EU ocean conservation initiative: the Digital Ocean Twin

Committed to protecting the aquatic environment, the European Union has embarked on an ambitious Restore our Ocean and Waters mission to restore the health of the oceans. On June 13, 2024. A prototype of the European Digital Twin Ocean (DTO) was unveiled at the Digital Ocean Forum 2024. DTO is a digital tool that simulates ocean processes to support research, management and public engagement in marine ecosystem conservation efforts.

I am happy to announce that as of today, the European Digital Ocean Twin is available for everyone to test, use or contribute. With investments from the EU’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program, it will help us understand how pollution and human activities affect the ocean and its crucial role in climate regulation and biodiversity conservation. It’s still a prototype, but once it’s fully up and running, the platform will be a game changer in ocean management, providing essential information and accurate forecasts in real time – stated Iliana Ivanova, the European Commissioner for the Environment. innovation, research, culture, education and youth.

EU’s mission to protect the oceans

The European Union, through its Restore our Ocean and Waters mission, aims to promote the protection of the oceans and aquatic ecosystems by 2030. This ambitious initiative combines research, innovation, citizen engagement and investment in water management. A holistic approach, treating the oceans and waters as a whole, is key to achieving climate neutrality and restoring nature.

The mission entails regional cooperation through what is known as “the lighthouses in the major sea and river basins: Atlantic, Arctic, Mediterranean, Baltic-Northern and Danube-Black Sea. These lighthouses will be pilot, demonstration and deployment sites for mission activities, ensuring their integration. An important feature of the mission is the broad mobilization and public engagement and the aforementioned digital ocean and water knowledge system, known as Digital Twin Ocean, which provides tools for monitoring and analyzing the health of aquatic ecosystems, enabling better management and protection.

What is the European Digital Ocean Twin?

The Digital Ocean Twin is a digital representation of real ocean processes, based on historical and current data and numerical models to simulate future scenarios. It is designed to make ocean knowledge accessible to citizens, businesses, scientists and policymakers through interactive visualization tools. This will enable the design of the most effective ways to restore marine and coastal habitats, promote sustainable marine management and mitigate the effects of climate change.

The Digital Ocean Twin enables the co-creation of digital tools by different disciplines and communities. Researchers will be able to predict the impact of climate change and human activity on marine ecosystems, entrepreneurs will be able to plan aquaculture operations, and local governments will be able to test infrastructure that is resilient to sea level rise. Citizens will be able to participate in observation campaigns and use the models for their own purposes, such as forecasting extreme weather events.

DTO financing

The project is strategically funded by the European Commission, which allocates approx. 10 million euros per year starting in 2021. The DTO is also working in synergy with the Iliad project, which is being funded with €19 million under the Green Deal program, and which focuses on developing digital technologies and tools key to realizing the DTO’s vision.

In addition, the European Commission is investing in numerous research projects that advance the fundamental scientific knowledge necessary for accurate ocean modeling. These studies include ocean dynamics, biogeochemical processes, marine ecosystems and the impact of climate change on the ocean environment. The results of this research are crucial to the development of accurate and reliable models that form the basis of DTOs.

Integration with existing resources

Over the past decade, the EU has been developing key data infrastructure and ocean services such as the Copernicus Marine Service (CMEMS) and the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet). The new initiative builds on existing resources, integrating them with systems focused on inland waters and creating a unified digital space. The project is being carried out in cooperation with the main operators of the CMEMS and EMODnet programs, Mercator Ocean International and Flanders Marine Institute.

The Digital Ocean Twin consists of a DTO core, providing huge datasets, ocean models and AI tools on which customized applications will be built. It will be a public good, combining the physical, biological and socioeconomic aspects of the oceans.