News

Today, the first sampling campaign in the framework of the brand new European Marine Omics Biodiversity Observation Network (EMO BON) takes place. The aim of the observation network is to ensure a steady, continuous generation of biodiversity data. EMO BON will ultimately provide Europe with a means to monitor and understand its marine biodiversity, and fill the current gaps in the European...

UN delivers the first-ever global assessment report after 7 years’ work by 109 experts in 35 countries – among them VLIZ researcher Maarten De Rijcke – creating a baseline to detect and gauge the changing distribution, frequency, and intensity of harmful, often poisonous algal blooms. Trends in the number of HAB events found to vary across regions. Overexploitation, however, acts as a natural...

ICOS, Integrated Carbon Observation System, announces that 12 more greenhouse gas measurement stations have passed the rigorous ICOS quality assurance process for standardised data production. The newly certified stations, among which the Flemish research vessel Simon Stevin, are located in seven out of 13 ICOS member countries, and in all three ICOS domains – atmosphere, ecosystem and ocean...

Ever since the Ever Given incident, MarineTraffic needs no introduction. Chances are you have taken a look yourself to check the status of the unfortunate ship in the Suez Canal. MarineTraffic displays the movement of over 550.000 vessels worldwide, based on their Automatic Identification System (AIS) signals. The website attracts millions of users on a monthly basis. Since March 31st, these...

Every year VLIZ recruits several job students for the summer months of July, August or September. For the summer of 2021 we are still looking for a number of enthusiastic students with knowledge of IT, video editing, journalism and language. You can submit your candidacy until June 15, 2021.

On 21 April 2021, the United Nations launched its second World Ocean Assessment (WOA II). In this 1,000-page document, hundreds of marine scientists assessed the current state of the world's oceans, and identifies knowledge gaps. Among them also experts from the Ostend based VLIZ data center and ‘Ocean Biogeographic Information System’ (OBIS), both supported by Flanders.

The 2020 annual report presents the highlights for VLIZ in 2020 and focuses on the services VLIZ offers to the marine scientific community, policymakers, the industry, educators and the general public. Performance indicators (KPIs), numbers and lists all together give a transparent overview of the organization and functioning of the institute.

A cross-Channel partnership will use innovative underwater acoustic tracking technology to identify the environmental conditions a range of important marine species need in order to thrive. The €4million FISH INTEL project, supported by €2.8million from the European Regional Development Fund via the Interreg France (Channel) England programme, will focus on a series of sites along the coastlines...

Today, on the eve of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030), Flanders takes stock of its true maritime identity, its broad expertise, long-standing traditions, maritime skills and capacities. It reaches out to share these and shape strong and far-reaching collaborations based on ocean science, knowledge and innovative approaches. A new publication 'Gearing up our...

Did you know Flanders has been able to develop a unique set of biodiversity data systems and observation infrastructure? And that these services are consulted daily by hundreds to thousands of users worldwide? This achievement was possible due to the many years (2012-2020) of commitment by the Flemish government to the European LifeWatch ESFRI infrastructure – an ambitious project to support...

Barely 7 months after laying the foundation stone of the new InnovOcean Campus in Oostende the shell of the six-storey building is a fact. The boards of ILVO and VLIZ visited the site in the presence of the contractor. They were assured that the construction is well on track to move into the new campus in the autumn of 2022.

Ocean experts from Europe, Brazil, South Africa, Canada and the US join forces to map and assess both current and future risks from climate change, disasters and human impact on the entire Atlantic ecosystems.

The new results of the national monitoring programme for Belgian marine recreational fisheries, with the focus year 2019, reveal higher catches of sea bass compared to 2018, but also indicate a worrying decline in cod catches in the southern North Sea.

Researchers have created a network of more than 130 artificial reefs – Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) – on the ocean floor in all the European regional seas, helping scientists to understand long-term changes in coastal habitats and providing an early warning system for the arrival of non-indigenous species, the impact of climate change or human activities.

Based on data collected from around the world, the second Global Ocean Science Report 2020 (GOSR2020) offers a global record of how, where and by whom ocean science is conducted. The GOSR monitors our capacity to understand the ocean and seize new opportunities for research and innovation. VLIZ director Jan Mees has personally co-shared the editorial board of the report that was be launched by...

The number of projects involving citizen scientists in the North Sea area has increased significantly in recent years. No fewer than 127 marine citizen science initiatives had the North Sea as their study area. Almost half of the initiatives focus on the investigation and follow-up of one or more plant or animal species. But many projects also zoom in on marine litter. This shows the first...

VLIZ philanthropy opens five grants worth 5.000 euro to young, original thinking marine researchers. PhD students and junior postdocs in Flanders, as well as PhD students from the South, who dare to think out-of-the-box, are eligible for this research funding. Deadline for proposals: 29 January 2021.

The VLIZ Marine Science Day 2021 will come with a spicy and concise digital program on 3 March 2021. Send us your abstract for an online presentation or digital poster (video) presentation before December 16.