OBSERVER : Copernicus Marine and the UN Ocean Decade
OBSERVER : Copernicus Marine and the UN Ocean Decade
evan
Thu, 27/03/2025 – 09:26
The ocean has taken centre stage across the world with the launch of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, which puts forward ten major ocean challenges. The Copernicus Marine Service’s data support scientists, policymakers, and ocean stakeholders in addressing these challenges and support the contributes to the progress of ocean science.
The world’s oceans are changing, but so is our ability to better protect them. Over the past decade, rising sea levels, marine pollution, and biodiversity loss have sparked global awareness and action. Scientists, policymakers, and communities worldwide collaborate to find solutions which balance conservation with human development.
The UN Ocean Decade
To address these issues, the United Nations (UN) launched the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030)— also known as the Ocean Decade. This global initiative identifies ten key challenges facing our oceans, emphasising the essential role of science and innovation in creating a healthier, more resilient ocean for current and future generations.
The Ocean Decade is part of the broader context of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG 14: Life Below Water, which aims to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. At the European level, several initiatives also support ocean sustainability, and stimulate ocean science and knowledge generation, including the European Green Deal, the EU Digital Strategy, the EU Mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters,” the Common Fisheries Policy, the EU Arctic Policy, and the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Additionally, the G7 Future of the Seas and Oceans Initiative provides a foundation for EU cooperation with G7 Member States.
How Copernicus Marine addresses and supports the Ocean Decade
Significant advancements and global initiatives have transformed marine environmental monitoring and operational oceanography. Progress in technology, numerical modelling, and extensive ocean data gathered from satellite and in situ observations have paved the way toward creating a comprehensive digital representation of the ocean. Ocean prediction lies at the forefront of operational oceanography, becoming an international, collaborative effort which coordinates scientists, industry leaders, policymakers, and stakeholders to strengthen the ways and means by which we address oceanic challenges.
Accurate ocean forecasting is key for sustainable marine resource management and forms the foundation of efforts towards achieving a fully predicted ocean, in which advanced modelling, artificial intelligence, and real-time data contribute to create a digital twin of the ocean. Global and EU initiatives bring together oceanographers, atmospheric scientists, observation specialists, industry representatives, service providers, and ocean data users to build international ocean prediction capacities. Prominent examples include the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), the Group on Earth Observations (GEO), and the GEO Blue Planet – networks that unite global, regional, and local stakeholders, from scientists to end-users, in advancing ocean science, prediction capabilities, and sustainability goals.
Copernicus Marine is central to advancing ocean prediction, providing essential data on the Blue (physical), White (sea ice), and Green (biogeochemical) ocean states at both global and European regional scales. By integrating satellite-retrieved monitoring data, in situ observations, and numerical modelling, Copernicus Marine delivers essential insights for tracking and forecasting key oceanic indicators. These data sets are integral to the development of future systems.
The development of a new digital ocean knowledge system, known as the European Digital Twin of the Ocean (EU DTO), was announced as a key and tangible outcome under the EU Mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters”. The demonstration of the first pre-operational platform of the EU DTO at the 3rd edition of the Digital Ocean Forum served as a milestone for the EU Mission and fulfilled a commitment made by President Ursula von der Leyen at the One Ocean Summit in Brest in February 2022. The EU DTO aims to model the ocean’s multiple components, provide knowledge and understanding of the past and present and create trustable predictions of its future behaviour. It integrates Copernicus Marine data and services from the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) into a unified digital framework.
Alongside the EU DTO, Copernicus Marine actively contributes to global ocean prediction through its participation in the OceanPrediction Decade Collaborative Centre (OceanPrediction DCC), which was launched in June 2022. Copernicus Marine’s extensive technical and scientific expertise and data have significantly influenced the development of the OceanPrediction DCC, which links different ocean prediction initiatives in the Ocean Decade and benefits from international cooperation through the programme, its task teams, and related projects (e.g. ForeSea, CoastPredict, Ditto, ObsCoDe, Marine Life 2030, and SynObs). The extensive experience and expertise of Copernicus Marine have been essential to the outcomes and publications of the OceanPrediction DCC, notably the recently published Ocean Forecasting Architecture Guide. Copernicus Marine’s pivotal role and the widespread use of its data by the ocean prediction community were also highlighted at the OceanPredict Symposium ’24 (OP’24).
Riding the wave to the UN Ocean Conference
The currents driving innovation in ocean science are propelled by advanced digital technologies and cutting-edge data and measurements, enabling and powering sophisticated global ocean modelling, as well as the vision of a “predicted ocean” which can address key Ocean Decade challenges. Accurate forecasting of climate change impacts, marine life patterns, and oceanic changes provide decision makers and ocean stakeholders with insights for better sustainability, disaster preparedness, and resource management, ensuring a healthier and better-understood ocean.
These developments and vision set the stage for the upcoming third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3). Building upon the two previous conferences hosted by Sweden and Fiji (2017, New York) and by Portugal and Kenya (2022, Lisbon), UNOC3 promises to galvanise global action for ocean conservation and sustainable use. Copernicus Marine will actively contribute to UNOC3 and to the European Digital Ocean Pavilion, showcasing Europe’s leadership and innovation in global ocean governance.
Thu, 27/03/2025 – 12:00
