At the European Maritime Day (EMD) 2026 in Limassol on May 22, BioGeoSea united forces with our sister projects BioEcoOcean and ObsSea4Clim to bring together representatives from the blue economy, research organisations, marine data infrastructures, environmental services, fisheries, NGOs, and policymakers to explore how ocean observing can better respond to their needs. The workshop, Shaping Ocean Observing Needs with the Blue Economy, formed part of the project’s wider stakeholder engagement strategy, ensuring that BioGeoSea’s outputs are co-designed with the communities that will ultimately use them.
The workshop built on the ongoing activities of the Network of Essential Ocean Variables (EOV Network), a collaboration between BioGeoSea, BioEcoOcean and ObsSea4Clim, and complemented earlier online consultations and the EOV Network Clustering Event in April 2026.
Discussions at EMD highlighted the growing demand for integrated, policy-relevant ocean information that supports climate action, environmental management and sustainable blue economy activities. Participants emphazised the need for stronger integration across physical, biogeochemical and biological observations, interoperable data systems, transparent and scientifically robust indicators, and services that transform observations into actionable knowledge.
The outcomes of the EMD workshop are already feeding directly into the ongoing revision of BioGeoSea’s biogeochemical EOV specification sheets and the co-design of multidisciplinary indicators.
The three EU sister projects on Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs) BioGeoSea, BioEcoOcean, and ObsSea4Clim were represented by Artur Palacz from IOPAN, Poland, Lina Mtwana Nordlund from Uppsala University, Sweden, and Steffen M. Olsen from the Danish Meteorological Institute. The workshop was moderated by Dina Eparkhina from EuroGOOS, Belgium. The partners were also present during the European Maritime Day at a joint booth and got into discussions with various stakeholders on EOVs present in Limassol.
