The overall objective of the BERNARDO-project is to realize the full potential of marine carbon in shelf systems for the development of a sustainable Blue Economy, as a solution in the fight against climate change. To achieve this objective, a scientific breakthrough will be realized by quantifying all prevailing carbon fluxes in the BPNS through an innovative carbon monitoring approach. This will subsequently provide the necessary input to develop a high-resolution, fully-balanced marine carbon budget for the entire Belgian shelf sea, which would be a global first. By establishing this baseline carbon budget, we can assess the effect of dedicated Blue Economy activities.