Newsletter April 2025 | Volume 8
The three-year HORIZON EUROPE EuroGO-SHIP seeks to enable the European community conducting ship-based hydrographic observations at sea to provide higher quality and more sustainable data flows to a broad range of end users, more effectively. The project is funded under the call HORIZON-INFRA-2022-DEV-01-01: Research infrastructure concept development and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under the UK government’s Horizon Europe funding guarantee [grant number 10051458, 10068242, 10068528].
A Note from our Coordinator
Dear All,
As we see the arrival of spring freshening up our respective climates after a long winter, the EuroGO-SHIP project has been focused on synthesising the work we produced over the last two years, disseminating project information at events, formalising plans for our third and last annual meeting, and taking advantage of opportunities for further activity in support of enhancing ocean observation, such as testing a workflow for the near real-time transmission of CTD data from ship to data centre. Read about it in this newsletter.
In this issue, we are also highlighting a success story demonstrating the value of learning new approaches on Research Vessels when technicians and when scientists engage in cross training, written by Caroline Cusack, and a blog outlining the necessity of having a European centre for the production and certification of reference material needed for the validation of ocean measurements, from Marta Álvarez.
I am pleased to share that EuroGO-SHIP will be at EGU this year in Vienna. I will present key insights on how addressing the gaps identified in the hydrography value chain in Europe can lead to a material improvement in our ability to measure and respond to key societal issues, and how the services needed to do this can be sustained in the next generation of Research Infrastructure construction. Please see our upcoming events section to learn more and if you are at EGU, stop by and say hello.
Kind regards,
Dr. Elaine McDonagh
EuroGO-SHIP Project Coordinator
NORCE, Bergen, Norway
Synergies and Synthesis
Unpacking Nine Deliverables to Shape EuroGO-SHIP RI
Members of the EuroGO-SHIP steering committee kicked off 2025 with a workshop in Bergen, Norway to consolidate nine reports delivered in late 2024, in support of pilots and studies demonstrating the importance of a EuroGO-SHIP Research Infrastructure. If you missed last quarter’s newsletter, you can find a summary of the deliverables here: Harvesting Insights in a Cornucopia of Deliverables.
The Bergen workshop was an opportunity to devise the core features and requirements of a functioning EuroGO-SHIP Research Infrastructure, and to inform the development of one of the project’s final deliverables: Report summarising range of possible RI structures, with preferred option, which is due in October.
Pictured here: Elaine McDonagh, Ryan Weber, Pascale Lherminier, Caroline Cusack, Richard Sanders, Katrin Schroeder, Emmanuel Salmon, Elena Saltikoff
Cross Training on Research Vessels
The Value of Learning New Approaches
On scientific cruises, ship-based hydrographic scientists work in concert with the ship’s technicians, like Anthony English of P&O Maritime Services, to ensure the instruments meet the mission’s objectives, adjusting deployment strategies as needed. The role that technicians play in the development of innovation and the adoption of best practices should not be overlooked. Working with different scientific teams and ship crews affords them the opportunity to pick up and refine new techniques and pass them on. Caroline Cusack (MI) has penned a EuroGO-SHIP success story introducing us to Anthony and outlining examples of how exchanging ideas and learning from a diverse perspective has transformed the way data is collected at sea. Find it here.
When Seawater is as Valuable as Gold
The Alchemy of Certified Reference Materials for Seawater Analysis
Europe needs a hub for the production and certification of reference material for the validation of ocean measurements. Marta Álvarez (IEO-CSIC) discusses the issues around lack of accessibility and high cost with too few labs producing CRMs making the value of a small bottle of sea water shipped from the Pacific to the Mediterranean as valuable as gold. You can hear more about it, as well as learning about EuroGO-SHIP’s secondary quality control work in Marta’s lively blog. Find it here.
Getting Closer to Real Time Ocean Monitoring
Fresh and exciting news from the Mediterranean! EuroGO-SHIP colleague Katrin Schroeder (CNR-ISMAR) tested a workflow for the near real-time transmission of CTD data from the Research Vessel Gaia Blu, adapting scripts from our consortium partner the Met Office. This effort, initiated during the MARSICO25_1 campaign, aims to enhance the integration of in situ oceanographic data into forecasting models. Katrin, who served as PI on the cruise, was pleased to report: “This development moves us closer to real-time ocean monitoring, improving our ability to observe and predict ocean variability.” Congrats to Katrin and Fiona Carse (Met Office) for this progressive step.
The Deep Carbon Ocean Event
Pictured with Siv at the event are EuroGO-SHIP colleagues: Marta Álvarez (IEO-CSIC), Fiz F Pérez and Antón Velo
(IIM-CSIC)
Many of our EuroGO-SHIP colleagues have been involved in the GLODAP project for a few seasons now, and were in Brussels early this year to work on the delivery of GLODAPv3 2025. The week-long workshop culminated in an insightful event, led by Siv Lauvset (NORCE), with stakeholders from international and intergovernmental organisations, initiatives and projects. The programme highlighted the urgent demand to better understand the dynamics of carbon flux and to increase the capacity of ocean observation, particularly in the deep sea—the true ocean carbon sink. Read more.
EuroGO-SHIP at European GeoScience Union General Assembly 2025
Project Coordinator Elaine McDonagh will present a talk on how the project has been developing the concept for an ocean observation research infrastructure, highlighting key insights regarding how addressing the gaps identified in the hydrography value chain in Europe can lead to a material improvement in our ability to measure and respond to key societal issues and how the services needed to do this can be sustained in the next generation of RI construction. The talk is scheduled for 28 Apr, 11:00-11:10 (CEST) Room 2.24. Check out the EGU meeting planner for more info: EuroGO-SHIP: developing a concept for an ocean observing research infrastructure.
EuroGO-SHIP on the Ocean Literacy Island
As members of the EU4Ocean platform, EuroGO-SHIP participated in the Young Voices for the Ocean event in Brussels, held during EU Ocean Days in early March. At our stand in the Ocean Literacy Island, we met with students, artists and young advocates to discuss Ocean Literacy and how data and knowledge that comes from projects like EuroGO-SHIP can help inform the best steps to take on the journey to making the EU Blue.
European GeoScience Union General Assembly 2025
27 April- 2 May 2025
Vienne, Austria
EuroGO-SHIP Webinar Series
Through 2025
European Maritime Day
22-23 May – 2025
Cork, Ireland
EuroGO-SHIP 3rd Annual Meeting
2-5 June – 2025
Helsinki, Finland
EuroGO-SHIP Final Event
November – 2025
Brussels, Belgium
We hope you will support EuroGO-SHIP’s mission to promote the importance of ship-based hydrography in the ocean observation value chain by inviting your contacts to sign-up to this newsletter!