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Biological sampling at Port-en-Bessin fish market: assessing the diversity and size structure of squid and cuttlefish populations in the English Channel
No full textMonthly sampling of cephalopod at Port-en-Bessin fish market (Normandy, France) over a 30-year period, combined with commercial fishery statistics, provides essential insight into the exploitation patterns, composition and size frequencies of these resources. Port-en-Bessin cephalopod landings are shown to decrease which is consistent with the decline observed in the entire French fleet operating in the English Channel. Cuttlefish landings exhibit a bimodal length distribution which is expected for this 2-year life cycle (and twocohort) population. Juveniles of the year are recruited from October (from 8 cm). By the end of their second year of life, cuttlefish reach their maximum size (on average about 22 cm in April–May) prior to dying following spawning. Cuttlefish average size of the second cohorts has decreased from 20 to 17 cm over the period 1996–2022. This seems to be a reduction in size rather than a change in the timing of catches. Squids are not segregated in commercial landings, and the protocol was developed to inform on the prevalence of Loligo forbesii and L. vulgaris in the catch. Both species have a 1-year life cycle with a 3-month offset (recruitment of L. forbesii occurs in June and L. vulgaris in September). Over the 30 years of data, an increase in L. vulgaris landings is observed, while L. forbesii landings have decreased. These findings, in line with climate change, consider biases such as fishermen behaviour determining landings geographical origin.JRC.D.2 - Ocean and Wate
Climate stress test of the global supply chain network: the case of river floods
Get PDFThis study investigates how extreme flood events can indirectly impact the global supply chain through production disruptions. Using a data-driven, agent-based network model that combines company-level data with flood hazard maps, the research simulates the transmission and amplification of shocks. The findings emphasize that the size of inventories is crucial; a lean-inventory system leads to faster shock propagation, higher losses, and fewer recoveries compared to an abundant-inventory system. Additionally, the study identifies that the number and criticality of flooded companies’ trade links, along with the magnitude of the flood, correlate with the speed and severity of contagion. Interestingly, a key metric —the average criticality of affected firms’ outgoing links— consistently peaks before the onset of the shock’s fast-propagation regime. This could serve as an early warning indicator, giving businesses and policymakers precious time to react. By identifying these critical vulnerabilities, this research provides a framework for enhancing the resilience of global supply chains in the face of increasing climate-related and other risks.JRC.B.1 - Economic and Financial Resilienc
Innovation trends in industrial biotechnology: a patent landscape analysis
Get PDFThis report presents a patent landscape analysis investigating the innovation trends within the industrial biotechnology (IB) sector from 2015 to 2020. The study's primary objective is to identify the geographical hotspots of innovation, the key players, and the role of different types of organizations in driving technological advancements in IB. By employing a methodology that includes data retrieval through the Technology Innovation Monitoring (TIM) tool and careful selection of keywords and Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) terms, the report categorizes patents across five technological areas pertinent to IB. The geographical scope of the analysis encompasses major global players as well as the European Union, providing a broad view of the innovation landscape. The report also introduces an online dashboard to facilitate further analysis and exploration of the data. This study serves as a resource for policymakers, industry stakeholders, and researchers, offering insights that can inform strategic planning and decision-making in the evolving field of industrial biotechnology.JRC.B.6 - Industrial strategy, skills and technology transfe
Formulation and implementation of a new model of rigid bodies in EUROPLEXUS — Revision 1
Get PDFThis report presents the formulation and implementation of a new model for the simulation of rigid bodies in the EUROPLEXUS code.JRC.E.2 - Space, Connectivity and Economic Securit
Updating the greenhouse gas emissions of liquid biofuels from Annex V of the Renewable Energy Directive II (RED II): An overview.
No full textThe European Union (EU) has set ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and mitigate climate change. Biofuels are a key component in achieving these goals, but inaccurate GHG emissions metrics can lead to ineffective policies. Accurate metrics are essential for guiding investments in the biofuels sector, driving innovation, and maintaining public support for EU climate policies. This study proposes an update of the GHG emission savings metrics for liquid biofuels pathways, incorporating the latest technological developments, updated input data, and recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change guidelines. The results show a decreasing trend in GHG emissions, mainly due to improvements in agricultural management, technological advancements, and changes in energy inputs and agro-inputs. The updated GHG emission values provide a comprehensive framework for assessing the climate change impacts of biofuel production in the EU. An uncertainty analysis highlights the variability within each pathway and the numerous sources contributing to it. This study informs policy decisions and supports the development of a sustainable and climate-friendly bioenergy sector in the EU. The updated metrics can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of biofuels production pathways and support the transition to a low-carbon economy. By providing a robust approach for assessing biofuels' carbon footprint, this study contributes to the EU's climate change mitigation strategy and decarbonisation goals, supporting a more sustainable future and helping to achieve the EU's ambitious targets. The study's findings are crucial for ensuring that biofuels play a positive role in reducing GHG emissions and mitigating climate change.JRC.C.4 - Sustainable, Smart and Safe Mobilit
Who leads, who lags? Inter-urban inequities in European climate adaptation funding and financing
No full textDespite increased attention to climate finance in urban adaptation, empirical data on the socio-political processes shaping funding accessibility, allocation, and their implications for inter-urban adaptation progress remains limited. In a first-of-its-kind survey, we analyse results from 148 urban administrations across 17 EU countries. Our results reveal widespread funding shortages (>85% of administrations), insufficient staff capacity (73%) and low levels of political support (43%). Additionally, we find limited participation of vulnerable groups and inadequate consideration of climate risks and vulnerability when allocating resources. Towns lag behind cities, and Southern Europe lags behind Northern Europe in funding adaptation measures. Notably, higher climate risk levels are not associated with easier access to funding sources or increased funding availability. With reliance on public funding over loans, we nuance the role of financialisation in urban climate governance and propose cohesive adaptation as a finance strategy towards more equitable policy and practice.JRC.C.2 - Energy Efficiency and Renewable
Solar Cell Efficiency Tables (version 66)
No full textConsolidated tables showing an extensive listing of the highest independently confirmed efficiencies for solar cells and modules are presented. Guidelines for inclusion of results into these tables are outlined and new entries since January 2025 are reviewed.JRC.C.2 - Energy Efficiency and Renewable
Comparison of eutrophication assessment for the Nitrates and water Framework Directives: Impacts and opportunities for streamlined approaches
No full textEutrophication of surface water bodies is the most significant water quality problem worldwide. The European Union (EU) has developed an extensive regulatory and policy framework to protect the environment from nutrient pollution. Here, we examine the contrasting approaches of the Nitrates Directive (ND) and the Water Framework Directive (WFD) to assessing eutrophication status, comparing for the first time the different physico-chemical and biological criteria. We found inconsistencies in nutrient assessment criteria used to assess eutrophication between the two directives, with nitrogen often linked to less stringent drinking water standards rather than to ecologically relevant criteria. A comprehensive overview of the biological elements used as indicators across the EU for both directives was assembled for the first time. Biological assessment varied considerably with some Member States using only physico-chemical criteria underlining the need for the expansion of biological indicators used in the nitrates directive. Major inconsistencies exist among countries in the thresholds for nutrients for both directives with higher values used by countries with greater percentages of agriculture. There is a need to review and place thresholds appropriately to support good ecological status. It is imperative that both directives use similar eutrophication assessment criteria to achieve consistent implementation of management measures. Action should therefore be taken to harmonise eutrophication relevant definitions, criteria (parameters, metrics and thresholds) and report data in a disaggregated way. This will streamline approaches and better inform water quality aspects of a resilience strategy to meet current and future water management challenges.JRC.D.2 - Ocean and Wate
Charting a course for freshwater biomonitoring: The grand challenges identified by the global scientific community
No full textThe past 50 years have seen biomonitoring emerge as an essential means of generating the knowledge needed to inform protection and restoration of freshwater ecosystems. Despite the successes of biomonitoring, most freshwater ecosystems remain unmonitored. Moreover, degradation of freshwaters continues at a rapid rate with new threats and novel stressors emerging that are difficult to assess using existing techniques. New technologies and techniques have been developed to improve biomonitoring, but application has been slow and integration with existing approaches is often problematic. Clearly, freshwater biomonitoring faces many important challenges that must be addressed to meet management needs of the coming decades. We identify Grand Challenges facing freshwater biomonitoring with the aim of encouraging research and practice to address these challenges. We asked 256 biomonitoring scientists from around the globe to identify what they considered the most important challenges. From their submissions we established five Grand Challenges and 18 associated subchallenges. For each Grand Challenge, we outline the current state of biomonitoring practice and suggest promising pathways and approaches to address them. By identifying and describing these challenges, we strive to position freshwater biomonitoring to take advantage of emerging opportunities and enhance its capacity to meet current and future management needs.JRC.D.2 - Ocean and Wate
Estimating the air quality standard exceedance areas and the spatial representativeness of urban air quality stations applying microscale modelling
No full textThis study builds upon the findings of a FAIRMODE intercomparison exercise conducted in a district of Antwerp, Belgium, where a comprehensive dataset of air pollutant measurements (air quality stations and passive samplers) was available. Long-term average NO2 concentrations at very high spatial resolution were estimated by several dispersion modelling systems (Martín et al., 2024) to investigate the ability of these to capture the detailed spatial distribution of NO2 concentrations at the microscale in urban environments. In this follow-up research, we extend the analysis by evaluating the capability of these modelling systems to predict the NO2 annual limit value exceedance areas (LVEAs) and spatial representativeness areas (SRAs) for NO2 at two reference air quality stations. The different modelling approaches used are based on CFD, Lagrangian, Gaussian, and AI-driven models. The different modeling approaches are generally good at predicting the LVEA and SRAs of urban air quality stations, although a small SRA (corresponding to low concentration tolerances or the traffic station) is more difficult to predict correctly. However, there are notable differences in performance among the modelling systems. Those based on CFD models seem to provide more consistent results predicting LVEAs and SRAs. Then, lower accuracy is obtained with AI-based systems, Lagrangian models, and Gaussian models with street canyon parameterizations. The Gaussian models with street-canyon parametrizations show significantly better results than models using simply a Gaussian dispersion parametrization. Furthermore, little differences are observed in most of the statistical indicators corresponding to the LVEA and SRA estimates obtained from the unsteady full month CFD simulations compared to those from the scenario-based CFD simulation methodologies, but there are some noticeable differences in the LVEA or SRA (traffic station, 10% tolerance) sizes. The number of scenarios does not seem to be relevant to the results. Different bias correction methodologies are explored.JRC.C.5 - Clean Air and Climat