Networking Friday with David Obura (CORDIO East Africa)
On February 12th, 2020, 1-2 PM UTC, we will have David Obura, Founding Director of CORDIO East Africa. In this talk David will outline how coral reef biodiversity observation and monitoring networks, and networks of communities, practitioners and scientists engaged in coral reefs, may provide a foundation for the multiscale decision-making that will be needed to give reefs the best future possible. As a ‘canary in the coal mine’ for climate change, learning from coral reefs may also provide signposts towards sustainability relevant to other ecosystems that are critical for people and planet, from local up to global levels.
Networking Friday with Marco Tedesco (LDEO, Columbia University)
On March 5th, 2021, 1-2 PM UTC, we had Marco Tedesco, Lamont Research Professor, Marine Geology & Geophysics , Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) at The Earth Institute at Columbia University, and Adjunct Scientist, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS). He will discuss the cost of floods and how rising waters will reshape our lives and our economy. The moderator was Jose Luiz Moutinho, Chief Business & Networking Officer, AIR Centre
Networking Friday Thematic Special Session on Nanosatellites
On January 29th, 2021, 1-3 PM UTC, we held our first Thematic Special Session of the year, which focused on nanosatellites. The speakers were be Roger Walker (ESA - European Space Agency), Ernest Teye Matey (ANU - All Nations University, Ghana), Milton Kampel (INPE - Brazilian National Institute for Space Research) and Stewart Bernard (SANSA - South African National Space Agency). André Oliveira (CoLab +Atlantic, Portugal) was the moderator.
Networking Friday with Susana Barbosa (INESC TEC)
On January 22nd, 2021, 1-2 PM UTC, Susana Barbosa, senior researcher at INESC TEC (Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering, Technology and Science, Portugal), presented the SAIL campaign - new observations for the study of space-atmosphere-ocean interactions. The SAIL (Space-Atmosphere-Ocean Interactions in the marine boundary Layer ) project, aiming to measure the electric atmospheric field and evaluate the health of the ocean, was aboard the Sagres’ circumnavigation voyage, a 371-day around the world tour, which began on January 5th, 2020, but was cut short on March 2020 due to the pandemics.
Networking Friday with Craig McLean (NOAA)
We started our Season 2 on January 15th, 2021, 1-2 PM UTC, with Craig Mc Lean, Assistant Administrator for Oceanic and Atmospheric Research at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The moderator was Larry Mayer, Professor and Director of the Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping at the University of New Hampshire.
Networking Friday on the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development
On December 18th, 2020, 1-3 PM UTC, we had our last session of the year of 2020 and this was be a very special session on "The Ocean Decade: a framework for transformative change at the regional and national level". After years of thoughtful design and strongly participative preparation, the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development will start January 1st, 2021. It will be key to "reverse the cycle of decline in ocean health and gather ocean stakeholders worldwide behind a common framework that will ensure ocean science can fully support countries in creating improved conditions for sustainable development of the Ocean". The program will cover several aspects of the Ocean Decade.
Networking Friday on the Biodiversity of Cabo Verde
On December 11th, 2020, 1:00-2:30 PM UTC, we will have our penultimate session of the year and we will take this opportunity to welcome and congratulate Cabo Verde for its formal association to the AIR Centre's General Assembly and Board of Directors. For this special occasion, we invited two keynote speakers, Aline Rendall (INIDA) and Rui Freitas (UTA), to talk about the biodiversity of Cabo Verde.
Networking Friday with Kwame Agyekum (University of Ghana / GEO Blue Planet)
On December 4th, 2020, 1-2 PM UTC, Kwame Agyekum, marine remote sensing scientist at the University of Ghana and Co-Chair of the GEO Blue Planet, will address the challenges in the fisheries sector with Earth Observation. The moderator will be José Luís Melo, CEO of XSEALENCE - Sea Technologies. The University of Ghana, through the EU/AU funded Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) & Africa project is supporting coastal states in West Africa to utilize Earth Observation data derived from space-borne sensors to support fisheries management efforts. By engaging with policy-makers, issues relating to changes in ocean processes and its impact on fish distribution, threats posed by illegal fishing and environmental destructions from spills at sea are being mitigated by employing geospatial technologies. This talk will provide some insights on the how satellite imaging is being used in planning monitoring and surveillance campaigns of industrial fishing fleets, generating key fishing effort indices, and providing periodic information of the state of the ocean to artisanal fishermen to reduce accidents at sea.
NASA Earth Observatory image by Lauren Dauphin, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS/LANCE and GIBS/WorldviewNetworking Friday Thematic Special Session on Coastal Research in Amazonia
On November 27th, 2020, 1-3 PM UTC, we visited the coast of the Brazilian Amazonia to learn more about its dynamics, mangroves and coral reefs with Marcello Rollnic, coordinator of the Marine Environmental Monitoring Laboratory (LAPMAR) at the Federal University of Para, Brazil (UFPA); Pedro Walfir, researcher at the Vale Institute of Technology (ITV) and professor at UFPA; and Nils Asp, researcher at the Institute of Coastal Studies (IECOS) at UFPA.
Networking Friday with Maria Buraimoh (University of Lagos, Nigeria)
On November 20th, 2020, 1-2 PM UTC, we had Maria Buraimoh, University of Lagos, Nigeria. She presented Circular Economy: A Sustainable And Preventive Strategy For The Alleviation Of Atlantic Ocean Pollution. The moderator was Isa Elegbede, Faculty of Environment and Natural Sciences, Brandenburg University of Technology (BTU), Germany. The major challenges confronting the Ocean is pollution emanating majorly from land due to poor waste management (especially plastics/related polymeric material and other organic wastes). Unfortunately, in the developing part of the world where most water bodies are channelled into the Atlantic Ocean, the spread of light and floating plastic polymers travels to shared International environments. Invariably, wastes generated in one continent spread and find their ways to other connected continents via the pollution of the Atlantic Ocean with great consequences on the climate, and lives in the ocean. In her group, They have started to work on preventive approach to Atlantic Ocean and other environmental pollution, which could be achieved through circular economy and sustainable resource recovery especially in the developing country like Nigeria. This could help to maintain clean and safe Atlantic Ocean and environment. In addition, a way of job creation and eradication of poverty. Dr. Olanike Maria Buraimoh is a Lecturer and Researcher in the Department of Microbiology Faculty of Science, University of Lagos. She holds a Ph.D. certificate of the University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos Nigeria. Her research interest is focused on Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology with special focus on bioremediation of polluted ecosystems and bioconversion of wastes to value-added products as a sustainable solution to climate change.