News
Join Our Team: Consultant - OBIS Community engagement officer
OBIS Vacancy Consultant
OBIS is seeking an individual consultant to support the OBIS Secretariat by providing administrative and communication support across various activities.
Marine Biodiversity Data Mobilization Workshop 2024
Biodiversity mobilization OBIS Training
Together, several organizations and OBIS nodes organized the third edition of the Marine Biodiversity Data Mobilization Workshop, a three day virtual, interactive, learner-led workshop to address challenges around data standardization and facilitate publication to OBIS. This year there was a special focus on mobilizing animal telemetry data.
Updated OBIS Data Policy and Terms of Reference available on OBIS Manual
Governance OBIS
We are pleased to announce that the new OBIS Data Policy for data sharing and use in OBIS, which was adopted by the SG-OBIS-12, is available in the OBIS Manual. In addition to the revised data policy, the newly defined OBIS Terms of Reference for various roles within our community are also available in the manual.
2024 Ocean Training Internships available with OBIS-Australia and OBIS Deep-Sea - Applications open
Internship OBIS
UNESCO-IOC is excited to announce the call for applications for the Ocean Training Internships for 2024. For the 2024 cohort, six host institutions will offer placements, each specializing in key priority areas. Two OBIS nodes, OBIS Deep-Sea and OBIS Australia, will host one intern each.
First assessment of how many marine species, especially those threatened with extinction, occur in Marine Protected Areas
Report State of the ocean Policy
Recent statistics on marine biodiversity conservation published today in the IOC State of the Ocean Report 2024, reveal interesting statistics on how much do we know about what species, especially those threatened with extinction, occur in Marine Protected Areas.
Dan Lear Appointed New Co-Chair of OBIS Steering Group
OBIS Steering Group Co-chair
30 May 2024, at the ad-hoc Steering group meeting of the Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS), Dan Lear has been appointed as the new co-chair of the OBIS Steering Group. Dan, who is the OBIS UK node manager and a prominent figure in marine biodiversity data management, brings a wealth of experience and expertise to his new role. Dan Lear will Co-Chair OBIS together with Katherine Tattersall (node manager of OBIS Australia).
Recently published datasets
Use cases
State of knowledge on marine connectivity gathered by migratory marine species
ABNJ connectivity marine species management telemetry tracking
Advancements in technology have improved our knowledge of how different areas of the ocean are connected by the movement of migratory and mobile marine species. This information is vital to inform area-based management and conservation efforts. The authors of this study, led by the OBIS-SEAMAP node, performed a literature review of 25 years of accessible connectivity data for 173 marine mammal, fish, sea turtle, and seabird species to shed light on the current state of knowledge. They found telemetry methods are the most effective tool for demonstrating connectivity, but that significant gaps and obstacles remain in this field of research.
Invasive marine algae in the Mediterranean was misidentified for decades
Algae Invasive species Mediterranean Modelling
The red algae, "Lophocladia lallemandii", one of the worst invasive species in the Mediterranean, was misidentified for nearly three decades. The researchers who discovered this error recommend genetic analysis as a mandatory first step when identifying, monitoring and managing invasives. OBIS served as a useful data repository to confirm the occurrence of this misidentified species.
Preserving seagrasses in a changing climate
climate change modelling MPA seagrass
This study provides the first comprehensive global assessment of how climate change may affect the distribution and range of 66 seagrass species. It also examines how well the current global MPA coverage will protect these important ecosystems in the future. The authors relied on occurrence records from OBIS, along with other sources of data and expert knowledge, to develop species distribution models under various scenarios.
Metabarcoding is a promising tool for identifying species of fish from their eggs and larvae
DNA eggs fish larvae ichthyoplankton metabarcoding Indian Ocean
Understanding the diversity and distribution of fish egg and larvae in the ocean provides invaluable information on ecosystem health, capacity to recover from disturbances and helps guide management and conservation efforts. This study shows that metabarcoding is a promising tool that allows for rapid and accurate species identification. OBIS was used to validate and confirm the distribution range, habitat and occurrence of the species detected by metabarcoding.
How many species live in the world’s largest marine mineral exploration region?
Biodiversity Deep sea Pacific Taxonomy
This study offers the first comprehensive synthesis of published data for the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) in the central and eastern Pacific. The authors report that this area, which covers 6 million km2, represents significant undescribed biodiversity with an estimated 88%–92% species waiting to be described. Data used in this research were extracted from OBIS highlighting its value as a global data repository for marine biodiversity.
Current knowledge on the reproduction of deep-sea corals
Corals Deep Sea Depth Distribution Reproduction
This study looks at the current state of research on the reproduction of deep-sea corals. Occurrence records were extracted from OBIS to find available information for species living at depths below 100m. Less than 7% of known deep-sea coral species were found to have any aspect of their reproduction reported in the literature highlighting significant gaps and priorities for future research.
