The PAGES (Process-based Approach for Good Environmental Status) project will build upon the JPI Oceans Knowledge Hub S4GES (Science for Good Environmental Status) to develop innovative monitoring strategies that integrate physical, chemical and biological data within a dynamic framework that acknowledges the complex interplay of oceanic processes.
The project aims to represent a significant advancement in marine environmental assessment, addressing knowledge gaps for the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), which requires EU member states to achieve Good Environmental Status (GES) in their marine environments. Providing proof-of-concepts, PAGES aims to influence national MSFD observation frameworks, shifting from conventional sampling to process-driven monitoring, where measuring stations are based on specific oceanographic processes and are planned and assessed by using synergy of satellite and modelling tools. The meeting at the JPI Oceans office in Brussels will bring together project partners and policy makers to discuss the plans of the project and the potential of an overall paradigm shift towards process-driven monitoring.
PAGES will analyse existing data and samples from two pioneering research cruises—the 2022 S4GES expedition aboard R/V Belgica, which explored tide-driven systems along the Belgian and Dutch coasts, and the 2024 BIOTREC-Tara cruise aboard CNR R/V Gaia Blu, which investigated coastal biodiversity in relation to plume and cross-shore filament dynamics. The project will conduct additional cruises to expand validation across diverse marine settings in European waters.
The project receives funding from the Belgian Science Policy Office (Belspo), the Marine Institute (MI) of Ireland, the National Research Council of Italy (CNR), and Xjenza Malta under the JPI Oceans framework.