Land-Sea interface: Let’s observe together!

Project Information

LandSeaLot

Grant agreement ID: 101134575

DOI

10.3030/101134575

EC signature date 17 November 2023

Start date 1 February 2024

End date 31 January 2028

Funded under

• Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment

Total cost

€ 8 437 021,25

EU contribution

€ 8 437 021,25

Coordinated by

STICHTING DELTARES
Netherlands

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - LandSeaLot (Land-Sea interface: Let’s observe together!)

Reporting period: 2024-02-01 to 2025-07-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Rising environmental threats to our seas demand urgent attention. From escalating plastic pollution to the impact of climate change and eutrophication on biodiversity, critical challenges persist in understanding and managing these challenges in the land sea interface area. Recognising the need for a comprehensive approach, the LandSeaLot project aims to seamlessly integrate in-situ, earth observations and numerical model results to transform how we observe the complex issues affecting the land-sea interface area. Specifically, it addresses issues such as carbon flux, plastics, and eutrophication across the Black, Aegean, Mediterranean, North, and Baltic Seas and the eastern North Atlantic. It pioneers citizen involvement through low-cost technologies, fostering a network in European marinas and making a lasting impact on climate adaptation and marine coastal conservation.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

LandSeaLot links together in-situ and earth observations (EO) with models, and connects related communities, citizens and initiatives such as European research infrastructures, Copernicus services, ESA, EEA, GEOSS, EMODnet, EDITO and local stakeholders. These observations are used in a gap analysis to co-design a common land-sea interface observation strategy and an implementation plan. LandSeaLot participants simultaneously work on improving in-situ and EO capabilities, and models to reduce the model/observations gap, hence improving the integration of models with observations. Observation capacity is increased through tested, improved and guided use of low-cost technology by citizens, facilitated by the network of European marinas. Selected technologies and observation strategies are piloted in Integration Labs (ILs) together with improved and integrated in-situ and satellite observation techniques and model outputs. LandSeaLot ILs covers selected areas in the Black, Aegean, Mediterranean, North and Baltic Seas and the European Atlantic facade, with a range of catchment, tidal and meteorological regimes, and key environmental challenges (see Figure next page).

Experts and citizen science leaders work in the ILs together with Research infrastructures (RIs), such as, DANUBIUS-RI (river-to-sea observations), JERICO-RI (coastal sea observations), and ICOS-ERIC (carbon observations), and with regional policy-makers and managers to tailor integrated observations that will provide them with information to manage societal challenges. These include assessment of the lateral carbon flux and stock, plastics transfer, nutrients impact on primary production and eutrophication, supporting biodiversity conservation, improving modelling capability and supporting climate change adaptation (storm surge, floods, heat waves, coastal erosion, saltwater intrusion). Interoperability, and semantic solutions for existing, international data flows are being developed and FAIR data generated in the ILs will be made available via EMODnet. Relevant communities are being engaged through workshops, conferences, training, high-tech summit, following a communication strategy including policy briefs to maximise LandSeaLot’s legacy.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The expected beyond the state-of-the-art key-results of LandSeaLot are:

• A co-created, common observation strategy for the land-sea interface area
• Improved in-situ and EO capabilities, and models to reduce the model/observations gap for this area
• Increased observation capacity for this area through the use of low-cost observation technology by citizens

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