Oceanography | Vol.33, No.4
such large, international conferences. For decades, several thousand aca-
demic ocean scientists would travel around the globe biennially to meet
in places such as Hawai‘i, San Diego, and New Orleans. We used to give
12-minute-long presentations with three minutes of questions and no time
for deep discussion. Today, in 2030, this way of conducting conferences
seems inconceivable.
At the OceanObs19 meeting, held in September 2019 in Honolulu, data
sharing and easy access to platforms were hotly debated. Everyone was
worried about the possible decline of in situ systems. After the recent global
agreement on benefit sharing, we now see a sustained and growing ocean
observing system that has 10-year planning horizons, builds in innovation
cycles, and serves the public needs. Last year’s OceanObs 29 focused on
how autonomous genome samplers could become smart enough to trans-
mit only relevant information. Moreover, there was deep discussion on a
proposal from the Indo-Pacific island states for a higher resolution, in situ
ocean observing system that would help to support sustainable growth
and wealth while respecting their strict protection measures. More in situ
data are needed to inform their knowledge-driven and responsive oper-
ations planning and to supplement targeted information expected from
several small satellites that will be launched next year.
I also recall discussions about a “Digital Twin of the Ocean,” a con-
cept that would employ digital technologies to integrate all European
ocean assets into a consistent, high-resolution, multidimensional, near-
real-time description of the ocean.8 In 2030, most governments now have
access to a variety of technologies of discovery, simulation, and informa-
tion sharing. The digital twin concept is now routinely used for planning
and optimizing our blue economy, establishing ocean restoration zones,
and precisely defining ocean interventions. No new wind farm can obtain
a permit to operate without fully optimizing its location and cross check-
ing for co-beneficial use of the affected ocean space.
Looking through my records and notes from the end of 2020, I found
the following correspondence: “Dear Andone (Lavery), my time as presi-
dent of TOS is coming to and end. I look back with satisfaction upon four
exciting years in my role as president-elect and president. Our ocean com-
munity has accomplished a lot and hopefully served TOS members well.
From deep in my heart, I wish you a lot of energy, fortune, satisfaction,
and success for your TOS presidency. I am looking forward to supporting
you in completing the TOS 2030 Strategy. I have no doubt that under your
leadership TOS will grow, ably respond to community needs, and prosper.”
Today, I relish fond memories of my time as president of The Oceanog-
raphy Society and remain grateful for the community I then had the plea-
sure to work for.
Martin Visbeck, TOS President
REFERENCE
IOC (Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO). 2020. United Nations
Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021–2030: Implementation Plan,
v. 2, 44 pp., https://oceanexpert.org/document/27347.
8 https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/research_and_innovation/green_deal/
gdc_stakeholder_engagement_topic_09-3_digital_ocean.pdf
Box 1. UN Decade of Ocean
Science for Sustainable
Development Knowledge and
Solutions Challenges
Challenge 1: Understand and map land- and sea-based
sources of pollutants and contaminants and their poten-
tial impacts on human health and ocean ecosystems,
and develop solutions to remove or mitigate them.
Challenge 2: Understand the effects of multiple stress-
ors on ocean ecosystems and develop solutions to
monitor, protect, manage, and restore ecosystems
and their biodiversity under changing environmental,
social, and climate conditions.
Challenge 3: Generate knowledge, support innovation,
and develop solutions to optimize the role of the ocean
in sustainably feeding the world’s population under
changing environmental, social, and climate conditions.
Challenge 4: Generate knowledge, support innova-
tion, and develop solutions for equitable and sustain-
able development of the ocean economy under chang-
ing environmental, social, and climate conditions.
Challenge 5: Enhance understanding of the ocean-
climate nexus and generate knowledge and solutions
to mitigate, adapt to, and build resilience to the effects
of climate change across all geographies and at all
scales, and to improve services including predictions
for the ocean, the climate, and the weather.
Essential Infrastructure Challenges
Challenge 6: Enhance multi-hazard early warning
services for all geophysical, ecological, biological,
weather, climate, and anthropogenic related ocean and
coastal hazards, and mainstream community prepared-
ness and resilience.
Challenge 7: Ensure a sustainable ocean observing
system across all ocean basins that delivers accessible,
timely, and actionable data and information to all users.
Challenge 8: Through multi-stakeholder collaboration,
develop a comprehensive digital representation of the
ocean, including a dynamic ocean map, that provides
free and open access for exploring, discovering, and
visualizing past, current, and future ocean conditions in
a manner relevant to diverse stakeholders.
Foundational Challenges
Challenge 9: Ensure comprehensive capacity develop-
ment and equitable access to data, information, knowl-
edge, and technology across all aspects of ocean sci-
ence and for all stakeholders.
Challenge 10: Ensure that the multiple values and ser-
vices of the ocean for human well-being, culture, and
sustainable development are widely understood, and
identify and overcome barriers to behavior change
required for a step change in humanity’s relationship
with the ocean.