UNOC3 Side Event launches strategic partnership for Ocean Research and Capacity Building
A significant step forward in international marine science cooperation was achieved on June 12 as Portuguese-speaking African Small Island Developing States (SIDS) committed to establishing Centers of Excellence in Marine Sciences. The initiative, presented during the official UNOC3 side event “Strengthening Marine Science and Capacity Building through the Establishment of Centers of Excellence in Portuguese-Speaking African SIDS,” was led by Cabo Verde’s Ministry of the Sea and Instituto do Mar (IMar) with support from the AIR Centre.
The comprehensive partnership brings together four island nations—Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Timor-Leste—alongside UNESCO’s SIDS Section and Germany’s GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel. The collaboration aims to leverage existing scientific knowledge, regional infrastructure, and international cooperation to address critical oceanic challenges facing these vulnerable island communities.
The session gathered distinguished participation from key government officials and scientific leaders, underscoring the initiative’s strategic importance. Ministers from three African nations participated: H.E. Jorge Santos, Minister of Sea of Cabo Verde; H.E. Nilda Borges da Mata, Minister of Environment, Youth, Sustainable Tourism of São Tomé and Príncipe; and H.E. Viriato Soares Cassamá, Minister of Environment, Biodiversity, and Climate Action of Guinea-Bissau.
International organizations were represented by Mr. Vidar Helgesen, Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Oceanography Commission (IOC) and Assistant Director-General of UNESCO, and Professor Dr. Katja Matthes, Director of GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel. The AIR Centre’s Executive Director Miguel Miranda and Yara Rodrigues, Board Member of Instituto do Mar – IMar (Cabo Verde), also participated in the discussions.
The initiative focuses on five strategic areas critical to building sustainable marine science capacity: strategic partnerships for blue science and innovation, youth capacity building with a dedicated focus on gender equality, evidence-based decision making for marine management, enhanced access to marine data and technologies, and fostering community innovation alongside regional cooperation.
The Centers of Excellence are designed to empower these communities with the knowledge, tools, and expertise needed to protect their marine environments while developing sustainable blue economies.
This represents a significant milestone in South-South cooperation, combining regional expertise with international scientific support to address some of the most pressing oceanic challenges facing island nations in the Atlantic and beyond.
Networking Friday with Dava Newman (MIT)
On November 13th, 2020, 1-2 PM UTC, we had Dava Newman, Apollo Program Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Engineering Systems at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She presented Physics-informed GANs for coastal flood visualization with the collaboration of her students Björn Lütjens, Brandon Leshchinskiy, Christian Requena-Mesa, Farrukh Chishtie, Natalia Díaz-Rodriguez, Océane Boulais, Aaron Piña, Alexander Lavin, Yarin Gal, Chedy Raïssi. The moderator will be Marco Tedesco, Lamont Research Professor , Marine Geology & Geophysics , Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO), The Earth Institute, Columbia University. As climate change increases the intensity of natural disasters, society needs better tools for adaptation. As stakeholders ranging from local to national governments cope with increased flood risks due to climate change, visual explanations can aid their decision-making process. And while today’s flood modeling capabilities include both high-level, color-coded maps, as well as intimate, street-level images, decision-makers would benefit from imagery that is both holistic and intuitive. Accordingly, the MIT-Portugal / NASA / AIIA Earth Intelligence Engine team has produced satellite images of future coastal floods: physics-informed, photorealistic images that look like real satellite imagery. The proposed visualizations will enable a variety of stakeholders in climate resilience planning and disaster preparedness to communicate flood risks to decision-makers.
Networking Friday with Zita Martins (Instituto Superior Técnico, Portugal)
On November 6th, 2020, 1-2 PM UTC, we met Zita Martins, Associate Professor at Instituto Superior Técnico (IST). She talked about Astrobiology: Origin and detection of life in the solar system. The moderator was Gaia Stucky de Quay, University of Texas at Austin. Science magazine considered the search for life in the Universe as one of the twenty-five major questions still unanswered in science, and with prominence during the next decade. To answer this question, scientists i) investigate how life on Earth came about, and ii) develop space missions to search for extra-terrestrial life. In case i) they analyse meteorites in the laboratory and make in-situ analyses of comets and asteroids. This is because it is known that the Earth received tons of organic molecules, that were delivered by these celestial bodies, from the formation of the solar system up until 3.8 billion years ago. Their analysis gives fundamental clues about the primitive Earth and how life on our planet could have potentially appeared. In case ii) it is necessary to first determine places in the solar system that have the conditions for life to arise and develop. Among them we find the planet Mars, and the icy moons Europa and Enceladus. Zita’s presentation discussed the origin of life in the solar system, and the various space missions in search of extra-terrestrial life.
Networking Friday Thematic Special Session on African Marine and Coastal Operational Services
On October 30th, 2020, 1-3 PM UTC, we had a Thematic Special Session on African Marine and Coastal Operational Services: examples from around the continent. This Networking Friday session focused on pan-continental African marine initiatives using EO data, technologies and services in support of African sustainable development. In the marine and coastal domains, the GMES-Africa initiative provides four consortia around the continent that are developing and implementing a variety of services, including the provision of oceanographic products, fisheries and aquaculture support, coastal ecosystem monitoring and maritime security. As a joint initiative between the African and European Unions, there is strong emphasis on realising value from the data, information, expertise and know-how offered by the Copernicus programme. The South African National Oceans and Coastal Information Management System was also presented.