VLIZ plastic researchers Ana Catarino, Nelle Meyers & Juliette Grandjean got interviewed by @euronews.com Tech Talks. They talk about the impact of microplastics on marine species, how scientists identify marine microplastics, and why we should care. 📢 Listen to the podcast shorturl.at/lrUIp

Marine microplastic pollution: How scientists detect it

The ocean is polluted by tiny plastic fragments that are difficult to detect but can harm marine ecosystems. Euronews Tech Talks travelled to the Flanders Marine Institute to understand the risks pose...

euronews.com

𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐲 𝐭𝐮𝐛𝐞-𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞? 🌊 As part of #CoastbustersLANICE, VLIZ monitors waves, currents and turbulence to help explain where sand mason worms successfully establish new colonies in field experiments. @ILVO @KULeuven @bluecluster @VLAIO 👉 lnkd.in/eETHfD3u

Neem op 6 oktober 2026 deel aan de Blue Economy Science Summit. BESS brengt vertegenwoordigers uit de wetenschappelijke wereld, het bedrijfsleven en het beleid samen om de economische valorisatie van onderzoek binnen de blauwe economie te stimuleren. 🔗 vliz.be/testerep/nl/...

🌍 #DigitalTwinOcean is moving into a new phase — connecting #Biodiversity data, infrastructures, and communities. ▶️ Willem Boone from @vliz.be highlights how #DTOBioFlow is mobilising the #MarineBiodiversity community to harness the #EuropeanDigitalTwinOcean. 🎥 Watch now: tinyurl.com/457cxt9n

VLIZ is hiring! Join us as a researcher in offshore palaeolandscape exploration and contribute to cutting-edge research at the crossroads of geoscience, archaeology & marine exploration. @subnordica.bsky.social @submergedlands.bsky.social #TNO Apply no later than 23.08 🔗 shorturl.at/4mhqR

VLIZ leads ambitious international research to investigate how ocean eddies influence the East Greenland Current. By combining gliders, research vessels & satellites, the E(ddies)GC project will provide new insights into one of the least understood processes in the Arctic Ocean. 🔗 shorturl.at/RNLbR

🪸 “We cannot just rely on predicting the future. Predictions must reflect reality, not just the future." Carlota Fernández Muñiz, @vliz.be 🌊 Better #Data powers #PredictionsGroundedInReality, ensuring #DigitalTwinsOcean reflect our changing #Ocean. 📹 Watch the video: tinyurl.com/457cxt9n

Unlocking Europe’s “Dormant” Ocean Data to Protect Marine Biodiversity

Healthy oceans are fundamental to life on Earth. Protecting these ecosystems and the marine life at their core is a central goal of the European Union's Mission to Restore our Ocean and Waters. This video explores the European Union's efforts to create a digital twin of the ocean (DTO) to support policy and decision-making for marine management and protection. A critical challenge addressed is the integration of complex marine biodiversity data—the "forgotten twin"—to ensure the DTO accurately reflects the reality of ocean life. 🔎 Discover how DTO BioFlow is helping turn marine data into decision-ready knowledge. Visit the DTO-BioFlow website to learn more: https://dto-bioflow.eu Follow us on social media for the latest news and updates: 📲 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dto-bio-flow 📲 Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/dtobioflow.bsky.social

tinyurl.com

𝐕𝐋𝐈𝐙 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫 ⌨️ Do you have practical software engineering skills & experience in open-source development? Join the VLIZ Open Science Team, contribute to advancing open science & support tackling global challenges. Apply no later than 26 July 2026 🔗 www.vliz.be/en/jobs/vliz...

🇨🇴 Congratulations INVEMAR with the launch of the Colombia Register of Marine Species #CoRMS to enhance knowledge of the country's marine biodiversity. Established as a regional sub-register of the World Register of Marine Species @marinespecies.bsky.social 🔗https://marinespecies.org/corms/

Working on North Sea research? Don't miss your chance to present at the North Sea Conference 2026. We're looking for contributions on a.o. Quaternary studies, palaeolandscapes & climate history.⏳Submit your abstract before 15.06 👉 www.vliz.be/events/nsc/c...

Find out more and register for the upcoming IQOE Workshop on Charting the Future of Ocean Passive Acoustics at: scor-int.org/events/chart... 22-24 September 2026, at VLIZ InnovOcean Campus in Oostende, Belgium. @scor-int.bsky.social @iqoe.bsky.social @vliz.be

@iqoe.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Registration is now open for the Workshop on Charting the Future of Ocean Passive Acoustics: From Observations to Science and Management: lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/9t58eeb. y See description of breakout groups at scor-int.org/wp-content/u..., the main focus of the workshop.

🪸 “We need biodiversity data in this digital twin. It really goes from raw observation data to policy supporting applications in the DTO.” — Klaas Deneudt @vliz.be 🌊 From sensors to policymakers in the #DigitalTwin 📹 Watch how #Biodiversity drives #EnvironmentalPolicy 🔗 tinyurl.com/457cxt9n

Today JPI Oceans is paying us a visit! It is so important to maintain contact with organisations we work with. We are grateful that our hosts @vliz.be & @vlaamseoverheid.bsky.social for making it possible to interact with countries & organisations across the globe. More: www.innovoceancampus.be/en/

🦪 VLIZ and partners prepare the next phase of monitoring at the BLUE CONNECT Oyster Restoration Site in the Belgian Part of the North Sea. The campaign focused on multibeam seabed mapping, installation of seabed landers & AUV demonstrations surrounding the shipwreck site. All aboard RV Simon Stevin.

One week left to register at our Early Bird rate! wcmb2026.org/registration wcmb2026.org/rates After June 18th you can still register for #WCMB2026 at the regular conference rate. @vliz.be @unoceandecade.bsky.social

The UN released the 3rd World Ocean Assessment. The only integrated assessment that reviews the state of the ocean across social, economic, and environmental aspects. @marinespecies.bsky.social, hosted by VLIZ, @marineregions.bsky.social & @obis.org contributed actively. 🔗 shorturl.at/UjuhW

This week, VLIZ welcomes the international SOCAT community for a key workshop on the future of the Surface Ocean CO₂ Atlas (SOCAT)🌐 Important milestone: VLIZ is now officially the European SOCAT Hub, strengthening Europe's contribution to the global ocean carbon observing system🔗 shorturl.at/5rMSp

Yesterday @ec.europa.eu launched #OceanEye, a major initiative to strengthen ocean observation and deepen our understanding of the seas that shape our climate, environment and economy. 🎥 Watch the OceanEye video and spot some familiar VLIZ faces. www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHY2...

Can We Predict the Next Big Storm? | The Digital Twin Ocean

YouTube video by European Commission

youtube.com

The draft scientific programme for #WCMB2026 is now live! 🔗 wcmb2026.org/scientific-p... A more detailed version will follow in the second half of July. And yes… we had a lot of fun building this giant puzzle 😄 @vliz.be @unoceandecade.bsky.social

🌊 Yesterday, we welcomed Belgium’s Minister responsible for the North Sea, @anneliesverlinden.bsky.social, and North Sea expert Joachim Coens to VLIZ. A valuable opportunity to showcase how research, monitoring and scientific services contribute to knowledge-based marine management. 🔬

📢 VLIZ recruits: Researcher – Project Manager Marine Biodiversity. Join the VLIZ Marine Observation Centre and become a key contributor to innovative marine biodiversity monitoring & data-driven ocean science. 📅 Apply no later than 14.06 🔗 www.vliz.be/en/jobs/vliz...

📚🌊 Nieuw boek van Jan Mees (directeur VLIZ) en Colin Janssen (professor UGent)! Het vreemde leven in de oceaan neemt je mee naar een verborgen wereld van diepzeemonsters, microben en andere fascinerende zeebewoners. Te koop via de uitgever of in de boekhandel. www.vliz.be/testerep/nl/...

Het vreemde leven in de oceaan: Van diepzeemonsters tot microben

In hun nieuwste boek 'Het vreemde leven in de oceaan: Van diepzeemonsters tot microben' nemen Jan Mees en Colin Janssen je mee op een reis in de oceaan. Voor iedereen die de zee beter wil begrijpen en beschermen.

vliz.be

🌊 Proud to contribute across several key moments of the final #BlueCloud2026 event! From Virtual Labs on Carbon–Plankton Dynamics and marine biodiversity data integration to training and capacity-building activities, VLIZ continues to support open & #FAIR ocean science across Europe 🌐

🌍 Last week, @vliz.be hosted the “GLOSS Sea-level Training for North Africa” in Ostend, bringing together experts from the NEAM and North African region to strengthen capacity in sea-level observation and coastal resilience. 🌊 In collaboration with IOC UNESCO and the CoastWAVE 2.0 project.

For today's International Day for Biological Diversity, @marinespecies.bsky.social collaborated with International Seabed Authority in highlighting the essential role of taxonomy in understanding & protecting deep-sea biodiversity. Interview with Leen Vandepitte (VLIZ)👇🏾 isa.org.jm/news/acting-...

Acting Locally for Global Impact: Why Taxonomy Matters for Governing the Deep Seabed - International Seabed Authority

Kingston, Jamaica – 22 May 2026 - This year, the International Day for Biological Diversity’s call to 'act locally for global impact' aligns directly with the International Seabed Authority’s Marine S...

isa.org.jm

🤝 𝗖𝗠𝗠𝗜 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗩𝗟𝗜𝗭 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 Through a MoU, signed during #EMD2026 in Limassol, the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute (CMMI) and VLIZ join forces to strengthen innovation, knowledge exchange, & international collaboration in marine research. 🔗 shorturl.at/beHSZ

🇪🇺⚓Today and tomorrow, we are at the European Maritime Day 2026 in Limassol, Cyprus. #EMD2026, co-organised by the @ec.europa.eu, Maritime Cyprus & Limassol Municipality, is the European Union’s flagship annual event dedicated to maritime affairs & sustainable blue economy.

VLIZ is at the @eurogoos.eu 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 in Cyprus hosted by CMMI, bringing together the ocean observing & operational oceanography community. Find us at the @emodnet.bsky.social/EDITO booth together with Seascape BE & @copernicusmarine.bsky.social.

We are adding another event to the #WCMB2026 social program! Join us on Sunday 15 November 2026 for the annual Flemish Science Day, when @vliz.be opens the doors of the Marine Station Ostend to the public. More information👇 wcmb2026.org/social-progr... @unoceandecade.bsky.social

Last week, VLIZ presented pioneering research at the Marine Geological & Biological Habitat Mapping (#GEOHAB) 2026 conference in Malta! 🦆 Big news: In 2028, the GEOHAB duck comes to Belgium! 🇧🇪 The conference will be organized by RBINS, VLIZ, UGent, ILVO, FlemishHydrography and FPSEconomy.