Ocean Decade U.S.

Year

2023
2024
2025
2026

A Transformative Decade for the Global Ocean Acidification Observing System

Lead Institution(s): National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationLead Contact(s): Meredith Kurz (meredith.kurz@noaa.gov) Ocean acidification (OA) is the ongoing observed increase in seawater acidity (pH) primarily due to the ocean's uptake of anthropogenic atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). The rate of the ocean's changing chemistry is measured by a suite of stations worldwide, and conditions expected by 2100 will have a number of negative effects on marine life. Many challenges to understanding OA and its impacts remain. A robust understanding of OA and its impacts requires interdisciplinary monitoring and research efforts, including carbonate chemistry, physical oceanography, biogeochemistry, ecology, biology, natural resource economics, and other social and hard sciences. It also requires a global workforce that is capable of analyzing, assessing, and applying this data. This Decade Programme expands CO2 observing systems by developing the next generation of sensors, training new experts, ensuring materials are available for accurate measurements, and filling in under-observed regions. It also builds capacity for publicly-available data that is fed into products useful for stakeholders.

A US Ocean and Great Lakes Literacy Strategy

Lead Institution(s): National Marine Educators AssociationLead Contact(s): Jacqueline Lewis (nmea@marine-ed.org) The project goal is to create a national strategy to foster Ocean Literacy (OL) in the United States (US). This will be accomplished through five project components: 1) assessing OL through a survey to inform a US national strategy; 2) expanding USA Blue Schools Network and connecting the US to the larger global Blue Schools community; 3) cultivating strategic partnerships and initiating a professional network to help others learn about effective practices in OL and incorporate OL into their organizations’ work, thus helping their professionals and stakeholders achieve a broader understanding of the value of the ocean to energize and create a wider audience for the national strategy; 4) convening a diverse group of stakeholders at an Ocean Literacy Forum to develop, solidify, and institutionalize a professional network around a national strategy for fostering OL in the US; and 5) communicating project findings and employing agreed-upon strategies to work toward fostering OL in the US.

A multi-dimensional and inclusive approach for transformative capacity development during the Ocean Decade

Lead Institution(s): The New England AquariumLead Contact(s): Elizabeth Stephenson (estephenson@neaq.org) This proposed Decade Programme brings together a diverse multinational partnership to address the critical need for capacity development in ocean science, literacy and conservation in low and middle income countries. We seek to strengthen systems (funding, mentorship, recognition, learning, communication and evaluation) that address the challenges of the Ocean Decade and support the capacity to deliver ocean science and leadership, which is central to healthy oceans and sustainable development. This will proactively advance the integration of capacity development in the design and implementation of priorities for the Ocean Decade.

A regional coupled atmosphere-ocean model

Lead Institution(s): National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Lead Contact(s): Lucas Harris (lucas.harris@noaa.gov) A regional model coupling a regional atmosphere to a regional ocean is proposed for kilometer-scale (and potentially finer) resolution simulation of coupled air-sea processes, including waves, sea spray, upper ocean mixing, and heat/moisture/carbon exchange, with a focus on hurricane development. This will improving process-level understanding and modeling of these processes. This regional coupled model is built directly into a seamless modeling framework used for routine weather and climate modeling, allowing advances from the fine-scale coupled regional model to directly improve these applications.

AGU's Mentoring365: UN Decade of Ocean Sciences

Lead Institution(s): American Geophysical UnionLead Contact(s): Janice Lachance (jlachance@agu.org) The American Geophysical Union (AGU) is the pre-eminent scientific society in the Earth and space sciences, representing more than 130,000 scientists in more than 138 countries, and it is the world's largest home for research dedicated to geoscience, its related impacts, and solutions. Our members work in academia, industry, the non-profit sector, and government, with many representing the ocean sciences sector. AGU programs include serving as a scholarly publisher, convening virtual and in-person events, and providing career support at all levels. AGU has been involved in the planning process for the Decade over the last few years and remains committed to supporting and partnering in implementing its vision. AGU understands the essential role mentoring plays in developing the professional skill set of student and early career scientists and to guide their careers. However, mentoring opportunities through professional societies have traditionally only been available to in-person attendees of annual conferences. Even before the limitations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a large percentage of students did not attend scientific conferences and did not have exposure to these professional development and networking opportunities. AGU's Mentoring365: UN Decade of Ocean Sciences increases equitable access to mentoring through a virtual global peer-to-peer mentorship program that will support and cultivate the career pipeline of those engaging in the Decade, particularly through the Early Career Ocean Professionals Programme. M365 matches and provides mentors and mentees with structured, relationship-building tools to develop and accomplish focused career goals. These connections range from one-on-one to small group discussions and often transcend national borders to bring a global perspective to the mentoring experience. The mentoring platform can be integrated into the online experience for specific Decade events or related activities including Ocean Sciences Meeting, Ocean Visions Summit, and AGU's Annual Fall Meeting with more than 25,000 scientists in attendance. In addition, the platform can also leverage other training capacities of AGU to further enhance the mentoring experience, such as professional trainings on communicating effectively with policy makers, the media, and public as well as fellowship opportunities through the Thriving Earth Exchange to learn how to work directly with local communities to co-create solutions. In discussions with representatives of the Early Career Ocean Professionals Programme, there was strong interest in leveraging M365 to support their programming needs.

Addressing Precip. Prediction Grand Challenge (PPGC)

Lead Institution(s): National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationLead Contact(s): David Novak (david.novak@noaa.gov) Impacts from extreme precipitation are deadly, damaging, and increasing in a warming climate. Knowing when it will rain and how much is crucial to every person and business globally. The strategic goal of the PPGC Ocean Observation and Science Project is to provide dramatically more accurate, reliable, and timely precipitation forecasts for society. This is accomplished through 1) better understanding of the ocean-atmosphere interface and atmospheric teleconnections, 2) more and better observations of the ocean and atmosphere over oceans, and 3) the development, improvement and application of a fully coupled Earth System prediction model. Focus is placed on better observing, understanding, and modeling the tropical Pacific and Caribbean, benefitting SIDS with improved short term forecasts, and N. American and European nations with improved medium range to sub-seasonal precipitation predictions. These advances in precipitation prediction can be integrated into early warning systems.

Advocating for humane capture fisheries to support ocean and fisheries sustainability

Lead Institution(s): Aquatic Life Institute Lead Contact(s): Christine Xu (christine@ali.fish) Develop best practices for aquatic animal welfare in both aquaculture and capture fisheries. Specifically in aquaculture, improving feed composition, enriching the environment, improving water quality and stocking density, and providing appropriate stunning & slaughter to farmed aquatic animals can improve food safety, reduce mortality/injury and biosecurity threats, and cut our reliance on antimicrobials as well as feed derived from wild-caught fish. In capture fisheries, designing fishing gear and capture methods with welfare in mind can reduce mortality/injury, bycatch, overfishing, emissions and ghost gear. With the adoption of these best practices by industry and improved guidelines and policies from governments and international institutions, not only will we reduce the suffering of aquatic animals but also improve ecosystem health, food security, climate change mitigation, and conservation of marine animals.

Allen Coral Atlas: Global Coral Reef Monitoring

Lead Institution(s): Arizona State University's Center for Global Discovery and Conservation ScienceLead Contact(s): Paulina Gerstner (pgerstne@asu.edu) The Allen Coral Atlas is a game-changing coral conservation tool powered by Arizona State University and developed in partnership with Planet, University of Queensland, the Coral Reef Alliance and Vulcan, and coral reef scientists, universities, NGOs and private entities. Its goal is to assist stakeholders ranging from local communities to regional and national governments to reach their coral reef conservation goals. With the Atlas, coral conservationists, reef managers and scientists have access to information that has never before been available at this scale, including high resolution coral reef habitat maps, real time bleaching monitoring, and expanding monitoring innovations.

An Observing Air-Sea Interactions Strategy (OASIS)

Lead Institution(s): SCOR Working Group #162 Lead Contact(s): Meghan Cronin (meghan.f.cronin@noaa.gov), Christa Marandino (cmarandino@geomar.de), Sebastiaan Swart (sebastiaan.swart@maine.gu.se), Nick Rome (nrome@ucar.edu), Masha Edmondson (medmondson@ucar.edu), Cassie Wilson (cassiew@ucar.edu), Meredith Kurz (meredith.kurz@noaa.gov) Air-sea exchanges of energy, moisture, and gases drive and modulate the Earth's weather and climate, influencing life, including our own. These air-sea interactions fuel the hydrological cycle and affect precipitation across the globe. Air-sea interactions affect the distribution of carbon dioxide between the atmosphere and ocean, how seawater flows and winds blow, and how pollutants floating on the ocean surface move - information critical to policymakers, industry, and civil society. The Observing Air-Sea Interactions Strategy (OASIS) Programme will provide observational-based knowledge to fundamentally improve weather, climate and ocean prediction, promote healthy oceans, the blue economy, and sustainable food and energy.

Atlas Aquatica

Lead Institution(s): Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego Lead Contact(s): Fabio Favoretto (ffavoretto@ucsd.edu) Atlas Aquatica, backed by a coalition of dive industry professionals, local communities, researchers, decisionmakers, and communicators, is committed to building organizational capacity within the diving sector and supporting their voices in international dialogues for sustainability. By mapping and surveying the worldwide distribution of diving sites and diving operators (i.e. diving centers), Atlas Aquatica aims to calculate the annual global economic value of the diving industry to marine tourism. Atlas Aquatica will 1) establish a multidisciplinary collaboration network to co-design strategies for the global diving community to contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, and 2) describe the diving industry's impact to the surrounding ecosystem and societies.

Benefits of Ocean Observing Catalog

Lead Institution(s): U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Program Office, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationLead Contact(s): Ralph Rayner (ralph.rayner@noaa.gov) Understanding and quantifying the diverse economic and societal benefits derived from ocean data and information can make an important contribution to supporting and prioritizing investment in ocean observing systems. On behalf of the operational ocean observing community, NOAA U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) is developing a Benefits of Ocean Observations Catalog (BOOC) as an initiative to better understand the economic and societal benefits derived from ocean observations and the New Blue Economy. BOOC is a GIS/web-based tool for collecting, peer reviewing, collating, cataloging, and searching ocean observation use cases. Currently undergoing prototype testing, a fully operational BOOC will serve as a global commons for demonstrating and understanding the benefits of ocean observations and ocean information in support of policy, safety, economic growth, environmental protection and the delivery of climate resilience in developed and developing nations.

Better Biomolecular Ocean Practices

Lead Institution(s): Monterey Bay Aquarium Research InstituteLead Contact(s): Kathleen Pitz (kpitz@mbari.org) Methodological information is essential to understand the biomolecular data it generates (its limitations, strengths, and the ability to integrate and compare it with other datasets). However, in the biomolecular community, this information is often buried in publications that lack sufficient detail and are neither machine readable nor actionable. Within the IOC-UNESCO OBPS system, we have started an effort to exhume and empower these critical information artifacts. Under OBON, we propose building upon and expanding those efforts into a project for the digitisation of omics protocols from long-term observatories around the world using machine-readable templates and metadata. This will leverage and advance activities to develop protocol templates and metadata specifications, while working with strategic OBON partners in ocean observing and contributing to OBON’s aims for capacity sharing and inter-programme coordination (OBON - OceanPractices).

Bio-GO-SHIP Observing Life in the High Seas

Lead Institution(s): University of California, Irvine, United States of America (USA)Lead Contact(s): amartiny@uci.edu Bio-GO-SHIP is an international collaboration that uses repeat hydrographic sections to deepen understanding of the links between the physio-chemical ocean environment and global plankton diversity, abundance, and biogeochemical roles amid ocean change. Its mission is to quantify plankton diversity, size, composition, and abundance across vast spatial and vertical scales. This is achieved through systematic, high-quality sampling using standardized ’omics, imaging, particle chemistry, and optical techniques, integrated with regular GO-SHIP physical and chemical data. This integration supports predictions of how plankton respond to change and how they feed back on carbon, oxygen, and nutrient cycles. Benefits include generating a uniform, publicly available global plankton dataset using vetted methods, coincident with GO-SHIP data, and training a new cohort in advanced oceanographic approaches.

Biotech for Climate Resilience Fund

Lead Institution(s): Revive & Restore, Liv LibermanLead Contact(s): liv@reviverestore.orgThe Biotech for Climate Resilience Fund addresses the critical intersection of biodiversity loss and climate change in ocean ecosystems. By leveraging advanced biotechnologies including genomic sequencing, cell culture, reproductive technologies, and genetic engineering, this program targets two key areas: marine microbes that drive biogeochemical cycling and blue carbon ecosystems like mangroves, seagrass meadows, salt marshes, and kelp forests. These marine organisms and coastal habitats represent some of nature's most efficient carbon capture systems. Projects must demonstrate clear pathways from research to real-world application, emphasizing collaboration with restoration practitioners and resource managers. The fund applies Revive & Restore's Genetic Rescue Toolkit to marine species impacted by climate change or essential for nature-based climate solutions, creating innovative approaches that preserve marine biodiversity and strengthen ocean resilience for a livable future.

Blue Climate Initiative - Solutions for People, Ocean, Planet

Lead Institution(s): Blue Climate Initiative (Tetiaroa Society) Lead Contact(s): Stanley Rowland (stan@blueclimateinitiative.org) Human health and well-being depend upon a healthy ocean for needs as diverse as food, oxygen, a stable climate, moderate weather and livelihoods - and a well-managed and thriving ocean can greatly contribute to improved human health and well-being. The Blue Climate Initiative brings together scientists, community groups, engineers, entrepreneurs, investors, government leaders and global influencers to collaboratively identify, develop and implement science-based programs to protect the ocean and use the ocean's remarkable power and potential to tackle climate change and other urgent issues of our time, from renewable energy and sustainable food supplies to human health and resilient ocean economies.

Blue Parks

Lead Institution(s): Marine Conservation InstituteLead Contact(s): Sarah Hameed (sarah.hameed@marine-conservation.org) Blue Parks aims to accelerate and incentivize strongly regulated, well-managed and well-placed marine protected areas (MPAs) that effectively safeguard biodiversity. The Blue Parks program developed and utilizes science-based criteria, the Blue Park criteria, that set standards for effective marine conservation. MPAs that meet Blue Park standards are eligible for Blue Park Awards, which recognize ecologically important, effective MPAs and incentivize others to reach similar high standards of marine protection. The accompanying Blue Sparks program creates partnerships between Marine Conservation Institute and NGOs, leaders, and governments to generate effective MPAs that meet Blue Park Award standards.

Center for Ocean Leadership (COL)

Lead Institution(s): Center for Ocean Leadership (COL), United States of America (USA)Lead Contact(s): Nicholas Rome (nrome@ucar.edu) Staff from the Ocean Observing Program at UCAR’s Center for Ocean Leadership is partnering with the UN Decade Coordination Office for Ocean Observing (DCO) to support the advancement of global ocean observation efforts as part of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030). COL aims to support the DCO through organizing strategic convenings around observation-related programs and the Challenge 7 White Paper, highlighting Decade observation program successes and impacts through targeted communications with partners and users, and fostering collaboration with the DCO to achieve shared goals. COL will also recommend resource needs, including potentially in-person convenings and digital platforms for communication and collaboration. Leveraging COL's network of affiliates and partners, this partnership aims to accelerate progress towards a globally sustained ocean observing system and sustainable ocean management. The partnership will conclude by the end of 2030, the UN Decade or once all significant planning milestones are achieved.

Center: Chemical Currencies of a Microbial Planet

Lead Institution(s): Woods Hole Oceanographic InstitutionLead Contact(s): Elizabeth Kujawinski (ekujawinski@whoi.edu) One-quarter of the carbon derived from photosynthesis on Earth cycles rapidly through a pool of seawater metabolites generated by the activities of microbes. These molecules help govern the global carbon cycle, provide life-supporting nutrients, and support the function of marine food webs that ensure a vital and healthy ocean. The Center for Chemical Currencies of a Microbial Planet (C-CoMP) will leverage recent advances in analytical and data sciences, incorporate new ocean sampling technologies and an open-science framework, and engage educators and policy-makers to promote a deeper understanding and appreciation of the chemicals and microbial processes that underpin ocean ecosystems and other microbiomes that affect our daily life.

Centers for Oceans and Human Health

Lead Institution(s): U.S. National Science FoundationLead Contact(s): Stacy Aguilera-Peterson (saquiler@nsf.gov) The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) Centers for Oceans and Human Health program addresses important questions on the connections between the environment, climate, and human health. Centers foster interdisciplinary collaborations among biomedical researchers, physical and oceanographic scientists, and community partners. Together, these collaborations investigate the climatic factors and human health effects of marine plastics, toxins, and harmful algal blooms, among other marine-related human health concerns.

Clean Water for Reefs: Tackling Wastewater

Lead Institution(s): Coral Reef AllianceLead Contact(s): Mandy Norman (mnorman@coral.org) CORAL’s Clean Water for Reefs initiative is focused on monitoring water quality, implementing land-based pollution solutions, restoring ecosystems, and influencing ecosystem management decisions. On the island of Roatán in Honduras, CORAL has proved that local communities can manage their wastewater to the benefit of both human and reef health. CORAL has connected homes in West End, Honduras to a wastewater treatment facility in Roatan, which has kept 29 million gallons of wastewater from entering the ocean on an annual basis, generating significant reductions in fecal indicator bacteria. The following communities have already expressed interest in supporting a replicable program: Coxen Hole, West Bay, Cozumel, Belize City, and Trujillo. We have official collaboration agreements with governing bodies and nonprofit partners. They work alongside us to assess sanitation needs and identify clear actions for improving methodology as we scale up sanitation best practices throughout the MAR.

Climate Data for Community Action

Lead Institution(s): HohonuLead Contact(s): Kevin Mukai (kevin@hohonu.io) Climate change, sea level rise, episodic flooding events, and other coastal hazards are impacting coastal communities around the world at unprecedented, and accelerating rates. Limited empirical data has led to subpar risk assessments and actionable resiliency efforts. The Climate Data for Community Action project provides actionable real-time data and insights from a comprehensive environmental sensor and data delivery network for up to a dozen South Pacific Island Nations. Insights from new data provided by the network will help policymakers from multiple agencies better prepare for emerging threats from tidal flooding, tropical disturbances, troublesome drainage areas. tsunami inundation, and resulting coastal infrastructure damage. The data is made available and interpretable to communities as well. allowing for co-design in resilience planning. Sustainability planning, emergency management, and maintenance teams will leverage this system to save time. money. and even lives.

Coastal & Marine Ecological Classification Std

Lead Institution(s): United States Interagency Working Group on Ocean and Coastal Mapping (IWG-OCM)Lead Contact(s): Kate Rose (ocm.cmecs-ig@noaa.gov) The Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS) provides a standard language and framework for interpreting and synthesizing environmental data with associated faunal communities into comprehensive representations of habitat (biotopes). A content update that incorporates new scientific knowledge and methods, and a technological transformation into an accessible and interoperable digital resource will allow CMECS to play a unique role as a node in the Marine Life 2030 global network-of-networks by providing the ecological context necessary for understanding the behavior of marine species. Harmonizing CMECS with the IOC-UNESCO IODE Ocean InfoHub to increase international alignment among knowledge resources is also planned.

Coastal Extreme Events Reconnaissance to Action

Lead Institution(s): Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), Alexandra SchuellerLead Contact(s): schueller@hs-koblenz.de CEERA is a Global Ocean Corps and Conveyor (GOCC) capacity and deployment project building globally transferable expertise for coastal extreme-event reconnaissance, led by a Germany-US team with global partners. CEERA trains and deploys interdisciplinary teams of Early Career Ocean Professionals (ECOPs), practitioners, and local partners for rapid storm field reconnaissance, translating observations into decision-ready products for emergency response, recovery, and long-term resilience. Through mentored training and deployments, CEERA advances standardized protocols, datasets, rapid surveys, and uncertainty-aware science-to-decision workflows. CEERA conducts applied research to improve reconnaissance methods and understanding of coastal processes before, during, and after storms. It emphasizes equitable capacity development by co-designing with partners in SIDS and LDCs, adapting approaches to diverse contexts. CEERA builds on the proposed Decade Contribution "ReCoast" (ICCE 2026).

Committee on Earth Observation Satellites - Coastal Observations, Applications, Services, and Tools (CEOS COAST)

Lead Institution(s): National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Environmental Satallite Data and Information Service, Center for Satellite Applications and ResearchLead Contact(s): Paul DiGiacomo (paul.digiacomo@noaa.gov) COAST is a team within the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites focused on the coastal zone, especially the land-sea (~aquatic) interface. Working collaboratively with stakeholders to co-design and co-develop high priority products which resonate with major agencies and by leveraging CEOS-wide agency capabilities and capacities, CEOS COAST pilot projects are uniquely capable of using Earth Observation to provide a multidisciplinary approach to addressing the SDGs, disaster risk reduction and coastal resilience in response to climate change. Diverse societal issues are tackled by COAST under the pilot project themes across geographical regions ranging from continental shorelines to small-island nations.

Coral Reef Restoration Engaging Local Stakeholders Using Novel Biomimicking IntelliReefs

Lead Institution(s): IntelliReefs Lead Contact(s): Melody Brenna (melody@reeflifefoundation.org) In November 2018, IntelliReefs deployed three nanotechnology artificial reefs underwater near Philipsburg, Sint Maarten to restore coral reefs after Hurricane Irma (2017). IntelliReefs mimic natural, healthy reefs and provide bioengineered habitat for faster growing and more resilient reefs. IntelliReefs are designed down to the nanoscale for site, species and function, allowing for immediate marine integration. IntelliReefs provide food and shelter for fish populations, attract wild corals, rapidly grow healthy coral reef communities, and enhance local biodiversity. Over the next decade, we will deploy additional IntelliReefs and further analyze the benefits and applications of IntelliReefs for fish, corals, and local economies.

Crustal Ocean Biosphere Research Accelerator

Lead Institution(s): Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean SciencesLead Contact(s): Beth Orcutt (borcutt@bigelow.org) Remote crustal ocean environments are currently targeted for emergent human uses such as deep-sea mining and carbon sequestration, but there are fundamental knowledge gaps surrounding our understanding of the magnitude of ecosystem services provided by life in crustal ocean habitats as well as their resilience to perturbations. The Crustal Ocean Biosphere Research Accelerator (COBRA) will bring together an international team of interdisciplinary academic and government scientists, private institutions, policy makers, and other stakeholders to coordinate efforts to achieve objectives of mutual benefit that will catalyze new knowledge and inform decision making related to the crustal ocean biosphere. In parallel, this endeavor will train the next generation of leaders in ocean exploration, science, and policy through innovative virtual expedition leadership training programs that promote team science collaboration, diversity, equity, and inclusivity.

Deep Ocean Observing Strategy

Lead Institution(s): Deep Ocean Observing Strategy Lead Contact(s): Lisa Levin (llevin@ucsd.edu), Patrick Heimbach (heimbach@ices.utexas.edu) DOOS represents an interconnected network of deep-ocean observing, mapping, exploration, and modelling programs working together for the coming decade to 1) characterize the physics, biogeochemistry and biology of the deep ocean in space and time, 2) establish a baseline required to understand changes to its habitats and services, and 3) provide the information needed to have a healthy, predicted, resilient and sustainably-managed (deep) ocean. DOOS will promote the human capital and observing infrastructure needed to address critical scientific and management questions related to the climate, biodiversity and sustainability, while growing a diverse and inclusive next generation of deep-ocean leaders.

Deep-Ocean Genomes Program

Lead Institution(s): Woods Hole Oceanographic InstitutionLead Contact(s): Timothy Shank (tshank@whoi.edu) The Deep-ocean Genomes project will use cutting edge next generation sequencing technologies and comparative genomics methods to obtain fundamental new knowledge of the organization, evolution, functions, and interactions of life in one of Earth’s least-understood regions, the deep ocean.

Developing a conservation plan for Maui's corals

Lead Institution(s): University of California, Santa CruzLead Contact(s): Igor Pessoa (ipessoa@ucsc.edu) The core of our proposal is to implement workshops, trainings, resort partnerships, and knowledge sharing for coral restoration on Maui. Our project will include habitat monitoring, skill development for Maui Nui Marine Resource Council staff and community members, and hosting virtual and on-site seminars with key partners. We will also work with resorts to develop new financial structures to leverage private funding from the tourism sector to support restoration efforts to sustain long-term coral restoration efforts.

Enhancing Accessibility of OA Reference Materials

Lead Institution(s): National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationLead Contact(s): Meredith Kurz (meredith.kurz@noaa.gov) Ocean acidification (OA) is expected to affect all nations through its influence on living marine resources. To understand ocean carbonate chemistry, seawater samples must be measured in two or more ways (ex. total dissolved inorganic carbon and total alkalinity). This requires calibrating measurements with a reference material. For 30 years, one laboratory has produced the world’s supply of certified reference materials (CRMs). The COVID-19 pandemic has elucidated the lack of resilience; the lab has been unable to produce CRMs and shortages now compromise monitoring efforts and laboratory studies. This project aims to diversify production of CRMs and enhance their accessibility.

Estuarine Ecological Knowledge Network

Lead Institution(s): Center for Human-Environmental ResearchLead Contact(s): Grant S. McCall (mccall@cherscience.org) The Estuarine Ecological Knowledge Network (EEKN) is designed to utilize the everyday experiences and traditional ecological knowledge of coastal community members in informing scientific research and policy decisions regarding estuarine environments which are crucial in maintaining the health and productivity of Earth's oceans. The EEKN will create a dispersed network of community observers and "citizen scientists", who will document the ecological conditions that they encounter, providing data for ocean scientists and feedback to policy makers. The EEKN will also document and preserve the knowledge of indigenous peoples and encourage the participation of under-represented groups in marine science and management.

F3 Future of Fish Feed

Lead Institution(s): Anthropocene InstituteLead Contact(s): Barbara Page (barbara@anthinst.org) We need innovation in aquafeed for global food security. Currently, we depend on wild-caught forage fish to produce blue foods. Yet, overfishing of these keystone species disrupts ocean ecosystems and biodiversity, causing fluctuations in the supply chain that result in availability issues and higher prices for consumers. Our proposed Decade Action encourages nutrition innovation across the supply chain to curb our reliance on fishing keystone species out of the ocean for use as feed ingredients. Instead, these nutrients can come from more sustainable sources such as algae. We will encourage innovation by hosting industry-focused challenges and networking events across the supply chain; supporting the alternative feed community through the F3 Feed Innovation Network (FIN); and by sponsoring new scientific research into alternative ingredients. This project’s benefit is to enhance global food security while reducing pressure on ocean ecosystems to conserve them for future generations.

Fisheries Strategies for Changing Oceans and Resilient Ecosystems by 2030

Lead Institution(s): Gulf of Maine Research Institute Lead Contact(s): Katherine Mills (kmills@gmri.org), Claire Enterline (centerline@gmri.org) Fish-SCORE 2030 will bring together scientists, fishers, resource managers, community practitioners, and policymakers to drive marine fisheries toward climate resilience by 2030. We will develop assessment and modeling frameworks that synthesize complex ecological, social, cultural, economic, and governance dimensions of fishery systems in changing oceans to illuminate specific vulnerabilities and actionable adaptation options. We will delve into evidence and experiences from fishery systems around the globe to find what works in the real world. We will nurture partnerships to apply and improve our frameworks, and put to them to work to change the climate outlook of local and regional fisheries.

Fishing Vessel Ocean Observing Network

Lead Institution(s): Ocean Data NetworkLead Contact(s): Cooper Van Vranken (cooper@oceandata.net) We aim to facilitate the implementation of global fishing vessels based observations to complement already established global observing networks. Due to the unique data collection capabilities, the complementarity with existing observation networks, and the cost-effective applicability around the world, standardizing and coordinating outputs from local collaborations will enable resulting data to be impactful worldwide. There is tremendous opportunity to unlock coastal data necessary for bringing data-driven, actionable oceanography to a broader range of sciences, industries, and other stakeholders. Complementing existing observation networks and building towards harmonized observing technologies will have compounding benefits beyond the contribution of any single network. Collaboration between science and industry, observing networks, as well as between nations, is key for unlocking the ocean data needed for research, forecasting, and sustainable growth in the blue economy.

ForeSea - The Ocean Prediction Capacity of the Future

Lead Institution(s): OceanPredictLead Contact(s): Eric Chassignet (echassignet@fsu.edu) ForeSea's vision is for strong international coordination and community building of an ocean prediction capacity for the future. The overarching goal are to (1) improve the science, capacity, efficacy, use, and impact of ocean prediction systems and (2) build a seamless ocean information value chain, from observations to end users, for economic and societal benefit. These transformative goals aim to make ocean prediction science more impactful and relevant.

GEOTRACES

Lead Institution(s): National Science FoundationLead Contact(s): Elena Masferrer (elena.masferrer@legos.obs-mip.fr) GEOTRACES is an international program designed to coordinate efforts and data regarding marine biogeochemical cycles of trace elements and their isotopes (TEIs). The guiding mission is to identify processes and quantify changes that control the distributions of key trace elements and isotopes in the ocean, and to establish the sensitivity of these distributions to changing environmental conditions. TEIs play important roles in the ocean as nutrients, as tracers of processes now and in the past, and as contaminants. Their biogeochemical cycling has direct implications for such diverse areas as the carbon cycle, climate change, ocean ecosystems, and environmental pollution.

Ghana School

Lead Institution(s): University of MichiganLead Contact(s): Brian Arbic (arbic@umich.edu) Based upon our experience in Peace Corps, the Coastal Ocean Environment Summer School in Ghana, would inspire large numbers of scientists, especially early-career scientists, into its ranks, thus "internationalizing" their outlook, molding many of them into champions for international capacity development for the remainder of their careers, and fostering true ocean science collaborations worldwide.

Global Ecosystem for Ocean Solutions (GEOS)

Lead Institution(s): Ocean Visions and Future Seas Lead Contact(s): Emanuele Di Lorenzo (edl@oceanvisions.org), Leonardo Valenzuela Perez (leonardo@oceanvisions.org) GEOS will develop and deploy a series of equitable, durable, and scalable ocean-based solutions for addressing climate change and Ocean Decade's challenges. It will achieve this through three synergistic mechanisms: the GEOS Network made up of researchers, engineers, innovators, investors, decision-makers, and others, which will co-design the GEOS Task Forces for the co-creation of solution-delivering projects, and the GEOS Innovation Engine that will prototype and deploy those solutions. GEOS initial projects focus on ocean-based carbon dioxide removal, providing adaptation tools to coastal communities, and improving ocean-based human health, with further projects to be developed throughout the Ocean Decade.

Global Fishing Watch Marine Manager

Lead Institution(s): Global Fishing WatchLead Contact(s): Anna Sanders (anna@globalfishingwatch.org) Global Fishing Watch, in partnership with Dona Bertarelli Philanthropy, is developing Global Fishing Watch Marine Manager, a new scalable technology portal to support the effective design, management and monitoring of marine protected areas (MPAs). This cutting-edge technology will provide dynamic and interactive data on human-use activity, ocean conditions and biology in near real-time to support MPA management, marine spatial planning and scientific research. The Marine Manager portal is designed to empower managers and stakeholders to rapidly collate, assess and analyze scientific data integral to the governance of marine reserves, along with other management frameworks and area-based conservation measures including MPAs.

Global Fund for Coral Reefs

Lead Institution(s): United Nations Multi-Partner Trust Fund OfficeLead Contact(s): Nicole Trudeau (nicole.trudeau@undp.org) The Global Fund for Coral Reefs deploys and unlocks funding across a blended ‘Investment Ecosystem’ under a ‘protect-transform-restore-recover’ approach. Through a coalition of actors in each ecosystem, programming focuses on reducing local drivers of degradation and increasing resilience through a supported pipeline of investable ‘reef-positive’ interventions (e.g., revenue generating MPAs, mariculture, plastic waste management, sustainable fisheries). Emphasis is placed on LDCs and SIDS in South Asia, the Pacific, the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean, in addition to other priority geographies, where climate-resilient coral reefs support high levels of biodiversity and provide critical ecosystem services. Programmes have already launched in Fiji, Philippines, The Bahamas, Papua New Guinea, Kenya and Tanzania. Currently, the pipeline for 2022 includes more than 20 additional countries.

Global Integration of Seabird Time Series

Lead Institution(s): Farallon InstituteLead Contact(s): William Sydeman (wsydeman@faralloninstitute.org) Building upon previous successful projects that began to integrate biological time series across the globe, we will design and implement a working group to enhance global seabird science by: i) harmonizing datasets on a global scale, (ii) developing priorities and recommendations for future research, with a focus on key questions and long-term monitoring, iii) engaging in outreach activities to connect researchers from regions not yet included in global analyses into the wider community of seabird science, and iv) building capacity for future global integrations of seabird data by engaging Early Career Ocean Professionals (ECOP). In a rapidly changing marine environment, seabirds are increasingly recognized to be ecological indicators of the stability and function of ocean ecosystems. Our working group will formalize a group of scientists currently collaborating on global seabird meta-analyses that prioritize the characterization of environmental impacts on seabird reproductive trends.

Global Ocean Biogeochemistry Array (GO-BGC Array)

Lead Institution(s): National Science FoundationLead Contact(s): Stacy Aguilera-Peterson (aguiler@nsf.gov) The Global Ocean Biogeochemistry Array (GO-BGC Array) creates a global fleet of robotic floats, transforming how we observe the ocean. The program will release a network of 500 robotic floats into the global ocean to collect chemistry and biology data from the surface to more than 1 mile deep. This program drives a shift in our ability to observe and predict, at the global scale, the effects of climate change on ocean metabolism, carbon uptake, and living marine resource management. Collected data will be freely accessible in near real-time. The program includes an outreach program to diversify the blue workforce.

Global Ocean Corps and Conveyor

Lead Institution(s): University of Michigan Lead Contact(s): Brian Arbic (arbic@umich.edu)Motivated by the example of the US Peace Corps, we propose "An Ocean Corps for Oceanic Science," as a unifying concept for sustaining long-term education and research collaborations between scientists from under-resourced nations and higher-resourced nations. Based upon our experience, we are confident that an Ocean Corps would inspire large number of scientists, especially early-career scientists, into its ranks, thus "internationalizing" their outlook, molding many of them into champions for international capacity development for the remainder of their careers, and fostering true ocean science collaborations worldwide.

Global plastic ingestion bioindicators

Lead Institution(s): Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford UniversityLead Contact(s): Matthew Savoca (msavoca13@gmail.com) Plastic pollution is a unique threat as both a chemical and physical contaminant of environments worldwide. At present, more than 1000 marine species are known to ingest plastic. Unfortunately, there is a lack of coordination among researchers, which impedes scientific advances, collaboration, protocol standardization, and amelioration of this mounting global threat. Recent headway has been made on standardizing methodology to monitor and report plastic debris in marine environments and food webs, but significant knowledge gaps remain. In our Project, we will create an interface where new records can be easily added to a global database of plastic ingestion records for all marine species. We aim to support the development and coordination of a user interface for a database/web portal, to identify a "global top ten" species/genera that will be evaluated as Global Plastic Ingestion Bioindicators (GPIB) for long-term plastic monitoring.

Great Lakes Basemap for the Blue Economy (Lakebed 2030)

Lead Institution(s): Great Lakes Observing SystemLead Contact(s): Kelli Paige (kellie@glos.org) The Great Lakes are an invaluable national and international natural resource, upon which millions rely on for drinking water, employment, and recreation. Despite this, one of the most fundamental datasets - a complete bathymetric lakebed map - has not been coherently and deliberately collected. Our ocean-shot project will create and deliver a high-resolution digital representation of the Great Lakes lakebed for the benefit of everyone, from scientists to decision-makers to the general public. This project will leverage technical innovations with emerging methodologies and can serve as a testbed of technologies and data processing techniques for the global Seabed 2030 effort.

Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (Ocean Dumping Management)

Lead Institution(s): Canada-United States Collaboration for Great Lakes Water QualityLead Contact(s): Jennifer Day (jennifer.day@noaa.gov) The principal goal of GLWQA is the restoration and maintenance of the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Great Lakes ecosystem. The Agreement has been updated over time based on advancing science with a broadened approach to addressing the many issues impacting the lakes and that take the entire ecosystem, including people and communities into consideration. In 2012, after extensive review and consultation, Canada and the United States amended the Agreement and expanded their commitment to address issues facing the lakes through nine specific objectives and ten annexes.

Growing Oceans for Tongan Climate Resilience

Lead Institution(s): University of California, Irvine, United States of America (USA)Lead Contact(s): amartiny@uci.edu Growing Oceans and the Kingdom of Tonga are collaborating on the science needed to leverage biological nitrogen fixation to support ocean health and climate stability in the South Pacific. By accelerating the evaluation of emerging phytoplankton “blue carbon” solutions, this partnership aims to determine whether these approaches are suitable for adoption as science-based solutions within the 2030 Agenda timeline. If successful, the results will advance a holistic, nature-based approach to restoring open-ocean ecosystems, protecting biodiversity, and sequestering carbon at a scale relevant to global climate mitigation. For partners and stakeholders in Tonga, this collaboration offers a timely opportunity to incorporate open-ocean nature-based solutions into the country’s new Ocean Management Bill framework and revised National Plan. The potential to realize Blue Economy revenue streams for this climate-vulnerable nation could, in turn, help relieve economic pressures that favor overfishing and consideration of seabed mining programs.

Gulf Of Guinea Ocean Sciences Summer School

Lead Institution(s): Florida State University, Barbette TchonangLead Contact(s): btchonang@fsu.eduThe Gulf of Guinea Ocean Sciences Summer School (GGOSSS) is a regional capacity-building initiative founded and led by Babette Christelle Tchonang to strengthen scientific expertise across French-speaking countries of West and Central Africa. The program equips students and early-career researchers with practical skills in ocean modeling, in-situ data analysis, satellite observation analysis, and key oceanographic parameters such as sea level, salinity, and circulation. GGOSSS fosters international collaboration, enhances knowledge exchange, and builds a professional network of emerging ocean scientists in a region highly vulnerable to climate change. Through lectures, hands-on workshops, and field activities, the initiative empowers the next generation of ocean professionals and advances the Ocean Decade vision of a more informed, resilient, and sustainable ocean for the Gulf of Guinea.

Heirs to Our Ocean

Lead Institution(s): Heirs to Our OceanLead Contact(s): April Peebler (april@heirstoouroceans.org) Heirs to Our Oceans (H2OO) is a US based charity with a mission to help youth understand the role they can play in creating a healthier, safer world for all. Through capacity developing events, workshops, and initiatives H2OO works with youth from around the world to help them develop their knowledge and skills needed to tackle the challenges facing the world through intersectional solutions. Through previous work with the US National Decade Committee, H2OO has developed a toolkit and guidelines for implementing Ocean Decade Youth Advisory Councils. These are groups of youth who engage with the Decade at the national level to support the catalysation of Decade Actions, and other local initiatives contributing to the Decade. As a DIP, H2OO would act as a consulting body for National Decade Committees to use as a resource as they set up their own Youth Advisory Councils.

Hope for Reefs

Lead Institution(s): California Academy of SciencesLead Contact(s): Luiz Rocha (lrocha@calacademy.org) Hope for Reefs is a major initiative at the California Academy of Sciences that aims to reverse the rapid decline of Earth’s coral reefs in this generation. Over the next five years, we will advance high-impact interventions—from establishing sustainable fisheries and marine protected areas to on-the-reef restoration—all implemented with local communities and cross-sector stakeholders. We will scale a successful model for community reef monitoring to the national level; increase capacity for rapid response to catastrophic events impacting reefs; and apply new technologies to map, monitor, forecast, and regenerate reef health. We will also leverage our world-class education programs and Steinhart Aquarium to inspire and train a diverse cadre of future reef scientists while supporting a global youth corps of emerging environmental leaders advocating on behalf of coral reefs.

IGIF-Hydro

Lead Institution(s): United Nations Working Group on Marine Geospatial Information, UN Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information ManagementLead Contact(s): John Nyberg (john.nyberg@noaa.gov) The goal of the UN WG-MGI produced Operational Framework for Integrated Marine Geospatial Information (IGIF-H) is the efficient use of geospatial information by all countries to facilitate decision-making in support of sustainable oceans and seas, coastal zones, deltas and tributaries, and inland water bodies and waterways.

Integrated Ocean Observing Across the Northwest Atlantic

Lead Institution(s): Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems Lead Contact(s): Jake Kritzer (jake@neracoos.org) We will establish an interconnected system to track environmental change in the Northwest Atlantic, from the Arctic to the Gulf of Maine. The oceanographic influence of climate-driven changes in the Arctic extends well into mid-latitudes in this region, with distributions of many species shifting northward against current flow. By convening agencies, institutions, indigenous communities, and private sector stakeholders from the all nations in the region, we can track and communicate key environmental attributes, including marine carbon stores, with greater speed and at scale. This can serve as a model for multinational partnerships for other ocean areas grappling with environmental change.

Integrating Coastal Wetlands Data into Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventories for Developing Countries: A New International Blue Carbon Initiative

Lead Institution(s): United States Department of State, National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationLead Contact(s): Daniel Kandy (kandydd@state.gov) This project will utilize the expertise of the U.S. government to develop tools and templates that facilitate the preparation of GHG inventories consistent with IPCC guidelines, particularly the 2013 IPCC Wetlands Supplement, and will provide technical assistance to strategic developing countries to build capacity in this area. The increased accuracy of information in GHG inventories will promote better management strategies of wetlands that will lead to reduced GHG emissions and better protection of coastal ecosystems.

International Blue Carbon Institute

Lead Institution(s): Conservation InternationalLead Contact(s): Siti Maryam Yaakub (smaryam@conservation.org) The International Blue Carbon Institute (IBCI) advances science and support systems needed to unlock the potential of blue carbon ecosystems to address climate change, protect biodiversity and support threatened coastal communities. Partnering with governments, scientists, diverse organizations and communities, the IBCI develops and informs effective policy, finance and implementation strategies for blue carbon ecosystems. It serves as a global hub for exchanging knowledge and learning in blue carbon research and implementation. It effectively translates latest science into tools, methodologies and best practices that are harnessing the potential of blue carbon for climate and biodiversity action. The IBCI is strategically situated in the Southeast Asian and Indo-West Pacific Ocean regions, which currently have >30% of the world’s mangroves, more than 40 % of the world’s seagrass, and where coastal communities are highly vulnerable to increasing negative impacts of climate change.

International Coral Reef Society (ICRS)

Lead Institution(s): International Coral Reef Alliance (ICRS)Lead Contact(s): Mariana Rocha de Souza (mrds@hawaii.edu) The International Coral Reef Society (ICRS) plays a pivotal role in advancing the goals of the UN Ocean Decade by providing crucial funding and support for research and professional development particularly for early-career ocean professionals working on coral reefs. This support is especially impactful for individuals from developing countries and island nations, where coral reefs are most abundant. ICRS offers grants for early-career scientists' fieldwork and lab visits and promotes capacity building through initiatives like the Science Communication Fellowship, enhancing members' communication skills. Student Travel Grants enable attendance at International Coral Reef Symposia, fostering global collaboration. Furthermore, ICRS has specific grants to support scientists, reef managers, and policymakers from developing countries. These efforts ensure a diverse, skilled workforce ready to tackle coral reef challenges, aligning with the UN Ocean Decade’s objectives.

International Ocean Discovery Program

Lead Institution(s): National Science FoundationLead Contact(s): Stacy Aguilera-Peterson (aguiler@nsf.gov) The International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) is an international marine research collaboration that explores Earth's history and dynamics using ocean-going research platforms to recover data recorded in seafloor sediments and rocks and to monitor subseafloor environments. IODP depends on facilities funded by three platform providers with financial contributions from five additional partner agencies. These entities represent twenty-three nations whose scientists are selected to staff IODP expeditions conducted throughout the world's oceans. IODP expeditions are developed from hypothesis-driven science proposals. The program's science plan identifies 14 challenge questions in the four areas of climate change, deep life, planetary dynamics, and geohazards.

Inundaton Signatures on Rocky Coastlines

Lead Institution(s): Williams CollegeLead Contact(s): Ronadh Cox (rcox@williams.edu) Understanding the records of coastal wave inundation is fundamental for long-term risk analysis but it is still not possible to know inundation magnitude and frequency with any accuracy, or to know the difference between effects of past storms vs tsunamis. These long-lived deposits provide the main records of prehistoric events, so reconstructions are crucial to provide predictions or future inundation regimes. The Inundation Signatures on Rocky Coastlines (ISROC) Research Coordination Network will unite researchers around the world to 1. Define the research gaps; 2. Extend and train the community of researchers; 3. Develop standards for gathering and archiving data; 4. Develop cyberinfrastructure for researchers to upload and access data; and 5. Create opportunities for collaboration and exchange. Information transfer, and providing data and interpretations to local stakeholders, is a primary goal.

Kogia's Oceanic Library

Lead Institution(s): KogiaLead Contact(s): Nessim Stevenson (nessim@kogia.org) Kogia is a nonprofit media library and creative studio dedicated to protecting marine life. With the mission to transform nature conservation communication, Kogia supports the work of scientists, activists, educators, and conservationists by providing them with high-quality photos and videos donated by some of the world’s most renowned nature photographers and filmmakers. Kogia's Oceanic Library contributes to raising awareness about ocean health and conservation and ensuring that the urgent message of marine conservations resonates with diverse audiences worldwide, through: - Providing organizations, conservationists and communities with the resources to share authentic, localized narratives about their ecosystems - Enabling diverse, grassroots perspectives in conservation storytelling - Enhancing global understandings of marine ecosystems and inspiring action for ocean conservation.

Leveraging Our Networks for the Ocean Decade

Lead Institution(s): Sustainable Ocean AllianceLead Contact(s): Emily Tewes (emily@soalliance.org) Through this contribution to ECOP, SOA seeks to facilitate sustained collaboration between ECOP’s regional nodes and SOA’s Regional Communities. SOA can play an important role in helping ECOP to build out their regional communities. Particularly in Africa, the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia. SOA currently has 7 Regional Representatives representing the Pacific Islands, North America, Africa, Hispano America, Southeast Asia, Lusofonia, Europe, and the Caribbean. These representatives manage extensive regional networks of ocean-focused young leaders, including 64 Ocean Solutions Hubs in 42 Countries. We also aim to provide ECOP’s with speaking opportunities, as well as opportunities for regional training, networking, mentorship, and jobs through SOA’s existing programs and community of ocean tech start-ups. By partnering, we aim to amplify our progress and deepen our impact towards achieving the objectives of the UN Ocean Decade.

MERMAID Coral Reef Data Platform

Lead Institution(s): Wildlife Conservation SocietyLead Contact(s): Emily Darling (edarling@wcs.org) MERMAID - a Marine Ecological Research Management AID - aggregates and manages data from underwater coral reef surveys empowering scientists, communities, and governments in linking science to rapid action in marine conservation efforts. For the first time, MERMAID catalyzes a digital revolution of coral reef data in an open-source platform. MERMAID is a modern web-based application that collects and manages real-time data on coral reef health, developed in partnership between WCS, WWF, and Sparkgeo. Instead of entering data into Excel spreadsheets (a process can take hours, days and sometimes months to complete). MERMAID helps coral reef scientists input their observations straight onto an online/offline web platform. MERMAID does the job of data in, clean data out - transforming underwater insights into evidence-based actions that save coral reefs.

MIGRAVIAS: Connecting Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) through ocean swimways to protect migratory routes and critical habitats of endangered species

Lead Institution(s): MigraMar Lead Contact(s): Erick Ross Salazar (erick.ross@migramar.org) The status of many endangered migratory marine species has continued to deteriorate over the last twenty years despite regulatory measures and the creation of marine protected areas. The Swimways Initiative, MIGRAVIAS, aims to reverse these trends by providing tangible protection for species that move along predictable routes and building resilience to climate change. MigraMar will work with national governments to identify and protect at least seven swimways (MigraVias) that link Marine Protected Areas across the Eastern Pacific region. This initiative involves transboundary collaboration in data collection, analysis, management, enforcement, and sustainable and equitable use of the benefits generated.

MPAs as sentinel sites for ocean conservation, science and literacy

Lead Institution(s): National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationLead Contact(s): Gonzalo Cid (gonzalo.cid@noaa.gov) Programs seeks to: 1) Understand climate impacts affecting the oceans 2) Promote research on MPA uses and socioeconomic benefits to coastal communities; 3) Develop initiatives to promote ocean literacy 4) Support national and international initiatives to establish networks of MPAs.

Marine Life 2030

Lead Institution(s): Marine Biodiversity Observation Network Lead Contact(s): J. Emmett Duffy (duffye@si.edu), Frank Muller Karger (carib@usf.edu), Gabrielle Canonico (gabrielle.canonico@noaa.gov) Marine Life 2030 will establish the globally coordinated system to deliver actionable, transdisciplinary knowledge of ocean life to those who need it, promoting human well-being, sustainable development, and ocean conservation. Within a decade, Marine Life 2030 will unite existing and frotier technologies and partners into a global, interoperable network and community of practice advancing observation and forecasting of marine life. This network of networks will link technical, management and policy stakeholders to build and exchange capactiy for advancing society's grand challenges of managing activities for a healthy and resilient ocean and the vibrant and healthy society that depends on it.

Marine Monitor (M2): Ocean Conservation Technology

Lead Institution(s): ProtectedSeasLead Contact(s): Brendan Tougher (brendan@anthinst.org) The Marine Monitor (M2) is a vessel monitoring platform developed by ProtectedSeas. Using marine radar, M2 tracks and records all vessels within its range, which is especially useful for monitoring small-scale fisheries since technologies used by industrial fleets may not be available or applicable for these vessels. M2 systems empower coastal communities with an accessible tool for monitoring fishing grounds so they can enforce laws and focus on managing resources sustainably. This Decade Action will extend the local utility of M2 to the global level by integrating data with other databases and platforms which can also contribute to progress in data standardization. With over thirty systems deployed to twelve countries since 2015, M2 is a substantial source of novel data. Expanding access to this ever-growing dataset can facilitate a broader understanding of small-scale fishing activity overall and ensure its role in local and regional economies is represented.

MetaZooGene: Metabarcoding Zooplankton Diversity

Lead Institution(s): University of Connecticut Lead Contact(s): Ann Bucklin (ann.bucklin@uconn.edu) MetaZooGene ML2030 will work toward a global vision for integrative molecular – morphological taxonomic analysis of marine zooplankton biodiversity. The overarching goal is to promote and facilitate DNA barcoding and metabarcoding to characterize local-to-global patterns of biodiversity and biogeography of zooplankton. Applications include monitoring of ecosystem health, rapid detection of impacts of climate change, characterization of food webs, and identification of introduced and non-indigenous species. Deliverables include taxonomically-comprehensive global-scale DNA sequence reference databases for barcode gene regions required for species identification. Recommendations for best practices will be documented in review papers in peer-reviewed open access journals. Capacity-building goals will be met through symposia for early career scientists and those from developing countries, to be held in association with international conferences.

Modernizing marine climate data infrastructure

Lead Institution(s): National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationLead Contact(s): Kevin Wood (kevin.r.wood@noaa.gov) This project will modernize the world's primary source of global marine climate data, the International Comprehensive Ocean Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS). It will address longstanding impacts of large uncertainties in marine weather records arising from non-climatic artifacts as described in the 5th and 6th IPCC WG1 Assessment Reports. It builds historical ocean knowledge in support of climate and ocean prediction, supports the development of new interoperable and open-access data infrastructure, and engages with public initiatives for contributions of recovered historical marine data and for ocean education and outreach.

Multinational Image Classification Assessing Coastal Habitats

Lead Institution(s): National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Southeast Fisheries Science CenterLead Contact(s): Matthem Johnson (matthew.johnson@noaa.gov) Harnessing artificial intelligence to provide a rapid, reproducible habitat classification toolbox to assess impacts of change on coastal habitats from available imagery.

NASA Sea Level Change Science Team

Lead Institution(s): National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationLead Contact(s): Nadya Vinogradova Shiffer (nadya@nasa.gov) Since 2014, the NASA Sea Level Change Science Team (N-SLCT) has been conducting interdisciplinary sea level science by collecting and analyzing observational evidence of sea level change, quantifying underlying causes and driving mechanisms, producing projections of future changes in sea level, and communicating NASA's latest discoveries to the public through the Sea Level Portal. N-SLCT has made progress many important problems in sea level science, resulting in a better understanding of ice sheet dynamics, ocean processes, the development of tools and assessments of mass loss impacts from ice sheets and glaciers on coastal cities, and improved representation of vertical land motion related to coastal subsidence, tectonics, and Earth's post-glacial rebound.

NOAA Coastal Aquaculture Siting and Sustainability Program

Lead Institution(s): National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationLead Contact(s): James Morris (james.morris@noaa.gov) The NOAA Coastal Aquaculture Siting and Sustainability (CASS) Program provides high quality science, guidance, and technical support to coastal managers to grow sustainable aquaculture while maintaining and improving ecosystem health. Efforts through the CASS Program are providing needed information to regulatory, industry, and research stakeholders to make sound decisions about permitting, siting, and operating marine fish farms. Continued support of these efforts is guiding monitoring and further research toward ensuring that sustainable practices continue and in minimizing environmental effects. Discharge from marine farms and associated issues of siting such operations are among the most important environmental questions facing this industry.

NOAA Harmful Algal Bloom Forecasting

Lead Institution(s): NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science Lead Contact(s): Kaytee Pokryzwinski-Boyd (kaytee.boyd@noaa.gov) NOAA’s Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) forecasts alert coastal managers to blooms before they cause serious damage. Short-term (up to twice weekly) and longer-term seasonal forecasts identify potentially harmful levels of developing algal biomass, including projected bloom location, size, direction, and severity in a particular region. NOAA continues to issue HAB forecasts by region, which are based on understanding the causes of HABs and how they respond to changing weather, physical ocean conditions, and in-situ environmental factors. NOAA additionally funds research in support of operationalizing several pilot regional HAB forecasts for continued prevention and mitigation.

NSF Coastlines and People

Lead Institution(s): National Science FoundationLead Contact(s): Stacy Aguilera-Peterson (aguiler@nsf.gov) The NSF Coastlines and People (CoPe) program supports diverse, innovative, multi-institution Coastal Research Hubs that are focused on critically important coastlines and people research that is integrated with broadening participation goals. The hubs are structured using a convergent science approach, at the nexus between coastal sustainability, human dimensions, and coastal processes to transform understanding of interactions among natural, human-built, and social systems in coastal, populated environments. CoPe supports Focused Hubs, projects $1 million or less per year for 3 to 5 years, as well as Large-scale Hubs, projects of $2-4 million per year, for up to 5 years.

NSF Convergence Accelerator

Lead Institution(s): National Science FoundationLead Contact(s): Aurali Dade (adade@nsf.gov) The NSF Convergence Accelerator builds upon basic research and discovery to accelerate the transition of convergence research into practice. The program brings multidisciplinary teams together in a cohort with research tracks to address societal and economic challenges that require convergence: the merging of ideas, approaches, and technologies from a wide and diverse range of expertise and sectors to stimulate innovation and discovery. The Track E: Networked Blue Economy, aligned to the 2021 cohort, focuses on interconnecting the blue economy and accelerating convergent ocean research, innovation, and technology that is connected, open, and accessible and will enable long-lasting societal impact.

National Coastal Condition Assessment

Lead Institution(s): Environmental Protection AgencyLead Contact(s): Hugh Sullivan (sullivan.hugh@epa.gov) NCCA tracks water quality and ecological conditions in coastal waters of estuaries and the Great Lakes; it builds monitoring capacity using statistical survey designs and consistent field and laboratory protocols to estimate proportions of coastal waters in good condition for water quality, sediment quality, fish tissue contaminants and biological integrity, as well as proportions of waters with concentrations of Enterococci, microcystin and cylindrospermopsin in water, and mercury in fish fillet plug samples that exceed human-health benchmarks. During the Decade, the NCCA will provide data collected in 2020/21, 2025, and 2030.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Lead Institution(s): National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Lead Contact(s): Steven Bograd (steven.bograd@noaa.edu) Changing oceans are significantly impacting valuable marine species and the many people, communities, and economies that depend upon them. Warming oceans, rising seas, decreasing ocean ice, increasing ocean acidification, and extreme events (e.g., marine heat waves) are affecting the distribution and abundance of marine species in many regions. These changes are expected to increase with continued climate change and there is much at risk. The SUPREME programme seeks to globally implement an infrastructure to support robust climate- and ocean-related forecasts, predictions, and projections to guide marine ecosystem management and adaptation strategies that reduce risks and increase resilience of marine/coastal resources and the people who depend on them.

National Sea Grant College Program

Lead Institution(s): National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Sea GrantLead Contact(s): Rebecca Briggs (rebecca.briggs@noaa.gov) For over 50 years the National Sea Grant College Program (Sea Grant) has generated and delivered actionable science to tackle the most pressing challenges facing our marine and coastal communities and environments and will continue to do so in support of the Ocean Decade priorities. Sea Grant’s key to success lies in the synergistic interplay of research, extension, and education initiatives, representing a rich knowledge-to-action network that empowers coastal stakeholders with science-based information, products, and services to inform decision-making and help solve pressing societal problems.

Navigating the New Artic

Lead Institution(s): National Science FoundationLead Contact(s): Stacy Aguilera-Peterson (saguiler@nsf.gov) Navigating the New Arctic (NNA) is one of NSF's 10 "Big Ideas" long-term research and process areas for future investment to advance the cutting edge of global science and engineering by bringing together diverse disciplinary perspectives to support convergence research. NNA embodies an important forward-looking response to rapid and wide-scale Arctic changes. NNA seeks innovations in fundamental convergence research across the social, natural, environmental, computing and information sciences, and engineering that address the interactions or connections among natural and built environments and social systems, and how these connections inform our understanding of Arctic change and its local and global effects.

Ocean Acoustics Education and Expertise

Lead Institution(s): The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine/Ocean Studies BoardLead Contact(s): Susan Roberts (sroberts@nas.edu) This action will survey stakeholders in government, academia, and industry on their current needs and existing level of expertise related to acoustics in maritime environments. It will survey and document existing training and education opportunities in ocean acoustics. It will identify gaps in expertise and training opportunities based on need and make recommendations for developing capabilities to meet stakeholder needs, including sustainable development goals.

Ocean Biomolecular Observing Network

Lead Institution(s): The Partnership for Observation of the Global Ocean, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration Lead Contact(s): Margaret Leinen (mleinen@ucsd.edu), Sophie Seeyave (ssve@pml.ac.uk) Ocean life is built from "biomolecules". Biomolecules such as DNA infuse each drop of ocean water, grain of sediment, and breath of ocean air. The Biomolecular Ocean Observing Network (BOON) will develop a global system that will allow science and society to understand ocean life like never before. The programme will transform how we sense, harvest, protect, and manage ocean life, which faces multiple stresses including pollution, habitat loss, and climate change. It will also help communities detect biological hazards like harmful algal blooms and pathogens, and be a key component of next-generation ocean observing systems.

Ocean Decade Research Programme on the Maritime Acoustic Environment

Lead Institution(s): Interagency Working Group for Ocean Sound and Marine LifeLead Contact(s): Kyle M. Becker (kyle.becker@navy.mil)Sound is a persistent yet dynamic component of the maritime environment reflecting both physical and biological properties and phenomenology that define oceanography. Understanding sound in the ocean is critical to support users of, and life within, the ocean. The UN Research Programme on the Maritime Acoustic Environment will establish a comprehensive science-based program aimed at measuring and objectively characterizing underwater acoustic environments. It will foster new scientific knowledge, technologies, approaches to data collection and dissemination that facilitates the use of sound for analyzing, evaluating and predicting ocean-life systems.

Ocean Sciences Meeting 2022-2030

Lead Institution(s): American Geophysical UnionLead Contact(s): Victoria Forlini (vforlini@agu.org) Ocean Sciences Meetings, with global outreach and online and onsite programming, will serve as a catalyst for convening thousands of the world's leading oceanographers and will continue to extend its reach through a growing global group of affiliated communities and partners. The Ocean Sciences Meeting, which has been held since 1984, proposes an in-kind contribution by providing a venue to promote connections between the Ocean Decade with oceanography community-scientists, NGOs, non-profit organizations, and the private sector. Additionally, the coalition of partners will bring more attention to the UN Decade outside of this biennial meeting. The conference scientific program committee for each meeting, which includes representatives from all three societies, would discuss how to prioritize the Decade at each conference between 2022-2030 and consider what partners or what focus would enhance collaboration and knowledge-sharing on sustainable oceans with a focus on the ocean we want for the future. Ocean Sciences Meetings will provide the opportunity to convene sessions on specific applications and priority areas of sustainable development throughout the decade. Participants also include representatives from NGOs, government agencies worldwide, other non-profit agencies, and private-sector organizations in the ocean sciences. Solution projects and outcomes, white papers, scientific journal articles, or other collateral are likely outcomes from each meeting and will expand the reach and timeline of the in-kind contribution. In addition, the coalition of sponsoring societies (AGU, ASLO, TOS) brings the ability to have a continuum of UN Decade work and focus beyond OSM through ASLO's annual Aquatic Science Meeting, TOS's meetings and communications channels, and AGU's 25,000-person annual meeting and other conferences. In addition, there are other potential synergies in areas of each association. The UN Decade would become a supporter of Ocean Sciences Meetings throughout the decade and given the opportunity to host town halls, workshops, and provide speakers or information about the UN Decade. The UN Decade logo could be used in all major OSM marketing. Additional goals of these events are to highlight the ocean's importance to society and to support the Decade of Ocean science vision to develop scientific knowledge, build infrastructure and foster relationships for a sustainable and healthy ocean. The OSM team is asking for an endorsement for the 2022, 2024, 2026, 2028, and 2030 meetings.

Ocean Twillight Zone Project

Lead Institution(s): Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Lead Contact(s): Heidi Sosik (hsosik@whoi.edu) The Ocean Twilight Zone Project is an established project within the TED "Audacious Projects" portfolio. We seek endorsement of the OTZ Project under the previously endorsed Decade Programme number 189 entitled "Joint Exploration of the Twilight Zone Ocean Network. The Ocean Twilight Zone Project has three pillars: 1) rapidly advance scientific understanding of the twilight zone, 2) dramatically improve public awareness of the deep ocean and inform policy development and 3) develop low-cost pervasive technologies and build capacity for further studies of the mesopelagic ecosystem.

Ocean Vision AI: Scaling up marine life observing

Lead Institution(s): Monterey Bay Aquarium Research InstituteLead Contact(s): Maura Carter (mauracarter@mbari.org) In order to understand the life that lives in the ocean, we need to scale up our observing capabilities. To achieve this, we need to increase our capacity for biological observations by building distributed networks to take better advantage of imagery coming from a suite of systems. Here we will bring Ocean Vision AI into the UN Decade context, which will engage researchers and innovators across nations and sectors (e.g., academic, government, non-profit, for-profit). Ocean Vision AI will provide a central hub for incubating groups that use imaging, AI, open data, and hardware/software; create data pipelines from existing image and video data repositories; provide project tools for coordination; leverage public participation and engagement via game development; and generate data products that are shared widely and freely. We will work with Marine Life 2030 and other Decade efforts to co-design and share our capabilities and tools to advance the Decade challenges, goals, and outcomes.

Ocean Visions - U.N. Decade Collaborative Centre for Ocean-Climate Solutions (DCC OCS)

Lead Institution(s): Ocean Visions, Georgia Tech, and the Georgia AquariumLead Contact(s): Brad Ack (brad.ack@oceanvisions.org) Understanding the nexus of the ocean and climate crises and developing ocean-based solutions are critical to the Ocean Decade. The primary focus of the proposed DCC OCS is on leading and supporting processes to co-design, develop, test, and ultimately deploy scalable, equitable ocean-based solutions to mitigate and reverse the effects of climate change (Challenge 5). To advance this mission, DCC OCS will engage with a global set of stakeholders and institutions to connect those with the capacity for generating new science and engineering knowledge to those with capacity to develop and test innovations and solutions (Challenge 4). Among the system-level challenges targeted by the DCC OCS are ocean-based solutions to ameliorating climate change, enhancing food security (Challenge 3), and building the climate resiliency of critical marine ecosystems and coastal communities (Challenge 1 and 2).The DCC OCS will coordinate Decade Actions focused on solutions at the ocean-climate nexus across all regions and ocean basins. It will work in close collaboration with other Decade coordination structures focusing on different aspects of the ocean-climate nexus, including eventually the proposed DCCs focusing on coastal resilience (led by the University of Bologna, Italy) and the ocean-climate nexus (led by the First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, China).

Ocean Voices: Building transformative pathways to achieve the Decade's outcomes

Lead Institution(s): Nippon Foundation Ocean Nexus Center, EarthLab, University of Washington Lead Contact(s): Yoshitaka Ota (yota1@uw.edu), Harriet Harden Davies (harriet.harden-davies@ed.ac.uk) The contribution of ocean science to sustainable development is determined by people. Understanding the actors involved, their culture and wellbeing, and how power dynamics and decision-making processes influence our oceans is crucial to achieve the goals of the Decade and ensure knowledge, strategy and governance frameworks enable all to participate in, contribute to and benefit equitably from the Decade. The Oceans for Everyone program will conduct research, incubate ideas, facilitate critical discussions and convene capacity building partnerships to identify barriers and pathways and enabling conditions for equity in the Decade.

OceanX and OceanQuest Around Africa Mission

Lead Institution(s): OceanXLead Contact(s): Vincent Pieribone (vincent@oceanx.org) In early 2025, two global ocean exploration nonprofits – OceanX and the newly established OceanQuest –â€¯will conduct a collaborative mission, “Around Africa,” to unlock scientific understanding of Africa’s ocean environments. The mission will increase understanding of ocean circulation, ecosystem health, and marine biodiversity to help address ocean challenges like climate change, sustainable resource management, and conservation. The data collected through this mission will support ocean understanding, education, and management approaches throughout the region for decades to come. The mission also will help build relationships between countries through scientific research and knowledge sharing. It is developed through collaborative work with local partners to support their goals related to ocean research, sustainable ocean management, and capacity development.

OneArgo: an integrated global, full depth and multidisciplinary ocean observing array for beyond 2030

Lead Institution(s): The Argo Steering Team Lead Contact(s): Megan Scanderbeg (mscanderbeg@ucsd.edu) OneArgo will transform the revolutionary 'core' Argo array (which tracks the upper ocean physical state) to one that has truly global reach, including the polar oceans and marginal seas, extending to the full ocean depth and including ocean biogeochemical measurements. Through Argo's novel data management system, all data will be freely shared in real-time with a very high quality version delivered within 12 months. Implementing OneArgo will greatly increase Argo's already remarkable impact on ocean and climate services, predictions and research, and enable groundbreaking developments in understanding ocean ecosystems, forecasting ocean productivity and constraining the global carbon and energy budgets.

Open Access to GTS Projects (Open-GTS Project)

Lead Institution(s): National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Pacific Marine Environmental LabLead Contact(s): Kevin O'Brien (kevin.m.obrien@noaa.gov) The Open Access to GTS (Open-GTS) project aims to ease the exchange of marine data and increase the amount of data available for real-time forecasts. The ability of Open-GTS to accept multiple data format types is significant and promising. The application of the Open-GTS workflow will increase the exchange of marine data while retaining data quality and integrity, and its framework will increase transparency and encourage participation from other marine interests, including the commercial shipping industry.

PROTEUS™ Space Station of the Ocean

Lead Institution(s): PROTEUS OCEAN GROUP LtdLead Contact(s): Debora Marrocchino (deboram@proteusoceangroup.com) Fabien Cousteau, a team of ocean scientists, educators, social entrepreneurs is building PROTEUS™, a modular underwater saturation diving facility that includes multiple cutting-edge scientific laboratories and a broadcast studio. With an anticipated delivery date of 2025, PROTEUS™ will be situated adjacent to a coral reef within a marine protected area in Curaçao. The new habitat will foster a broad array of research and public engagement approaches, with a focus on using cutting edge science and engineering techniques to address critical challenges facing society such as coral reef health and maintenance of biodiversity; environmental monitoring; human health and well-being; and robotics and technological innovation. PROTEUS™ will promote collaborations among academic researchers and educators with industry, government and non-profit organizations across the planet, and is committed to the co-development of solutions to diverse ocean challenges with local communities of Curaçao.

Pan-Arctic Distributed Biological Observatory

Lead Institution(s): University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Solomons Chesapeake Biological LaboratoryLead Contact(s): Jacqueline Grebmeier (jgrebmei@umes.edu) The Distributed Biological Observatory (DBO) is a network of the Pacific Arctic Group that is also supported by the Marine Working Group of the International Arctic Science Committee. Developed to document ecosystem responses to ongoing environmental changes observed in the Arctic, the DBO provides a framework for standard sampling of physical, chemical and biological measurements over time. The DBO model has recently expanded into a Pan-Arctic DBO network, with sites identified in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Canadian Arctic, and the Siberian seas. This development of internationally coordinated change detection network and its interconnection with declining seasonal sea ice, warming water temperatures, stratification changes and other processes are impacting all aspects of the overall marine ecosystem. An Ocean Decade endorsement will further strengthen these internationally coordinated activities.

Peace Boat US - Youth for the SDGs Program

Lead Institution(s): Peace Boat USLead Contact(s): Emilie McGlone (emilie@peaceboat-us.org) Peace Boat US programs for the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development will take place onboard Peace Boat’s ship which sails with the logo of the UN SDGs. Youth leaders from around the world who are working toward sustainability in their home communities are invited to travel onboard and engage in capacity building and citizen science programs. The educational programs developed in partnership with the UN, civil society organizations, academia, government partners and the local communities we visit, focus on SDG14, as well as connect to the broader 2030 Agenda. Participants engage in workshops, lectures and seminars while at sea, and the experiences in the ports of call enrich their understanding of marine science and climate action on a scale from local to global. The programs will continue to develop throughout the coming years inline with the aims of the UN Ocean Decade, creating the framework for future programs on ocean literacy and marine education.

Powering the Blue Economy - Global

Lead Institution(s): Department of EnergyLead Contact(s): Tessa Greco (tessa.greco@ee.doe.gov) Society’s need for ocean-derived food, materials, energy, and knowledge is kickstarting the next-generation maritime or “blue” technologies. Industries like ocean observation are moving further offshore to take advantage of and capture data across the vast scale of the ocean. This requires access to consistent, renewable power untethered to land-based power grids. The Powering the Blue Economy™- Global initiative seeks to understand the power requirements of emerging coastal and maritime markets and encourage international collaboration on the advancement of technologies that could integrate ocean renewable energy to relieve these power constraints and enable sustainable growth of the global blue economy.

Powering the Blue Economy - Global (PBE- Global)

Lead Institution(s): United Stated Department of Energy - Water Power Technologies OfficeLead Contact(s): Amanda Vieillard (amanda.vieillard@ee.doe.gov) Powering the Blue Economy – Global is establishing an international hub for knowledge sharing, coordination, collaboration, and capacity building related to the energy needs of ocean economies. We are convening practitioners in the marine energy space to leverage solutions for a sustainable blue economy. Marine energy is the generation of energy from ocean waves, currents, tides, or gradients and has a unique ability to provide reliable renewable power for coastal and offshore industries as well as coastal and islanded communities. However, marine energy remains an emerging technology space which requires diverse perspectives and global input to fully develop. The goal of this programme is to share knowledge and lessons learned on marine energy technology development and to empower both blue economy industry and coastal community end users to understand and have access to marine renewable energy resources to make their businesses and communities more resilient and sustainable.

Promote Seabed 2030 and Ocean Mapping

Lead Institution(s): National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationLead Contact(s): Trisha Bergmann (trisha.bergmann@noaa.gov) The Decade Programme 'Promote Seabed 2030 and Ocean Mapping' contributes to the development of a comprehensive digital representation of the ocean. Only 20 percent of the world's ocean is mapped to modern standards, and many parts of the ocean are not surveyed comprehensively with modern multibeam sonar. A full map of the ocean is a crucial starting point for the desired outcomes of the Decade, and failure to produce an adequate map prevents us from globally achieving the "ocean we want."

ProtectedSeas Navigator

Lead Institution(s): Anthropocene Institute - ProtectedSeasLead Contact(s): Virgil Zetterlind (virgil@protectedseas.net) ProtectedSeas Navigator is a global tool supporting the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. As a free, interactive map, Navigator consolidates regulatory information for over 22,000 managed marine and coastal areas worldwide, including the high seas. By providing standardized ratings on the Level of Fishing Protection (LFP) for each area, Navigator enhances the transparency and accessibility of marine conservation regulations. This platform empowers policymakers, researchers, and the public to make informed decisions, fostering collaboration to achieve the UN Ocean Decade mission. Addressing Challenge 8, Navigator improves the accessibility and visibility of marine protection regulations, supporting sustainable resource management and biodiversity conservation. It also complements the Digital Twin of the Ocean initiative by providing a robust dataset for integration into digital models, enhancing simulation accuracy and comprehensiveness.

Quantitative Tools for Responsible Marine Energy

Lead Institution(s): Sandia National LaboratoriesLead Contact(s): Jesse Roberts (jdrober@sandia.gov) This work builds and exhibits the open-source Spatial Environmental Assessment Toolkit (SEAT), which provides environmental data integration, assessment, and visualization to support sustainable marine renewable energy (ME) projects that balance power production with ecosystem stewardship. SEAT addresses risks of ME induced stressors (e.g., acoustics) that may affect local receptors in a user-friendly platform. Success factors include: Functional cloud database for storing and serving environmental data tailored to acoustics on ME projects that meets applicable industry standards for data quality and formatting. Functional, user-friendly dashboard for visualizing and interacting with real-time environmental data to support adaptive management during the project’s lifetime. Collaboration with the global ME industry to ensure the tool is relevant and applied. Documentation, distribution, training, and utilization of the database and dashboard tool for global availability.

Sargasso Sea Project

Lead Institution(s): Sargasso Sea CommissionLead Contact(s): David Freestone (dfreestone@sargassoseacommission.org) The overall objective of the nearly $3 million Sargasso Sea GEF-UNDP-UNESCO-IOC project is to facilitate a collaborative, cross-sectoral, and sustainable stewardship mechanism for the Sargasso Sea through improvement of the knowledge base and strengthened frameworks for collaborative management and governance. The project will complete a socio-ecosystem diagnostic analysis (SEDA) for the Sargasso Sea, the first of its kind for a high seas system, which will lead into the development of a strategic action programme (SAP) for the conservation of the region. This SAP will be endorsed by stakeholders. In addition, the project includes a knowledge management element that will see it capture lessons learned and best practices in order to strengthen stewardship in other areas beyond national jurisdiction.

Save the Waves Mobile App

Lead Institution(s): Save the Waves Coalition Lead Contact(s): Nik Strong-Cvetich (info@savethewaves.org) The overall goal of the project is to empower the global surfing community to crowdsource key data on the most pressing issues facing our coastal communities, including harmful coastal development, plastic pollution, sea-level rise and impaired water quality The Save The Waves mobile App uses a smart phone's camera technology to document inappropriate development, water quality impairments, plastic pollution, sea-level rise and other coastal issues and report them in order to find solutions. Users snap a photo of the impacted site, select a threat category menu and include a brief comment. The photo is geotagged by the phone's GPS and then synched with a mapping function to display on the app. Users are incentivized through a combination of social media cross-posting, gameification and sponsor incentives. Data is then shared with on the ground practitioners, coastal agencies and governments, which can be a game-changer for protected area managers. We have launched a preliminary version of this technology with over 4000 users, but will need to scale to over 100,000 make it truly effective.

Science Monitoring And Reliable Telecommunications (SMART) Subsea Cables: Observing the Global Ocean for Climate Monitoring and Disaster Risk Reduction

Lead Institution(s): Joint Task Force SMART Subsea Cables Lead Contact(s): Bruce M. Howe (bhowe@hawaii.edu) The Joint Task Force for Science Monitoring And Reliable Telecommunications (JTF SMART) subsea cables is facilitating the integration of environmental sensors into trans-ocean commercial submarine telecommunications cables toward a planetary scale array that monitors ocean climate and sea level rise. The network will revolutionise real-time warning systems for earthquake and tsunami disaster mitigation. The first major SMART project is underway in Portugal, with others in various stages of planning and funding - "Big Tech" Blue Economy. The JTF will provide coordination between all stakeholders while catalyzing education, training and outreach programs to build capacity and societal benefit.

Science Without BordersÂ®: Conserving the Tropics

Lead Institution(s): Khaled Bin Sultan Living Oceans FoundationLead Contact(s): Renee Carlton (carlton@lof.org) Humanity depends on healthy and diverse ecosystems. Mangroves, seagrasses, and coral reefs host some of the highest biodiversity on Earth. They provide habitat, food, and breeding grounds for marine life, and food, income, and protection to communities. However, these fragile ecosystems are rapidly being degraded. The Living Oceans Foundation spent 10 years mapping and surveying the world’s reefs, collecting an array of data, conducting outreach and education activities, and establishing a baseline status of the world’s reefs and nearshore habitats. The Science Without Borders® project will leverage this dataset for conservation, using it to improve the monitoring and management of coral reefs, seagrass beds, and mangrove forests. Using our network of in-country partners, this project will allow us to bring science, outreach, and education programs to SIDS and LDC’s, engage communities, improve ocean literacy, and develop science-based solutions to conserve tropical marine ecosystems.

Scripps Ecological Observatory

Lead Institution(s): Scripps Institution of OceanographyLead Contact(s): Jeff Bowman (jsbowman@ucsd.edu) The Scripps Ecological Observatory establishes a modern observational program at the Ellen Browning Scripps Pier at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The SEO builds on over a century of environmental observations at the Scripps Pier and will consolidate and improve ongoing measurements, while applying new and emerging technologies to understand ecological change at an unprecedented level of detail. These technologies include automated, high-throughput in situ microscopy, molecular sampling techniques, and in situ sampling of dissolved gases. Our goal is a publicly available, high quality, high resolution, and continuous record of key environmental variables that will be used to model marine ecosystem dynamics and predict future change.

Sea Grant International

Lead Institution(s): National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationLead Contact(s): Meredith Kurz (meredith.kurz@noaa.gov) Central to the Decade is the need for stakeholders to co-develop and co-deliver transformative, multi-disciplinary ocean science while linking and aligning scalar-specific initiatives to broader priorities. However, in research programs that lack bottom-up mechanisms, important local issues are lost to larger national or subnational institutions, and needed info is never generated or not applied. Valuable research may be published, but never properly transitioned to managers and policy-makers. In addition, local and indigenous knowledge that could guide research programs is often lost in top-down models. The National Sea Grant College Program is a proven model to engage universities, government agencies, and stakeholders acting in partnership to promote research, education, and outreach/extension related to marine issues. This project would share the model with international partners and encourage the establishment of similar programs through workshops and learning exchanges.

SeaTrees

Lead Institution(s): Sustainable SurfLead Contact(s): Kevin Whilden (kevin@sustainablesurf.org) Sustainable Surf’s mission is to regenerate the health of our ocean planet. We believe the ocean is the superhero of our story by increasing biodiversity, supporting local communities, and reversing climate change. To enable these superpowers, the SeaTrees Decade Action plants, protects, and restores blue carbon coastal ecosystems, including kelp and mangrove forests, seagrass meadows, coral reefs, and coastal watersheds. These are the most impactful ecosystems on the planet for carbon sequestration, they are biodiversity hotspots and support sustainable development. What sets the SeaTrees Decade Action apart is the program's emphasis on community-led restoration projects targeting the most impactful coastal ecosystems globally for carbon sequestration and biodiversity restoration. By engaging local communities, our approach not only fosters biodiversity benefits but also contributes to the sustainable development of these local communities.

Seakeepers's Seabed 2030 Project (Seakeepers CSB)

Lead Institution(s): The International Seakeepers SocietyLead Contact(s): Katie Sheahan (katie@seakeepers.org) The International SeaKeepers Society is a Trusted Node for the International Hydrographic Organization, assisting Seabed 2030 fulfill their goal of mapping the entire ocean floor by the year 2030. SeaKeepers' mission is to promote oceanographic research, conservation, and education through direct involvement with the yachting community. We enable the yachting community to take full advantage of their unique potential to advance marine sciences and raise awareness about global ocean issues. Our Citizen Science team has installed bathymetric loggers on over 90 vessels and utilizes our connections with the boating community to scale this project and reach the common goal.

Seascape Alaska, a regional coastal and ocean mapping campaign

Lead Institution(s): National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationLead Contact(s): Meredith Westingson (meredith.westington@noaa.gov) The U.S. waters off of Alaska are a vital part of the global navigation system and are also host to extensive fisheries and other resources, but as of January 2022, 69% of these waters are unmapped. This project seeks to acquire and deliver a high-resolution digital representation of the seafloor beneath these waters to benefit a wide-range of both domestic and international stakeholders that depend on these data. This project brings government and non-government sectors together to share mapping plans and advance technical innovations to more efficiently map and characterize the area in support of Seabed 2030.

Seaworthy Collective

Lead Institution(s): Seaworthy CollectiveLead Contact(s): Daniel Kleinman (daniel@seaworthycollective.com) Seaworthy Collective is a BlueTech startup community and venture studio driving regenerative ocean and climate impact through social and economic impact. Our non-profit social impact arm builds and educates our community, making ocean innovation accessible, inclusive, and interdisciplinary, starting with our Sea Change Makers Series and expanding with our fellowship program launching 2022. Our for-profit economic impact arm co-creates and grows existing startups through the first BlueTech venture studio in the United States, catalyzing traction and collaboration by providing access to network connections, talent, and capital. Altogether, we empower current and aspiring entrepreneurs in ocean innovation while developing regenerative systems of solutions and blue economy startup pipelines at scale.

Shifting Tides (Mareas en Movimiento)

Lead Institution(s): Green Flash Conservation Science, Rebecca TrinhLead Contact(s): fish.r.awsome@gmail.comMareas en Movimiento (MeM) is a grassroots, binational community-science & storytelling initiative led by early-career ocean professionals from Mexico & the US. Retracing John Steinbeck & Ed Ricketts’ 1940 Sea of Cortez expedition, MeM revisits historic intertidal sites to document 85 years of ecological change while co-developing long-term, community-led biodiversity monitoring with local partners. Combining traditional surveys with eDNA & AI-based image classification, MeM helps communities understand how warming waters, coastal development & fishing pressure are reshaping shorelines. Through hands-on training with early-career scientists & coastal communities, open data sharing & bilingual storytelling, MeM strengthens science & society, builds local capacity, expands environmental literacy & fosters cross-border collaboration to advance inclusive ocean science, stewardship & conservation.

Southeast Asian Ocean Professionals Program

Lead Institution(s): East-West Center Lead Contact(s): Lance C. Boyd (boydl@eastwestcenter.org) The East-West Center's Southeast Asian Ocean Professionals Program (SEAOPP), is a ten-year, regional program notably co-founded and run in collaboration with Southeast Asian based partners. SEAOPP's inaugural Decade Project, the Ocean Research Corps (#EWCoceancorps), will respond to UNESCO's call to "change how we finance and conduct ocean research" by training 100 young researchers in 100 different communities across Southeast Asia for the Ocean Decade. Corps researchers will be Early Career Ocean Professionals (less than 10 years experience) on one-year, non-residential EWC research intern posts and embedded in their local communities and affiliated with a local University, NGO, or business.

Submersible Technology to Advance Reef Science

Lead Institution(s): 2DegreesC Lead Contact(s): Neil van Niekerk (n.vanniekerk@2degreesc.org) This Decade Action will produce billions of new ocean observations that benefit the coastal ocean and the species and economies that depend on it. It will create a network of citizen science scuba divers who automatically collect environmental data whenever and wherever they dive, and will share those data openly to enhance condition monitoring and scientific research. A low-cost, oceanographic device that attaches to a scuba diver’s gear and automatically observes and transmits conductivity, temperature, depth and light (CTD-L) will be built. Sustained engagement with diving interests in the identified action geographies will cultivate stakeholder awareness and participation, and participants will be included in the end-to-end process through an interactive web service, citable data, and feedback from scientists, conservation managers, and environmental agencies. This Decade Action is designed to be scaled globally and continue indefinitely beyond the Action’s identified timeframe.

Sustainable Blue Food Futures for People & Planet (BlueFood Futures)

Lead Institution(s): Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions, Stanford UniversityLead Contact(s): Michelle Tigchelaar (mtigch@stanford.edu) Blue foods are highly diverse, rich in essential nutrients, and often produced sustainably, yet routinely left out of discussions on the future of food. The Blue Food Assessment provided high-level insights into the roles of blue foods in healthy, sustainable, resilient, and just food systems. Blue foods are now increasingly being integrated in global policy discussions, including through the work of the Aquatic/Blue Food Coalition. The objective of the Blue Food Futures Programme is to build on past progress in blue food research, policy, and implementation through four interrelated lines of work: further our understanding of the potential and limits of blue food in food system transformations; better integrate blue foods into policies for food, climate, and nature; develop a series of blue food solution initiatives, co-produced by blue food stakeholders; and strengthen partnerships, build capacity, and promote access to blue food data by investing in a global community of practice.

Sustained Data for a Changing Ocean

Lead Institution(s): Ocean Observatories InitiativeLead Contact(s): James Edson (jedson@whoi.edu) The Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) provides sustained ocean observations and data delivery that researchers around the globe are using to identify, quantify, and ultimately assess ongoing changes in the global ocean. Commissioned in 2016, OOI is a long-term project to collect ocean data for 25 years or more. This longevity makes it possible to measure and observe short-lived episodic events and longer-term changes in the ocean. OOI currently consists of five instrumented arrays that continually measure more than 200 different parameters. The arrays gather physical, chemical, geological, and biological data from the air-sea interface to the seafloor. These data are freely available to anyone with an Internet connection. The arrays also function as test beds for new sensor technology to help advance the state of the art in ocean observation. Endorsing OOI as a UN Ocean Decade Program will ensure these data have a global reach, providing a foundation for ocean-related policies.

Synchro: Co-Design for Technology Evolution

Lead Institution(s): Monterey Bay Aquarium Research InstituteLead Contact(s): Henry Ruhl (hruhl@mbari.org) Two key issues limiting the uptake of new and maturing technologies are, firstly, the need to ‘cross-walk’ such systems from technical performance assessments through to broader acceptance and use of their resulting data and information products. And secondly, the inclusion of information users in co-design covering the full data lifecycle to ensure that solutions are fit-for-purpose. Synchro will realize the power of new and maturing ocean observing tools and teams for understanding, managing and sustaining ocean resources. This initiative will establish a co-design lab and test bed in Monterey Bay that accelerates progress in bringing new tools into operation with impact. This will focus on prototype demonstration in a relevant environment through to a fully-developed system proven through successful mission operations with use in management and decision making. We will foster testing and evaluation access across a broad range of marine technology modalities and applications.

TAC Ocean Observing and Forecasting System

Lead Institution(s): University of the Virgin Islands Lead Contact(s): Douglas Wilson (doug.wilson@uvi.edu) During preliminary workshops among constituents in the Tropical Americas and Caribbean (TAC), the need was expressed for the co-design and operation of a sustained integrated ocean observation and forecasting system for the region that will provide essential information for the sustainable development, well-being, prosperity and safety of the region’s oceans. The system will be in alignment with the GOOS 2030 Strategy, using a Value Chain approach, connecting OBSERVATIONS through DATA MANAGEMENT for use in ANALYSES and MODELS to create APPLICATIONS. It will have a Governance and Management structure that ensures sustainability, enables and supports broad regional engagement and participation, promotes data and information sharing, and advocate for regional collaboration with the global ocean community. It will promote the development of regional National Observing Systems and collaborate with global Ocean Decade Programs, and utilize both for capacity building and education.

Textile X Ocean Connector Project

Lead Institution(s): Materevolve, LLCLead Contact(s): Krystal Moody Wood (krystal@materevolve.com); Carolyn Box (cbox@materevolve.com) The Textile X Ocean Connector Project was developed to address critical issues and foster solutions at the intersection of textile sustainability and the global ocean through experiential learning and cross sector connection. The thoughtfully curated programs foster deep connections between attendees and help to answer hard questions about textile-derived ocean pollution (i.e. microfiber pollution), climate change, waste, green chemistry, material alternatives, and more. Related programming includes facilitated discussions, expert presentations, research demonstrations, and prioritization of solutions, all while sailing or outside in the San Francisco area and beyond. Participants include sustainability professionals, textile industry professionals, ocean researchers, students, educators, local policy leaders, and indigenous peoples. Since 2022, the Textile X Ocean Connector Project brought together more than 150 individuals annually from a range of sectors and stakeholder groups.

The Cozumel Coral Conservatory

Lead Institution(s): Living Sea SculptureLead Contact(s): Colleen Flanigan (misssnailpail@gmail.com) The Cozumel Coral Conservatory (CozCC) is a unique place to preserve and grow corals uniting science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM). A diverse coalition of all ages, including nonprofits, universities, individuals, private entities, and governmental institutions, are working to protect, monitor, and rehabilitate the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef in Cozumel, Mexico. The CozCC aims to increase coral coverage, marine biodiversity, and shore protection in the Villa Blanca Reef tract through recognized best practices and groundbreaking innovation while offering novel opportunities for ocean engagement, science education and employment made possible through trans-disciplinary collaboration. Natural coral heads, as well as artistic and functional artificial reef structures and sculptures, populate the seafloor in this shallow reef. The CozCC bridges quantitative science and the originality of hands-on creation to scale coral restoration and strive for a balanced, healthy ocean.

The Hydrous Presents: The Decade of Ocean Empathy

Lead Institution(s): The Hydrous Lead Contact(s): Erika Woolsey (erika@thehydro.us), Amy Wentzel (amy@thehydro.us) The Decade of Ocean Empathy is inspired by the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and brings human elements like empathy, communication, and creative problem-solving into marine science and conservation to generate ocean connection and stewardship. Led by 501c3 non-profit The Hydrous, the Decade of Ocean Empathy leverages human-centered design, learning science, and emerging technologies to contribute to Decade Outcomes 6 and 7. Objectives of this programme are to 1) create - and build capacity for - immersive virtual ocean media, 2) lead world-class research on ocean learning and literacy, and 3) build and foster an international community of multidisciplinary ocean solutionist fellows.

The NASA Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission: Advanced satellite measurements of the sea and sky

Lead Institution(s): NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterLead Contact(s): Laura Lorenzoni, Jeremy Werdell (jeremy.werdell@nasa.gov) The NASA Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission represents NASA's next great investment in satellite ocean color, cloud, and aerosol data records to enable continued and advanced insight into oceanographic responses to Earth's changing climate. Scheduled for launch in 2023/2024, PACE's primary instrument is a global spectrometer that will enable improved understanding of aquatic ecosystems, as well as provide new information on phytoplankton community composition and improved detection of algal blooms. PACE will also carry two multi-angle polarimeters, the advanced technology from which will offer new and unique insights into the composition of microscopic aquatic communities.

The Ocean Decade Image Bank and Toolkits

Lead Institution(s): The Ocean AgencyLead Contact(s): Rishard Vevers (richard@theoceanagency.org) A free-to-use digital library of thousands of ocean photos and videos by world-class photographers and videographers, together with infographics, designs, and other media assets including easy-to-use communication toolkits. These free resources will be designed to help everyone involved in ocean science and conservation communication and education to: accelerate awareness and support for ocean science and conservation by developing more compelling communications and increased media coverage, raise awareness of the importance of the Ocean Decade and the issue of Ocean Change, and improve the overall image of ocean science to create excitement around the subject, broaden its appeal and increase support through prioritorisation.

The World Ocean Database Programme (WODP): Openly discoverable, accessible, adaptable, and comprehensive digital global profile oceanographic data of known quality

Lead Institution(s): National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationLead Contact(s): Hernan Garcia (hernan.garcia@noaa.gov) Countries need access to oceanographic profile data of known quality to address current and emergent scientific and socio-economic issues at all spatial and temporal scales. The challenge is that data users cannot access the immense and growing globally distributed data that exists in diverse digital formats. The World Ocean Database (WOD) mitigates this challenge. WOD is the world largest unrestricted, uniformly formatted, quality controlled, digital ocean profile database available with data from 1778 to present. WOD acquires and receives ocean data worldwide for ocean Climate Essential Variables (EOV), plankton, and other variables including data from the World Data Service for Oceanography; part of the World Data System. WOD is hosted at NOAA and it is a project of the International Oceanographic Data Exchange (IODE) of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Committee (IOC). WOD is a Center for Marine Meteorology and Oceanographic Climate Data (CMOC) in the Marine Climate Data System; a joint system of IOC and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). In partnership with IODE, NOAA proposes to develop and deploy a data ingestion tool at the IODE project office in Belgium together with Cloud services as a starting point. This effort builds on IODE's Ocean Data and Information System (ODIS) and will enable National Oceanographic Data Centers worldwide and other digital repositories to (i) upload their oceanographic data into WOD and (ii) retrieve data in an uniform interoperable format; a value-added proposition. The vision is to achieve openly discoverable, accessible, and adaptable digital profile oceanographic data of known quality.

US Tsunami Contributions to IOC Tsunami Pt 1

Lead Institution(s): National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationLead Contact(s): Mike Angove (michael.angove@noaa.gov) NOAA commits to supporting the UN Decade of Ocean Science goal of reducing the time required to detect, measure, and characterize tsunamis. NOAA will: (1) Assist in drafting the UN Decade IOC Tsunami Programme’s 10-year Research, Development and Implementation Plan; (2) Share advanced tsunami source detection and measurement capabilities, including seismic and GNSS applications; (3) Promote collaboration with industry and research institutions to access critical, real-time observational data (e.g., SMART); and (4) Continue to develop and deploy advanced tsunameters (e.g., DART system) and (5) support capacity building of Small Island and Least Developed States to use new data streams in their decision-making and for data interpretation and inversion to correctly characterize sources.

US Tsunami Contributions to IOC Tsunami Pt 2

Lead Institution(s): National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationLead Contact(s): Laura Kong (laura.kong@noaa.gov) NOAA commits to supporting the UN Ocean Decade goal to make 100% of communities at risk from tsunamis prepared and resilient by 2030. NOAA will: (1) Participate in the Tsunami Ready (TR) Coalition (2) Provide capacity building and serve as OceanTeacher Global Academy (OTGA) Specialized Training Center for tsunamis (3) Facilitate Tsunami Ready recognition as an IOC Tsunami Information Center (ITIC) and provide administrative support to the TR Programme (4) Facilitate implementation of TR indicators in support of NWS Weather Ready Nations with support from USAID, (5) Serve on National and Regional TR recognition boards.

USAID Senegal Feed the Future Dekkal Geej (Dekkal Geej)

Lead Institution(s): Winrock InternationalLead Contact(s): Jon Anderson (jon.anderson@winrock.org) The Dekkal Geej (DG) project is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by Winrock International. DG is working with local and national governing institutions, civil society actors and the private sector to improve the sustainability of Senegal’s fisheries sector by improving management practices while addressing the increasing domestic and international demand for fish, to improve food security, increase incomes and strengthen resilience.

Uncrewed Surface Vehicle Network for GOOS (USV Network for GOOS)

Lead Institution(s): National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Pacific Marine Environmental LabLead Contact(s): Adrienne Sutton (adrienne.sutton@noaa.gov) Uncrewed Surface Vehicle (USV) network for the Global Ocean Observing System” project will form a Community of Practice to coordinated step-change increase in oceanic, atmospheric and ecosystem surface and boundary layer observations for estimating air-sea fluxes and interactions across the global ocean, including in the most remote and harsh domains. The USV network is seen as a key component of the Observing Air-Sea Interactions Strategy (OASIS), bringing together research, public and private communities to deliver sustained surface ocean observations that directly impact our ability to understand and predict a changing ocean and climate, and mitigate against its impacts.

Understanding and Addressing Ocean Acidification and Changing Ocean Conditions Through the Development of OA Action Plans

Lead Institution(s): International Alliance to Combat Ocean Acidification Lead Contact(s): Jessie Turner (jessie@oaalliance.org) The International Alliance to Combat Ocean Acidification (OA Alliance) is a voluntary initiative of governments and non-government members representing nearly 300 million people and 366,414 kilometers of coastline. Members of the OA Alliance include a wide diversity of national, state, municipal, and sovereign Tribal, indigenous, and First Nation governments along with many dedicated affiliate partners like NGOs, seafood industry leaders, and local academia. Through the Alliance, they are exploring and promoting efforts that increase biodiversity, adaptive capacity and resilience by translating knowledge into policy actions by national, regional and subnational governments.

Unraveling the dynamics of ocean soundscapes

Lead Institution(s): University of Colorado, Cooperative Institute for Research in Envinronmental SciencesLead Contact(s): Carrie Wall (carrie.wall@noaa.gov) The use of passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) has grown exponentially over the past decade. The resulting petabytes of acoustic data contain valuable information on how sound source contributors, such as animals, vary over time and space. Extracting and processing this information in a standardized approach that allows comparison across datasets in the context of ecosystem-based research management is a big data challenge. This project addresses this need, and will result in innovative approaches for improved soundscape analysis, integration with other environmental data, and visualization. Data products will be shared in databases and on visualization platforms for various users.

Urchinomics: Global Kelp Forest Restoration Sea Urchin Ranching Alliance

Lead Institution(s): Urchinomics Lead Contact(s): Harry Rappaport (hr@urchinomics.com), Brian Tsuyoshi Takada (btt@urchinomics.com), Denise Macdonald (dm@urchinomics.com) Climate change and overfishing of predatory species from the world's oceans have allowed sea urchins to explode in population and overgraze kelp forests, turning the once highly productive ecosystems into desert-like barrens. Without intervention, urchins will occupy the space where kelp forests stood and keep them barren for decades or even centuries. Urchinomics is a for-profit, self-sustaining solution to ignite the ecosystem restoration effort. In partnership with divers and scientists, Urchinomics helps restore kelp forests by removing overgrazing urchins from urchin barrens, ranching them in proprietary aquaculture systems, and converting them into premium seafood to sell to consumers globally.

Using Ocean Science to Stop IUU Fishing

Lead Institution(s): USAIDLead Contact(s): Rebecca Guied (rguieb@usaid.gov) The governments of the Philippines and the United States have a long history of cooperation on sustainable fisheries and marine biodiversity conservation with a strong commitment to address illegal, unreported, and unregulated, or IUU, fishing. In the Philippines, the losses from IUU fishing are estimated at 63 billion pesos annually. Science and data use through a whole-of-government approach is strategically guiding law enforcement, advancing stakeholder compliance, and clearly communicating progress in reducing IUU fishing in the Philippines.

WOC SMART Ocean-SMART Industries (SO-SI): Science/Industry Partnerships for Data Collection and Sharing

Lead Institution(s): World Ocean Council Lead Contact(s): Paul Holthus (paul.holthus@oceancouncil.org) The WOC SMART Ocean-SMART Industries (SO-SI) Program is the global, multi-industry initiative creating partnerships between science and the ocean private sector on data collecting and sharing. The SO-SI Program for the UN Ocean Decade will improve and scale this by developing the 1) Community of Practice - Engaging tens of thousands of ocean companies around data collecting and sharing 2) Clearinghouse and Knowledge Base - Assembling information from science on data collection programs, priorities, technologies and from industry on opportunities for using vessels and platforms 3) Matchmaking/Brokering Capacity - Expanding the efforts to connect science priorities with industry potential.

West Coast Ocean Biomolecular Observing Network

Lead Institution(s): Scripps Institution of OcenographyLead Contact(s): Erin Satterthwaite (esatterthwaite@ucsd.edu), Nastassia Patin (nastassia.patin@noaa.gov) Biomolecular technologies offer significant potential to transform marine management, but the development and application of molecular tools in marine ecosystems has been siloed within disciplines, over space, and across sectors. This has led to isolated advances and slow adoption of molecular tools for marine biomonitoring in support of sustainable marine management. To break down these barriers and advance the implementation of these tools, we propose the creation of the Southern California Ocean Biomolecular Network (SoCal-OBON). The SoCal-OBON will be a cooperative of marine observation platforms and regional stakeholders that work to promote the integration and standardization of molecular approaches regional biomonitoring efforts to address key ecosystem management and public health priorities. Example topics include the impacts of ocean acidification and hypoxia, detection and forecasting of harmful algal blooms (HABs), and fisheries and protected species assessments.

Whale Safe

Lead Institution(s): Passamaquoddy Tribe at Pleasant Point (Sipayik), United States of America (USA)Lead Contact(s): jeremy@tribalgrantwriting.com Whale Safe is an Indigenous-led ocean protection initiative that unites the ancestral knowledge of the Passamaquoddy people with advanced marine technologies to safeguard whales and transform coastal conservation. Anchored in Passamaquoddy Bay, the project addresses the urgent threats of entanglements and ship strikes by co-developing acoustic detection systems, autonomous vehicles, and digital modeling tools that work in harmony with Tribal lifeways and fisheries. Guided by Elders and knowledge keepers, Whale Safe creates a “living classroom” where youth learn marine stewardship, cultural indicators are integrated into digital ocean twins, and Tribal language is spoken across land and water. Beyond the United States, Whale Safe fosters transatlantic exchange with Norway and reciprocal partnerships in the Global South, offering a replicable model for ocean justice, biodiversity protection, and intergenerational leadership.

World Ocean Database Cloud

Lead Institution(s): National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationLead Contact(s): Tim Boyer (tim.boyer@noaa.gov) The aim of the World Ocean Database Cloud (WODc) is equitable and timely access to historic and recent subsurface oceanographic data through a cloud optimized format and analysis tools designed to utilize the form directly in the cloud. Open-GTS is built for fast and complete near-real time data delivery, including ocean subsurface data. Inclusions of Open-GTS in the WODc will allow for ocean time series monitoring up to and including the most current oceanographic measurements. The availability of the two data flows with cloud analysis tools brings instant history of ocean change and present monitoring together at the World’s fingertips.

Zooniverse People - Powered Research

Lead Institution(s): ZooniverseLead Contact(s): Laura Trouille (trouille@zooniverse.org) Zooniverse is the world’s largest platform for people-powered research with 2.5 million volunteers and hundreds of researchers around the world. Zooniverse projects result in new discoveries, policy impacts, numerous publications, and datasets useful to the wider research, education, and advocacy communities. There are currently a dozen active Zooniverse projects related to the health of our oceans, from Floating Forests (marking giant kelp in NASA satellite images) to OceanEyes (monitoring Hawai’i’s bottomfish population) to Dolphin Chat (classifying dolphin vocalizations) to Penguin Watch (counting penguins in images from across Antarctica) to Plankton Portal (annotating underwater images of plankton). We will share these Zooniverse project opportunities through your channels for public engagement and impact. We also propose to lead Zooniverse ‘Project Builder’ workshops, supporting researchers in how to build their own Zooniverse projects for free with our simple DIY toolkit.

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