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Stakeholders define requirements for an online database of marine monitoring and information
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The Marine Environmental Data and Information Network (MEDIN) recently undertook discovery work to explore if there is a need for an online directory of marine monitoring and, if so, how such a tool should function to meet the needs of the marine community.
Engagement with the marine community was extensive, comprising 156 questionnaire responses, 23 one-to-one interviews and five discovery workshops, generating 246 user stories from at least 46 organisations.
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There was near-unanimous agreement that a central, authoritative, online directory of UK marine monitoring information is needed. As a result of this work, we now have a robust, prioritised evidence base to support development of a business case.
Read the full report here.
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MEDIN retires old Discovery Metadata Editor
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Reminder for MEDIN metadata editor users: the older MEDIN Online Metadata Editor (v2.3.8) was permanently retired on 31 March, 2026.
The MEDIN Discovery Metadata Editor is a web-based tool that allows users to create, validate, export, and publish marine discovery metadata records directly to the MEDIN Data Discovery Portal.
Please move to the new MEDIN Metadata Editor (v3.1.2). Access the new editor here.
Need help? Email .
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New MEDIN video tutorial published
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Subscribe to our channel to be the first to see new marine data management videos.
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MEDIN have restarted a data pipeline
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MEDIN is delighted to have enabled the successful return of oceanographic data flows from the British Oceanographic Data Centre (BODC) to the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), marking a major step forward for consistent international marine data sharing. By establishing a new operational workflow, MEDIN has helped re‑energise this valuable data pipeline.
To date, thousands of Conductivity, Temperature and Depth (CTD) profiles have been shared from 43 research cruises.
Figure 1 (right). Conductivity, Temperature and Depth (CTD) being deployed in the Celtic Sea, Summer 2010. Credit Jonathan Sharples.
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Keeping track of new marine species
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The Marine Species of Britain, Ireland and Adjacent Seas (MSBIAS) is a taxonomic species list that originally began as a geographic subset of taxa from the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS).
The taxa were originally identified through data holdings of the applications Marine Recorder and Unicorn and collated under the project ‘Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure (PESI)’ before the official launch of MSBIAS in 2012. The marine area covered by this list can be seen below. Although these boundaries do not represent the true boundaries of species distributions or infer ownership of any water body, they do allow operational use of a taxon list. MSBIAS is one of the controlled vocabularies included within the MEDIN data guidelines that help to promote interoperability.
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The impact of our changing climate directly affects the biodiversity of the seas around the UK and this, along with new scientific evidence leading to taxonomic revisions, requires the list to be actively maintained. Over the last year 61 species have been added to MSBIAS. All updates and edits to MSBIAS are carried out by the UK Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS) node (The Data Archive for Marine Species and Habitats Data (DASSH)), with MEDIN providing secretarial support for the maintenance of the list.
If you wish to add updates to the list please contact DASSH at dassh.enquiries@mba.ac.uk. Updates can be made providing that the species are already listed in WoRMS, although please note that supporting evidence may be required. Marine Recorder Online maintain a direct link to MSBIAS, which enables its integration with MEDIN and the species list is regularly updated during taxon dictionary updates.
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The maritime record in Scotland
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The Proceedings of the European Archaeological Council symposium (2025) entitled Life after life of archaeological archives – accessibility and re-use of archaeological collections in heritage management have been published in Internet Archaeology 72. Historic Environment Scotland addressed the symposium theme from the perspective of Scottish maritime heritage in their article “The Maritime Record in Scotland from Recording to Presentation". Information about wreck locations, the events and activities that inform those locations and associated archival evidence may be found here through locally maintained, rather than persistent, identifiers.
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Figure 1. Bathymetric data of the seabed from the 2001 and 2006 ScapaMap surveys showing the locations of the German High Seas fleet wreck sites and scheduled area (Crown Copyright Historic Environment Scotland)(after Forbes 2006). Contains OS data © Crown Copyright [and database right] [2026].
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Locational information is supported by information sources (documentary references, events and activities) and any associated project archives. Project archives provide evidence from a diving inspection, remote sensing survey or excavation and typically include pdf reports, raster images and selected digital images and data. Using selected examples, the paper highlights current shortfalls in the deposition of primary survey data (remote sensing data, imagery and videos) and the potential for the reuse of that data not only to help monitor change in the wreck and seabed conditions over time, but also engage an interested public through embedded 3D models and videos here.
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Reference: McKeague, P. 2026 'The Maritime Record in Scotland from Recording to Presentation', Internet Archaeology 72. https://doi.org/10.11141/ia.72.7
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Happy 25th Birthday to the UK Argo Programme!
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An international collaboration is underway this winter to deploy a record-breaking number of Argo floats from the British Antarctic Survey's (BAS) research vessel, the Royal Research Ship (RRS) Sir David Attenborough (SDA). Argo is a global array of ocean-profiling robots, measuring temperature and salinity from the abyss, delivering the observed data to forecasters in real-time.
Figure 1 (right). Most recent locations of the 25 floats deployed from SDA since 30/10/25, source https://www.ocean-ops.org/board?t=argo.
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As UK Argo Manager, Fiona Carse has been coordinating the SDA deployment in partnership with the British Antarctic Survey logistics team, the crew of the Sir David Attenborough, and teams of Argo researchers in the United States and the UK.
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The global ocean observing network, OneArgo, will be boosted by deployment of 30 floats, comprising:
- 15 core floats (UK, Met Office, measuring temperature and salinity to 2,000m),
- Six deep floats (USA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, measuring temperature and salinity to 6,000m),
- Seven biogeochemical floats (USA, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, measuring temperature, salinity and six biogeochemical parameters to 2,000m),
- Two floats carrying experimental turbulence sensors (UK, University of Southampton, temperature, salinity, oxygen and microstructure turbulence to 2,000m).
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Figure 2 (above): Dr Fiona Carse presenting Argo floats to VIPs in SDA’s hangar in October 2025, before the SDA sailed south, with an NKE Arvor float (credit Katie O’Boyle, Met Office).
Why this matters
These Argo floats will join the global ocean observing network, increasing the amount of real-time data available for ocean and weather forecasters. This data is managed by the British Oceanographic Data Centre and is freely and publicly available to users around the world.
The Argo temperature and salinity profiles are the single most important source of real-time profile observations for ocean forecasting. In the long term, the Argo data is carefully quality-controlled and becomes a vital component of ocean and climate research. It makes important contributions to our understanding of global sea level change and ocean heat content increase. Argo is a crucial dataset for Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) scientific reports.
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Figure 3 (right): A UK core float being deployed (credit British Antarctic Survey (BAS))
A growing partnership
The SDA contributes real-time meteorological observations from the many weather instruments on board, sending real-time temperature and salinity profiles from the conductivity temperature depth (CTD) instrument during science cruises, and sharing ocean current data from the hull-mounted acoustic doppler current profiler in near real-time via the University of Hawaii data acquisition service.
Met Office meteorologists support BAS and other users operating in the Southern Ocean, with forecasters stationed at Mount Pleasant Airfield (Falkland Islands) and seasonally at the BAS base at Rothera, on the Antarctic Peninsula.
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Deployment progress
The Argo float deployment began on 30 October 2025 during SDA’s passage towards Antarctica. As of 6th March, seven biogeochemical, five deep, twelve core and one turbulence float have been deployed and are sending us their data in real-time, see Figure 1.
The Met Office will continue to track progress as the remaining floats are deployed over the coming weeks. It's exciting to watch the network grow and to know that this data is already being put to use by forecasters and researchers around the world.
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Mapping offshore Northern Ireland
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From the high-water mark to the boundary of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the Northern Ireland marine area extends over 6,000 km² - a complex geomorphological mosaic of varied substrata that supports diverse benthic and pelagic ecosystems.
Comprehensive seabed mapping integrating coastal and offshore monitoring underpins evaluations of environmental status, anthropogenic pressures, and the development of high‑quality hydrographic, hydrological, and ecosystem service models, directly supporting evidence‑based decision making.
To date, approximately 50% of Northern Ireland’s marine area has been hydrographically surveyed, though with uneven quality and coverage. Updating and completing this baseline is crucial for robust assessments of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), seabed integrity and offshore renewable developments. Under current survey provision, full coverage of the Northern Ireland marine area would require around 21 years, with outputs derived from mixed methodologies.
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In un-surveyed regions, existing bathymetric models have horizontal resolutions of 115–500m, limiting the detection of ecologically or operationally important features. Achieving full coverage will improve resolution to approximately 2m, more than a 50‑fold enhancement in data quality. However, hydrographic data must be complemented by extensive ground‑truthing to ensure accurate biological and sedimentary characterisation.
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Figure 1. Video Ground Truthing
The Fisheries and Aquatic Ecosystems Branch of the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute in Belfast have been commissioned by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) to deliver the Mapping Offshore Northern Ireland (MONI) project. MONI aims to address these gaps by delivering a complete baseline dataset of the seabed environment by 2028. Supported by the forthcoming acquisition of a new state of the art vessel, the RV Jocelyn Bell Burnell due to enter service in early 2027 this will enable production of a full‑coverage seabed classification map and support spatial representation of natural capital assets and marine ecosystem service accounting.
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A ground‑truthing inventory will be built using systematic sampling on a minimum 1 km grid, with intensified sampling of at least 100 stations per site within and around MPAs. High‑resolution seabed classification and MPA maps, extending 2 km beyond site boundaries, will support the most precise assessments.
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Figure 2. RV Jocelyn Bell Burnell (CGI Image)
All monitoring will follow recognised national and international standards, with outputs submitted to appropriate data archives. The project includes regular review cycles to ensure methodologies remain scientifically robust and responsive to new evidence or technological advances. Expected outcomes include improved indicators of MPA effectiveness under anthropogenic and climate pressures, enhanced natural capital assessments at meaningful spatial scales, and integrated solutions to support resilient, sustainably managed marine ecosystems.
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Figure 3. MONI Survey Grid - Northern Ireland Marine Area
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Mapping the maritime history of the Firth of Forth
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Historic Environment Scotland and the Seafarers' Charity are funding Wessex Archaeology to run a community heritage and engagement project investigating the maritime heritage of the Firth of Forth.
The project aims to demonstrate the interconnected nature of maritime heritage within the Forth region and bring participants together to celebrate that. For anyone taking part, it aims to develop skills in researching and understanding the heritage of the Forth, as well as making connections with others interested in maritime heritage through a series of online and in-person workshops across the Forth region - taking place until September 2026. Anyone can get involved, from those with long careers on the Forth through to those who just want to know more about the history of the area.
Further details including events are available from the project website. |
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Figure 1. Crail Harbour SC 388583 © Courtesy of HES (Erskine Beveridge Collection)
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Register now for NERC Digital Gathering 2026
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Join the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Digital Gathering at the University of Stirling this September. Early bird registration is now open - don’t miss your chance to secure a spot!
This event brings together the NERC research community to highlight the increasing role of digital technologies in environmental research, including spotlighting the outcomes from NERC funded research, the on-going work of the Environmental Data Service and NERC’s Data Centres.
Key themes are:
- Innovations in monitoring and next-generation sensing
- Data science tools and techniques
- Enhancing data services and developing careers
- Pioneering computational science
Dates:
8th-10th September 2026
Find full details, registration, and abstract submission information here.
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The International Conference on Marine Data and Information Systems (IMDIS) conference
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Save the date for IMDIS 2026, taking place 30th November -3rd December in Split, Croatia.
The IMDIS cycle of conferences provides a comprehensive overview of existing marine information systems addressing the needs of different users in ocean science.
IMDIS showcases recent advances in:
- infrastructures for managing large and diverse data sets,
- standards & interoperable information systems,
- services, tools and platforms
- transformation of marine data into information, knowledge & decision-support products
Submit an abstract by 3rd May 2026. Find out more here.
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Save the dates for the next free MEDIN workshops
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The Marine Environmental Data and Information Network (MEDIN) holds free training workshops periodically throughout the year to improve the uptake, knowledge and use of MEDIN Data Guidelines and the MEDIN Discovery Metadata Standard (and associated tools).
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Marine Data Management, Governance and the MEDIN toolset’ are delivered in conjunction with MEDIN partner, OceanWise. Hosted on OceanTeacher Global Academy, the workshops are run over five days, with interactive discussion sessions and presentations in the mornings and independent study in the afternoons. Workshops are modular, allowing attendees to attend all, or specific parts of the training, depending on individual requirements.
The next 3 marine data management training events will take place on:
- 8th September 2026
- 19th October 2026
- 22nd February 2027
Please email Roseanna for more details on how to register. More details will be on the MEDIN website soon.
If you have any questions, please email enquiries@medin.org.uk.
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