat 8 and Sentinel satellite images. Areas not covered by observations are completed by integrating GEBCO 2024 and IBCAO V4.

The source reference layer in the portal viewing service gives metadata of the data sets used with their data providers; the metadata also acknowledges the data originators. The incorporated survey data sets itself can be discovered and requested for access through the Common Data Index (CDI) data discovery and access service that contains > 41.000survey data sets from European data providers for global waters. The Composite DTMs can be discovered through the Sextant Catalogue service. Both discovery services make use of SeaDataNet standards and services and have been integrated in the EMODnet portal (https://emodnet.ec.europa.eu/en/bathymetry#bathymetry-services ).
In addition, the EMODnet Map Viewer (https://emodnet.ec.europa.eu/geoviewer/ ) gives users wide functionality for viewing and downloading the EMODnet digital bathymetry such as:
• water depth (refering to the Lowest Astronomical Tide Datum - LAT) in gridded form on a DTM grid of 1/16 * 1/16 arc minute of longitude and latitude (ca 115 * 115 meters).
• option to view depth parameters of individual DTM cells and references to source data
• option to download DTM in 59 tiles in different formats: ESRI ASCII, XYZ, EMODnet CSV, NetCDF, GeoTiff and SD
• option to visualize the DTM in 3D in the browser without plug-in
• layer with a number of high resolution DTMs for coastal regions
• layer with wrecks from the UKHO Wrecks database.

The EMODnet DTM is also available by means of OGC web services (WMS, WFS, WCS, WMTS), which are specified at the EMODnet Bathymetry portal.  
The original datasets themselves are not distributed but described in the metadata services, giving clear information about the background survey data used for the DTM, their access restrictions, originators and distributors and facilitating requests by users to originator.
2013/3_SNH Multibeam Survey: Long Alsh: 1/128

This marine multibeam survey took place in March 2013 within the MPA (Marine Protected Area) proposal area of the Lochs Duich, Long and Alsh and the additional area of the Kyle of Rhea on board the RV White Ribbon. The survey was carried out by the British Geological Survey (BGS) on behalf of Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). The White Ribbon was equipped with a Kongsberg EM3002D dual head, multibeam echosounder system (MBES). Data were acquired using the Kongsberg SIS operating system, logging raw .ALL files. These data were processed offline by BGS using CARIS HIPS and SIPS 7.1 SP2.
Benthic infaunal abundance and biomass from Belfast Lough dredge disposal monitoring operations 2017 and 2018

This dataset contains information on benthic infaunal abundance - biomass from sediment grabs off the Copeland Islands in Belfast Lough in late 2017 and early 2018 on the RV Corystes. This survey was carried out to describe the species and seabed habitats within a 0.5NM buffer zone of a dredge disposal site. The survey was carried out pre operation to allow the potential impacts to be investigated. Particle size analysis (PSA) and Carbon - Nitrogen analysis were also carried out on the sediments from the grab samples. All grab samples contained fauna species and sediment classification was carried out on all samples. This dataset also contains information on the SACFOR abundance and associated infaunal habitat in Belfast Lough in late 2017 and early 2018 as part of the post operation survey. This survey was carried out on the RV Corystes using a dropframe fitted with HD video camera, halogen lights, strip and point lazers for scaling, USBL, GoPro.
2012-ongoing UK Offshore Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ) Survey Data

A collection of surveys completed in offshore UK waters by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) to collect data on marine wildlife, habitats, geology and geomorphology of designated and recommended Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs).
"The Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 allows for the creation of Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs). MCZs protect a range of nationally important marine wildlife, habitats, geology and geomorphology, and can be designated anywhere in English and Welsh territorial and UK offshore waters.  Lundy Island, a former Marine Nature Reserve in the Bristol Channel became the UK's first MCZ in January 2010. More information on Marine Conservation Zones is available on Defra's website.
Cefas, executive agency of Defra acting on behalf of the UK Government, has been tasked with delivering a programme of data collection to support implementation of Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) within the UK Continental Shelf. Verification, baseline setting and monitoring surveys have been carried out by Cefas and contractors to obtain data from seabed survey work, including acoustics, video, sediment sampling, to provide data and habitat maps to increase the quality and amount of evidence available.
"
Sea turtles validated sightings reported in the Mediterranean Sea from 2019 onwards by avvistAPP users

Sampling Methods
avvistAPP is a free citizen science tool that allows everyone to actively contribute to the monitoring of marine animals. Available both in Google and Apple app stores. App description: https://doi.org/10.13120/h127-9v54

Study Extent	Mediterranean Sea from 2019 onwards.
Method step description:

The reported sightings are validated by researchers.
Beach litter - Median number of cigarette related items normalized per 100m & to 1 survey - without UNEP_MARLIN - EU-MSFD monitoring 2001/2023 v2025

This visualization product displays the cigarette related items abundance of marine macro-litter (> 2.5cm) per beach per year from Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) monitoring surveys without UNEP-MARLIN data.


EMODnet Chemistry included the collection of marine litter in its 3rd phase. Since the beginning of 2018, data of beach litter have been gathered and processed in the EMODnet Chemistry Marine Litter Database (MLDB).

The harmonization of all the data has been the most challenging task considering the heterogeneity of the data sources, sampling protocols and reference lists used on a European scale.


Preliminary processings were necessary to harmonize all the data:

- Exclusion of OSPAR 1000 protocol: in order to follow the approach of OSPAR that it is not including these data anymore in the monitoring;

- Selection of MSFD surveys only (exclusion of other monitoring, cleaning and research operations);

- Exclusion of beaches without coordinates;

- Selection of cigarette related items only. The list of selected items is attached to this metadata. This list was created using EU Marine Beach Litter Baselines, the European Threshold Value for Macro Litter on Coastlines and the Joint list of litter categories for marine macro-litter monitoring from JRC (these three documents are attached to this metadata);

- Exclusion of surveys referring to the UNEP-MARLIN list: the UNEP-MARLIN protocol differs from the other types of monitoring in that cigarette butts are surveyed in a 10m square. To avoid comparing abundances from very different protocols, the choice has been made to distinguish in two maps the cigarette related items results associated with the UNEP-MARLIN list from the others;

- Normalization of survey lengths to 100m & 1 survey / year: in some case, the survey length was not exactly 100m, so in order to be able to compare the abundance of litter from different beaches a normalization is applied using this formula:

Number of cigarette related items of the survey (normalized by 100 m) = Number of cigarette related items of the survey x (100 / survey length)

Then, this normalized number of cigarette related items is summed to obtain the total normalized number of cigarette related items for each survey. Finally, the median abundance of cigarette related items for each beach and year is calculated from these normalized abundances of cigarette related items per survey.

Sometimes the survey length was null or equal to 0. Assuming that the MSFD protocol has been applied, the length has been set at 100m in these cases.

Percentiles 50, 75, 95 & 99 have been calculated taking into account cigarette related items from MSFD monitoring data (excluding UNEP-MARLIN protocol) for all years.


More information is available in the attached documents.


Warning: the absence of data on the map does not necessarily mean that they do not exist, but that no information has been entered in the Marine Litter Database for this area.
EMODnet Digital Bathymetry (DTM 2018) - Tile A7

The "EMODnet Digital Bathymetry (DTM) - 2018" is a multilayer bathymetric product for Europe’s sea basins covering:
•  the Greater North Sea, including the Kattegat and stretches of water such as Fair Isle, Cromarty, Forth, Forties,Dover, Wight, and Portland 
•  the English Channel and Celtic Seas  
•  Western Mediterranean, the Ionian Sea and the Central Mediterranean Sea 
•  Iberian Coast and Bay of Biscay (Atlantic Ocean) 
•  Adriatic Sea (Mediterranean) 
•  Aegean - Levantine Sea (Mediterranean). 
•  Madeira and Azores (Macaronesia) 
•  Baltic Sea 
•  Black Sea 
•  Norwegian and Icelandic Seas 
•  Canary Islands (Macaronesia) 
•  Arctic region and Barentz Sea
The DTM is based upon more than 9400 bathymetric survey data sets and Composite DTMs that have been gathered from 49 data providers from 24 countries riparian to European seas. Also Satellite Derived Bathymetry data products have been included derived from Landsat 8 satellite images. The source reference layer in the portal viewing service gives metadata of the data sets used with their data providers; the metadata also acknowledges the data originators. The incorporated survey data sets itself can be discovered and requested for access through the Common Data Index (CDI) data discovery and access service that in September 2018 contained > 27.000 survey data sets from European data providers for global waters. This discovery service makes use of SeaDataNet standards and services and have been integrated in the EMODnet portal (https://emodnet.ec.europa.eu/en/bathymetry#bathymetry-services ). The Composite DTMs are described using the Sextant Catalogue Service that makes also use of SeaDataNet standards and services. Their metadata can be retrieved through interrogating the Source Reference map in the Central Map Viewing service (https://emodnet.ec.europa.eu/geoviewer/ ). 
 In addition, the EMODnet Map Viewer gives users wide functionality for viewing and downloading the EMODnet digital bathymetry such as:
• water depth (refering to the Lowest Astronomical Tide Datum - LAT) in gridded form on a DTM grid of 1/16 * 1/16 arc minute of longitude and latitude (ca 115 * 115 meters)
• option to view depth parameters of individual DTM cells and references to source data
• option to download DTM in 58 tiles in different formats: EMO, EMO (without GEBCO data), ESRI ASCII, ESRI ASCII Mean Sea Level, XYZ, NetCDF (CF), RGB GeoTiff and SD
• option to visualize the DTM in 3D in the browser without plug-in
• layer with a number of high resolution DTMs for coastal regions
• layer with wrecks from the UKHO Wrecks database.
The EMODnet DTM is also available by means of OGC web services (WMS, WFS, WCS, WMTS), which are specified at the EMODnet Bathymetry portal.  
The original datasets themselves are not distributed but described in the metadata services, giving clear information about the background survey data used for the DTM, their access restrictions, originators and distributors and facilitating requests by users to originator.
DE003006

The map was produced by the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) and depicts the sediment conditions within the German Exclusive Economic zone and coastal areas in a scale of 1:250.000 (Laurer et al. 2014). Grain size fractions were classified according to the sediment calssification system of Figge (1981) and grouped to polygons data layers covering the entire area of interest (for detailed information please refer to Laurer et al. 2014). Corresponding sediment formed the basis to differentiate Level 3 substratetypes according tothe new German Red List Biotope classification system (Finck et al. 2017): sandy habitats, muddy habitats, coarse sediment habitats, mixed and hard bottom habitats
Micro litter - Density per net normalized per km² - Other specific protocols 2011/2021 v2025

This visualization product displays the density of floating micro-litter per net normalized per km² per year from specific protocols different from research and monitoring protocols.
EMODnet Chemistry included the collection of marine litter in its 3rd phase. Before 2021, there was no coordinated effort at the regional or European scale for micro-litter. Given this situation, EMODnet Chemistry proposed to adopt the data gathering and data management approach as generally applied for marine data, i.e., populating metadata and data in the CDI Data Discovery and Access service using dedicated SeaDataNet data transport formats. EMODnet Chemistry is currently the official EU collector of micro-litter data from Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) National Monitoring activities (descriptor 10).
A series of specific standard vocabularies or standard terms related to micro-litter have been added to SeaDataNet NVS (NERC Vocabulary Server) Common Vocabularies to describe the micro-litter.
European micro-litter data are collected by the National Oceanographic Data Centres (NODCs). Micro-litter map products are generated from NODCs data after a test of the aggregated collection including data and data format checks and data harmonization.

A filter is applied to represent only micro-litter sampled according to a very specific protocol such as the Volvo Ocean Race (VOR) or Oceaneye.

Densities were calculated for each net using the following calculation:
Density (number of particles per km²) = Micro-litter count / (Sampling effort (km) * Net opening (cm) * 0.00001)

When the number of microlitters or the net opening was not filled, it was not possible to calculate the density.

Percentiles 50, 75, 95 & 99 have been calculated taking into account data for all years.

Warning: the absence of data on the map does no't necessarily mean that they do not exist, but that no information has been entered in the National Oceanographic Data Centre (NODC) for this area.
Linken van het pelagische voedselweb en de toppredatoren: bemonsteren van vogels en prooivissen - Westbanks

Vogels (Sternen) en prooivissen worden bemonsterd op verscheidene locaties langsheen de Belgische kust. Vissen worden geteld en opgemeten. Vogels worden onderworpen aan maaginhoudsanalyses en lengtemetingen. Resultaten worden opgenomen in deze databank.
Seafloor litter - Plastic bags density normalized per km² 2011/2022 v2023

This visualization product displays plastic bags density per trawl.

EMODnet Chemistry included the collection of marine litter in its 3rd phase. Since the beginning of 2018, data of seafloor litter collected by international fish-trawl surveys have been gathered and processed in the EMODnet Chemistry Marine Litter Database (MLDB). 
The harmonization of all the data has been the most challenging task considering the heterogeneity of the data sources, sampling protocols (OSPAR and MEDITS protocols) and reference lists used on a European scale. Moreover, within the same protocol, different gear types are deployed during fishing bottom trawl surveys.

In cases where the wingspread and/or number of items were unknown, data could not be used because these fields are needed to calculate the density. Data collected before 2011 are affected by this filter.

When the distance reported in the data was null, it was calculated from:
- the ground speed and the haul duration using this formula: Distance (km) = Haul duration (h) * Ground speed (km/h);
- the trawl coordinates if the ground speed and the haul duration were not filled in.

The swept area is calculated from the wingspread (which depends on the fishing gear type) and the distance trawled:
Swept area (km²) = Distance (km) * Wingspread (km)

Densities have been calculated on each trawl and year using the following computation:
Density of plastic bags (number of items per km²) = ∑Number of plastic bags related items / Swept area (km²)

Percentiles 50, 75, 95 & 99 have been calculated taking into account data for all years.

The list of selected items for this product is attached to this metadata.
Information on data processing and calculation is detailed in the attached methodology document.

Warning: the absence of data on the map doesn't necessarily mean that they don't exist, but that no information has been entered in the Marine Litter Database for this area.
Phytoplankton time-series in the North Adriatic, C1-LTER time-series 2010-2020

Time series of phytoplankton abundance collected with a monthly frequency at 0.5, 5, 10 and 15 meters in the Gulf of Trieste. The time series station C1, located in the Gulf of Trieste in the northernmost part of the Adriatic Sea, is part of the Adriatic Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) site. It is a shallow coastal station (17 m depth) located at 0.2 Km from the coast, at the outer border of the Natural Marine Reserve of Miramare, Trieste. More information about activities carried out and about datasets from other periods can be found at: http://nettuno.ogs.trieste.it/ilter/GoTTs/en_index.html.
Samples were fixed with Ca(HCO3)2-buffered formaldehyde (0.8% final concentration) and cell abundance was estimated according to Utermöhl's method (1958), using an inverted microscope equipped with phase contrast, at 200-320-400x final magnifications. Abundant cells were counted in defined random fields, rarer species were counted on the whole chamber (Fonda Umani et al., 2007).
By-catch from Annual AFBI Irish Sea - North Channel King Scallop Dredge Research Surveys 2016 - 2018

This dataset contains information on bycatch of non-target species from the AFBI 
King Scallop dredge research survey. This survey occurs in the Pecten maximus grounds off the North Coast and County Down coast. The primary objectives of this research surveys series are:  
• To study spatial variability in population structure and abundance of scallop (Pecten maximus) and queen scallop (Aequipecten opercularis) and by-catch species.  
• To obtain information on temporal trends of population structure of the two target species.
This dataset contains bycatch data from the annual AFBI King Scallop dredge research survey. It should be noted that the species of primary concern of this research survey was the King Scallop (Pecten maximus); and as such the survey design, sampling protocol and technical equipment were designed to maximise the recording of this species. Over the course of the time series there has been adjustments to survey design, sampling protocol, survey staff and technical equipment in response to changing requirements and latest novel developments in survey equipment. Most notably was the change in Research Vessel from the R.V. Lough Foyle to the R.V. Corystes in 2005. Individual cruise reports written by the Scientist in Charge of (S.I.C.) of each research survey are maintained by AFBI and summarise the survey design, sampling protocol, survey staff and technical equipment of each survey and are available on request. 
The below protocol outlines a general overview of the sampling protocol of the research survey. A bespoke survey report outlined the specification 
Prior to each research survey, a random number generator generates stations which are to be sampled from the survey grid. Four commercial sized dredges (74.5 cm by 37 cm) are deployed at each station and towed at approximately 2.5 knots for 30 minutes. A fine mesh liner was attached to one of the four dredges to retain small benthic fauna. Catches were sorted and the associated fauna identified and counted.