
The LandSeaLot Observer – Issue 1 – September 2024

ISSUE 1 – SEPTEMBER 2024
The Horizon Europe “LandSeaLot” project seeks to integrate, scale-up and enhance existing observation efforts, conducted by satellites or in-situ, including by citizen scientists, together with numerical simulations, to better study the land-sea interface area, where terrestrial and marine habitats meet.
A Welcome Note

Let’s Observe Together!
Thank you for your interest in LandSeaLot and for joining us for the publication of our first newsletter.
What can I say about LandSeaLot? Twenty partners, three Research Infrastructures and an impressive team of diverse expertise across land-sea observation communities and scientific domains including earth observation, in situ and citizen science. We have three significant Community Fora, seven work packages and nine Integration labs to pilot and test our proposed actions addressing societal challenges—that’s a solid foundation to build an ambitious frame around our credo: Let’s Observe Together. The key thing about LandSeaLot is bringing together fragmented observing communities—bringing together people, bringing together disciplines, expertise and experience, and bringing together citizen scientist groups—from all around Europe, because we all need to team up to do a better job in observing the land sea interface. We need to co-create a common observation strategy to improve our understanding and knowledge of these critical areas in support of science-based decision making and policy. But we know we cannot do this on our own. The success of LandSeaLot very much depends on a broad range of stakeholders across different communities – including citizen scientists – engaging in the co-creation process. This is the best guarantee that the end-products of LandSeaLot will not be regarded as a product of our own consortium and scientists, but hopefully endorsed and widely used by the broader community converging at the land-sea interface, from the local stakeholders who engage in our LILs, to national, to European and beyond.
And we are off to a good start. In this newsletter, we bring you summaries of activities that have taken place since the LandSeaLot kick-off in March of this year.
So, Let’s Read Together!
Jos Brils, LandSeaLot Project Coordinator
Deltares


LandSeaLot: The Enthusiastic Inauguration
The official Kick-Off of the LandSeaLot project was a spirited three day event held at the research headquarters of Deltares in Delft, NL, the 26-28 of March, 2024.

With an opening address by Annemieke Nijhof the General Director of Deltares, and a chorus of “Let’s Observe Together” calls, team members from LandSeaLot’s 20 partner consortium and representatives from DANUBIUS, JERICO and ICOS research infrastructures, gathered around the figurative roundtable to celebrate the launch of this important project, share domain expertise, present work package plans and discuss, together, the opportunities and challenges of meeting the LandSeaLot objectives. The hybrid event also included presentations and supportive messages from key stakeholders including Coast Predict, ESA, EATiP, EUROGOOS, EUSO, EDITO, GEOAquaWatch, OSPAR/HELCOM, GEO, WWF, and representatives from DG-MARE & DG-R&I.
A tour of Deltares state-of-the-art facility showcased the integration of observation, data collection, and modelling to tackle societal challenges and in a practical demonstration, we tested an array of cost-effective CTDs (conductivity, temperature, and depth) sensors, and water colour sensors in the Deltares pond, highlighting their potential for citizen science engagement.
Long-term collaborators among the consortium partners quickly welcomed and integrated an array of enthusiastic newbies to create the foundation for a new community of scientific excellence around LandSeaLot, an inclusive one that will work toward achieving the ultimate project goal of establishing a common observation strategy for the land-sea interface area to improve the delivery of knowledge and data in support of addressing significant societal challenges.
In the spirit of togetherness, we are sharing the presentation slide decks from the Kick-Off. Access them here to learn more about the project, its domains, partners and stakeholders.

The land-sea interface is a complex system impacted by constant change. This section of the newsletters will feature updates and information about project activities whether they are set in the changing water of European rivers and seas, the shifting elements of sediment and sand, the hard terrain of coastal land, or coming from satellites overhead. There will never be a dull moment in this dynamic quest to better understand the land-sea interface area, and we will be happy to share stories coming from our Community Fora, Integration Labs, Partners and Work Packages.
Co-Creating Roadmaps for Success
At the LandSeaLot Integration Labs

Europe has a vast array of rivers, coastlines and seas hosting diverse ecosystems and facing various societal challenges. So how will LandSeaLot ensure that the Common Observation Strategy it is developing is fit-for-purpose? This will be achieved via consultation with key communities via LandSeaLot Fora, as well as via LandSeaLot’s Nine Integration Labs, dynamic testing sites for developing and refining our Common Observation Strategy across land-sea interface areas in Europe. These novel sites will serve as centres to test new methods and technologies, following a community-based approach to a fit-for-purpose observation of river mouths, estuaries and deltas and they will pilot actions that will address pollution, carbon fluxes and stocks, and/or enable the prediction and adaptation to climate change threats in different regions.
Throughout this first phase of the project, our team has been holding meetings with key stakeholders in their respective regions to devise a roadmap for collaboration. For a summary of the events that have taken place read more.

LandSeaLot Colleagues attending the PO Delta and Seine Estuary Workshops
Empowering Citizens in LandSeaLot
Citizen science, which involves public participation in scientific research and knowledge production, is gaining world-wide recognition as a valuable approach in advancing the scope of scientific research. LandSeaLot is embracing this growing phenomenon through its Citizen Empowerment Forum, which aims to engage citizen scientists to share experience, promote interests and practices, and citizen science groups will be engaged for observation activities featuring low-cost sensors. Our colleague Melanie Symes (TransEurope Marinas) has written an insightful article on why water sports enthusiasts make a good fit for marine citizen science observation and how LandSeaLot has already started engaging with local oyster farmers in Portugal, leveraging their interest in sea level to help deploy sensors on fixed structures.
Check out the article here and see how the story spread via the newsletter of savvy navvy, a boat navigation application developer.
Cost-Effective Marine Technology Call
LandSeaLot launched a call this summer for technology submissions; the project is investing €250,000 in cost-effective marine technologies to enhance ocean observation, management, and decision-making solutions. We look forward to updating you on the results of the next issue of The LandSeaLot Observer, coming in December.


Let’s discuss what inspires LandSeaLot team members to build and strengthen communities observing across the land-sea interface. Throughout the project’s lifespan, we’ll put a spotlight on our team members, sharing their stories through interviews, narratives and videos.

Meet Jos Brils
For our first LandSeaLot blog publication, we asked Jos to step into the Spotlight for a friendly Q&A about the LandSeaLot project and his passion for sediment.

Event wrap up (March-August 2024)
With our signature call “Let’s Observe Together”, many of our team members have led a spirited charge to share the LandSeaLot story and objectives at events across Europe, since the project kicked-off in March. Check out the following scroll to see where the LandSeaLot wave has made a mighty splash.

Doors Black Sea Stakeholder Conference (23-24 April 2024)
LandSeaLot’s perfect debut was made at the first DOORS Black Sea Stakeholder Conference in Bucharest in the capable hands of Jos Brils (Deltares) and Irina Stanciu (GeoEcoMar) who introduced the project and its concepts and objectives to an interested audience. The event provided a platform for discussions on challenges and prospects within sustainable blue economy sectors in the Black Sea region, the evolution of the Digital Twin Ocean, and bridging the gap between science and policy. For more information about the DOORS project, visit the website.

Science is Wonderful (25-26 April 2024)
Early career scientists were receptive to learning about LandSeaLot’s objective of fostering collaboration within scientific communities when Maria Angel (Seascape Belgium) shared the LandSeaLot story while visiting the Science Is Wonderful event in Brussels. Part of the initiative of the European Union’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), the reference programme for doctoral education and postdoctoral training aims to bridge this research with schools across the European Union.

European Maritime Days (EMD) (30-31 May 2024)
Melanie Symes (TransEurope Marinas) introduced the citizen science concept of the LandSeaLot project to interested stakeholders during EMD, organised by the European Commission at SIMAC – Svendborg International Maritime Academy in Denmark. Also, present to discuss the project was Francisco Javier Campuzano (+ATLANTIC), who is leading the Tagus and Sado estuaries System (TSS) LandSeaLot Integration Lab.

Science and Technical Workshop of the Digital Ocean Forum (13 June 2024)
LandSeaLot’s focus on improving data interoperability will ensure smooth data flows to the European Digital Twin Ocean, so it was great that Evangelos Spyrakos (University of Stirling) was at the DOF24 in Brussels to wave the LandSeaLot flag.

AMEMR Symposium (8-11 July 2024)
Anouk Blauw (Deltares) presented her research on the “Quantification of Carbon Fluxes along a Gradient from the Wadden Sea Lagoon to the North Sea and Atlantic Ocean”. AMEMR (Advances in Marine Ecosystem Modelling Research) fosters interdisciplinary discussions among stakeholders aiming to advance marine ecosystem models and was an ideal place to discuss LandSeaLot’s aims.

PECS – Physics of Estuaries and Coastal Seas (23-27 September 2024)
The conference’s focus on the results of field and laboratory measurements, and theoretical and numerical analysis of estuaries and coastal seas was a good fit for LandSeaLot. Romaric Verney (Ifremer) raised awareness for the project with a presentation in Bordeaux, France.

We may be moving into autumn, cooler temperatures and greying skies here in Europe but for LandSeaLot, there’s a clear view of exciting and relevant events over the next few months, stretching beyond winter and well into 2025.

Of Key Significance
The LandSeaLot Integration Week, which will take place from 20-24 January, 2025 in scenic Lisbon, Portugal, home of our partner +ATLANTIC.
Achieving the goals of the LandSeaLot project relies on embracing the diversity of stakeholders interacting in the land-sea interface area, and the complexity of delivering to different needs and expectations. Embodying our motto: Let’s Observe Together, this monumental event is gathering the LandSeaLot Consortium, representatives of the LandSeaLot Co-designer and Citizen Science Fora, and key stakeholders from the Research Infrastructure community to jointly develop a collective vision for LandSeaLot.
The program includes a field visit to the Tagus & Sado Estuary, workshops among the Fora, the First Annual Meeting and General Assemble and much more.
Stay tuned for updates in the next issue of The LandSeaLot Observer, due in December, follow us on social media, and keep up with evolving details via the dedicated event page on the website.
Nearer and Farther Points on the LandSeaLot Radar include:
12th FerryBox workshop
1-2 October 2024 – Helsinki, Finland
LandSeaLot partner Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) is organising this event, along with the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI): Registration is closed at this time; see the the program here.
EUMETSAT user days
5-6 November 2024 – Lisbon, Portugal
The event will bring together data users from across the marine user community. It will feature use cases, networking sessions and workshops. Registration closes 10 October.
COP 29
11-22 November 2024 – Baku, Azerbaijan and Virtual
This year’s COP aims to limit global warming to 1.5°C, emphasising the urgent need for investment in climate action. The Virtual Ocean Pavilion offers free webinars exploring a variety of themes including Sustainable Ocean Resources, Ocean Life and Biology, the Changing Ocean, Blue Economy and Resilience. The program (currently evolving) can be found here: Ocean Pavilion.
French EVOLECO workshop
20-22 November 2024 – Brest, France
A workshop focussing on the long term evolution of coastal systems.
ESA Living Planer Symposium 2025
23-27 June 2025 – Vienna, Austria
Satellites are a crucial component of the LandSeaLot Common Observation Strategy, so mark your calendars for a program of relevant sessions and to visit LandSeaLot partner Brockmann Consult at their stand. Read more.

Just as we sometimes find little treasures in the sand, this section will host the occasional bonus.
For our first issue, we bring you the results of our Photo Caption Contest held on social media:

When the farm sends the elite observation team
to study the land-sea interface!
The winning witty caption is by Irina Stanciu.
Thank you for reading our first newsletter. If you have any comments of suggestion, please contact us at hello @landsealot.eu
If you have enjoyed learning about the LandSeaLot project and its partners, please help us spread the word and share the subscription link with your networks.
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