Findings & Future Directions

[!NOTE] 📹 Video Reference 25:07 Summary of the Gulf of Riga Workflow Results and Conclusion Remarks

Key Findings

The automated DGA workflow was applied to historical data spanning 30 years.

The “Water Darkening” Confirmed

• Trend: The Mann-Kendall analysis showed a significant negative trend in Secchi depth.
• Interpretation: Water transparency is decreasing (the water is getting darker/murkier).
• Location: The trend is most pronounced in the eastern coastal regions of the Gulf of Riga.

This quantitative result confirms the initial qualitative observations (“gut feelings”) of the scuba divers.

Future Research Questions

The workflow established what is happening. Future work aims to understand why:

1. Drivers: What specific optical properties are changing?
2. Catchment Linkage: How do land-use changes and runoff in the Daugava River catchment influence these marine changes?
3. Scalability: Testing this workflow in other regions (North Sea, Mediterranean) to see if it applies elsewhere.

Conclusion

The AquaINFRA “Gulf of Riga” use case demonstrates how FAIR data services and Virtual Research Environments (VREs) can empower researchers. By automating the path from “raw data” to “trend detection,” scientists can focus on interpreting the ecological story—turning a diver’s observation into actionable scientific knowledge.