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Technology & innovation Sea & health

New cost and time saving detection and identification method for marine microplastics

06/19/2024 - 15:58
For her PhD research, Nelle Meyers (VLIZ, ILVO, UGent) developed a new cost- and time-effective method for the detection and identification of microplastics in the marine environment. The semi-automatic method combines staining of microplastic particles with the fluorescent dye nile red and machine-learning algorithms. The method tested reliably for most types of polymers, even when the...
Technology & innovation

Digital Ocean Forum 2024 unveils first demo of the European Digital Twin Ocean

06/19/2024 - 13:58
On June 13, the third edition of the Digital Ocean Forum (DOF2024) high-level event, held under the auspices of the Belgian presidency of the Council of the EU, took place in Brussels. It was co-organised by the European Commission’s Directorates-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD), Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE), and Defence, Industry and Space (DG DEFIS). The Flanders Marine...
Blue economy Technology & innovation

Revolutionizing Marine Research: VLIZ and Maritime Robotics unveil cutting-edge Long Range Unmanned Surface Vehicle Gobelijn

06/03/2024 - 13:52
Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ, Belgium) takes a major step towards full-fledged remote-controlled operations for marine research and innovation. Following a European tender, VLIZ awarded the contract for the construction of a long-range, multi-purpose, unmanned surface vehicle (USV) to Maritime Robotics (Norway). Over the last year, Maritime Robotics and VLIZ have collaborated intensively on the...
Technology & innovation Sea & health

Plastic accumulates in riverbeds and banks of river mouths

01/25/2024 - 16:46
PLUXIN, one of the most comprehensive studies in Flemish coastal waters, seaports and estuaries, shows that plastic particles are everywhere. The quantities of 'microplastic' are an order of magnitude larger than the larger litter. It accumulates in riverbeds and on their banks. And estuaries, such as the Scheldt, are not sources of plastic to the open sea, but rather settling places. In turn, the...
Technology & innovation

AI underwater noise library should ensure safety of offshore infrastructure and stimulate new research

12/20/2023 - 13:45
The Flemish government, through the VLIZ, is investing half a million EUR in the development of an underwater sound library for the North Sea. With these funds, the VLIZ aims to achieve automatic recognition of natural and human noise sources in the sea. Such knowledge and tools are essential for offshore security and for numerous AI-based research initiatives. Flemish Minister for Science, Jo...
Biodiversity Blue economy The sea before Climate Technology & innovation Sea & health

Showcase your research at the VLIZ Marine Science Day 2024!

11/10/2023 - 11:18
Be part of the programme of VLIZ Marine Science Day 2024 on 6 March 2024 at De Grote Post in Oostende. The #VMSD24 – formally framed within the Belgian EU Presidency – will revolve entirely around the EU Mission Ocean & Waters, and its three main themes: ocean pollution, climate/carbon, and biodiversity. Make your own research part of the #VMSD24 programme and submit an abstract by 12 January 2024...
Climate Technology & innovation

Strengthening the Surface Ocean Carbon Value Chain

11/06/2023 - 13:41
Between 6 and 9 November 2023, over a hundred ocean carbon scientists from around the world are gathered at the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) in Oostende, Belgium, to review the status of the Surface Ocean Carbon Value Chain and decide on specific improvements to the structure, process and resulting delivery of critical information towards policy makers. In the near future this will be done by...
Technology & innovation Sea & health

North Sea wrecks: Toxic legacies of war

05/31/2023 - 12:03
Some 290 shipwrecks lie in the Belgian part of the North Sea alone, with probably more than 1,000 in the entire North Sea, many of them silent witnesses to the two world wars. Until recently, the environmental impact of these wrecks was largely unknown and, as far as the presence of munitions is concerned, they represented a true Pandora’s box. The North Sea Wrecks project has changed this.