In the JPI Oceans Joint Action Science for Good Environmental Status (S4GES), a complementary approach towards GES is being designed to assess marine environmental health in a more holistic fashion. It relies on a sampling approach that targets the actual processes within the system, based on near real-time observations of deviations or events in the system. The core idea and primary goal of S4GES is to support the implementation of MSFD with a complementary approach that increases the efficiency and effectiveness of the observation strategies. S4GES aims to lay the foundations for such a paradigm shift by piloting the approach in different settings in European waters.
S4GES began to test this approach in a proof-of-concept sampling campaign aboard RV Belgica in the summer of 2022, for the tide-driven system in front of the Belgium and Dutch coast. During the last workshop in Brussels (February 2024), it was agreed that further validation of the «process-based» approach tested in the Belgian part of the North Sea is needed in other marine ecosystems. The goal is to provide further “proofs of concept” to propose a fit-for-purpose revision of the national observation strategies for MSFD.
Meeting goal
The meeting in Athens (26-27 June) intends to further mobilise the scientific community and key policy stakeholders towards the S4GES-initiated methodology, fostering dialogue on the scientific and financial efforts to tackle the challenge of GES.