The objective of the DiMe project was to improve the characterisation of extreme sea states with breaking waves by combining observations and modelling.

The gyre index constructed here from satellite altimetry is related to core aspects of the North Atlantic subpolar gyre, meridional overturning circulation, hydrographic properties in the Atlantic inflows toward the Arctic, and in marine ecosystems in the northeast Atlantic Ocean. The data series spans the period January 1993 to September 2018. Data description: Monthly gyre index from January 1993 until September 2018. The data is provided in one comma separated value (csv) file with the following entries on each row: year, month, index value. The index is normalized, i.e. it has a zero mean and unit standard deviation. Positive (negative) gyre index reflects stronger (weaker) than average surface circulation of the North Atlantic subpolar gyre.

Climate variability in the Norwegian Sea was investigated in terms of ocean heat and freshwater contents of Atlantic water above a reference surface, using hydrographic data during spring 1951–2010. The main processes acting on this variability were examined and then quantified. The area-averaged water mass cooled and freshened, but a deepening of the reference surface resulted in a positive trend in the heat content of 0.3 W m−2. Air-sea heat fluxes explained about half of the interannual variability in heat content. The effect of the advection of Atlantic and Arctic waters on the variability varied with time, apparently due to large-scale changes in the ocean circulation. The data are consistent with the explanation that changing wind patterns caused buffering and then release of Arctic water in the Iceland Sea during the late 1960s to early 1970s, and this caused large hydrographic changes in the Norwegian Sea.

This report presents the uncertainties and environmental impact dependencies on array changes. This document includes content about wave and tidal uncertainties as well as environmental issues related to array design

This report describes the methodology used to define the “validation scenarios”, accounting for the different potential use cases. Given the large number of permutations of tools, use cases, and the set of minimum validation requirements, the number of validation scenarios has been reduced to a number that can be run during the life of the DTOceanPlus project but that are sufficient to fully demonstrate the functionality of the DTOceanPlus suite of tools. The selection process, based on a successive approximation approach, has led to the cases that the potential users in the DTOceanPlus consortium have considered as the most relevant for the sector. In Section 4 of the document, the selected validation scenarios is described; the definition of these scenarios has been completed during the project to ensure that the most updated information is used.

The objectives of the DUNES project are on the one hand to understand the sedimentary and ecosystem dynamics of underwater dunes, and on the other hand to provide technology developers and industrialists in the ORE sector with complementary knowledge and approaches to work in environments with hydraulic dunes. The expected results are first of all to have a better knowledge of the physical processes and the natural functioning of hydraulic dunes, to create a free access GIS dedicated to dune fields and sandbanks, to characterize on a fine scale of the structure of food webs in dunes to understand the functioning of these particular systems, and finally to establish methodological recommendations regarding the evaluation of anthropogenic impacts on dune ecosystems.

The objective of the PHYSIC project was to develop hydrosedimentary modeling in areas of strong currents through measurement campaigns. PHYSIC made it possible to establish recommendations for the deployment of equipment for the acquisition of field data in areas of strong currents. Databases dealing with sediment transport in the Raz Blanchard have also been set up. They represent valuable tools for those involved in the tidal stream industry.

The objective of the ABIOP project was to develop biofouling characterisation and quantification methods to make the design and maintenance of ORE systems more reliable. ABIOP has identified the research needs that will enable better identification and management of the risks relating to the ORE components most sensitive to biofouling. Initial in situ measurements were also carried out to characterise biocolonisation in the Atlantic and Mediterranean from an engineering and environmental point of view. The necessary additional studies are being carried out within the framework of the ABIOP+ project.

The largest landings in this ecoregion are by Norway, the Russian Federation (Russia henceforth), Faroe Islands, and Iceland, mainly by pelagic fisheries. Other nations also have fisheries in the area. The number of fishing vessels is declining while the size of the remaining vessels is increasing. The annual catch in the ecoregion has varied between 700 000 tonnes to over 2 million tonnes. The pelagic fisheries, using purse seine and pelagic trawls, account for the largest catches by weight and target herring (her.27.1-24a514a), blue whiting (whb.27.1-91214), mackerel (mac.27.nea), and other pelagic species. The largest demersal fishery targets cod (cod.27.1-2), haddock (had.27.1-2), and saithe (pok.27.1-2) using bottom trawls, purse seine, Danish seine and gillnets, and to a lesser extent hook and line gear. Smaller fisheries target other gadoid species, Greenland halibut (ghl.27.1-2), and redfish. Landings of pelagic species within the ecoregion in the last decades have been variable. The demersal fisheries, dominated by cod, display less pronounced fluctuations than the pelagic fisheries. Information about discards is sparse, but the total weight of discards is considered low in both the pelagic and the demersal fisheries. Harp seals and minke whales are hunted in the region. Status summary of Norwegian Sea stocks relative to the ICES maximum sustainable yield (MSY) approach and precautionary approach (PA) is known for 50% of the 23 stocks assessed by ICES in this ecoregion. Only 22% of the stocks are fished below FMSY, accounting for nearly 13% of the total catch. 30% of the stocks have a biomass above MSY Btrigger, accounting for 86% of the total catch. Demersal stocks have shown a trend of declining fishing mortality since the mid-1990s, and the average F/FMSY ratio is now close to 1. The mean SSB/MSY Btrigger ratio of demersal stocks has been decreasing over the last decade, but mean SSB remains above MSY Btrigger. The average F/FMSY ratio for pelagic stocks has been decreasing since 2000 and is now close to 1. The mean SSB/MSY Btrigger ratio for pelagic species has shown a slight increase over the last two decades and is above 1. In addition to biomass removal, ecosystem effects of fisheries include abrasion, ghost fishing, and bycatch of protected, endangered, and threatened species.