Data were generated within the framework of the German Coastal Engineering Research Council project AufMod (¿Aufbau integrierter Modellsysteme zur Analyse der langfristigen Morphodynamik in der Deutschen Bucht¿ [¿Development of integrated model systems for the analysis of long-term morphodynamics in the German Bight¿], 01.11.2009-31.12.2012). Various sedimentological parameters processed as products for the German Bight area were calculated from interpolated grain size distributions: - "Median_Grain_Size": Median-Durchmesser (D50) der interpolierten Kornsummenkurve - "Mean_Grain_Size": Mittelwert des Korndurchmessers - "Sorting1": Sortierung after Trask (1932): sqrt(D75/D25) - "Sorting2": Sortierung after Folk and Ward (1957): (phi84-phi16)/4+(phi95-phi5)/6.6 - "Skewness": Skewness after Folk and Ward (1957): (phi16+phi84-2phi50)/2(phi84-phi16)+(phi5+phi95-2phi50)/2(phi95-phi5) - "Kurtosis": Kurtosis after Folk and Ward (1957): (phi95-phi5)/2.44(phi75-phi25) - "GSF_micrometer": content of sand fractions (half phi° intervals) [%], 63 to 2000 micrometers - "PredominantSandFractions": spatial distribution of sediment fractions with a coontent 50 % / 20 % - 50 %

Various paramters for analysing morphodynamics in the German Bight on the basis of a 32 years time series aof interpolated bathymatries (yeasr 1982 - 2012). The data were generated within the framework of the German Coastal Engineering Research Council project AufMod (¿Aufbau integrierter Modellsysteme zur Analyse der langfristigen Morphodynamik in der Deutschen Bucht¿ [¿Development of integrated model systems for the analysis of long-term morphodynamics in the German Bight¿], 01.11.2009-31.12.2012). - "Morphological Alteration": differences in depth between two annual topographies for different periods (1, 5, 10, 30 years periods). - "Morphological Space": maximum difference in height at each model grid point (Zmax-Zmin) for different periods (1, 5, 10, 30 years) - "Morphological Drive": Difference between the maximum and the minimum annual rate of change in the period under consideration ((dz/a)max-( dz/a)min); 1, 5, 10, 30 years). With this parameter, it is possible to make a declaration as to whether a morphological alteration constantly takes place throughout the period under consideration or extreme results have occurred - "Count Of Datasets": amount of field campaigns present in the respective period under consideration - "Considerd Period": Time interval which is actually covered with data within the period under consideration [decimal years]

"Exploration in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, Baltic and Black Sea" refers to marine exploration of mineral accumulations, deposits, resources and reserves on the Atlantic. Mediterranean, Baltic and Black Sea seabed. The target for MINDeSEA WP 7 is (i) to create a new dataset on the distribution of the explored areas for submarine mineral resources in Europe; (ii) to propose recommendations for new unexplored areas; and (iii) to recommend pilot areas with high potential of discovering new submarine mineral resource mineral accumulations

In many places, marine phosphorites are accompanied by Fe-Mn crust mineralisations on the seafloor of continental shelves and slopes along the western continental margins of the Atlantic Ocean. They tend to occur in waters of medium depth. Some thick Fe-Mn crusts also contain carbonate fluorapatite, which was incorporated into the crusts during specific periods prior to middle Miocene during main Cenozoic episodes of phosphatization. These deposits are related to strong upwelling along the continental margins and seamounts. Marine phosphorites are known to concentrate rare earth elements and yttrium (REY) during early diagenetic formation. Although there are several references to ferromanganese crusts and their association with phosphorites in the literature, the genetic models for explaining their relationship and metal concentration are still poorly understood.

Marine placer deposits have received much attention during marine exploration. They comprise detrital heavy metallic minerals and gemstones, eroded from, usually igneous, source rocks on land and transported to sea, mostly by rivers. Thereby placer deposits are concentrated by water motions (waves, tides, currents). The most important of these minerals, from an economical aspect, are: cassiterite (tin), ilmenite and rutile (titanium), zircon (zirconium), chromite (chromium), monazite (thorium), magnetite (iron), gold; the principle gemstone is diamond (Harben & Bates 1990). According to Daesslé and Fischer (2013) about 75% of the world’s tin, 11% of gold, and 13% of platinum are extracted from placers (Baker et al. 2014). Marine placer occurrences can be classified taking into account various factors.

DTM of the German Bight (yearly, 1982 - 2012). Classified isosurfaces of spatiotemporally interpolated bathymetries from the years 1982 to 2012, with two parameters for the purposes of reliability: Confidence and Minimum dt. The parameter Confidence [m] indicates the reliability of the modelled bathymetry. Data were generated within the framework of the German Coastal Engineering Research Council project AufMod (¿Aufbau integrierter Modellsysteme zur Analyse der langfristigen Morphodynamik in der Deutschen Bucht¿ [¿Development of integrated model systems for the analysis of long-term morphodynamics in the German Bight¿], 01.11.2009-31.12.2012).

Marine ferromanganese crust deposits are potential mineral resources that contain base metals and strategic and critical elements such as cooper (Cu), cobalt (Co), vanadium (V), nickel (Ni), titanium (Ti), platinum group elements (PGEs) or rare earth elements (REEs). Traditionally, marine precipitates are defined as: a) purely hydrogenetic when all constituents are derived from cold seawater, (b) diagenetic, when all constituents are derived from cold sediment pore water; and (c) hydrothermal when precipitation occurs in the vicinity of hydrothermal vent sites from fluids with temperatures higher than ambient bottom waters. Hydrogenetic Fe-Mn crusts occur throughout the global ocean on seamounts, ridges and plateaus, where currents have kept the rocks free of sediment for millions of years. Some ferromanganese (Fe-Mn) crusts exhibit a mixed origin, primarily either hydrothermal-hydrogenetic or hydrogenetic-diagenetic (Hein et al., 2000; 2003; 2013; Muiños et al. 2013; Bau et al., 2014; Marino et al., 2017). In many places, marine phosphorites are accompanied by Fe-Mn crust mineralisations on the seafloor of continental shelves and slopes along the western continental margins of the Atlantic Ocean. Some thick Fe-Mn crusts also contain carbonate fluorapatite, which was incorporated into the crusts during specific periods prior to middle Miocene during main Cenozoic episodes of phosphatization. These deposits are related to strong upwelling along the continental margins and seamounts. Marine phosphorites are known to concentrate rare earth elements and yttrium (REY) during early diagenetic formation (Hein et al., 1993; 2016; González et al., 2016). Although there are several references to ferromanganese crusts and their association with phosphorites in the literature, the genetic models for explaining their relationship and metal concentration are still poorly understood.

Polymetallic nodules occur in abyssal plains (~4000 – 6000 mm water depth) of all major oceans as two-dimensional deposits, formed on or just below sediment-covered seafloor, rich in metals of economic interest such as manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), cobalt (Co), molybdenum (Mo), titanium (Ti), lithium (Li), and rare earth elements (REE). The nodules are generated in marine environments where the sedimentation rates are low, commonly less than 10 centimeters (cm) per thousand years. The nodules consist of micro-layers of Mn oxides and Fe oxy-hydroxides concentrically precipitated around a nucleus. Nodules are generally about golf ball sized, most commonly 1–12 cm in diameter, but can vary in diameter from millimeter-size (micronodules) to as large as 20 cm. The polymetallic nodules are formed by metals precipitation either from ambient seawater (hydrogenetic formation), from pore-waters in the sediments (diagenetic formation), from hydrothermal derived fluids (Bonatti and Nayudu, 1965; Bau et al., 2014; Kuhn et al., 2017) and the formation processes that represent a mix of these different end-member processes. The formation mechanisms control the general chemical composition of the nodules, e.g. the hydrogenetic precipitation leads to an enrichment of Co and REE while the diagenetic precipitation favours enrichment of Ni and Cu. Hydrogenetic nodules grow remarkably slow (1 to 5 mm per million years), whereas diagenetic nodules grow at rates up to 250 mm per million years.

Seafloor massive sulphides (SMS) are modern equivalents of on-shore (ancient) volcanogenic massive sulphides (VMS) which have constituted important mining targets through history in many regions of Europe. VMS deposits are generally stratiform accumulations of sulphides formed at or just beneath the seafloor as a result of volcano-magmatic activity. The sulphides are precipitated from hot hydrothermal solutions when they come in contact with cold seawater. Deposits of this type that form today are known as seafloor massive sulphides, and the associated sulphurous plumes are called black and white smokers. Data from ancient VMS deposits are essential for the present-day understanding of the formation, structure and composition of SMS deposits. VMS deposits are among the most important deposit types for a number of commodities, including copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), silver (Ag) and gold (Au). In addition, they may contain economic grades of cobalt (Co), tin (Sn), barium (Ba), sulphur (S), selenium (Se), indium (In), bismuth (Bi), tellurium (Te), gallium (Ga) and germanium (Ge). Several of these minor constituents are considered critical raw materials by the EU. The modern equivalents are found on the ocean floor, along present-day spreading ridges and volcanic centres, and are the target of steadily increasing attention as a possible source for both base, precious and special metals.

Spatial distribution of occurrences of Phosphor in European land and sea and respective genetic types.