Portugal

BenthicAZ is unlocking two decades of unpublished coastal benthic biodiversity data from the Azores, a region underrepresented in EMODnet Biology. Sourced from over 50 records—theses, field notes, and raw datasets—the project will digitise, standardise, and openly share data on sessile species and benthic macroinvertebrates from intertidal and shallow subtidal zones across multiple islands. 

The Marine Biodiversity Digital Laboratory at the University of Aveiro will unlock deep-sea biodiversity data from the Central Arctic Ocean, one of EMODnet Biology’s most data-deficient regions. The project will submit benthic megafauna data from the Aurora Seamount and hydrothermal vent ecosystems, collected through high-resolution photographic surveys.