The Marine Biodiversity Observation Network

A global collaborative initiative that contributes to effective management of marine biodiversity and ecosystem services.

MBON Europe

MBON Europe spearheads coordination of active monitoring of marine biodiversity by organisations in Europe.
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US MBON

Regional MBONs throughout the United States are listed on the Our Network page.
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MBON Pole-to-Pole

The MBON Pole-to-Pole initiative is developing a Community of Practice across the Americas to assess marine biodiversity and ecosystem change.
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AP MBON

The Asia-Pacific BON has been working on the identification of threats to biodiversity including habitat loss from anthropogenic actions that hamper the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals.
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MBON + GEO BON

Led by passionate experts.

MBON is a thematic node of the Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO BON)

Latest News & Updates

Learn what we and our partners are doing around the globe.

User Story: Bringing Steinbeck & Ricketts into the MBON Era

By Rebecca Trinh on February 26, 2026

Over 85 years ago, author John Steinbeck and marine biologist Ed Ricketts set out for the Sea of Cortez as friends chasing curiosity, connection, and adventure. Their book Sea of Cortez became both a landmark biodiversity record and a meditation on humanity’s relationship with nature. Today, as climate change and coastal development reshape the ocean, their tidepool observations offer a rare window into long-term ecological change—and their reflections on the human spirit feel more relevant than ever.

Tracking Ocean Sunfish to Map Marine Biodiversity Hotspots

By Emily Davenport on January 15, 2026

By tracking marine species like the ocean sunfish (Mola mola), BioTrack -- a project of the Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) -- is uncovering key patterns in biodiversity and making marine animal movement data accessible to stakeholders. Photo Credit: Dr. Austin Gallagher – Beneath The Waves – Background The Atlantic is home to a wide diversity of marine species, many of which share habitats impacted by human activities. Identifying areas of the ocean that are important to many different species, and how these hotspots intersect with human activities, is crucial for effective conservation, sustainable management, and overall ocean planning.

Plankton Perfect: Using Imagery to Document Microscopic Marine Life

on December 10, 2025

Pictured: Students operate a Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth (CTD) Rosette with an underwater microscope attached to capture photos of plankton. Far left top: starfish larva, left top: jellyfish larva, bottom left: crab, shrimp, or lobster larva. Dr. Enrique Montes is working to understand how plankton respond to changes in the ocean by capturing high resolution imagery with advanced technology. This work is funded by the Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) to use novel techniques like the Continuous Particle Imaging and Classification System (CPICS).

Letters to the Sea

on August 1, 2024

Over 2.15 billion people live close to the coast, with 898 million in low-lying areas. For these communities, the sea is central to their lives, work, culture, emotions and spirituality. Children and youth are the demographic group that will be the most affected by climate change. Yet, they are often left out of environmental discussions at the international level. Somos OceanoS, a Marine Life 2030-affiliated project, wants to change this. They are excited to invite you to be a part of a global dialogue between youth and decision-makers in marine conservation through their Letters to the Sea initiative providing a unique glimpse into the youth´s perspective, voicing their challenges, ambitions and needs.

Products

Data and software. See all in Products.

MBON Data Portal

Search, download, visualize, and analyze MBON data with the MBON Data Portal.

Early Alert Dashboard (Server)

Docker software stack powering MBON's early-alert dashboards.

CoastWatch OBIS Indicator Explorer

Extracting collocated satellite remote sensing products, gridded numerical model results, and field observations to create biodiversity indicators.

Infographiq

The Infographiq method uses a combination of JavaScript and R to produce clickable art that acts as an interface for users to access scientific data.

Seascapes for Sanctuaries

Shiny application to visualize global Seascape Classes in time and space for the National Marine Sanctuaries.

seascapeR

An R package and prototype interface to explore Seascapes in different marine regions, including US National Marine Sanctuaries.

Supporting Organizations

Regions and Themes

Explore our regional and thematic programs around the world

Regional MBONs

Thematic MBONs

BioSound

The BioSound working group is composed of various scientists and stakeholders interested in producing acoustic-based data products that support marine biodiversity monitoring and …

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BioTrack

BioTrack is a collaborative project to assess and monitor biodiversity hotspots where marine species share habitat. By integrating satellite and acoustic tracking of marine animals …

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MBON ECOSYSTEM

MBON is a growing global initiative composed of regional networks of scientists, resource managers, and end-users working to integrate data from existing long-term programs to improve our understanding of changes and connections between marine biodiversity and ecosystem functions.

Global Community

Building a global community of practice

Observations

Contributing to the collection and analysis of harmonized biodiversity observations.

Data Protocols

Developing protocols and practices for data and products.

KNOWLEDGE SHARING

Disseminate knowledge for biodiversity assessment relative to society.

MBON Strategic Collaborators

We work with different organizations that support our network around the world.

Strategy and Implementation

The MBON Strategic and Implementation Plan reflects the ocean observing community engagement to deliver a common vision, stronger statement, and steady partnership to achieve a sustained system of global ocean observations and data management.

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Supporting Organizations

MBON Projects

Partners and Affiliated Projects:

The Marine Biodiversity Observation Network

MBON Europe

US MBON

MBON Pole-to-Pole

AP MBON

MBON + GEO BON

Led by passionate experts.

MBON is a thematic node of the Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO BON)

Latest News & Updates

MBON Data Portal

Early Alert Dashboard (Server)

CoastWatch OBIS Indicator Explorer

Infographiq

Seascapes for Sanctuaries

seascapeR

Supporting Organizations

Regions and Themes

Regional MBONs

Thematic MBONs

MBON ECOSYSTEM

Global Community

Observations

Data Protocols

KNOWLEDGE SHARING

MBON Strategic Collaborators

Strategy and Implementation