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Community Survey on Mediterranean Biogeochemical Data Products: Status, Readiness, and Priorities

Are you working on ocean observations in the Mediterranean Sea, and do you use biogeochemical data products? Then we invite you to take about 15 to 20 minutes to complete this survey and share you perspective.

This survey supports Deliverable D4.2 of the BioGeoSea project. The objective of Deliverable D4.2 is to assess existing Mediterranean biogeochemical (BGC) data products covering dissolved oxygen, nutrients, inorganic carbon/carbonate system variables, and nitrous oxide/methane. 


Your responses will help us map the current state of data products, identify gaps, and outline community needs and priorities. Survey results may be summarized and reported in aggregate form within Deliverable D4.2.


Estimated time to complete: ~15-20 minutes

Survey deadline: 1 July 2026

Contact for questions: [email protected]
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GDPR Statement

The information you provide will be used for research purposes within the BioGeoSea project. The results will contribute to project reports and may be used in scientific publications or conference presentations. Your personal information will remain confidential and will not be published in identifiable form. Participation is voluntary, and you may withdraw from the survey at any time. All personal data will be stored securely on institutional servers and will only be accessible to authorized project staff. Data will be retained for the duration of the project and up to five years after its completion in accordance with good scientific practice.

[Checkboxes]
I acknowledge and accept the terms above.
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Section 1.
1. Please enter your email
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2. Institution / Country

Short answer
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3. Main role in relation to Mediterranean BGC data products

[Checkboxes]
Data producer
Product developer
Data manager
Research user
Modeller / forecasting user
Indicator / assessment user
Other
Please specify:
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4. Main field(s) of expertise

[Checkboxes]
Carbon cycle / ocean acidification
Oxygen / deoxygenation
Nutrients / eutrophication
Greenhouse gases / N2O
Observing systems
Data management / infrastructures
Modelling / reanalysis / forecasting
Indicators / assessments / policy support
Other
Please specify:
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Section 2. General view of the Mediterranean BGC data products

What do we mean by “data products”?

In this survey, data products refers broadly to any organised, documented dataset or derived output relevant to ocean biogeochemistry, including:
- Observational compilations: quality-controlled collections of cruise, time-series, or autonomous platform measurements
(e.g., WOD, SOCAT, GLODAPv2, CARIMED)
- Observation-derived products: spatially or temporally interpolated fields based on observations
(e.g., WOA, Climatologies)
- Model and reanalysis products: outputs from biogeochemical models, hindcasts, reanalyses, or projections (e.g. Med-BFM)

5. Which Mediterranean region(s) do you mainly work on?

[Checkboxes]
Western Mediterranean
Central Mediterranean
Eastern Mediterranean
Adriatic Sea
Aegean Sea
Levantine Basin
Strait of Gibraltar / Alboran Sea
Southern Mediterranean
Whole Mediterranean
Coastal systems
Open sea
Other
Please specify:
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6. Are you familiar with Mediterranean BGC data products?

Yes, very familiar
Yes, moderately familiar
Only partially
No

7. Which BGC data products relevant to the Mediterranean Sea are you familiar with or have used, including both regional or global products that include a Mediterranean subset?
Please list any product names you know.

8. In your view, how fragmented are current Mediterranean BGC data products across institutions, variables, and regions?

1 (not fragmented at all)
5 (highly fragmented)
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9. Which of the following best describes the current situation?[Checkboxes]
Products are fragmented by variable
Products are fragmented by institution or national archive
Products use different QC procedures
Products are difficult to access
Products are not regularly updated
Products are not well suited for indicator generation
Southern Mediterranean coverage is particularly weak
The situation has improved in recent years
Other
Please specify:

10. Which types of products do you use most often?

[Checkboxes]
Cruise and discrete-sample compilations
Time-series and observatory products
Surface gridded or gap-filled products
Interior gridded or gap-filled products
Multi-product syntheses or comparative analyses
Model or hybrid products 
National, institutional, or project-specific databases/portals
I do not currently use Mediterranean BGC products
Other
Please specify:

Section 3. Product usability & readiness

11. For which purposes do you use BGC products relevant to the Mediterranean Sea?

[Checkboxes]
Scientific research
Model validation / benchmarking
Indicator development
Environmental assessment 
Operatioanl oceanography
Process studies
Climatological analysis / trend detection
Teaching / outreach
Project-specific analysis 
Other: 
please specify

12. How would you rate the overall accessibility and usability of these products?

1 (very difficult to find/access)
5 (very easy to find/access)

13. How would you rate the clarity and completness of their documentation and metadata?

1 (very poor)
5 (very good)

14. How would you rate the transparency of the quality control procedures used in Mediterranean BGC data products?

1 (very poor)
5 (very good)

15. In your opinion, do current Mediterranean BGC data products have a clear and sustainable update pathway?

Yes, data products are regularly updated with a clear pipeline
Partly, some data products are updated but inconsistently
No, most are static one-off releases with no clear future updates
Other
Please specify:

16. In your view, do current Mediterranean BGC data products adequately follow FAIR data principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable)?

Yes, for most products
Partially
No
Other
Please specify:

17. How important are the following limitations for Mediterranean BGC data products?

1 (Not important)2345 (Very important)
Fragmentation across institutions and variables
Fragmentation across institutions and variables
Different or inconsistent QC procedures
Different or inconsistent QC procedures
Incomplete or unclear metadata
Incomplete or unclear metadata
Limited uncertainty information
Limited uncertainty information
Lack of regular updates / static one-off releases
Lack of regular updates / static one-off releases
Poor southern Mediterranean coverage
Poor southern Mediterranean coverage
Weak eastern Mediterranean coverage
Weak eastern Mediterranean coverage
Coastal/open-sea disconnect
Coastal/open-sea disconnect
Lack of cross-variable consistency
Lack of cross-variable consistency
Lack of indicator-oriented products
Lack of indicator-oriented products

Section 4. Indicator relevance

18. In your view, how well do current Mediterranean BGC data products support indicator development?

1 (not at all)
5 (very well)
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19. Which indicator families are currently best supported by available products?[Checkboxes]
Deoxygenation indicators
Ocean acidification indicators
Carbon storage / anthropogenic carbon indicators
Eutrophication / nutrient indicators
Greenhouse gas flux indicators
Habitat stress / ecosystem stress indicators
None are adequately supported
Other
Please specify:
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20. Which factors most limit indicator generation from current data products?

[Checkboxes]
Missing variables
Insufficient temporal resolution
Insufficient time span
Insufficient spatial coverage
Poor vertical coverage
Weak uncertainty characterization
Inconsistent QC
Lack of cross-variable integration
Lack of regularly updated products
Lack of agreed indicator methodology
Other
Please specify:
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21. Select up to 3 criteria that are most important for assessing indicator readiness of a data product.

[Please select 1-3 items]
Variable completeness
Spatial coverage and Temporal continuity
Vertical coverage
QC robustness
Uncertainty characterization
Ease of access / FAIR compliance
Regular updates
Cross-variable consistency
Suitability for repeated reporting cycles
Other
Please specify:

Section 5. EOV-specific assessment


The subsections below cover four variables (5A–5D). Please skip subsections not relevant to your expertise.



5A. Dissolved oxygen

22. How would you rate the overall maturity of current Mediterranean oxygen data products?

1 (very immature)
5 (highly mature)

23. In your view, what are the main strengths of current Mediterranean oxygen data products?

[Checkboxes]
Good historical ship-based coverage
Existing regional compilations
Strong relevance for trends and indicators
Good QC practices
Increasing support from BGC-Argo data
Good suitability for model evaluation
Other
Please specify:

24. In your view, what are the main weaknesses of current Mediterranena oxygen data products?

[Checkboxes]
Uneven subregional coverage
Weak southern Mediterranean coverage
Weak eastern Mediterranean coverage
Inconsistent QC thresholds across data products
Limited operational update pathway
Limited cross-platform integration
Weak coastal continuity
Insufficient recent data
Other
Please specify:

25. In your view, are current Mediterranean oxygen data products sufficient to support deoxygenation assessment?

Yes
Partly
No
Other
Please specify:

5B. Nutrients

26. How would you rate the overall maturity of current Mediterranean nutrient data products?
1 (very immature)
5 (highly mature)
27. In your view, what are the main strengths of current Mediterranean nutrient data products?[Checkboxes]
Existing regional climatologies
Good historical ship-based data availability
Relevance for eutrophication assessment
Good potential for assimilation into biogeochemical models
Other
Please specify:

28. In your view, what are the main weaknesses of current Mediterranean nutrient data products?

[Checkboxes]
Sparse observations overall
Interlaboratory inconsistency
Weak QC comparability across datasets
Insufficient recent data
Decline in nutrient observing capacity
Limited coastal/offshore continuity
Limited basin-wide synthesis
Other
Please specify:

29. In your view, are current Mediterranean nutrient data products sufficient to support eutrophication-related assessment and indicators?

Yes
Partly
No
Other
Please specify:

5C. Inorganic Carbon / carbonate system

30. How would you rate the overall maturity of current Mediterranean inorganic carbon and carbonate system data products?

1 (very immature)
5 (highly mature)

31. In your view, what are the main strengths of current Mediterranean inorganic carbon and carbonate system data products?

[Checkboxes]
Stronger harmonization efforts than for other variables
Good relevance for acidification assessment
Good relevance for anthropogenic carbon inventory
Good linkage to global QC frameworks
Comprehensive historical compilations
Good surface pCO2 coverage through SOCAT
Other
Please specify:

32. In your view, what are the main weaknesses of current Mediterranean inorganic carbon and carbonate system data products?

[Checkboxes]
Limited recent updates
Weak coastal inclusion
Surface/interior disconnect
Incomplete subregional coverage
Limited long-term sustainability
Lack of regularly updated living products
Other
Please specify:

33. In your view, are current Mediterranean inorganic carbon and carbonate system data products sufficient to support ocean acidification assessment in the Mediterranean Sea?

Yes
Partly
No
Other
Please specify:

5D. Nitrous oxide/Methane

34. How would you rate the overall maturity of current Mediterranean N₂O and CH₄ data products?

1 (very immature)
5 (highly mature)

36. In your view, what are the top priorities for Mediterranean N₂O and CH₄ data product development?

Mature and regularly updated synthesis products exist
Some partial regional products exist but no comprehensive synthesis
Only scattered measurements exist, with no synthesis product
Essentially no Mediterranean N2O data are accessible
Other
Please specify:

36. What are the top priorities for Mediterranean N2O/CH4 data product development?

[Checkboxes]
Data rescue
Regional compilation with harmonized QC
Better coastal/open-sea coverage
More open-ocean deep-water observations
More sustained time-series
Better linkage to indicators and global products
Other
Please specify:

37. In your view, are current Mediterranean N₂O and CH₄ data products sufficient to support greenhouse gas flux assessment in the Mediterranean Sea

Yes
Partly
No
Other
Please specify:
Section 6. Regional, governance, and infrastructure gaps
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38. Which Mediterranean areas are currently most underrepresented in BGC data products?

[Please select 1-3 items]
Alboran Sea / Strait of Gibraltar
Western Mediterranean open sea
Adriatic Sea
Ionian Sea
Aegean Sea
Levantine Basin
Southern Mediterranean coastal areas
Southern Mediterranean open sea
Eastern Mediterranean more broadly
Coastal lagoons / nearshore systems
Deep-basin waters
Winter conditions / seasonal extremes
None of the above

39. For which variable domain is the eastern and southern Mediterranean gap most critical?

Dissolved oxygen
Nutrients
Inorganic Carbon / carbonate system
Nitrous oxide/ Methane
All variables equally
Other
Please specify:
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40. In your view, are there critical temporal gaps in current Mediterranean BGC data products?

Yes, recent years are poorly covered
Yes, early historical periods are insufficiently represented
Yes, both
No, temporal coverage is adequate
Other
Please specify:
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41. Are you aware of Mediterranean BGC datasets held in local or national archives that are not yet publicly accessible or not yet quality-controlled?

Yes, significant unpublished or inaccessible data exist
No
if yes, please specify:
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42. In your view, what is the main barrier to better Mediterranean BGC synthesis?

[Please select 1-2 items]
Funding for synthesis activities
Lack of coordination between institutions
Data sharing agreements / restricted access
Technical capacity for QC, standards, and infrastructure
Absence of a lead institution or coordinating body
Delayed data submission from national programmes
Other
Please specify:
Section 7. Additional data products, initiatives, and priorities

43. Please provide any BGC data products, data synthesis products, databases, or observing initiatives relevant to the Mediterranean Sea that should be included in the D4.2 inventory. Please include the product or initiative name and, if possible, a link or reference.
Long answer: If possible, include name, variables covered, institution/group, access link, QC status, and update plans.

44. Would you be willing to be contacted for follow-up information on the product or initiative listed above?

Yes
No

45. If yes, please provide your preferred contact email for follow-up on the product/initiative described in Q43 (if different from Q1)

Short answer, Optional

46. In your view, what are the top priorities for improving Mediterranean BGC data products?

Open text: Please list up to 3 priorities.
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