If you want to read more, check out the full #openaccess manuscript, available here shorturl.at/dypTc, or our press release available here shorturl.at/1BPPe.

@challenger150.bsky.social @plymuni.bsky.social @plymouthmarine.bsky.social @oneoceanhub.bsky.social @unoceandecade.bsky.social

This analysis was made possible through the development of a statistically-based, custom pipeline, enabling authors to classify ~19 million OBIS records as either benthic or pelagic datasets. We’re thrilled to say that both the final datasets, and the code to recreate them are #OpenAccess too!

So, if we are to prioritise ocean biodiversity data collection to deliver a sustainable ocean, where should we focus?

These gaps matter 🌍 – biodiversity data fuels conservation 🐢, climate models 🌡️, and ocean planning 🌊. But if your model is trained on fish 🐟 in shallow waters, it probably won’t help protect deep-sea invertebrates 🪸 3,000 meters below. We’re building global policy on patchy foundations 🧱❓.

And the pelagic data distribution is no better…

Key findings from the benthic dataset show just how little of the seafloor below 30 m we’ve sampled:

Despite decades of exploration, we still can't fully answer “Where is marine life found, and why?”. A new study in @commsearth.nature.com shows just how skewed our ocean data really is…

@plymuni.bsky.social @plymbiomarsci.bsky.social @plymouthmarine.bsky.social