Research under the Census of Marine Life initiative, funded in part by the EU, has resulted in the discovery of at least 1,200 new species, and generated more than 2,600 publications. The latest in a long list of achievements is a species inventory of distribution and diversity in 25 key ocean areas. The inventory is part of a collection of articles published in PLoS (Public Library of Science) ONE.

Support for the work came from two projects funded under the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7): ECOFUN ('Analysis of biodiversity changes on structural and functional properties of marine ecosystems under cumulative human stressors'), backed with more than EUR 212 000 from the People specific programme; and HERMIONE ('Hotspot ecosystem research and man's impact on European seas') with EUR 8 million from the Environment Theme.

Between 2000 and 2010, more than 2,700 scientists from over 80 countries contributed to some 538 marine expeditions under Census of Marine Life. The inventory represents a remarkable combination of research findings from the last 10 years but also information that has been in the public domain for centuries. It is a historic roll call of species from 25 key biologically representative regions on Earth that will help set a baseline for measuring future changes.

The total number of species in the 25 areas ranges from 2,600 to 33,000. Crustaceans top the inventory list, comprising about one fifth of all species, while only 2% of the species comprise whales, sea lions, seals, turtles and other vertebrates. But for every known species, the Census of Marine Life scientists believe that more than four new species are still waiting to be discovered.

The lead author of the collection summary, Dr Mark Costello, explained there were two reasons why the inventory was so urgent. The first is due to our impaired ability to discover and describe new species because of dwindling expertise in taxonomy. The second is due to the major declines in the numbers of marine species as a result of human activities. In fact, human-related activities, such as overfishing and pollution, have been identified in Census of Marine Life studies as among the main threats to marine life.

The inventory's 25 ocean areas include Alaska (US), Antarctica, Atlantic Europe, Australia, Baltic, Brazil shelves, Canada Arctic, Canada Eastern, Canada Western, Caribbean, China, Gulf of Mexico, Hawaii, Humboldt Current, Japan, Mediterranean, New Zealand, Patagonian Shelf, South America Tropical West Atlantic, South Africa, South Korea, Tropical East Pacific, US California, Northeast US, and Southeast US.

The inventory is part of a collection of articles published in PLoS (Public Library of Science) ONE. This collection was compiled by 13 committees and over 360 scientists.