In May 2025, researchers from VLIZ, NOC, and DTU conducted fieldwork aboard the RV Simon Stevin in the Southern North Sea to study marine biodiversity through novel observation sensors. As part of the MARCO-BOLO project, the team deploys a suite of imaging tools, including a plankton imager (Pi-10) that captures high-resolution images of plankton in situ for automated species identification. These complementary visual approaches allow scientists to document biodiversity across scales—from microscopic plankton to larger fauna—linking species distribution patterns with their environmental context. By integrating imagery collected from vessel-based and remotely operated platforms, the campaign demonstrates how imaging can provide consistent, high-quality biodiversity data across spatial and temporal gradients. This work serves as a prototype for future marine observatories, advancing Europe’s capacity to monitor and model marine life within initiatives such as EMODnet and the European Digital Twin of the Ocean.
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