OSPAR Science Agenda

The OSPAR Science Agenda (OSA) is a collation of knowledge gaps that, if addressed, will contribute to OSPAR’s work in protecting the marine environment and delivering the OSPAR North-East Atlantic Environment Strategy (NEAES). It will also contribute to our work in assessing the state of the marine environment. For OSPAR Contracting Parties that are also EU member States, these assessments form the basis for national marine strategies under the European Marine Framework Strategy (MSFD).

OSPAR is working towards addressing these knowledge gaps. The knowledge gaps presented here are those for which OSPAR requires the support from the wider scientific community.

The OSPAR Science Agenda provides an important basis to guide OSPAR’s engagement in external projects and in supporting the implementation of OSPAR’s objectives and is therefore intrinsically linked to the OSPAR Project Mechanism.

The OSPAR Science Agenda is to be considered as a work in progress, meaning that the content will be further developed and added to as needed by OSPAR.

The OSPAR Science Agenda can be accessed here.

What is the purpose of the OSA?

The purpose of the OSA is to increase the interaction between science and policy. The aspiration of the OSA is to:

  • inspire marine scientists to direct their research towards defined management needs and enable co-design of research projects with policy makers and other stakeholders;
  • promote development of joint research projects and share knowledge and scientific results by OSPAR Contracting Parties;
  • promote cooperation with other Regional Seas Conventions and other frameworks, such as the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), in closing common knowledge gaps;
  • provide a focus for funding programmes under the European Union and other joint funding programmes; and
  • strengthen cooperation between OSPAR and its partner organisations, such as International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES).

Who is the audience of the OSA?

The OSA is directed to the scientific community. This includes those ‘doing’ science and those commissioning and funding science.

How was the OSA developed?

The OSA is a compilation of knowledge gaps identified in the latest comprehensive OSPAR assessment of the status of the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic. Scientific work to fill these gaps is undertaken by OSPAR working groups, but for many of the knowledge gaps, additional support by the scientific community is very much welcomed. These knowledge gaps are shown in the 'High-level assessment topic summaries' sections below. The OSA is periodically reviewed and updated.

How can I find out more about the topics that I am interested in?

You can access the OSPAR Science Agenda https://www.ospar.org/work-areas/cross-cutting-issues/osa/portal. The OSA includes hundreds of knowledge gaps across the wide scope of OSPAR’s work. To assist finding knowledge gaps that are relevant to you, we use research topics (e.g. benthic habitats, food webs, marine litter, hazardous substances) and categories indicating the benefit for OSPAR's work (e.g. data coverage, indicator development, cumulative effects and integration). You will find summaries of the OSA knowledge gaps in the section ‘High-level assessment topic summaries’

How can I contribute to filling the knowledge gaps & why should I help? +

The knowledge gaps presented here are those for which OSPAR requires the support from the wider scientific community. This will enhance OSPAR's capacity to protect the marine environment and support the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). You can contribute through:

  • sharing information that you have that is relevant to OSPAR’s work;
  • undertaking the work that will fill the knowledge gaps; and
  • commissioning others to work towards filling these gaps.

Please note that OSPAR does not have any resources to help with the implementation of this work.

If you would like to consider OSPAR’s participation in your project, please see our Project Mechanism.

What can you expect from OSPAR?

OSPAR – as a user of science – offers support to design your project in such a way that the outcomes contribute to marine policy making and management in Europe and beyond. Such co-design will increase the applicability and visibility of your research in OSPAR's world and enhance funding opportunities. We offer collaboration with national experts from OSPAR's Contracting Parties and observers (i.e. stakeholder organisations). OSPAR is very keen on enhancing the scientific basis of its work and will keep the OSA up to date.

Contact

If you have any questions about the OSPAR Science Agenda, please contact the OSPAR Secretariat ([email protected]) who will direct your query to the relevant Committee Chairs or experts. Please expect some time for such requests to be dealt with.

High-level assessment topic summaries

The sections below contain summaries of the main topics included in the OSPAR Science Agenda along with useful links to OSPAR's recent work on each of them.

Biologically diverse and healthy seas

Benthic Habitats

Generic:

  • Lack of agreed common approach within OSPAR/EU on monitoring and methods to provide information and evidence to evaluate the efficiency of management measures.

To improve data coverage:

  • Need to develop guidance on monitoring requirements, including temporal and spatial sampling design, methods and protocols.
  • Limited availability of spatial data on benthic species and communities, including unimpacted areas and the deep-sea, environmental variables and sensitivity data, to undertake accurate predictive mapping and assess the state of the habitat.

Cumulative effects and integration:

  • Lack of a single cumulative pressure index, enabling multiple pressures to be expressed as a single disturbance response.
  • Need for the calibration and integration of condition indicators to improve the modelling approach used in assessments in biogeographic regions.
  • There are some uncertainties in the climate change predictions, which will require additional research in order to increase accuracy of the future impacts on benthic habitats, particularly along the coastline.

To contribute to thresholds and references:

  • Missing information to understand (pristine) reference condition at the regional scale.
  • Not enough knowledge of pressure-state relationships to understand and define threshold conditions.

Useful links

Fish and Cephalopods

To contribute to thresholds and references

  • There is a lack of historical data (for seas other than the North Sea and the Firth of Clyde) or appropriate models to inform large fish index (LFI) threshold value setting.
  • Reference levels representing a pristine or sustainably exploited state and that would allow a formal assessment, are not yet available and further research is needed.

To support indicator development

  • Historic data or suitable models for ecosystem recovery to support the setting of absolute recovery targets for sensitive fish species are not available. Further research is needed.

Useful links

Food webs

To improve data coverage:

  • Detailed information on feeding interactions is strongly needed, for instance by performing dietary studies and stable isotope analyses.
  • Feeding guilds are not yet classified because of insufficient stomach content data. Better data coverage is needed.
  • Morphological analysis of stomach contents may under-sample certain prey, e.g. those comprised of only soft tissues. Research to solve this issue is needed.

To support indicator development:

  • Feeding guild responses to environmental and anthropogenic pressures were not considered in the indicator assessment and require further research.

To contribute to thresholds and references:

  • Predator-prey mass ratios (PPMRs) are based on prey weights from stomach contents and may thus be affected by varying levels and rates of digestion. Research to improve the ratios is needed.

Cumulative effects and integration:

  • The knock-on effects of change in feeding guilds across assemblages (plankton, benthos, top predators) require further research.

Useful links

Marine birds

To support indicator development

  • There is a need for multi-country coordinated surveys to deliver data for the indicator work on abundance, and to implement multi-country surveys in the framework of national survey programmes in future years.
  • There is a need for marine bird surveys focusing on a representative sub-area in the North-East Atlantic and for advances in predictive modelling to help the Pilot indicator on marine bird abundance to be prompted to a common indicator.

To improve data coverage

  • There is a long-lasting and persisting deficiency of by-catch data for most species (not just birds) and from most parts of the OSPAR Maritime Area. Relevant fishing effort data are still not available or are of insufficient quality. The poor data availability significantly hinders the assessment of by-catch and makes it difficult to plan and apply specifically tailored management measures.

Cumulative effects and integration

  • In order to provide data for the integrated population model (IPM), there is a need to develop statistical methods for assessing impacts of specific management actions on seabird populations more directly. A quasi-experimental approach (i.e. before-after/control-impact (BACI) design) is needed.

Useful links

Marine mammals

To support indicator development

  • (Further) development of new and existing demographic parameters for grey seal fecundity to better understand impacts of human pressures.

To contribute to thresholds and references

  • Enhance statistical power to detect meaningful trends in seal abundance and distribution and improve the knowledge base for by-catch management that also takes into account removal of marine mammals by human activities other than fishing.

To improve data coverage

  • To better understand the distribution of seals, the quality of seal foraging grounds, interactions between grey and harbour seals and historic declines in seal populations;
  • On abundance and distribution, including migration routes, of Bowhead and Blue whale populations;
  • To better understand cumulative impacts of existing and emerging human activities, including climate change-induced pressures in the Arctic, on populations of Bowhead and Blue whale species.

Useful links

Marine Protected Areas

To improve the effectiveness of measures

  • Improvement is needed in methods of evaluating the degree to which the OSPAR MPA network is well-managed to support a better assessment as to whether or not the OSPAR MPA network is delivering a conservation benefit to targeted habitats, species and ecological processes.

To improve data coverage

  • Long-term monitoring programmes are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of management measures to conclude with greater confidence on whether the conservation objectives of the protected features of OSPAR MPAs in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) are being achieved.
  • Detailed knowledge on the site-specific socio-economic benefits of MPAs is often missing since it is a challenging task to generate this information. The exact links between biodiversity and other benefits are yet poorly understood. In most cases sufficient data to perform cost-benefit analyses are lacking due to missing long-term ecological monitoring programmes. More work is needed to understand the value of the previous undisturbed state of the area.
  • Data deficiencies hamper a sophisticated eco-coherence assessment for MPAs in ABNJ. A major challenge of assessing ecological coherence is the paucity of relevant data (e.g. on occurrence, distribution and status of species and habitats).

To support indicator development

  • The lack of a feasible methodology currently hampers a sophisticated eco-coherence assessment.

Useful links

Marine turtles

To improve data coverage

  • Important knowledge gaps remain regarding the demography, range, migratory habits and habitat utilisation of leatherback turtles in the North-East Atlantic.
  • OSPAR QSR2023 assessment is based on limited data (both spatially and temporally), and the population trends cannot be reliably determined.
  • There is a need to reinforce and improve monitoring programs. Efforts should in particular be allocated to dedicated or multi-taxa at-sea surveys. Stranding, by-catch and at-sea records (including citizen science), along with post-mortem records, should continue. A review of the current state of data flow and access of turtle observations and survey data for Contracting Parties would be of benefit. This could result in proposals to ensure existing observation and survey data for Leatherback turtles are being utilised to address knowledge and data gaps.
  • Information on fishing effort and mortality are lacking. Access to effort (VMS) data for the European surface longline fleets, including in the Area Beyond National Jurisdiction in the Wider Atlantic (OSPAR Region V), and studies to estimate post-release mortality are required. Interaction with fisheries may not be effectively reported at present and further efforts are required at national and international levels to improve fishery observer programs and minimise the risk of impact.

To support indicator development

  • Information on condition and health aspects of the species are uncertain (including age/size structure) due to insufficient data. It is necessary to define reliable indicators of the species condition and adequate monitoring programs.
  • Reverse drift models should be developed to identify the death location of stranded carcasses. Moreover, strategies aiming at measuring the impact of contaminants on marine turtles should be developed. Finally, satellite tagging studies would help to increase knowledge on the movements and distribution of marine turtles to identify habitats, improve abundance estimations and knowledge on seasonal distribution in the OSPAR Maritime Area and beyond.

Cumulative effects and integration

  • Leatherback and Loggerhead turtles are at risk from by-catch in fisheries and marine litter in the OSPAR Maritime Area and both species are experiencing a wider population decline in the North Atlantic, as determined by global population analyses. Climate change impacts in the future may well accelerate these declines and this may counteract any progress made by OSPAR to safeguard marine turtles and their habitats. Further research is needed.

Useful links

Non-Indigenous Species

To improve data coverage

  • Improve the baseline dataset, from available knowledge, for comparison against future assessment periods, as well as the description of the observation (notably the type of habitats where the observation was made) to determine the contribution of high risk of introduction areas;
  • Develop methods to improve the speed and probability of early non-indigenous species (NIS) detection, notably in areas at high risk of introduction.
  • Consider approaches and methodology used by other organisations and for other regulatory requirements for a better appraisal of the monitoring effort. Develop and implement a coordinated and harmonised monitoring approach, and longer-term datasets, to provide accurate interpretations for future assessments of trends in NIS introductions and to assess geographical spread and impact of invasive NIS.

To support indicator development, cumulative effects and integration, and effectiveness of measures

  • Improve data flow and data management processes.
  • Develop and test methods for documenting the importance of different vectors to the introduction of NIS. Some vectors of introduction and spread could be better targeted (e.g. leisure boating).
  • Develop and test (sensitivity) complementary NIS indicators to assess NIS dispersal and impact.
  • Climate change-induced change in marine environmental conditions is anticipated to affect the introduction and spread of NIS, but more climate modelling is required to quantify this risk.

Useful links

Plankton communities (phytoplankton and zooplankton)

To support indicator development:

  • Further research is needed on the use of primary production (Food Web candidate indicator 2) as a direct indicator of carbon flow through the food web.
  • Further research is needed to explore direct mechanistic links between change in environmental variables and change in Phytoplankton Biomass and Zooplankton Abundance. Need to examine national datasets at a finer spatiotemporal scale, to help establish clearer links between climatic and anthropogenic pressures with changes in pelagic habitats and plankton diversity.
  • Need for continual assessment of characterising the differences in Chl-a methodologies (e.g., between fluorometric, spectrophotometric, HPLC and in situ fluorometers [which are prone to quenching] plus Continuous Plankton Recorder colour scale index) in future research.
  • The links between the Pelagic Habitat indicator 2 (PH2), the candidate indicator Food Web 2 (FW2) and pressures should be refined to identify the origin of the pressures. Future work should make the distinction between natural versus human induced pressure as well as the origin of natural pressures. Also, introduction of a lag into the variable selection is needed to test for delayed effects of environmental pressures on primary production.
  • Comparison between primary productivity and relevant pelagic habitat and food web indicators (FW2 and PH2) should be made to better address the extent of changes.

To contribute to thresholds and references:

  • Methodology improvements need to define more precisely the natural cycle of phytoplankton biomass and zooplankton abundance in order to aid development of thresholds.

To improve data coverage:

  • To aid a more robust assessment on Changes in Phytoplankton Biomass and Zooplankton Abundance in the future, spatial and temporal confidence assessment of the results should be developed and implemented. This will target locations which require a better sampling effort.
  • Include additional methods such as state-of-the-art (semi-)automated methods and molecular methods to fill the gaps in microscopic examinations. Applying complementary methods will facilitate monitoring the full-size range of the phytoplankton community.
  • More time-series of real primary production estimations in the field should be included. This will allow comparison between data originating from different monitoring strategies to define which monitoring strategy is the most suitable per habitat.

Cumulative effects and integration:

  • For a more holistic assessment of plankton dynamics of the pelagic habitat, information on phytoplankton community structure should be complemented by other parameters, such as total community biomass/abundance (PH2) and the dynamics of phytoplankton functional groups (PH1/FW5). Possibilities for an integrated overall pelagic habitat assessment should be investigated further.
  • Investigate the impacts of long-term changes in plankton communities on pelagic food webs, as well as the ecological consequences on higher trophic levels.
  • Indicators on plankton biomass need to be in coherence and integrated with relevant eutrophication indicators.
  • Develop a better understanding of the role in the ecosystem of pico- and nanoplankton, including the extent of their biological interactions in their environments.

Useful links

Clean seas

Eutrophication

To support indicator development

  • In coastal regions improve understanding of the impact of nutrient ratios on plankton dynamics. In addition, distinguish the impacts of deoxygenation on benthic ecology caused by eutrophication and impacts caused by ocean warming.

To improve data coverage

  • Provide additional datasets to fill gaps in concentrations of winter nutrients and dissolved oxygen close to the seafloor. Use models to identify deoxygenation hotspots where data is primarily needed.
  • On riverine inputs and direct discharges especially in Region I and Region V but also improving estimates from unmonitored areas.

To improve the effectiveness of measures

  • Improve understanding of nutrient sequestration in estuaries and the coastal zone in relation to WFD measures.

To understand the impact of emerging pressures from human activities

  • Investigate impacts of climate change on land use and increased dynamics of river discharges on eutrophication in coastal areas.

Useful links

Hazardous substances

To support indicator development

  • Do ecotoxicological research that generates data with the purpose to develop new assessment criteria or threshold values for hazardous substances in marine biota and sediment.

To improve data coverage

  • On riverine inputs and direct discharges especially in Arctic Waters (OSPAR Region I) and the Wider Atlantic (OSPAR Region V) but also improving estimates from unmonitored areas.

To understand the impact of emerging pressures from human activities

  • Develop a prioritisation model to identify substances of emerging concern using a data driven approach.

Useful links

Marine Litter

To improve data coverage

Data coverage is proportionally the most important source of knowledge gaps for marine litter.

  • This concerns in particular the composition and sources of litter, but also the impact of litter on the environment and the behaviour of the different types of litter (especially micro-litter) in the environmental compartments (stranding dynamics, waste flows, transport and retention of litter in different types of sediment).
  • Lack of data regarding socio-economic impacts of marine litter is also highlighted as well as the impacts of climate change on marine litter.

Cumulative effects and integration

  • Improve understanding of cumulative effects from marine litter in the context of other anthropogenic factors that are causing the deterioration of marine ecosystems in the OSPAR region.
  • The influence of the variable environmental conditions and human activities on the amount of litter deposited on the beach needs to be better considered and taken into account.

To contribute to threshold values and references

  • There is a need for a better understanding of the damage associated with marine litter. For example, research is needed into the dose-response relationship, in order to develop threshold values and targeted measures.

To support indicator development

  • Refine the understanding of which specific sources of plastic waste are of particular concern for the marine environment in order to develop more specific indicators.

Useful links

Radioactive substances

Innovation to reduce discharges to the environment (effectiveness of measures)

  • OSPAR requires the application of best available techniques and best environmental practice to prevent and eliminate pollution. There are various situations where reducing discharges of radioactive substances is not practicable. OSPAR encourages innovation in these areas as well as innovation to minimise the generation of waste that requires discharging.

Cumulative effects and integration

  • There are various pollutants and stressors that may cause an impact on the marine environment, radioactive substances being only one type. OSPAR welcomes research looking into the cumulative impact of multiple stressors including the effects of climate change and ocean acidification.

Emerging issues / new technologies

  • Several of the knowledge gaps refer to emerging issues or new technologies, such as the potential release of natural occurring radionuclides from deep sea-bed mining and the fate and behaviour of radionuclides used in novel medical applications.

To improve data coverage

  • Our knowledge of the state of the environment could be improved. Areas identified for improvement are concentrations of radionuclides in sediments in the vicinity of offshore installation and historic dump sites.

Useful links

Underwater noise

To improve data coverage

  • To date, data is only available for a few species, the acquisition of more species-specific data is then necessary.
  • Additional knowledge is required for shallow waters, particularly with regard to continuous noise.
  • It is necessary to extend the sources studied to activities other than shipping and fishing vessels and to improve both field measurements and acoustic modelling, especially for continuous noise.

To understand the impact of emerging issues of human activities

  • The effects of noise from offshore energy sources other than wind power (tidal energy for example) still need to be further studied.

To improve the effectiveness of measures

  • Contribute to establishing definitive long-term trends for impulsive and continuous noise is necessary for evaluating the effectiveness of measures.

To contribute to threshold values and references

  • Support working towards a consensual definition of good environmental status for underwater noise, as well as agreed threshold values.

To support indicator development

  • Develop knowledge on impulsive noise from more human activities, which would allow the development of an indicator which could take into account the actual sound level.
  • Further studies are needed on the impact of noise on marine life, both on individual animals and whole populations.

Assessment areas

  • The method and maps for monitoring continuous noise can be improved, also by including more sources of noise.

Useful links

Productive and sustainably used seas

Aquaculture

To understand the impact of emerging pressures from human activities

  • Research on pressures from open ocean installations, including potential impacts of future growth in aquaculture.
  • Contribute to effective measures to reduce the ecosystem impact of i.a. escapes, non-indigenous species or parasites, or of contamination of the marine environment with hazardous substances, therapeutants, or nutrients.
  • Understanding of possible impacts from expansion of seaweed aquaculture such as disease, alteration in population genetics and alterations to the physio-chemical environment needs to be developed.

Useful links

Ecosystem services

To improve data coverage

  • Provide quantitative data, including spatial data, on the impacts of marine environmental state change on marine ecosystem services, particularly at the North-East Atlantic scale.
  • Quantify impacts of state change by conducting a case study that focuses on one or two ecosystem services whose provision is more quantifiable (e.g., carbon storage).

Cumulative effects and integration

  • To support the methodology for assessing the impacts of a changing state of the marine environment on ecosystem services: integrate quantitative information relating to impacts on ecosystem service provision, potentially through economic valuation of ecosystem service flows (integrating Natural Capital Accounting).

Useful links

Fishing

To improve data coverage

  • To better understand the impact of fishing at maximum sustainable yield (MSY) and future trends on other components of the ecosystem and ecosystem health overall. Assessment of the state of food webs is affected by a lack of consistent approaches, high uncertainty, or lack of data.

To understand the impact of emerging pressures from human activities

  • Contribute to identification of fishing activities that need particular focus from fisheries management authorities regarding threat to species, habitats, biodiversity and ecosystems, including sea floor disturbance and litter from fishing activities.

Useful links

Human Activities

To understand the impact of emerging pressures from human activities

  • how pressures caused by deep seabed mining might be managed in exploitation technology, including mitigation or restorative techniques. Contribute to elaborated Environmental Impact Assessments.
  • need for improved and refined reporting to OSPAR on environmental monitoring from carbon dioxide storage projects.
  • Research on the feasibility and ecosystem impacts of geoengineering techniques, e.g., carbon dioxide removal, ocean fertilisation, solar radiation management.

To support indicator development

  • Develop a uniform description of the economic activity ‘recreation and tourism’ to support economic analyses and describe environmental impacts.

To improve data coverage

  • On interference between increased shipping activities and recreation in the Arctic and on opportunities for recreation provided by marine protected areas.

Useful links

Offshore renewables

To improve data coverage

  • a need for evidence on the potential impacts of large scale offshore renewable energy developments, and their cumulative effects on the marine environment.

Cumulative effects and integration

  • contribute to a harmonised monitoring methodology for offshore energy.

Useful links

Shipping

To improve data coverage

  • Reduce uncertainties in analysing and modelling Exhaust Gas Cleaning System (EGCS) discharge totals based on emission factors, power predictions, discharge rates, and accuracy of ship fleet data. Also improve understanding of environmental impacts of scrubbers.
  • Better understanding of the possible environmental impacts resulting from all available fuel alternatives.
  • Contribute to better identification of sources from (oil) spills, currently only 30% of detected spills.
  • Contribute to information on potential disturbance of protected species and habitats by ship wakes in the North Sea. Such information is currently not available.
  • To contribute to projections on growth of shipping activity, changes in fleet composition and changes in shipping routes (e.g. resulting from wind farm construction) to better understand potential risks and impacts.

Useful links

Seas resilient to the impacts of climate change and ocean acidification

Climate Change and Ocean Acidification

To support indicator development

  • Understand the distinction between impacts of climate change and ocean acidification and impacts from other (human) drivers.
  • Develop indicators that operate on the OSPAR Regional scale.

To understand the impact of emerging pressures from human activities

  • Research on causal links between changes in ocean climate, human activities and marine ecosystem components, for instance changes in the predictability of patterns of primary production.
  • Improved monitoring and modelling of ocean acidification and impacts on biota. Perform experiments on impacts on biota under more realistic conditions (as opposed to unrealistically extreme).
  • Investigate impacts of climate change and ocean acidification on ecosystem services and human activities.
  • Investigate risks and impacts of climate change and ocean acidification mitigation strategies.

Useful links