From 1 September 2025, BioGeoSea will work to improve how we observe and understand the ocean’s biogeochemical systems. Over 3.5 years, partners from across Europe will advance Essential Ocean Variables, develop new indicators and enhance interoperability — turning high-quality data into knowledge that supports sustainable ocean management.
The ocean is changing fast. Acidification is rising, oxygen is declining, and shifts in carbon cycling are already affecting ecosystems, fisheries and climate processes. Yet many of these biogeochemical changes still go under-observed — and without robust data, early warning and informed decision-making remain difficult.
BioGeoSea (Enhancing Biogeochemical Essential Ocean Variables for European and Global Assessments) was created to address exactly this challenge.
The project, launching on 1 September 2025, runs for 3.5 years and is supported by a 5.8 million Euro budget. It brings together a diverse, international consortium of 16 partners from 10 countries — including research institutes, universities, operational oceanography centres, European networks and private-sector data innovators.
Partners include GEOMAR, the National Oceanography Centre, IOPAN, OGS, AZTI, the University of Liège, the University of Exeter, the University of Bergen, Aarhus University, ETH Zürich, EuroGOOS, CSIC, the IEEE France Section, Atrineo AG, Mercator Ocean International, and Lobelia Earth.
What BioGeoSea will do
The project will improve the observation, validation and modelling of biogeochemical Essential Ocean Variables (BGC EOVs) — a key foundation for assessing ocean health. New and enhanced indicators will focus on:
- Ocean acidification
- Deoxygenation
- Biological carbon pump dynamics
- Greenhouse gas fluxes
These indicators will allow us to track ocean change more reliably across time and space, help improve global modelling efforts, and support science-based decision-making.
Why it matters
Better data means better understanding — and better choices for the future of the ocean. BioGeoSea aims to strengthen interoperability across observing systems, improve data quality, and contribute to more transparent, accessible and actionable information at European and global scales.
We look forward to sharing our progress, insights and results as the project moves ahead.
Stay tuned — the journey is just beginning.