JERICO on the ESFRI 2026 Roadmap: a European research infrastructure for coastal and coastal-ocean observation — 52 organisations from 24 countries and 600 observation platforms, from buoys to FerryBox systems
On 8 October 2026 Ifremer and CNRS, the coordinators of JERICO (Joint European Research Infrastructure for Coastal Observatories), announced that in June the project was included in the 2026 Roadmap of the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) — a step towards a European research infrastructure for integrated observation of coastal zones.
- JERICO aims to strengthen and harmonise coastal ocean observation in Europe: comparable, shared measurements should make it possible to follow long-term changes in coastal ecosystems under climate change and human pressures. The project brings together expertise from the study of coastal ecosystems and processes to instrumentation, metrology, data management and technological innovation.
- JERICO federates 600 observation platforms along all European coastlines: coastal stations, instrumented buoys, coastal seabed observatories, HF radars, underwater gliders and ships fitted with FerryBox systems — compact sensor packages that measure surface seawater autonomously. It also develops services for access to the platforms, FAIR data and products, and new observation technologies.
- Ifremer cites results from the French research infrastructure ILICO, the French contribution to JERICO: combining GNSS and Sentinel-1 satellite data revealed subsidence of many European coastal cities at an average of about 1 mm per year; salinity measurements every 10 minutes showed how heavy rain and storms increase inputs of freshwater and nutrients, favouring certain phytoplankton blooms; long-term observation series identified 2022 as an exceptionally warm year in the English Channel and the Mediterranean.
- A preparatory phase planned for 2027 under Horizon Europe is to define the services, governance, business model and access arrangements of the future infrastructure. According to the ESFRI timetable, Forum decisions on the Roadmap were taken from June to September 2026, and its official launch is scheduled for December 2026.