Oceanography | March 2019
FROM THE PRESIDENT
After two years serving as TOS president-elect, I am now looking
forward to working with TOS membership to grow and advance
our society. Under the leadership of Alan Mix, we have made
excellent progress in a number of areas, including the Society’s
budget and have approved the urgently needed TOS policies con-
cerning professional integrity, ethics, and conduct. My goal as
president is to articulate a vision for the Society for the coming
decade. How should TOS adapt to the changes in ocean science?
How can TOS provide value for our members? And how can we
strengthen the profile and impact of TOS? Not only is scientific
ocean drilling “Looking to the Future,” we should be, too.
One area that has seen increased engagement, awareness, and
possibly urgency is that of Integrated Ocean Research or Ocean
Systems Science. Over the last decade, the (non-scientific) world
has discovered and recognized the critical role that the ocean
plays in Earth’s life-support system, and as such, its impor-
tance for societies and their economies. First, a growing pop-
ulation, its affluence, and industrialization have increased pres-
sures on the ocean system. Ocean science has documented the
effects of over-exploitation of natural resources such as fish and
minerals; of increasing levels of pollution from nutrients, carbon
dioxide, toxins, and plastic; and of climate change and coastal
habitat destruction. Second, questions arise about the resilience
of coastal communities. Ocean science and engineering are
expected to provide insights about how to manage change and
stress on our coasts and how to promote diversity in our natu-
ral defense systems. Finally, societies around the world are inter-
ested in figuring out how the ocean domain can provide lasting
prosperity for their people. What are our options for safeguard-
ing the ocean, husbanding its resources for human good, and
preserving and benefiting from its cultural and ecological ser-
vices? Answering these complex questions will require ingenu-
ity and innovation in order to combine knowledge and insights
from a wide range of sources. This approach is often referred to
as “integrated science” or “system science.” Does our society pro-
vide good answers? Do we promote this kind of ocean research?
The next decade provides a unique opportunity for TOS
to engage in the development of the recently established
UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development
(2021–2039). The program for the Ocean Science Decade is cur-
rently under debate and will very likely encourage actions toward
a more integrated and sustainable ocean observing system to
facilitate discovery, understanding of ocean systems, and envi-
ronmental monitoring. Advances in robotics and the combina-
tion of remote and in situ ocean observations offer new oppor-
tunities, and free and open data sharing and multi-stakeholder
contributions by governments (rich and poor), the private sector,
and citizens are opening exciting new dimensions. International
efforts, such as the Global Ocean Observing System, the Blue
Planet initiative of the Group on Earth Observations, and the
community developed Framework for Ocean Observing pro-
vide a basis and an opportunity for growth and evolution.
The upcoming decadal conference on ocean observations,
OceanObs’19 (Hawaii, September 16–20, 2019), will provide
an excellent opportunity to advance our ocean observing ambi-
tions. TOS is a proud sponsor of that conference.
The Ocean Science Decade will also highlight opportuni-
ties for integrated research informing human-ocean develop-
ment options, will promote initiatives for global capacity build-
ing, and should improve current ocean governance systems. All
this is actively discussed in the Executive Planning Group for the
Decade. I am a member of this group, and I thank TOS for the
nomination and support.
Our organization has the flexibility to explore new approaches
and programs. However, it is not the president’s job to define
the future of TOS. I will work with President-Elect Andone
Lavery and the TOS Council to establish a consultative pro-
cess to develop an exciting and engaging strategy as we look
ahead to creating a plan for The Oceanography Society in 2030:
Looking to the Future.
Martin Visbeck, TOS President
The Oceanography Society in 2030 –
What is Our Joint Ambition?