The ESA Sea State Climate Change Initiative (CCI) project has produced global multi-sensor time-series of along-track satellite altimeter significant wave height data (referred to as Level 4 (L4) data) with a particular focus for use in climate studies. This dataset contains the Version 4 Remote Sensing Significant Wave Height product, gridded over a global regular cylindrical projection (1°x1° resolution), averaging valid and good measurements from all available altimeters on a monthly basis (using the L2P products also available). These L4 products are meant for statistics and visualization. The altimeter data used in the Sea State CCI dataset v3 come from multiple satellite missions spanning from 1992 to 2023 (ERS-1, ERS-2,TOPEX-Poseidon, Envisat, CryoSat-2, Jason-1, Jason-2, Jason-3, SARAL, Sentinel-3 A, Sentinel-3 B, Sentinel-6 A), therefore spanning over a wider time range than the previous version 3. The missions already retracked (with WHALES) in version 3 were not reprocessed, but extended when applicable. Many altimeters are bi-frequency (Ku-C or Ku-S) and only measurements in Ku band were used, for consistency reasons, being available on each altimeter but SARAL (Ka band).

IOWAGA sea-states forecast best estimate generated by the wave model WAVEWATCH-III and forced by ECMWF winds on the Global grid from 2017 to now

This dataset presents the resulting assessment grid (based on the EEA reference grid) with the classification of chemical status of the transitional, coastal and marine waters in the context of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). This classification has been performed using the CHASE+ tool, with classifications of the matrices ‘water’, ‘sediment’ and ‘biota’ and indicators of ‘biological effects’, as well as an integrated classification of chemical status, combining results of all matrices. The chemical status is evaluated in five classes, where NPAhigh and NPAgood are recognised as ‘non-problem areas’ and PAmoderate, PApoor and PAbad are recognised as ‘problem areas’. This is the assessment made excluding concentrations of mercury (Hg). The overall area of interest used is based on the marine regions and subregions under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Additionally, Norwegian (Barent Sea and Norwegian Sea) and Icelandic waters (’Iceland Sea’) have been added (see Surrounding seas of Europe). Note that within the North East Atlantic region only the subregions within EEZ boundaries (~200 nm) have been included. This dataset underpins the findings and cartographic representations published in the report "Contaminants in Europe's Seas" (EEA, 2019).

The Ocean Colour Climate Change Initiative project aims to: Develop and validate algorithms to meet the Ocean Colour GCOS ECV requirements for consistent, stable, error-characterized global satellite data products from multi-sensor data archives. Produce and validate, within an R&D context, the most complete and consistent possible time series of multi-sensor global satellite data products for climate research and modelling. Optimize the impact of MERIS data on climate data records. Generate complete specifications for an operational production system. Strengthen inter-disciplinary cooperation between international Earth observation, climate research and modelling communities, in pursuit of scientific excellence. The ESA OC CCI project is following a data reprocessing paradigm of regular re-processings utilising on-going research and developments in atmospheric correction, in-water algorithms, data merging techniques and bias correction. This requires flexibility and rapid turn-around of processing of extensive ocean colour datasets from a number of ESA and NASA missions to both trial new algorithms and methods and undertake the complete data set production. Read more about the Ocean Colour project on ESA's project website. https://climate.esa.int/en/projects/ocean-colour/.

Global wave hindcast (1961-2020) at 1° resolution using CMIP6 wind and sea-ice forcings for ALL (historical), GHG (historical greenhouse-gas-only), AER (historical Anthropogenic-aerosol-only), NAT (historical natural only) scenario.

TRIX differences between the periods 2008-2012 minus 1998-2002, and 2008-2012 minus 1993-1997, are provided.

Marine protected areas (MPAs) provide biodiversity conservation benefits in a range of marine habitats. Many protected areas are established and governed through top-down or shared governance arrangements, yet little is known about how these governance strategies compare in terms of the protection benefits they provide to MPAs globally. Using an extensive data set of MPA conditions, we developed a set of Bayesian hierarchical models to understand the role of shared governance versus federal governance on reef fish biomass from 218 global MPAs. We find greater reef fish biomass benefits in MPAs with shared governance than with top-down, or federal arrangements. We also find greater benefits in older MPAs and MPAs farther away from shore. Our results highlight the fundamental importance of multi-stakeholder participation for improving conservation outcomes, representing an important conservation opportunity for new or existing MPAs. 

New results acquired in south-Brittany (MD08-3204 CQ core: Bay of Quiberon and VK03-58bis core: south Glénan islands) allow depicting Holocene paleoenvironmental changes from 8.5 ka BP to present through a multi-proxy dataset including sedimentological and palynological data. First, grain-size analyses and AMS-14C dates highlight a common sedimentary history for both study cores. The relative sea level (RSL) slowdown was accompanied by a significant drop of the sedimentation rates between ca. 8.3 and 5.7 ka BP, after being relatively higher at the onset of the Holocene. This interval led to the establishment of a shell-condensed level, identified in core VK03-58bis by the “Turritella layer” and interpreted as a marker for the maximum flooding surface. Palynological data (pollen grains and dinoflagellate cyst assemblages) acquired in core MD08-3204 CQ argue for an amplification of the fluvial influence since 5.7 ka BP; the establishment of the highstand system tract (i.e., mixed marine and fluviatile influences on the platform) then accompanying the slowdown of the RSL rise-rates. On the shelf, the amplification of Anthropogenic Pollen Indicators (API) is then better detected since 4.2 ka BP, not only due to human impact increase but also due to a stronger fluvial influence on the shelf during the Late Holocene. Palynological data, recorded on the 8.5–8.3 ka BP interval along an inshore-offshore gradient, also demonstrate the complexity of the palynological signal such as i) the fluvial influence that promotes some pollinic taxa (i.e., Corylus, Alnus) from proximal areas and ii) the macro-regionalization of palynomorph sources in distal cores. In addition, the comparison of palynological tracers, including API, over the last 7 kyrs, with south-Brittany coastal and mid-shelf sites subjected to northern vs. southern Loire catchment areas, allowed discussing a major hydro-climatic effect on the reconstructed palynological signals. Strengthened subpolar gyre dynamics (SPG), combined with recurrent positive North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) configurations, appear responsible for increased winter precipitations and fluvial discharges over northern Europe, such as in Brittany. Conversely, weakened SPG intervals, associated with negative NAO-like modes, are characterized by intensified winter fluvial discharges over southern Europe. Interestingly, we record, at an infra-orbital timescale, major peaks of API during periods of strengthened (/weakened) SPG dynamics in sites subjects to Brittany watersheds (/Loire watersheds) inputs.

This dataset contains some diagnostics of biology of a global ocean simulation coupling dynamics and biogeochemistry at ¼° over the year 2019. The simulation has been performed using the coupled circulation/ecosystem model NEMO/PISCES (https://www.nemo-ocean.eu/), which is here enhanced to perform an ensemble simulation with explicit simulation of modeling uncertainties in the physics and in the biogeochemistry. This dataset is one of the 40 members of the ensemble simulation. This study was part of the Horizon Europe project SEAMLESS (https://seamlessproject.org/Home.html), with the general objective of improving the analysis and forecast of ecosystem indicators.   See Popov et al. (https://os.copernicus.org/articles/20/155/2024/) for more details on the study.