Led by Alessandra Sellini, Co-Founder & CEO at Galene Pathways and Marine Ecologist at Wildlife Tracker, the GALENE project used the Copernicus Marine Service’s environmental data to develop a Machine Learning (ML) algorithm that predicts how critical coastal ecosystems, such as seagrass, mangroves, and coral reefs, will shift under the current climate change scenario. The algorithm considers key environmental variables (temperature, pH, salinity, etc.) and aligns them with the species’ ecological niches. The model’s outcomes will assist in directing conservation and restoration efforts, while also improving marine spatial planning. The main objective is to enhance ecosystem and biodiversity protection, ensuring the continuity of vital ecosystem services like carbon sequestration, food security, and coastal protection. The project addressed Challenge #1 – Coastal, where data processing intersects with marine conservation. The goal is to leverage technology to tackle long-standing threats to coastal ecosystems effectively. 

In the future, the project aims to build partnerships with stakeholders to promote informed decision-making in marine conservation and refine the model with localised, specialised data. For the hackathon, the focus was on Posidonia Oceanica, an endemic Mediterranean species that has experienced a significant decline due to human impacts. This species provides crucial ecosystem services, including carbon storage and food security.

“Climate change is upon us and we don’t want to stay idle. We want to see the project grow to realise its full potential, being used by communities around the world and facilitating the collaboration and dialogue between all the stakeholders of the marine environment. We would like to create a platform where everyone will feel involved and heard and where the gap between humanity and nature is bridged with the aid of technology.”

Alessandra Sellini, GALENE project team leader, Marine Biologist & Data Scientist

GALENE project team members: 

• Alessandra Sellini (team leader, Marine Biologist & Data Scientist),

• Andrew Ryan (Entrepreneur & Data Scientist), 

• Alana Boyles (Marine Biologist & Sustainability Consultant) 

• Tobias Ferreira (Oceanographer & Software Engineer)

Europe is grappling with an unprecedented surge in climate change, resulting in a significant loss of lives and widespread economic devastation. To combat these challenges effectively, improved forecasting is crucial, allowing for better preparation and mitigation measures.

Led by Laura Lewis, freelance data scientist/AI engineer, the TeRain project aims to leverage data from the WeKEO service to train AI models capable of providing hyperlocal forecasts of temperature and precipitation. These models will be further adapted for microcontrollers, creating sensors that can be deployed to establish a network of hyperlocal forecasts.

For analysis, the project plans to utilise datasets such as the ERA 5 reanalysis (land data) of the 2m temperature and volumetric water content of the soil from Copernicus, in addition to cloud and precipitation maps (atmospheric data) from EUMETSAT. By combining these datasets and advanced AI techniques, the project seeks to enhance forecasting accuracy, potentially mitigating the impact of extreme weather events and enabling better preparedness to safeguard lives and economies.

“I intend to improve the project by using physical parameters and fine-tuning in the models to enhance the reliability of the forecasts. It would be great to establish a network of smart weather stations in the UK and beyond that could be used to make a high-resolution map of current conditions. This would enable personalised weather forecasts to a large number of people and organisations.”

Laura Lewis, TeRain project team leader, freelance data scientist/AI engineer

TeRain project team members: 

• Laura Lewis, freelance data scientist/AI engineer

• Olayinka Osuolale, Environmental Scientist & Postdoctoral Researcher at Elizade University