The UNESCO Integrated Ocean Carbon Research (IOC-R) workshop took place from 3 to 5 May 2023 in Brussels, Belgium to discuss the future of integrated ocean carbon reserach. Gathering international experts, researchers and policy-makers, the workshop is co-sponsored by IOC UNESCO, the G7 Future of the Seas and Oceans Initiative (G7 FSOI), the Ocean Decade Programme Ocean Negative Carbon Emission (ONCE) and hosted by the European Commission and its EU4OceanObs action. Besides IOC UNESCO, IOC-R is supported by the Integrated Marine Biosphere Research Project (IMBeR), the Surface Ocean – Lower Atmosphere Study (SOLAS), the Climate and Ocean Variability, Predictability and Change project (CLIVAR), the Global Carbon Project and International Ocean Carbon Coordination Project (IOCCP).
Established in 2018, the IOC Expert Working Group of the Integrated Ocean Carbon Research (IOC-R) aims at filling knowledge gaps in relation to ocean inorganic carbon by designing and promoting the implementation of a new generation of integrated ocean carbon research. The objectives of the 2023 workshop are to review the state of play of the science, identify emerging issues, knowledge gaps and/or areas to focus on considering existing activities. It will also aim to articulate these points into an updated vision document, and other communications.
A priority activity for the G7 FSOI, the IOC-R 2023 workshop was attended by G7 focal points, representing the European Union (Larissa Lorinczi and Nicolas Segebarth – European Commission Directorate-General for Research and Innovation); the UK (Adrian Martin (NOC); Andrew Watson (UEA)), Germany (Judith Hauke (AWI, Global Carbon Project); the USA (Laura Lorenzoni (NASA Science Mission)) and Japan (Akihiko Murata (JAMSTEC)). Ocean carbon is a priority topic for the G7 FSOI, which works with global partners to identify knowledge gaps and how to support the observations required to fill them through G7 coordinated actions.
Useful links:
- European Commission hosts UNESCO integrated ocean carbon research workshop – https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/news/all-research-and-innovation-news/european-commission-hosts-unesco-integrated-ocean-carbon-research-workshop-2023-05-03_en
- Integrated ocean carbon research: a summary of ocean carbon research, and vision of coordinated ocean carbon research and observations for the next decade – https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000376708