Artificial intelligence (AI) is being utilized to create a virtual replica, or 'twin', of the Black Sea, aiming to protect its marine ecosystem.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is being utilized to create a virtual replica, or 'twin', of the Black Sea, aiming to protect its marine ecosystem.

The Black Sea is set to become the home of an innovative AI-powered digital replica, known as the Black Sea Digital Twin. This groundbreaking project, scheduled for a public launch in October, aims to forecast the impacts of climate change and support sustainable development in the region's blue economy.

Led by Professor Barış Salihoğlu, director of the ODTÜ's Institute of Marine Sciences, the digital twin will provide a user-friendly portal for governments, academics, and industry representatives to run scenarios and visualize potential outcomes.

At its core, the Black Sea Digital Twin integrates vast amounts of environmental, climatic, and economic data to simulate and analyze how climate change will affect marine ecosystems, coastal areas, and economic activities such as fisheries, shipping, and tourism. This tool enables decision-makers to explore scenarios, optimize resource management, and develop policies that balance economic growth with ecological preservation.

Digital twin technologies, which create virtual models of physical systems using real-time data and AI for simulation and prediction purposes, are becoming increasingly popular in climate and marine contexts. By anticipating environmental changes and their socioeconomic impacts, digital twins like the Black Sea Digital Twin guide sustainable blue economy initiatives.

Key characteristics of such AI-powered digital twin systems include the integration of multi-source real-time data, simulation and forecasting of climate change effects, scenario analysis, support for sustainable management of marine resources, enhanced understanding of complex environmental interactions, and the ability to evaluate potential impacts of various activities on the ecosystem.

The Black Sea Digital Twin, as an advanced, AI-driven decision-support platform, will act as a pioneering model for balancing blue economy development with environmental protection. It will forecast the impacts of climate change, pollution, fishing, and energy projects, as well as assess the potential impacts of aquaculture, marine biotechnology, wind energy, tourism, and security operations on the ecosystem.

The model, developed under the coordination of the Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ) Institute of Marine Sciences, is supported by the European Union and involves partners from five Black Sea nations. Seven laboratories have been established across the Black Sea region for monitoring environmental conditions and socio-economic trends.

With the launch of the Black Sea Digital Twin, stakeholders in the region will have a powerful tool to adapt to and mitigate climate impacts while advancing economic activities responsibly in the marine environment. This initiative marks a significant step towards sustainable development in the Black Sea region, with similar projects expected to be initiated in other seas in the future.

1. This innovative AI-powered digital replica, the Black Sea Digital Twin, will integrate environmental and climatic data from the region to support environmental-science research, helping to forecast the effects of climate-change on marine ecosystems and coastal areas, thus enabling more sustainable management of the blue economy.
2. With the use of artificial-intelligence and digital twin technologies, decision-makers in the Black Sea region can now explore various scenarios, evaluate the potential impacts of different activities on the ecosystem, and develop policies that prioritize environmental-preservation while fostering economic growth in sectors such as fisheries, shipping, and tourism.

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