Oceanography | September 2019
4. Ocean Assessment
Ocean observation and ocean system
modeling lead to new scientific under-
standing. In order for the societal system
to react, there is a need for issue- specific
ocean assessment. The ocean’s role in
the climate system is part of the well-
established climate assessment, notably
in work of the IPCC (Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change), while changes
in marine biodiversity are increasingly
covered by the IPBES (Intergovernmental
Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity
and Ecosystem Services) process. At
the UN level, the First World Ocean
Assessment
was
released
in
2016.
However, no assessment exists today that
covers all aspects of the ocean domain,
a gap that should be closed in order to
improve ocean governance to support the
sustainable development agenda.
5. Ocean Policy and Governance
The legal regime of the ocean and coastal
zone is complex. And the connectivity of
the world ocean though its global circu-
lation pattern means that ocean gover-
nance will yield the best outcome when
it is regionally or globally coherent.
Authority, transparency, and the abil-
ity to encourage good behavior are par-
ticular challenging in the ocean domain.
Equitable access, burden, and benefit
sharing as well as transnational cooper-
ation warrant innovative approaches to
ocean governance. New ocean policies or
governance options often require deeper
insights and more precise ocean infor-
mation. This need can be addressed by
an improved and fit-for-purpose ocean
observing system, better ocean under-
standing, and more accurate predic-
tions or scenarios of future ocean and
climate change.
In some form, the value chain described
above is implemented in most parts of
the world. However, the information flow
across the interfaces is not always opti-
mal. Barriers between different commu-
nities, limited data flows and data system
connectivity, and use restriction can lead
to disconnects in the value chain. Who
is to blame? Society for not articulating
clearly what it wants? The science enter-
prise that only wants to answer its own
questions? Language and data flow barri-
ers? I see many opportunities to improve
how we act as an ocean sciences commu-
nity. My wish is that we all be more aware
of those who can use our information and
knowledge and reach out to them to dis-
cuss how to bridge gaps. We also could be
more aware of the questions that others
might have that are applicable to our field
of expertise and engage in broader dis-
cussions about future priorities.
Finally, a fully connected ocean value
cycle could enable a whole range of inno-
vative and new ocean solutions. They
could inform stakeholders and decision-
makers about options in the context of
sustainable development of the marine
sphere. Areas such as sustainable fish-
eries,
least
destructive
exploration,
renewable energy, effective and equita-
ble marine spatial planning, marine car-
bon management, transparent gover-
nance, and sustainable tourism are just
some examples of ocean solutions for a
more sustainable world. The connection
between ocean science and sustainable
development will be further advanced
during the upcoming Decade of Ocean
Science for Sustainable Development
(2021–2030). More information about
the Ocean Decade can be found on its
website (https://oceandecade.org) and
in Visbeck (2018).
Ocean science knowledge can provide
societal value at local, regional, and global
scales. It can provide answers to questions
about future increases in pressures on the
ocean system. It can also inform disas-
ter risk reduction actions, improve resil-
ience of the ocean ecosystem to shocks,
and safeguard coastal communities from
ocean-related threats. Finally, ocean sci-
ence knowledge can be used to increase
human prosperity today and for future
generations if ocean resources are used
in a sustainable and equitable way. The
Oceanography Society, together with its
international partners and programs, can
make a big difference to the generation
of ocean value by doubling our efforts to
communicate with our friends and part-
ners in areas that are related to ocean sci-
ence as well as with other societal actors.
Martin Visbeck, TOS President
REFERENCE
Visbeck, M. 2018. Ocean science research
is key for a sustainable future. Nature
Communications 9(1):690, https://doi.org/10.1038/
s41467-018-03158-3.