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International audience; As we move towards shipboard-underway and automated systems for monitoring water quality and assessing ecological status, there is a need to evaluate how effective the existing monitoring systems are, and how we could improve them. Considering the existing limitations for processing numerous and complex data series generated from automated systems, and because of processes involved in phytoplankton blooms, this paper proposes a data-driven evaluation of an unsupervised classifier to optimize the way we track phytoplankton, including harmful algal blooms (HABs), and to identify the main associated hydrological conditions. We used in situ data from a portable flow-through automatic measuring system coupled with a multi-fixed-wavelength fluorometer implemented in the eastern English Channel during a bloom of Phaeocystis globosa (high biomass, non-toxic HAB species). This combination of technologies allowed high resolution online hydrographical and biological measurements, including spectral fluorescence as a means of quantifying phytoplankton biomass and simplifying the phytoplankton community structure inference. An unsupervised spectral clustering method was applied to this multi-parameter high-resolution time series, which allowed discrimination under near real-time of 6 to 33 contrasting water masses based on their abiotic and biotic characteristics. In addition, areas subject to extreme events such as HABs could be precisely identified, so controlling factors or their direct and indirect effects could be hierarchized. Considering the benefits and limitations of such a strategy, future applications of such methods will be important in the context of implementing the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.

Abstract. The Coastal Observing System for Northern and Arctic Seas (COSYNA) was established in order to better understand the complex interdisciplinary processes of northern seas and the Arctic coasts in a changing environment. Particular focus is given to the German Bight in the North Sea as a prime example of a heavily used coastal area, and Svalbard as an example of an Arctic coast that is under strong pressure due to global change.The COSYNA automated observing and modelling system is designed to monitor real-time conditions and provide short-term forecasts, data, and data products to help assess the impact of anthropogenically induced change. Observations are carried out by combining satellite and radar remote sensing with various in situ platforms. Novel sensors, instruments, and algorithms are developed to further improve the understanding of the interdisciplinary interactions between physics, biogeochemistry, and the ecology of coastal seas. New modelling and data assimilation techniques are used to integrate observations and models in a quasi-operational system providing descriptions and forecasts of key hydrographic variables. Data and data products are publicly available free of charge and in real time. They are used by multiple interest groups in science, agencies, politics, industry, and the public.

Direct spectral clustering framework was first proposed to extract general pattern events within multivariate time series. This study investigated the way to identify extreme events, i.e. short duration and/or particular events, with no assumption about their emission date, duration and/or shape. A Multilevel Spectral Clustering (Μ-SC) architecture is proposed and compared with state-of-the-art clustering methods from a simulated manually labeled time series. Due to these promising empirical results, this new deep architecture is applied on marine field data.

The JERICO-NEXT Trans National Access (TNA) activity is built on the successful experience of the previous FP7 JERICO project, G.A. 262584 (Sparnocchia et al., 2014, 2016). However, it will involve a greater number of observatories distributed, as before, in coastal and shelf seas all around Europe, including some dedicated to biological observation (see D7.1 for a detailed description). A limited number of supporting facilities (calibration and research laboratories) and one item of special equipment are also included in the TNA service catalogue. This document relates to WP8 - Outreach, communication and engagement, and in particular to Task 8.8: Implementing Transnational Access to coastal observatories. It describes the procedures adopted for providing TNA during the three planned Calls for proposals, one per year from May 2016 until 2018. These procedures are a review and update of those already used by JERICO. Updates of this report prior to the next Call are possible and will depend on new needs that may emerge while conducting the first Call.

The main message of the JERICO-NEXT data policy is that data produced within the project is free and unrestricted with no charge for third parties. The JERICO-NEXT Data Policy provides recommendations on ownership, to which data these recommendations are applied, DOI, data citation and the main recommendations on data sharing and dissemination principles.

The First JERICO General Assembly was organised in Heraklion on 1st & 2nd Oct. 2012. The coordinators took the opportunity of this important meeting, where most of partners were present, to organise other specific workshops and meetings plus individual WP meetings. Indeed, partners met in an informal way in short parallel WP meetings on Monday morning to prepare for the General Assembly discussions and to coordinate WP activities. In the afternoon of 1st Oct., a dedicated meeting officially gathered the TNA (Trans National Access) selection panel to debrief and conclude after the first TNA call and selection process. Up until the meeting date, 6 proposals have been given the green light and needed to be definitively validated to start. In addition, 3 proposals were still on post-evaluation and the panel had to conclude these post-evaluations. A minute of the TNA selection panel meeting, including final decisions, is provided in this report (see section 4). The General Assembly started on Monday afternoon and finished Tuesday evening. This is reported in section 5. Then a Steering committee meeting concluded the General Assembly and is reported in a dedicated document. Considering the need to anticipate the strategy for the future of coastal observatories, one of the main JERICO final objectives (deliverable D1.11), the coordinator decided to initiate discussions on the related topic by organising a dedicated workshop on Wednesday. Discussions and conclusions are reported in a dedicated report. To carry on WP3 and WP4 activities and to improve cross exchanges between both WPs, a workshop on Best Practices was organised on Thursday and Friday. Outcomes of the workshop are reported in section 6. A synthesis of discussions is reported in the document.

Coastal systems are of the most productive ones although they are the most impacted by direct pressures from human activities. These ecosystems exhibit a high level of complexity with many different and interconnected processes operating at various spatial and temporal scales and providing a range of ecosystem services. Coastal observations are tremendous importance in order to understand those complex marine processes. Moreover, they support the use and further development of coastal ocean numericalmodels, including physicalmodels and coupled physical-biogeochemical models. Coastal data have also many applications in the domain of coastal engineering such as for instance in the design of a coastal structure, or in the prevention of extreme events (e.g. flooding). As a consequence, the number of marine observing systems has quickly increased around European coastal seas, under the pressure of both monitoring requirements and marine research. Present demands for such observing systems include reliable, high-quality and comprehensive observations of key environmental parameters, automated platforms and sensors systems for continuous observations, as well as autonomy over long time periods. In-situ data collected can be combined with remote sensing and/or models to detect, understand and/or forecast the most crucial coastal processes over extensive areas within the various marine environments. In Europe, significant heterogeneity exists when it relates to marine observing systems, would it be technological design, measured parameters, practices for maintenance and quality control, as well as quality standards for sensors and data exchange. This can partly be explained by the fact that, most "coastal observatories" have been designed following national/regional research priorities and mainly undertaken through a series of short-term research projects. A main challenge for the European marine research community is therefore to harmonise the technologies, increase the consistency and the sustainability of these infrastructures by sharing know-how, establishing best practices and s agreeing on a consensual roadmap for the future of coastal observatories within a shared pan-European framework. These considerations led about thirty institutions in Europe to organise their coastal observation systems in a pan European Research Infrastructure: the JERICO-RI (www.jerico-ri.eu), and to build up this integrated infrastructure following a long-term approach This article and the following in this special issue of Journal of Marine Systems are focusing on some results of the FP7 JERICO project (2011-2015), which is briefly presented in the next section. Section 3 introduces the articles of this special issue, presenting the most relevant results supported by the use and the further development of the JERICO-RI. Some general conclusions are drawn in Section 4.