BenthOBS is the French national network for the observation of marine benthic macrofauna (macrozoobenthos) deployed on the French coasts in metropolitan and ultra-marine areas. It is part of the France’s multi-agency infrastructure for coastal ocean observations (IR-ILICO) and is managed by the Oceanology and Geosciences laboratory in Wimereux. It brings together laboratories from the three mainland and overseas (La Réunion Island) seaboards, under the supervision of the universities, the CNRS, Ifremer and the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle.

Sampling, analysis and taxonomic identification follow a common standardised protocol. In addition, the operators participate each year in a benthic taxonomy inter-comparison workshop.

Laboratories involved (from north to south):

  • Wimereux: Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, UMR 8187 LOG University of Lille-CNRS-IRD-ULCO.
  • Caen: CREC UNICAEN (marine station), UMR M2C CNRS INSU 6143 & Caen UMR BOREA; OSU Ecce Terra.
  • Dinard:
    • Marine station of the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle of Dinard, UAR PatriNat,
    • Ifremer Laboratoire Environnement Ressources (LER) Bretagne nord.
  • Roscoff : station biologique de Roscoff - FR2424 - laboratoire adaptation et diversité en milieu marin (AD2M), UMR 7144 - CNRS - Sorbonne Université.
  • Brest:
    • Marine observatory of the European Institute for Marine Studies (IUEM), UAR 3113 - University of Western Brittany,
    • Laboratoire d'Écologie Benthique CÔtière (LEBCO)of the Ifremer Bretagne centre.
  • La Rochelle: Littoral Environnement et Société (LIENSs) laboratory, UMR 7266.
  • Bordeaux/Arcachon: Environnements et Paléoenvironnements Océaniques et Continentaux (EPOC) laboratory, UMR 5805 and Observatoire Aquitain des Sciences de l'Univers.
  • Sète: MARine Biodiversity, Exploitation and Conservation, UMR MARBEC.
  • Banyuls-sur-Mer: Laboratoire d'ÉCOgéochimie des environnements Benthiques (LECOB), UMR 8222 and Observatoire Océanologique of Banyuls-sur-Mer.

Coordinators: