North Sea Environment Portal brings together 40 years of data

Researchers have gained new insights into the Danish marine environment following the launch of the North Sea Environment Portal one year ago. Operated by DHI, the portal provides access to decades of environmental data and is already being used in new analyses of seabed conditions, biodiversity and climate impacts.

 

2,500. That is how many times the North Sea Environment Portal has been visited by researchers from, among others, GEUS and DTU, as well as other users from around the world during the portal’s first year.

Geologist and palaeontologist Bodil Wesenberg Lauridsen from the research and advisory institution GEUS (The Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland) is among the researchers who, together with her research group, uses the portal in a major research project on faunal variations before, during and after oil and gas production in the North Sea.

‘The biological platform data give us completely unique access to developments on the seabed. We can now compare historical geological data going back 10,000 years with data from the past 30 years and see how selected species respond to both natural conditions and impacts from oil and gas activities. That has not been possible before,’ she says.

The portal was launched one year ago by DHI together with TotalEnergies, operator of the Danish Underground Consortium. Since then, it has become a standard tool for researchers, authorities and consultants working with the North Sea marine environment. New datasets are added on an ongoing basis. For example, datasets for 2024 have just been added.

Making key marine environmental data available

DHI develops and operates the portal and has contributed large parts of the data foundation through many years of measurements in the North Sea. The task today is to make this knowledge accessible and usable for everyone working with the marine environment and offshore development.

‘We have monitored environmental conditions in the North Sea for more than 40 years. Together with TotalEnergies, the portal allows us to make these extensive measurements usable for everyone working with the marine environment. The historical data have enormous value, and they gain new life through the portal as a foundation for decision-making today,’ says Mikael Kamp Sørensen, Executive Vice President of Energy & Water Resources at DHI.

The long data series also make it possible to link biological and geological data and place observations within a much longer time horizon. This opens up new perspectives for climate impact research.

A stronger foundation for decision-making in a time with major expansion

The North Sea is facing significant expansion of offshore wind and CCS, while oil and gas installations are being decommissioned. This increases the need for robust data on environmental status, variation and impacts over time.

‘Climate change is happening faster in the North Sea than in many other places because the sea is relatively shallow. With the portal, we can shed light on how biological and chemical processes have developed and what we can expect in the future,’ says Bodil Wesenberg Lauridsen.

It is TotalEnergies that has chosen to make the large volume of historical offshore data publicly available, data that DHI has helped collect over several decades.

‘As energy infrastructure in the North Sea develops, it is crucial to have a solid scientific visible foundation. By continuously sharing our historical environmental data, we help ensure that researchers and authorities can make the best possible decisions about the marine environment and future projects. That is why it is also encouraging to see so many users already making use of the portal,’ says Ole Hansen, Managing Director of TotalEnergies EP Denmark.

A time-saving shortcut to data previously hidden in reports

Previously, working with many of the older datasets required extensive manual searching. Today, users can retrieve marine environmental data in seconds. In this way, the North Sea Environment Portal makes it easier to address questions such as how fauna changes before, during and after oil and gas production, where stressed and altered environments emerge and whether platforms form artificial reefs and new habitats.

Data change the understanding of a mussel family

The GEUS research group is, among other things, studying a family of mussels, Thyasiridae, which thrives when the environment becomes oxygen-depleted, for example if there is more organic material or methane in the sediment than organisms can break down.

‘When Thyasiridae are present, it is a sign of a shift in the environment. With the historical data, we can see that they respond very strongly to methane emissions and that they were part of the North Sea ecosystem long before the platforms were established. This changes our understanding of what is caused by human activity,’ explains Bodil Wesenberg Lauridsen.