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 176 - 200 of 337 items
Definition of threshold values
ID Number: BB08.01a
Knowledge gap description: Thresholds: It is unclear where the exact threshold value for good quality status should be.
Topics:
Knowledge Gap Category:
2. thresholds & references
Assessment Category:
Common indicator assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D6C5
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Condition of Benthic Habitat Communities: Margalef diversity in Region II (Greater North Sea)
Relative Margalef diversity results compared to other indicator assessment results
ID Number: BB08.01b
Knowledge gap description: Thresholds: Understand how Relative Margalef diversity results compare to other indicator assessment results (investigate differences in sensitivity and indicator value of indicators to various presures and combinations under various conditions).
Topics:
Knowledge Gap Category:
2. thresholds & references
Assessment Category:
Common indicator assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D6C5
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Condition of Benthic Habitat Communities: Margalef diversity in Region II (Greater North Sea)
understanding of the effect of combining observation data
ID Number: BB08.02a
Knowledge gap description: Optimisation of standardisation: Get better understanding of the effect of combining observation data obtained with different techniques in large scale quality assessment.
Topics:
Knowledge Gap Category:
2. thresholds & references
Assessment Category:
Common indicator assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D6C5
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Condition of Benthic Habitat Communities: Margalef diversity in Region II (Greater North Sea)
Integration of environmental gradients when estimating reference values and comparability of assessment results
ID Number: BB08.02b
Knowledge gap description: Optimisation of standardisation: Understand how to integrate known important environmental gradients with impact on diversity when estimating reference values; and, understand what does the use of reference value gradients determined on the basis of environmental gradients mean with regards to comparability of assessment results between different areas (Broad Habitat Types, BHTs, and/or Assessment Units (AUs)).
Topics:
Knowledge Gap Category:
2. thresholds & references
Assessment Category:
Common indicator assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D6C5
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Condition of Benthic Habitat Communities: Margalef diversity in Region II (Greater North Sea)
Better identification of the role of pressure impacts and ‘natural’ disturbances
ID Number: BB08.03a
Knowledge gap description: Pressure impacts/natural disturbances: There is a need to better identify the role of pressure impacts (other than physical disturbances by fisheries) and ‘natural’ disturbances since they can have substantial impact on benthic habitat quality and should be considered in quality assessments like Relative Margalef diversity.
Topics:
Knowledge Gap Category:
1. indicator development
Assessment Category:
Common indicator assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D6C5
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Condition of Benthic Habitat Communities: Margalef diversity in Region II (Greater North Sea)
Impact of pressues on the relative Margalef diversity
ID Number: BB08.03b
Knowledge gap description: Pressure impacts/natural disturbances: It should be investigated to what extent the Relative Margalef diversity responds to each of the pressures and whether one pressure impact might overrule the other.
Topics:
Knowledge Gap Category:
1. indicator development
Assessment Category:
Common indicator assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D6C5
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Condition of Benthic Habitat Communities: Margalef diversity in Region II (Greater North Sea)
Standard approach for integrated assessment of Pressure impacts/natural disturbances
ID Number: BB08.03c
Knowledge gap description: Pressure impacts/natural disturbances: Develop standard approach for integrated assessment (e.g. an OSPAR CEMP) considering the BH assessment framework there is.
Topics:
Knowledge Gap Category:
1. indicator development
Assessment Category:
Common indicator assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D6C5
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Condition of Benthic Habitat Communities: Margalef diversity in Region II (Greater North Sea)
Develop and communicate on how to achieve a more integrated assessment
ID Number: BB08.01
Knowledge gap description: Develop and communicate how sub-applications (BH2a, BH2b, BH2c,...) are contributing to a more integrated assessment, through this common approach, notably when combined with other BH indicators (BH1, BH3x, BH4, ...) according to Elliott et al (2018) published method. This is a methodological task, also including description of monitoring and data flows required, as described in EcApRHA Benthic integration deliverables
Topics:
Knowledge Gap Category:
1. indicator development
Assessment Category:
Common indicator assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
N/A
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Condition of Benthic Habitat Communities: The Common Conceptual Approach
Standardisation of habitat data
ID Number: BB09.01
Knowledge gap description: Habitat data: An absence of agreed standardisation for habitat data submissions throughout the OSPAR Maritime Area, in particular those collected by industries, for example as part of licensing requirements
Topics:
Knowledge Gap Category:
4. data coverage
Assessment Category:
Common indicator assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D6C3, D6C5
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Extent of Physical Disturbance to Benthic Habitats: Aggregate Extraction
Availability of habitat data and associated benthic community
ID Number: BB09.02
Knowledge gap description: Habitat data: Habitat data and associated benthic community data are not always accessible where pressure was reported.
Topics:
Knowledge Gap Category:
4. data coverage
Assessment Category:
Common indicator assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D6C3, D6C5
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Extent of Physical Disturbance to Benthic Habitats: Aggregate Extraction
Availability of historic data from OSPAR Threatened and/or Declining Habitats
ID Number: BB09.03
Knowledge gap description: Historic data from OSPAR Threatened and/or Declining Habitats are not always available to use in assessments. This type of data can be very useful for predictive habitat models and to improve our knowledge of past distribution of those habitats
Topics:
Knowledge Gap Category:
3. assessment areas
Assessment Category:
Common indicator assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D6C3, D6C5
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Extent of Physical Disturbance to Benthic Habitats: Aggregate Extraction
Limited data on deep-sea habitats and habitat extent in some areas
ID Number: BB09.04
Knowledge gap description: Habitat data: Habitat extent may have been underreported in areas such as the deep-sea in areas with limited data.
Topics:
Knowledge Gap Category:
3. assessment areas
Assessment Category:
Common indicator assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D6C3, D6C5
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Extent of Physical Disturbance to Benthic Habitats: Aggregate Extraction
Availability of high-resolution habitat data
ID Number: BB09.05
Knowledge gap description: Habitat data: High-resolution habitat data were not publicly available in some areas, due to data usage constraints and data confidentiality.
Topics:
Knowledge Gap Category:
4. data coverage
Assessment Category:
Common indicator assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D6C3, D6C5
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Extent of Physical Disturbance to Benthic Habitats: Aggregate Extraction
Standardization of habitat classification and translations between commonly used habitat classifications.
ID Number: BB09.06
Knowledge gap description: Habitat data: An agreed OSPAR-scale standardised habitat classification, with accurate translations to wider classification systems, are needed to facilitate integrated assessments across the OSPAR Maritime Area. Additional work is needed to facilitate translations between commonly used habitat classifications to ensure OSPAR benthic indicator interoperability.
Topics:
Knowledge Gap Category:
1. indicator development
Assessment Category:
Common indicator assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D6C3, D6C5
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Extent of Physical Disturbance to Benthic Habitats: Aggregate Extraction
Improvement of mapping of sensitivity
ID Number: BB09.07
Knowledge gap description: Sensitivity data: Mapping of sensitivity could be improved through the availability of: a consistent OSPAR-scale habitat classification system; and, an agreed method to translate between habitat classifications accurately.
Topics:
Knowledge Gap Category:
4. data coverage
Assessment Category:
Common indicator assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D6C3, D6C5
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Extent of Physical Disturbance to Benthic Habitats: Aggregate Extraction
Information on sensitivity of MSFD Broad Habitat Types and Other Habitat Types.
ID Number: BB09.08
Knowledge gap description: Sensitivity data: There was missing sensitivity information for certain MSFD Broad Habitat Types (BHTs) and Other Habitat Types (OHTs) particularly in areas such as the deep-sea. Habitat-specific sensitivity scores require further testing and validation to help improve application to future assessments.
Topics:
Knowledge Gap Category:
4. data coverage
Assessment Category:
Common indicator assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D6C3, D6C5
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Extent of Physical Disturbance to Benthic Habitats: Aggregate Extraction
Data from biotopes across all biogeographic areas for Sensitivity information and data layers
ID Number: BB09.09
Knowledge gap description: Sensitivity data: Sensitivity information and data layers could be improved with additional sensitivity data from biotopes across all biogeographic areas of the OSPAR Maritime Area.
Topics:
Knowledge Gap Category:
4. data coverage
Assessment Category:
Common indicator assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D6C3, D6C5
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Extent of Physical Disturbance to Benthic Habitats: Aggregate Extraction
Developemnet of condition indicators
ID Number: BB09.10
Knowledge gap description: Sensitivity data: Integration with other benthic habitat indicators was not possible in the Quality Status Report (QSR) 2023 assessment due to data gaps. Exploring approaches for the calibration and integration of condition indicators (e.g., Sentinels of Seabed indicator, BH1; and, Condition of Benthic Habitat Communities, BH2) to improve the modelling approach from the BH3 method will broaden the evidence base used in assessments in biogeographic regions.
Topics:
Knowledge Gap Category:
1. indicator development
Assessment Category:
Common indicator assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D6C3, D6C5
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Extent of Physical Disturbance to Benthic Habitats: Aggregate Extraction
Availability of reference condition habitat data and pressure-state relationships at the regional scale
ID Number: BB09.11
Knowledge gap description: Sensitivity data: The limited availability of reference condition habitat data and pressure-state relationships at the regional scale resulted in the reliance on expert knowledge and extrapolation of available pressure-state data. Greater availability of data from unimpacted areas, to serve as reference when assessing sensitivity, is needed to improve understanding of ecosystem changes in response to physical disturbance from extraction.
Knowledge Gap Category:
2. thresholds & references
Assessment Category:
Common indicator assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D6C3, D6C5
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Extent of Physical Disturbance to Benthic Habitats: Aggregate Extraction
Data on habitat recovery once extraction pressure has been removed
ID Number: BB09.12
Knowledge gap description: Sensitivity data: Assessments of resilience and predictions of disturbance magnitude could be improved with studies of habitat recovery once extraction pressure has been removed (e.g., surrendered licensed areas).
Knowledge Gap Category:
4. data coverage
Assessment Category:
Common indicator assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D6C3, D6C5
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Extent of Physical Disturbance to Benthic Habitats: Aggregate Extraction
Standardization of data on annual extraction activity footprint
ID Number: BB09.13
Knowledge gap description: Pressure data: There was a lack of annual extraction activity footprint with standardised intensity data. An agreed common format of extraction pressure, indicative of physical pressure on the seabed at a standardised spatial resolution would give a more representative assessment of disturbance across the OSPAR Maritime Area. The estimation of intensity of physical pressure could be improved with additional data (e.g., extraction volume, if the activity was static or mobile, and the footprint of the draghead used).
Knowledge Gap Category:
4. data coverage
Assessment Category:
Common indicator assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D6C3, D6C5
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Extent of Physical Disturbance to Benthic Habitats: Aggregate Extraction
Development of monitoring devices for active dredging
ID Number: BB09.14
Knowledge gap description: Pressure data: Wider adoption of monitoring devices that only record active dredging would help reduce overestimation of dredging when vessels are transiting at slow speeds.
Knowledge Gap Category:
4. data coverage
Assessment Category:
Common indicator assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D6C3, D6C5
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Extent of Physical Disturbance to Benthic Habitats: Aggregate Extraction
Combination of physical disturbance from bottom-contact fishing and aggregate extraction into a cumulative pressure index
ID Number: BB09.15
Knowledge gap description: Pressure data: The current assessments of physical disturbance from bottom-contact fishing and aggregate extraction assess each pressure independently. Future approaches could combine these and any additional pressures into a single cumulative pressure index, enabling multiple pressures to be expressed as a single disturbance response.
Knowledge Gap Category:
1. indicator development
Assessment Category:
Common indicator assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D6C3, D6C5
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Extent of Physical Disturbance to Benthic Habitats: Aggregate Extraction
Availability of commercially sensitive pressure data
ID Number: BB09.01
Knowledge gap description: Pressure data: There was data deficiency, particularly limited access to commercially sensitive pressure data.
Topics:
Knowledge Gap Category:
4. data coverage
Assessment Category:
Common indicator assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D6C3, D6C5
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Extent of Physical Disturbance to Benthic Habitats: Fisheries with mobile bottom-contacting gears
Availability of habitat data and associated benthic community data where pressure was reported
ID Number: BB09.02
Knowledge gap description: Habitat data: Habitat data and associated benthic community data are not always accessible where pressure was reported.
Topics:
Knowledge Gap Category:
4. data coverage
Assessment Category:
Common indicator assessment
Relevant for MSFD Art 8:
D6C3, D6C5
Implementation Status
OSPAR Region: All Regions
Source of knowledge gap: QSR2023 - Extent of Physical Disturbance to Benthic Habitats: Fisheries with mobile bottom-contacting gears