Black Sea SCENE

• Projects
• Datasets
• Research cruises
• Data quality control
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• Black Sea EDIOS
• Data products
• Marine biology

Marine Biology 

(Upgrade) BlackSeaScene does not only deal with physical oceanographical data and data quality procedures, but also marine biology plays an important role. This has two main reasons: The Black Sea is a unique ecosystem and is therefore a very interesting area. But it is also a much threatened region with high ecological pressure from the surrounding countries and exotic species. During the project a start has been made on three catalogues informing users of important biological issues:

1. Mnemiopsis leidyi Database (no longer available) - A database of a small but harmful type of jellyfish, abundant in the Black Sea. This species created the tremendous ecosystem damage and big economic losses in the region in the late 1980-s, 1990-s. It was recognized as one of the main ecological problems for the Black Sea ecosystem. The Mnemiopsis database (when filled with data) will give a possibility to analyze in details the special distribution and the variability at different time scales of this important species from time of its invasion into the Black Sea till nowadays.
   
   
2. Black Sea Zooplankton Checklist (no longer available) - A species list and identification checklist (in Wiki-form) of zooplankton in the Black Sea. The Black Sea zooplankton and phytoplankton checklists are being created for marine biologists working with Black Sea plankton. The aims of Black Sea plankton checklists are to be the source of reliable species information, to fill the gaps within global checklists and to serve as the quality control tool for Black Sea plankton data. A wiki is a collection of web pages designed to enable anyone who accesses it to contribute or modify content, using a simplified markup language.
    
3. Black Sea Phytoplankton Checklist (no longer available) - A species list and identification checklist (in Wiki-form) of phytoplankton in the Black Sea. Identical to the Zooplankton list wiki pages about phytoplankton have been developed.
    
4. Marine Protected Areas - According to the UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre (World Protected Areas Data Base, 2008), some 125 protected areas have been designated bordering the Black Sea coast.