“A Holistic One Health Assessment Framework for Coastal Areas” by Alexandra Ioannou, Evmorfia Bataka, Nikolaos Kokosis, Dimitris Kofinas, Charalambos Billinis and Chrysi Laspidou (University of Thessaly) proposes a new way to assess the health of coastal zones.
Coastal areas are under simultaneous pressure from pollution, biodiversity loss, climate change and zoonotic risks, with direct consequences for local communities and economies. The authors introduce a Coastal One Health (C-OH) framework that explicitly links human health, animal health and environmental ecosystem quality in a single structure.
Figure 1. Research Framework.
Building on and extending the well-known DPSIR (Drivers–Pressures–State–Impact–Response) model, the framework proposes three composite indicators:
Human Health Outcome Index (HHOI) – capturing links between environmental conditions, bathing water quality, seafood safety, disease outcomes and socio-economic well-being.
Aquatic Animal Health Risk Index (AAHRI) – reflecting disease risks, antimicrobial resistance and health status in farmed and wild aquatic animals.
Environmental Ecosystem Quality Index (EEQI) – integrating biodiversity, habitat condition, pollution load, water quality and climate-related stressors.
Figure 2. Integrated One Health: Connecting Human, Animal, and Ecosystem Well-Being.
These indicators are designed to be policy-ready and interoperable with existing monitoring and reporting under key EU directives (Water Framework Directive, Bathing Water Directive, Marine Strategy Framework Directive) and the UN SDGs (particularly SDG 3, 6 and 14). By combining environmental, health and socio-economic data, the C-OH framework aims to:
Support vulnerability assessment of coastal municipalities
Help compare and prioritise risks and interventions at local scale
Enable early warning and tracking of hazards such as harmful algal blooms, Vibrio outbreaks and AMR
This publication lays the conceptual and methodological foundations of the framework and provides the full indicator set. The next step will be to build and test the composite indices in practice, starting with a pilot application in Pagasitikos Gulf (Greece), with potential transfer to other coastal and even urban environments.
Barcelona, Spain – 3–4 November 2025 The ENHANCE consortium gathered in Barcelona for its second General Assembly, hosted by the Instituto de Ciencias del Mar (ICM-CSIC) and the EMBIMOS Research Group, marking two days of collaboration, review, and strategic planning for the year ahead.
The meeting brought together project partners from Greece, Spain, France, Belgium, and beyond, reaffirming ENHANCE’s commitment to sustainable and climate-resilient coastal management through the One Health approach. This integrated framework links the health of ecosystems, animals, and humans, ensuring that the wellbeing of coastal communities is considered alongside environmental and economic priorities.
Reviewing Progress and Planning Ahead
The first day, held at ICM-CSIC, focused on progress updates across ENHANCE activities. Partners presented advancements in:
The co-development of the One Health Framework for coastal management;
The design of AI-enabled tools integrating Copernicus and EGNSS data;
Ongoing stakeholder engagement through Living Labs and participatory approaches;
And the project’s communication, exploitation, and dissemination strategies.
As one of the EU-funded projects under the HORIZON-EUSPA-SPACE programme, ENHANCE leverages Earth Observation and citizen science to address environmental challenges in coastal areas. Its two Mediterranean case studies — Barcelona’s urban beaches and the Pagasitikos Gulf in Greece — serve as living examples of how data-driven decision-making can strengthen local resilience to urban, agricultural, and climate pressures.
ENHANCE at the Smart City Expo World Congress
On the second day, the consortium took part in the Smart City Expo World Congress, the world’s leading event for urban innovation. ENHANCE was featured in two sessions showcasing how European innovation fosters inclusive and resilient coastal and urban futures:
“Inclusive Innovation: Delivering Effective Solutions in Cities and Communities” – Prof. Chrysi Laspidou (University of Thessaly) represented ENHANCE in a panel discussion exploring how bottom-up initiatives and citizen participation drive sustainable innovation. She highlighted that: “Decision-making processes require bottom-up initiatives involving citizens to achieve tailored and efficient solutions.”
“Smart Solutions for a Resilient Europe: EUSPA Project Highlights” – Stamatia Rizou (SingularLogic) and Valeria Catalano (EUSPA) presented ENHANCE as part of a showcase of flagship projects harnessing space data and Earth Observation services to advance smart city development.
Defining the Road Ahead
The Barcelona meeting culminated in two internal workshops, during which partners refined the One Health Toolkit — ENHANCE’s key end product. This toolkit will provide practical decision-support services for policy makers and businesses, translating scientific innovation into actionable coastal management strategies.
As partners concluded the General Assembly, they left with clear implementation pathways and renewed momentum to deliver high-impact solutions for Europe’s coastal communities. The event also boosted ENHANCE’s visibility on the international stage, strengthening its ties with stakeholders and institutions working at the intersection of space, AI, and environmental sustainability.
Researchers from the University of Thessaly (UTH) — Alexandra Ioannou, Evmorfia Bataka, Nikolaos Kokosis, Charalambos Billinis, and Chrysi Laspidou — have published the first comprehensive bibliometric review of how the One Health framework is applied in coastal and marine ecosystems.
Analyzing over 150 publications from 2003–2025, the study reveals a rapid surge in research after 2020, peaking at 37 papers in 2024, but finds that fewer than 20% of studies fully integrate human, animal, and environmental health dimensions.
Annual scientific production on One Health in coastal and marine contexts (2013–2025). The output remained low and inconsistent until 2018, then increased sharply after 2020, peaking at 37 publications in 2024 and maintaining high levels in 2025.
Main findings:
Research remains divided between biomedical (antibiotics, antimicrobial resistance, microbiology) and environmental (pollution, microplastics, eutrophication, HABs) clusters.
Scientific output is concentrated in high-income countries such as the USA, Brazil, and the UK, while low- and middle-income coastal regions remain underrepresented.
Only a handful of journals serve as core publication outlets, highlighting both growth and fragmentation in the field.
Climate–health linkages and integrated indicators such as chlorophyll-a and microplastics are underexplored, despite their relevance for policy and monitoring.
Two main clusters are identified: (i) a biomedical and microbiological cluster on the left, centered on antibiotics, resistance mechanisms, and clinical studies; and (ii) an environmental cluster on the right, associated with heavy metals, microplastics, and ecosystem-related terms.
“Our findings highlight both the promise and the imbalance of One Health research in coastal systems,” said lead author Chrysi Laspidou. “To protect both ecosystems and communities, we must build stronger bridges between environmental and biomedical research — and ensure that vulnerable coastal regions are not left behind.”
The study provides an evidence base for embedding One Health into coastal monitoring, climate adaptation, and governance, contributing to progress toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The ENHANCE project is proud to announce the release of its first two case study factsheets, offering a closer look at how the project is addressing pressing challenges in Mediterranean coastal zones.
Coastal areas are vital spaces for biodiversity, recreation, and local economies, but they face growing pressures from human activity and climate change. With a One Health approach, ENHANCE combines Earth Observation, citizen science, and stakeholder engagement to better understand these complex systems and support more sustainable coastal management.
Case Study 1 – Barcelona and the Ebro Delta (Spain)
Led by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), this case study focuses on the Barcelona Metropolitan Area’s urban beaches and the Ebro Delta.
Urban beaches: visited by nearly 10 million people annually, these beaches are under intense human pressure, suffering from erosion, biodiversity loss, and the impacts of frequent storms.
Ebro Delta: one of Spain’s most important agricultural areas, heavily influenced by rice farming and aquaculture, which affect water quality and local ecosystems.
By combining Copernicus satellite data with participatory biodiversity monitoring, the case study aims to track eutrophication, sand erosion, and the impacts of agriculture and aquaculture on coastal waters
Led by the University of Thessaly (UTH), this case study explores how ecosystems recover from extreme climate events. In September 2023, catastrophic floods devastated Thessaly, washing pollutants, debris, and pathogens into the Pagasitikos Gulf.
The floods left severe ecological damage, with sediments, agrochemicals, and bacteria threatening both marine life and public health.
Researchers and citizen scientists are now monitoring how long it takes the Gulf’s ecosystem to “bounce back” — or whether it shifts permanently to a new, degraded state
This case study provides crucial knowledge for climate resilience, linking environmental monitoring with human and animal health concerns.
Stay tuned for upcoming releases as ENHANCE continues to work with local communities, scientists, and policymakers to co-create solutions for more sustainable and resilient coasts.
In mid-July, researchers from the Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC) teamed up with citizen science partners from Club Patí Vela de Barcelona for a coordinated field activity just off the coast of Barceloneta. The initiative was timed to coincide precisely with a Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite overpass, allowing the team to collect in-situ water quality data at the exact moment the satellite captured imagery of the area.
By collecting water samples to measure chlorophyll-a (an indicator of algae levels) and assessing water transparency at the exact moment a Sentinel-2 satellite passed overhead, ENHANCE and its partners in the area are able to cross-check satellite images with real-world conditions. This approach helps validate satellite-based observations and strengthens the project’s One Health dataset for monitoring the environmental quality of Barcelona’s urban beaches.
Collecting water samples for chlorophyll-a analysis — a key step in validating satellite data and assessing coastal water quality
To collect the data, the team used a mix of traditional and easy-to-build tools. One of them was the Secchi disk, a simple white or black-and-white disk that is lowered into the water to see how deep it goes before disappearing from view — a basic way to measure water clarity. They also used the KduPRO, a compact and affordable optical sensor designed for citizen science, which measures how sunlight fades with depth to estimate water transparency more precisely (measured as the diffuse attenuation coefficient, Kd). In addition, the team collected and filtered water samples to analyze chlorophyll-a levels in the lab, helping to validate the satellite images with detailed, ground-based data.
Using a mini Secchi disk to measure water clarity
Carlos Rodero, a marine biologist and PhD at ICM-CSIC, specialises in marine optics and citizen science. He develops low-cost DIY sensors to monitor water clarity, making science more accessible. As he explains: “These instruments are ideal for participatory science because they’re simple enough for volunteers to build and use. They help multiply the eyes on the sea and fill in the gaps where traditional scientific monitoring can’t reach.”
Eva Fló, a marine biologist and PhD at ICM-CSIC, has been studying marine water quality and human impacts on the ocean for over 24 years. Since 2018, she has focused on using satellite imagery — specifically ocean colour data — to track key indicators of water quality. Speaking about her work in the ENHANCE project, she explains: “Close to the coast, it’s harder for satellites to give clear readings because the signal can be affected by things like detritus or macroalgae. This is especially true in the Mediterranean, which is a shallow and nutrient-poor sea. By collecting data on chlorophyll-a and water transparency (Kd) directly under the Sentinel-2 satellite path, we can verify what the satellite sees and improve our understanding of coastal health.”
The KduPRO, based on a modular system of light sensors, measures the irradiance at different depths and estimates the Kd
These on-site measurements help confirm the accuracy of satellite data and make it easier to detect early signs of algal blooms, pollution events, or sudden changes in water clarity. This kind of information is crucial for protecting public health, marine ecosystems, and managing coastal areas.
The sampling was made possible thanks to the support of the local partners, showing how even small businesses can play an active role in expanding coastal knowledge. Similar sampling campaigns are planned in the coming weeks and months, carefully timed with Sentinel-2 satellite overpasses — and always weather permitting — to continue linking satellite images with real-world conditions.
Want to know more about this case study? Check out the factsheet in English and Catalan!
Bringing Robotics to the Coastline: ENHANCE Presented at the European Robotics Forum 2025
We’re proud to share that Sotiris Aspragkathos, software engineer at SingularLogic R&D and Innovation and a lead developer of ENHANCE’s AI-driven platform, represented the project at the European Robotics Forum 2025 the 25-27 March in Stuttgart, Germany.
Sotiris presented his paper titled “Coastal Management through Safe Event-Triggered Predictive Control for UAVs”, showcasing how drones—equipped with cameras and smart flight systems—can help monitor coastlines more safely and efficiently. His research focuses on making drones more responsive to changes in their environment, especially when tracking dynamic features like shifting shorelines.
This kind of flexibility is vital: coastal zones, which host nearly half the world’s population, are under growing pressure from pollution, climate change, and urban development. Sotiris’ work offers practical ways to monitor these areas without needing constant manual input, which can help authorities act quickly when problems arise.
His research includes successful tests where a drone tracked the movement of a shoreline in real time, staying focused on target despite changing shapes and conditions. Importantly, the drone only used its most resource-intensive processes when necessary, helping to save energy and extend flight time—two key benefits for long-term coastal observation.
This approach is a perfect match for ENHANCE’s mission: to combine artificial intelligence, satellite services, and community-driven data collection to better understand and protect coastal ecosystems. From analyzing biodiversity to supporting smarter environmental policies, ENHANCE is working to ensure Europe’s shores remain healthy and resilient.
Thank you, Sotiris, for bringing ENHANCE’s vision to the stage at ERF 2025 and highlighting how digital technologies can help protect some of the planet’s most vulnerable environments.
