EMODnet Chemistry

Since October 2021, CEDRE has been a member of the Advisory Committee of EMODnet Chemistry (European Marine Observation and Data Network for Chemistry). Created in 2009, EMODnet is now the European Commission (EC) in situ marine data service of the EC Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG-MARE) and is funded by the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF). It aims to provide reliable in situ data and data products on the marine environment and human activities at European level.

EMODnet Chemistry aims to collect and centralise chemical data from European marine waters and to make datasets interoperable and readily accessible via a single portal facilitating access to standardised, harmonised and validated data. EMODnet also develops data visualisation tools that support European policy-making on the marine environment. EMODnet Chemistry covers a wide range of substances, including marine litter.

In this respect, EMODnet Chemistry developed and manages the first pan-European data portal on marine litter. It comprises data on beach litter, sea floor litter and floating and sediment micro-litter. Today, EMODnet Chemistry compiles over 13,000 marine litter monitoring visits. In line with the work of the MSFD Technical Group on Marine Litter (TG-ML), of which CEDRE is a member, the "marine litter" aspect of EMODnet Chemistry is continuously being developed and supplemented with new data, through two-year projects coordinated by OGS.

As a member of the advisory forum and an expert on marine litter, CEDRE’s role is to contribute to the development of the ‘marine litter’ component of EMODnet by regularly submitting French data collected through the national monitoring programme it coordinates, as well as by supporting the development of products and services, particularly those relating to litter on the coast. In this regard, CEDRE is responsible, during the sixth phase of the project (October 2025 – October 2027), for producing EMODnet mapping products relating to marine litter in collaboration with Ifremer. Furthermore, as chair of the OSPAR Convention’s ‘beach litter’ expert group, CEDRE is responsible for submitting the data from the OSPAR beach litter monitoring programme annually, on behalf of all contracting parties.

More information

Project website: https://emodnet.ec.europa.eu/en