Oceanography | June 2019
AN OCEAN
OF OPPORTUNITY
THE VISION In recognition of the central role the ocean plays in
supporting all life on earth, we see a resilient world whose societies
prosper through sustainable interactions with our ocean, guided by timely,
reliable, and accessible information.
THE MISSION Oceanobs’19 is a community-driven conference
that brings people from all over the planet to communicate
the decadal progress of ocean observing networks and to
chart innovative solutions to society’s growing needs for
ocean information. As the third installment of the decadal
conference series, oceanobs’19 will celebrate progress
across national, regional, and global ocean observation
networks while establishing commitments to execute the
collective vision for these systems over the coming decade.
THE IMPACT OceanObs’19 will determine how we meet
future user needs (information), improve the delivery of products
across the globe (interoperability), advance technology and services
(innovation), and balance needs, capabilities, and knowledge worldwide
(integration). Achieving these outcomes will result in a fit-for-purpose
Global Ocean Observing System over the next decade.
OCEANOBS’19: AN OCEAN OF OPPORTUNITY
SEPTEMBER 16-20, 2019 • HONOLULU, HAWAII, USA
Visit our site for more information.
WWW.OCEANOBS19.NET
Follow us on twitter @Oceanobs19
On May 5 and 6, the G71 environment
ministers gathered in France to discuss
pressing needs, and then issued a state-
ment in the context of “fighting inequal-
ities by protecting biodiversity and cli-
mate.” Among the 52 actions highlighted
in their 12-page report, a few have direct
relevance to The Oceanography Society.
Words used most frequently in the decla-
ration include biodiversity (49 instances),
sustainable (42), and climate (33). Way
down that list are key words that relate
directly to TOS—ocean (15) and marine
(14). The G7 ministers “emphasize the
need to address the different ways in
which climate change and environmental
degradation affect territories, oceans and
seas, activities and people,” so at least the
ocean was included. And the G7 are com-
mitted to improving and sharing the lat-
est state-of-the art knowledge regarding
the ecological state of the ocean, to boost-
ing ocean awareness and literacy, and to
ensuring that existing and new anthropo-
genic pressures are reduced and do not
threaten the health of the ocean.
Where is the OCEAN
in Global Policy Discussions?
1 G7 is a collective of seven of the world’s most industrialized and developed economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom,
and the United States.
2 G20 is a forum for international economic cooperation and decision-making that includes Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany,
India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the
European Union.
In this respect, we welcome the G7
Initiative on Earth Observation and
Integrated Coastal Zone Management as
well as the work by the G7 Future of the
Seas and Oceans Working Group and its
efforts to establish an Ocean Observation
Coordination Centre to strengthen col-
laboration, including with the Global
Ocean Observing System (GOOS). We
invite the Working Group to support
preparations for and activities under
the UN Decade of Ocean Science for
Sustainable Development (2021–2030).
“The ocean we need for the future we
want!” decadal proposal aims to gather
stakeholders worldwide behind a com-
mon framework to ensure that ocean
science can fully support countries in
creating improved conditions for the
conservation and sustainable use of the
ocean, seas, and marine resources. So,
here you go fellow TOS members, we
have work to do!
Two months earlier, on March 6, 2019,
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan
received the Joint Statement by Science20
(S20) as part of this year’s G202 process.
The executive summary begins with:
“A healthy coastal and marine environ-
ment is essential for the ongoing sustain-
able development of human society. The
ocean is a large absorber of atmospheric
heat and carbon dioxide, and provides
a vital buffer against anthropogenic cli-
mate change. The ocean contributes to
human well-being in many ways, such as
providing protein from fisheries, main-
taining various natural cycles and is also
a source of recreation and spiritual com-
fort. However, coastal and marine eco-
systems are also facing serious threats.”
The five-page document uses the word
ocean 42 times, followed by marine (32)
and other keywords such as plastic (22),
ecosystem (13), carbon (11), and climate
(10). To my knowledge, it is the first time
that the G20 process has taken note of the
ocean and, more remarkable, that under
the Japanese leadership the only topic
the science track under G20 addressed
this year was the ocean. That is excellent
news, because the G20 group is much
more inclusive than the G7 and speaks
better to the broad, global membership
of TOS. Statements like those should give
us hope that the science we do is increas-
ingly recognized and supported by differ-
ent policy groups around the world.
Finally, on May 6 the Intergovernmental
Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity
and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) released
its major report. The top three words
found in the 30 pages of tightly spaced
text are nature (52), change (43), and bio-
diversity (39), and when adding oceans
and ocean together, we have a respectable
FROM THE PRESIDENT