The European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) is a network of European organisations working together to observe the oceans, to make the collected marine data freely available and interoperable, to create seamless data layers across sea-basins and to distribute the data and data products through the Internet. The primary aim of EMODnet is to unlock existing but fragmented and hidden marine data and make them accessible for a wide range of users including private bodies, public authorities and researchers.

Merel graduated from Ghent University with a Master’s degree in Bioscience Engineering, with a specialisation in land, water, and climate. She also took an elective course on Applied Marine Ecology. Her Master’s Dissertation focused on sustainable site selection of offshore wind farms in the North Sea, considering economic as well as environmental and social criteria. Working with Geographic Information Systems (GIS), she used data from EMODnet to complete this Dissertation.
As an intern for Seascape Belgium, she will be supporting the team by contributing to the Horizon Europe projects TRICUSO, Aquaphoenix, MARCO-BOLO and eDNA-Aquaplan as a Junior Science Support Officer.