EMODNet Chemistry Project: Enhancing Marine Data Management for EU Policies

1. Marine Data Management within EMODNet Chemistry project: data aggregation, quality control and products preparation A.S. Iona1, P. Karagevrekis1, S.Balopoulou1, A. Giorgetti2, Dick Schaap3 (1) HCMR-IO/HNODCGreece, (2) OGS Italy, (3) MARIS Netherlands European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2015 Vienna, Austria, 12 – 17 April 2015

2. Outline • Overview of EMODNet Chemistry Project • Approach • Parameters selection • Regional processing • Adoption of SeaDataNet infrastructure • Methodology • Data Aggregation and Quality Control • Statistical Analysis and Products • Results • Next activities

3. EMODnet Chemistry Project(MARE/2012/10) • Initiated in 2009 by DG-MARE as part of the EMODNet to improve Europe’s marine data infrastructure, increase the availability of high quality data and products and assemble them under a common framework. • Secondphase (2013-2016) aiming to continue the development of the infrastructure for the collection, management, quality control and visualization of chemical data in the marine environment: • move from a prototype to an operational service with full coverage of all European sea-basins, a wider selection of parameters and improved resolution data products; • In support of EU policies (such as MSFD)

4. Improvements of 2nd phase • Enlarged Partnership:32 partners + 14 sub-contractors = total of 46 participants (about twice in relation to the 1st phase!); • more chemical species group as well as new parameters for climate change (partial pressure of oxygen, carbon dioxide) and acidity (pH); • Aims to cover all European Waters with a specific focus on coastal data • New products and services: new tools to be developed for coastal visualization + data layers in support of the MSFD

5. Choice of Parameters The following groups of chemicals are being collected and provided by the EMODNet Chemistry portal: • in 3 matrices: water column, biota, sediment • in all European waters

6. Regional Approach • Data collection, metadata compilation, harvesting and products generation are organized at Regional level. • Five sub-regional seas of Europe, as specified in the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD DIKE 5/12/08) have been specified: • - Greater North Sea (including Norwegian Sea and Celtic Sea) (AU-DCE, Denmark) • - Atlantic Sea (including Atlantic Coast and Macaronesia) (Ifremer, France) • -Baltic Sea (SMHI, Sweden) • - Black Sea (NIMRD, Romania) • - Mediterranean Sea (HCMR/HNODC, Greece)

7. Spatial distribution: Search by Matrix of Chemicals vs Regions

8. SeaDataNet Approach EMODnet Chemistry adopts SeaDataNet infrastructure - a key element for interoperability and harmonization between the EMODNET pilots, for data and products compatibility: • SeaDataNetStandards for background data and metadata, and products • Common Data Index (CDI) mechanism for access background data with data policy • Ocean Data View (ODV) format for background data exchange • ODV tool for data processing, aggregation and quality control • SeaDataNetSecurity Services • Data-Interpolating Variational Analysis (DIVA) software tool to produce gridded data products and error maps products from the background data as NetCDF files. • SeaDataNetProducts catalogue (SEXTANT system) and viewing services for discovery, access, visualization and downloading of data products

9. Data Validation Loop

10. Data Aggregation-Mediterranean Region • Mediterranean regional data pool of nutrients (results-nitrates, phosphates, silicates), harvested by a robot system: • 34 000 stations (of vertical profiles and time series) • 209 separate variable labels (231 in total) • 141 SDN parameter codes (P01 codes), and • 22 different units (P06 codes) • 25 Organizations/NODCs from 12 countries

11. Data Aggregation-Mediterranean Region • Initially (first year): Manual aggregation • An example below of grouping of phosphate data (different methods, instruments, names, usage codes, units)

12. Automated Data Aggregation • Today, a P35 vocabulary is set up to aggregate various P01 terms with a common meaning into a unified aggregated term with a unique unit (P06). • P35 is populated by BODC with contributions from various experts; so far it includes 136 entries and is growing. • The ODV software has been enhanced to use the P35 mapping to automate parameter aggregation when aggregating data sets from multiple sources.

13. Phosphate Data – PO4 (27 894 profiles)

14. SilicatesData– SiO4 (23 102 profiles)

15. Nitrate Data – NO3 (21 875 profiles)

16. 911 Monitoring Stations of NO3, PO4, SiO4

17. Regional QA/QC • For data QA/QC activities and as a basis for the interpolated maps, we focus only on “good” originators data: • SeaDataNet QC flag scale= 0,1,2,6 • Quality checks includes: • Duplicates detection and elimination • Outliers elimination (broad range control checks) • Empty stations elimination • Replacement of zero values with detection limits (upon agreement with the originator) • Additional checks (not yet applied): • N:P ratio • Ratio of inorganic N or P to total

18. Methodology for Data Assembly and Products Regional data collection and statistical analysis highlighted 2 main subsets of data: Homogeneous distribution in time and space (basin) Not homogeneous distribution in time and space (basin) - DIVA (Data-Interpolating Variational Analysis) horizontal maps in the 5 regions; -Time series plots produced for coastal points repeated in time, datasets with fragmented coverage. Animations of 10-years moving window average Dynamic time series plots and coastal visualization tools available as WPS

19. horizontal maps specifications • Parameters: NO3, NOx, Total Nitrogen, PO4, Total Phosphorus, SiO4, NH4 + Alkalinity, pH, Dissolved Oxygen and Chlorophyll-a • Time period: 10 year periods with yearly step from 1960 to 2014 (46 periods of 10 year), by seasons • Seasons: 4 defined per region (in the Mediterranean: winter =January to March, etc) • Vertical layers: standard defined per region (IODE standard levels as adopted in the Mediterranean) • 10 years moving windows to reveal long term variabilities (trends) and to overcome the data gaps • 1960 until 1969 • 1961 until 1970, etc • Reference field • Climatic seasonal mean from all available years (with detrending for removal of uneven spatial distribution in time) • Without detrending (for not to exclude temporal trends)

20. Analysis Results & errors fields We mask areas of poor data coverage

21. Other results

22. Horizontal distribution maps, produced with 10-year moving window for trend detection Mean summer NO3 at first 10 m, over the area N43.5-46, E12-15 Mean: 0.6000 Std: 0.0736

23. Next Activities • Complete DIVA maps for nutrients and silicates with 10-year moving window, seasons, and vertical layers • Include also the whole Mediterranean region with a fine grid resolution so as to focus with efficient accuracy to smaller regions • Start regional data processing for contaminants, including the data validation loop

24. Thank you! Visit the portal at: www.emodnet-chemistry.eu