OSPAR Science Agenda Knowledge Gap Portal
Welcome to the OSPAR Science Agenda knowledge gap portal. The page showcases important scientific questions and evidence needs identified by OSPAR to help protect and sustainably manage the North-East Atlantic. Use the filters and search options below to explore knowledge gaps by topic, category, region, and status, or browse visually to discover areas where new research, data, or collaborations are needed. The aim is to make it easy for anyone - scientists, funders, and policy makers to understand the current priorities, access key details, and get involved in helping to close these important gaps for a healthier ocean future.
Showing 76 - 100 of 100 items
Understanding life history characteristics and population dynamics to predict changes in deep-sea sponges
ID Number: TBC
Knowledge gap description: Further work is required to understand life history characteristics and population dynamics of deep-sea sponges, to predict effects on populations and habitats of e.g. climate change.
Knowledge Gap Category:
4. data coverage
Assessment Category:
Status assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D6C4, D6C5
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Status Assessment 2022 - Deep-sea sponge aggregations
Maerl beds: knowledge of human activities and pressure/sensitivity studies
ID Number: TBC
Knowledge gap description: Improved knowledge of human activities and pressure/sensitivity studies will increase understanding of the status of maerl beds.
Knowledge Gap Category:
4. data coverage
Assessment Category:
Status assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D6C4, D6C5
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Status Assessment 2019 - Maerl beds
Knowledge about the resilience of communities to disturbance and change
ID Number: TBC
Knowledge gap description: Knowledge gaps of biodiversity and resilience of communities to disturbance and change (e.g. fishing, climate change, potential future deep-seabed mining).
Knowledge Gap Category:
4. data coverage
Assessment Category:
Status assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D6C4, D6C5
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Status Assessment 2022 - Oceanic Ridges with hydrothermal vents
Understanding of the connectivity between benthic habitats, life history of assessed biodiversity and functions
ID Number: TBC
Knowledge gap description: Lack of understanding of connectivity between habitats, life histories of ass.biodiversity (including for example reproduction and growth rates), and functions. There is a trend of deeper vent fields having more endemic species compared to shallower vent fields. Underlying reasons for this trend is not known.
Topics:
Knowledge Gap Category:
4. data coverage
Assessment Category:
Status assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
N/A
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Status Assessment 2022 - Oceanic Ridges with hydrothermal vents
Sea-pen and Burrowing Megafauna Communities: definition, data and threshold values
ID Number: TBC
Knowledge gap description: Insufficent data, pressure thresholds in relation to varying intensity of fishing pressure and condition of habitat. Habitat definition inexplicit.
Knowledge Gap Category:
2. thresholds & references, 4. data coverage
Assessment Category:
Status assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D1C1, D1C5
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Status Assessment 2022 - Sea-pen and Burrowing Megafauna Communities
Zostera beds: lack of knowledge about the impact of pressures on the habitat.
ID Number: TBC
Knowledge gap description: lack of knowledge of how different pressures may interact to disturb and damage the habitat. Changes following human-induced threats in comparison to changes related to natural variability can also be hard to determine.
Knowledge Gap Category:
4. data coverage
Assessment Category:
Status assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D1C2, D1C5
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Status Assessment 2022 - Zostera beds
Investigation of interactions with predators, non indigenous species and competitors and european flat oyster beds
ID Number: TBC
Knowledge gap description: Interactions with predators, non-indigenous species and competitors need to be investigated,
Knowledge Gap Category:
4. data coverage
Assessment Category:
Status assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D1C3
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Status Assessment 2020 - European flat oyster and Ostrea edulis beds
Succes in settlement and recruitment of wild populations european flat oyster beds
ID Number: TBC
Knowledge gap description: Research on factors and requirements for successful settlement and recruitment of wild populations
Topics:
Knowledge Gap Category:
4. data coverage
Assessment Category:
Status assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
N/A
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Status Assessment 2020 - European flat oyster and Ostrea edulis beds
Ecological restoration measures for self-sustaining oyster habitats.
ID Number: TBC
Knowledge gap description: Ecological restoration measures to support the recovery of self-sustaining oyster habitats. Investigations needed to better understand factors determining the success of restoration measures.
Topics:
Knowledge Gap Category:
4. data coverage
Assessment Category:
Status assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
N/A
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Status Assessment 2020 - European flat oyster and Ostrea edulis beds
Effetcs of diseases, infections and hazardous substances on european flat oyster beds
ID Number: TBC
Knowledge gap description: Effects of diseases and infections and the effects of hazardous substances.
Knowledge Gap Category:
4. data coverage
Assessment Category:
Status assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D1C2, D1C3
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Status Assessment 2020 - European flat oyster and Ostrea edulis beds
Distinguish temperature and eutrophication impacts on benthic ecology
ID Number: TBC
Knowledge gap description: In coastal ocean regions, anthropogenic eutrophication via continental run-off and atmospheric nutrient deposition, and ocean warming, are very likely to be the main drivers of deoxygenation. Future work should aim to decouple, where possible, the impacts of eutrophication on benthic ecology.
Knowledge Gap Category:
1. indicator development
Assessment Category:
Thematic assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
N/A
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Eutrophication Thematic Assessment
Impacts from fishing activities on biodiversity and ecosystems
ID Number: TBC
Knowledge gap description: Identify which fishing activities need particular focus from fisheries management authorities as they pose a threat to biodiversity and ecosystems, and where, and which other human activities are affecting the fishing resource. This could include assessment of impacts in different regions, including where pressures on sea floor integrity might have the most significant negative impact on ecosystems.
Knowledge Gap Category:
7. emerging issues of human activities
Assessment Category:
Other assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D3C1, D3C2, D3C3, D6C4, D6C5
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Feeder Report 2021 - Fisheries
Collaboration between science and policy to improve bentic habitats assessment
ID Number: TBC
Knowledge gap description: More working and scientific policy interactions are still needed, at both regional-sea and European levels. The coordination and additional resources shared through common projects are key to enabling this work to proceed under commonly agreed and defined timelines and priorities.
Topics:
Knowledge Gap Category:
5. cumulative effects & integration
Assessment Category:
Thematic assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D6C3, D6C4, D6C5
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Benthic Habitats Thematic Assessment
Further development of integrated assessment of benthic habitats
ID Number: TBC
Knowledge gap description: Greatly improved monitoring and progress on the scientific policy process itself are needed to enable sufficient technical, methodological and management progress towards a more integrated assessment, as well as provide information and evidence to support evaluation of the efficiency of management measures.
Topics:
Knowledge Gap Category:
5. cumulative effects & integration
Assessment Category:
Thematic assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D6C3, D6C4, D6C5
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Benthic Habitats Thematic Assessment
(Future) impacts of climate change on benthic habitats
ID Number: TBC
Knowledge gap description: Climate Change: There are some uncertainties in the climate change predictions, which will require additional research in order to increase accuracy on the future impacts of benthic habitats, particularly along the coastline.
Knowledge Gap Category:
4. data coverage
Assessment Category:
Thematic assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
N/A
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Benthic Habitats Thematic Assessment
Impacts of climate change and ocean acidification on benthic habitats
ID Number: TBC
Knowledge gap description: Climate Change: There is not always a wide range of datasets available to systematically measure the effects of climate change and ocean acidification on benthic habitats and species, due to the paucity of the monitoring programme.
Knowledge Gap Category:
4. data coverage
Assessment Category:
Thematic assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D6C3, D6C4, D6C5
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Benthic Habitats Thematic Assessment
Improve data availability on special benthic habitats
ID Number: TBC
Knowledge gap description: Climate Change: For example, carbonate mounds, Haploops habitat and Cymodocea meadows were excluded due to the lack of information available within the Marine Evidence based Sensitivity Assessment (MarESA) sources.
Knowledge Gap Category:
4. data coverage
Assessment Category:
Thematic assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D6C3, D6C4, D6C5
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Benthic Habitats Thematic Assessment
Advance scientific knowledge on deep-sea sponge aggregations
ID Number: TBC
Knowledge gap description: Climate Change: The predictions of future trends (2020-2030) for the condition of deep-sea sponge aggregations are challenging. Future environmental conditions in the OSPAR Maritime Area may contribute to deterioration in the condition of deep-sea sponge aggregations. However, further research is needed to advance scientific knowledge on this front.
Knowledge Gap Category:
4. data coverage
Assessment Category:
Thematic assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D6C3, D6C4, D6C5
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Benthic Habitats Thematic Assessment
Climate change and ocean acidification impacts on carbonate mounds
ID Number: TBC
Knowledge gap description: Climate Change: Climate change and ocean acidification impacts on carbonate mounds remain unknown.
Knowledge Gap Category:
4. data coverage
Assessment Category:
Thematic assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D6C3, D6C4, D6C5
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Benthic Habitats Thematic Assessment
Ocean acidification impacts on coral gardens
ID Number: TBC
Knowledge gap description: Climate Change: The current and immediate future impacts on coral gardens from ocean acidification are difficult to quantify. Predictions tend not to take into account the potential increased vulnerability of early life stages to ocean acidification.
Knowledge Gap Category:
4. data coverage
Assessment Category:
Thematic assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D6C3, D6C4, D6C5
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Benthic Habitats Thematic Assessment
Climate change and ocean acidification impacts on hydrothermal vents communities
ID Number: TBC
Knowledge gap description: Climate Change: Although adult vent organisms are adapted to oscillations and variable low pH, high temperature and low oxygen in vent fluids, it is not known whether species are adapted to permanent change in environmental variables.
Knowledge Gap Category:
4. data coverage
Assessment Category:
Thematic assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D6C3, D6C4, D6C5
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Benthic Habitats Thematic Assessment
Effectiveness of measures to improve benthic habitats
ID Number: TBC
Knowledge gap description: It is difficult to measure the effectiveness of measures to improve the status of benthic habitats, due to the multiple activities and pressures involved, and because the effects of measures on the recovery of habitats
may take a long time to become evident.
Knowledge Gap Category:
6. effectiveness of measures
Assessment Category:
Thematic assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D6C3, D6C4, D6C5
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Benthic Habitats Thematic Assessment
Understanding pressure/sensitivity relations affecting maerl beds
ID Number: TBC
Knowledge gap description: Improved knowledge of human activities and pressure/sensitivity studies will increase understanding of the status of maerl beds.
Knowledge Gap Category:
4. data coverage
Assessment Category:
Status assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D6C3, D6C4, D6C5
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Status Assessment 2019 - Maerl beds
Impacts of human activities on ecological functioning of hydrothermal vents communities
ID Number: TBC
Knowledge gap description: Knowledge gaps of biodiversity, connectivity, life histories (including for example reproduction and growth rates), function and resilience of communities to disturbance and change (e.g. fishing, climate change, potential future deep-seabed mining).
Knowledge Gap Category:
4. data coverage
Assessment Category:
Status assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D1C2
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Status Assessment 2022 - Oceanic Ridges with hydrothermal vents
Distinguishing human impacts from natural variability in Zostera beds
ID Number: TBC
Knowledge gap description: Changes following human-induced threats in comparison to changes related to natural variability can also be hard to determine.
Topics:
Knowledge Gap Category:
4. data coverage
Assessment Category:
Status assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D6C3, D6C4, D6C5
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Status Assessment 2022 - Zostera beds