Latest added illustrations

1. 2011-02-25 15:38:29
2. Achnanthes hungarica

1. 2011-01-28 16:44:45
2. Bengt Karlson
3. Emiliania huxleyi

1. 2010-04-30 11:43:18
2. Marie Johansen
3. Ceratium fusus

Overview

The web site B-NEAT is a source of information about organisms found beneath the surface of the Baltic Sea and the North East Atlantic. At present the site is exclusively deals with phytoplankton, zooplankton and benthic microalgae. The content of the site is mainly supplied by the users. Hopefully the site will be of use for science, education, marine environmental monitoring, recreational activities etc.

B-NEAT has four main aims

1. To provide up to date species lists of marine organisms in the B-NEAT. The plan is to publish them once and then provide yearly addendums. The species lists may be usable as reference lists.
   • Phytoplankton and heterotrophic protists
   • Benthic microalgae and benthic microheterotrophs
   • Multicellular zoooplankton
2. To contain information about the systematic position of the organisms.
   • The systematics of organisms is bound to change as knowledge increases and B-NEAT should reflect the latest widely accepted version.
3. To provide high quality images, illustrations and videos of the organisms.
4. To contain information relevant for marine monitoring, e.g.
   • Trophic role of organisms
   • Morphology
   • Biovolume information for biomass calculations
   • Geographical distribution
   • Harmfulness
   • Size

Background

In 1996 the web site Checklist of phytoplankton in the Skagerrak-Kattegat (including heterotrophic protists) ( http://www.smhi.se/oceanografi/oce_info_data/plankton_checklist/ssshome.htm) was launched by Bengt Karlson and Mats Kuylenstierna at Göteborg University, Sweden. The site contained about 650 species and 282 species sheets. Most of the image content was produced using analogue video technique and the web pages were to a large extent produced using manual html-coding. Since then digital photography and digital video have become ubiquitous and technological advances in information technology can be used to share and disseminate information about marine organisms more efficiently. The EU Water Framework Directive started to be implemented around 2005. Phytoplankton, soft bottom macro fauna and macro vegetation are required parameters for describing the environmental status of a water body; nutrients, oxygen etc. are considered supporting parameters. To produce high quality biological data it is essential to be able to identify organsims correctly and that referable species lists are available. B-NEAT can aid in this work.

Funding

The inter-regional EU project Forum Skagerrak II (www.forumskagerak.com) provided initial funding for transferring the Checklist of phytoplankton in the Skagerrak-Kattegat to modern web site technology. Future funding will hopefully come from several sources. We hope that organisations in the countries with coasts bordering the Baltic and the North East Atlantic will contribute to the operation and continuous development of B-NEAT. The most important resource is the contributors.

Frequently asked questions

• Q I would like to contribute, how can I do it?
• A Read How to contribute.
• Q I Would like to suggest an improvement of B-NEAT. Who should I contact?
• A mail to:
• Q Who is in charge of B-NEAT?
• A An executive committee operates B-NEAT. The partners and contributors make recommendations about changes. The structure of this is not clear yet (November 2007).
• Q Is the database available in other languages than English?
• A No, but the underlying technique can handle a large number of languages.