Beach Litter count data collected across 10 beaches of the Belgian coast in 2023 and 2024 by volunteers of the citizen science association Proper Strand Lopers. One of the key indicators of abundance, composition and trends of litter in the marine environment is the amount on beaches. OSPAR monitors litter on 100m stretches at over 70 beaches in the North-East Atlantic following common monitoring guidelines. The monitoring records litter in 112 predefined litter items in 11 types: Plastic / polystyrene, Metal, Paper and cardboard, Wood, Sanitary waste, Cloth, Rubber, Glass, Pottery/ceramics, Medical waste and Faeces.

UNDER EMBARGO - This dataset contains seasonal physiological measurements from controlled laboratory experiments on two dominant suspension-feeding species expected to colonise floating offshore structures: the blue mussel (Mytilus edulis; AphiaID 140480) and the wrinkled barnacle (Balanus crenatus; AphiaID 106215). The measured parameters include clearance rates, respiration rates, faecal pellet production rates, and faecal pellet sinking velocities. Mussels were collected from an aquaculture longline at the Westdiep SeaFarm, while barnacles were manually retrieved from the intertidal beachhead at Raversijde (Oostende, Belgium). All experiments were conducted using natural seawater collected from offshore sites in the Belgian part of the North Sea. Measurements were repeated across multiple seasons to capture temporal variability in physiological performance. The dataset was produced within the SWiM and EcoMPV projects and is suitable for reuse in ecosystem and biogeochemical modelling, including simulations of phytoplankton dynamics associated with large-scale offshore marine photovoltaic (MPV) developments.

This dataset is part of the 2018 Belgian submission for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) linked to descriptor 1, criterion 1. Stranded porpoises often show traces of incidental catch in fishing nets (bycatch), a major cause of death for this cetacean in the North Sea. Based on the number of stranded animals showing traces of bycatch, it can be estimated that up to a few dozen porpoises are caught per year. For extrapolation of bycatch data to effects at population level, reference is made to (future) initiatives at regional level.

This dataset is part of the 2018 Belgian submission for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) linked to descriptor 8, criterion 1. This dataset contains the contaminant concentrations measured in sediments at 10 monitoring stations in the Belgian part of the North Sea between 2011 and 2015. 88 parameters are measured in the upper part of the sea bottom by a Van Veen grab sampler. The contaminants are analyzed on the fraction < 63 µm. PCBs and heavy metals are analyzed by ILVO (and CODA). PBDEs, PAHs and organotin compounds are analysed by KBIN-OD Nature, PAHs and organotin based on an accredited method (ISO/IEC 17025).

This dataset is part of the 2018 Belgian submission for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) linked to descriptor 9, criterion 1. The dataset contains the results of analyses on raw fish, mollusk and crustacean samples originating from the southern North Sea and the Channel and taken as part of the control programme by the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain. The analyzed substances are metals (cadmium, mercury and lead), dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs, PCBs, PAHs, Cesium 134 and Cesium 137.

This dataset is part of the 2018 Belgian submission for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) linked to descriptor 6, criterion 2. This dataset describes and maps the physical disturbance to the seabed in the Belgian part of the North Sea (BPNS) between 2011 and 2016. The dataset combines different layers of human activities leading to a disturbance of the seabed, including power cables with its rock dump, dredging and dumping, extraction, war ammunition stocking and wind farms. The area disturbed is mapped and quantified per year, per activity and per benthic broad habitat.

This dataset is part of the 2018 Belgian submission for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) linked to descriptor 8, criterion 1. This dataset describes the contaminant concentrations in biota. The priority substances mercury, hexachlorobutadiene and hexachlorobenzene are measured in mussels and flounder in the BPNS. Results for other parameters that are part of the OSPAR Coordinated Environmental Monitoring Program are also included: polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), heavy metals, organotin-compounds and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) for the period 2011-2016. The analyses are performed by ILVO and KBIN-OD Nature that both participate in the Quasimeme ring tests for additional quality control. Bird eggs of 2008, 2010 and 2015 are measured for mercury (Hg), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH). Eggs from the are measured and compared with OSPAR norms Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) are gathered in Zeebrugge and are analyzed by the Insitut für vogelforschung in Wilhelmshaven according to a standard protocol.

This dataset is part of the Belgian submission for the 2018 Marine Strategic Framework Directive (MSFD) and reports on descriptor 1, criterion 6. This dataset describes the soft benthos analysis performed in the Belgian part of the North Sea between 2010 and 2016. Information on the location, date and procedure used for the sediment sampling is povided as well as the description of the species found in the samples. Based on this dataset, the Belgian MSFD reporting concluded that the benthic habitat quality is clearly lower in areas where a certain activity interferes with the environment in an intensive way.

UNDER EMBARGO - This dataset is part of BE/2023 sampling campagn in SW Greenland fjords (Igaliku and Tunulliarfik). Samples for DNA extraction were collected along fjord transects at several depths of the water column. The focus of the study was to determine the taxonomical composotion of protist community in two Arctic fjords.

This dataset is part of the 2018 Belgian submission for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) linked to descriptor 11, criterion 1. This dataset describes the impulsive noise generated during percussion pile emplacement for offshore wind farm construction and unexploded ordnance (UxO) explosions. Impulsive underwater sound (pressure) was measured during pile driving operations in Belgian waters, for different types of foundations (monopiles of different diameters, foundations of ducts with a smaller diameter) and hydraulic hammers with different energy powers. The results of measurements at Bligh Bank and Thornton Bank, with a resulting extrapolation of zero to peak noise level (Lz-p) at 750m and Sound Exposure Level (SEL) (no mitigation measures deployed), are presented (Norro et al., 2013).