Climate change and intensifying human resource use are causing massive changes to Subantarctic coastal systems and carbon cycling. At the same time, these systems house benthic communities of highest biomass and biodiversity, which sustain important ecosystem services and require strategic observation and management plans. Although they are just beginning to be appreciated by scientists and public, natural (climate mitigation) and cultural ecosystem services (e.g. local fisheries, tourism, sustainable aquaculture) are already jeopardized by the massive scale and velocity of the regional change in Southern Patagonia (SP) and at the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP). The multidisciplinary network CoastCarb joins experts in Subantarctic coastal system ecology and ecological modelling to create a knowledge information system with open access data portal and produce dynamic ecosystem models for fjordic and estuarine environments. Using data on carbon budgets and flow (including benthic and pelagic food webs, microbes to megafauna) from across the network, specialists will analyse the relationships between ecosystem services, local stakeholders and communities, to identify barriers and enablers of the sustainable use of marine resources. Study areas along the fragmented SP/WAP coastline are intensively investigated. Data sets from more than 10 recent interdisciplinary research projects of CoastCarb participants, and from the scientific core programmes at coastal stations (ARG-GER Carlini-Dallmann, US Palmer, UK Rothera, PL Arctowski) will be used for knowledge compilation. The established network is based on German, Belgian, Dutch, British, Argentine, Chilean and US participants with new Polish and Canadian partners included. CoastCarb secondments foster capacity building in research and observation for a better understanding of complex ecosystem processes and major hazard scenarios (e.g. harmful algal blooms), and in targeted science stakeholder interaction events.

Pomerania Region in northern Poland is home to 2,2 million citizens, with its center of socio-economic gravity concentrated among the seaside metropolitan area (Tri-City). It is in this area, where one of the largest and most important academic and research hubs in Poland is located, consisting of many higher education and research institutions, including those from top 20 of Polish universities. It is also a workplace for more than 7000 researchers, conducting scientific explorations in almost every field of science. Pomorska Noc Naukowców (en. Pomeranian Researchers' Night - PRN) first organized on 29th September 2023, is success of the grassroots initiative of the Pomeranian scientific community. This annual event organized on last Friday of September is first of such scale within the region, and only third one in whole country. Main goal of PRN is to establish a greater impact on the social development of the region by popularizing science, bringing scientists closer to the public, showing how their work affects our everyday life, finally: encouraging children and youth to choose a scientific career in the future. Within the project “NightMission" we shall develop PRN in years 2024 and 2025 by bounding it with Researchers at Schools initiative. The common denominator of activities addressed to the public will be “European challenges”, presented through the prism of the everyday work of scientists in the region. The main goal of NightMission is to achieve enhanced engagement of Pomerania region citizens with European scale excellent research and research teams, within highly inclusive space of Researchers Night and during Researchers at Schools Initiative. Project will be implemented via meetings, classes, workshops and information campaigns, and shall consolidate two main messages: "science is shaping our everyday lives all the time" and "research is the answer to the challenges of the modern world".

The BioEcoOcean project proposes a foundational change in how we approach biological and ecosystem (BioEco) ocean observation to enhance scientific understanding, improve management, and ensure sustainable use and development of the ocean. Our multi-, inter-, and transdisciplinary approach emphasises co-creation with diverse stakeholders to develop a Blueprint for Integrated Ocean Science (BIOS) to support and encourage operational workflows adhering to FAIR Data Principles. This innovative product promotes holistic thinking, facilitates communication, and strengthens the Ocean Observing Value Chain. The project also includes a strong research component, advancing data collection, monitoring, dataflows, and models for BioEco Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs). We will operate in living labs, co-creating with stakeholders, generating new primary data, and leveraging existing data and observing infrastructure globally. Key objectives include developing an inclusive co-created Blueprint, advancing EOV implementation, assessing current practices and technological options, delivering excellent research, co-creating operational workflows, and prioritising capacity building. The project will increase the technology readiness levels (TRL) of critical components of BioEco ocean observation systems and tools and in particular the TRL of the integrated ocean observing system. The project will prioritise capacity building and collaboration with global ocean observation initiatives, e.g. GOOS and MBON, as well as with the overall Biodiversity monitoring community, e.g. GEO BON, that seeks to develop a global framework for biodiversity monitoring, in the framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to ensure wide discussion and adoption of its co-produced standards. Overall, this project will significantly impact and strengthen various sectors and stakeholders involved in ocean and biodiversity observation and management, from local to National to Global levels.

The rapid pace of climate change in high latitude seas is promoting the emergence of novel ecosystems in coastal regions as well as in the open ocean. SEA-Quester, in accordance with the work program (HORIZON-CL6-2023-CLIMATE-01-3), will conduct field surveys, process studies and model analyses to improve our understanding of the causes and consequences of these emerging polar ecosystems; their potential for blue carbon sequestration, their implications for marine biodiversity, and their role in the global eco-bio-geo-chemical climate system. SEA-Quester will do so with a rigorous analysis of blue carbon stocks and their dynamics, laying the foundations for a fit-for-purpose blue carbon accounting with balance sheets for not just carbon sequestration, but other impacted marine ecosystem services such as fisheries production. SEA-Quester considers all forms of blue carbon in coastal, pelagic, and benthic novel marine ecosystems, living and dead, in the water column and in the sediments, and uses a mechanistic approach to reduce uncertainties in model predictions. A key outcome of SEA-Quester will be to develop a thorough means of quantifying the trade-off between harvesting marine biomass and its net contribution to carbon sequestration: the Biomass-Sequestration amplification factor. SEA-Quester will ensure effective exploitation of the project results in international scientific assessments of Blue Carbon potential and by policy-makers (specifically targeting Nationally Determined Contribution estimates), to ensure dialogue, communication and dissemination to National and European governmental bodies, European citizens and NGO’s, and to provide recommendations for optimizing the monitoring of biodiversity and ecosystem services in emerging polar environments.

HiAOOS will develop, implement, and validate several ocean observing technologies to improve data collection in the ice-covered Arctic Ocean. A network of multipurpose moorings will be deployed for two years in the deep Nansen and Amundsen Basins. The network will provide point measurements of ocean and sea ice and active and passive acoustic data for several applications, including acoustic thermometry, geo-positioning of underwater floats, detection of marine mammals, geohazards and human generate noise. The mooring system will build on the successful basin wide Coordinated Arctic Acoustic Thermometry Experiment-CAATEX experiment and extend the existing Mooring Observations from the Atlantic Water Inflow Experiment (ATWAIN). A new generation of moorings will be developed where data can be transferred to the surface using ROV or winch technology. Ice buoys with new acoustic array technology will be developed for testing of underwater geo-positioning, local navigation networks for glider operations and for localization of geophysical events. These developments will advance several research infra structures with new observing technology and create new opportunities for forefront research. To unlock the capabilities of the new observing system methods and tools will be developed to analyse and visualize the observations for different applications using digital methods and technologies including machine learning. The methods and tools will be ingested into a digital platform blue Insight, and available through Zenodo. Training and use cases will use the platform to train different user groups associated with research infrastructures, research communities and technology developers. All data, methods and tools will be available following the FAIR principles. Field experiments will be carried out every summer from 2024 to 2026, and every field experiment will be assessed with respect to environemntal impact prior to the start of the experiment.