A healthy ocean, a protected climate
CLIMATE CHANGE LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES Most of the debate regarding mitigation* and adaptation* measures to take against climate change is based on data collected in the last 150 years, for instance temperature measurement. It is also based on climate predictions for the next 85 years, until 2100. Concurrently with medium term climate change consequences on our…
FISHERIES AND CLIMATE CHANGE Scientific research shows that climate change impacts on the ocean have already affected fisheries. While abundance of several cold water species is reducing, some tropical species are appearing on our coasts. In future decades ocean warming and acidification can affect growth and reproduction processes of many marine organisms, which may reduce…
High Level Scientific Conference on 10 and 11 September 2018, at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris Since COP21, new elements of knowledge came to light, thus enhancing our understanding of the interactions between ocean, climate and biodiversity. The well-being of marine ecosystems is recognized as central to combat climate change, highlighting the need to support and…
THE OCEAN, A CARBON SINK A carbon sink is a natural or artificial reservoir that absorbs and stores the atmosphere’s carbon with physical and biological mechanisms. Coal, oil, natural gases, methane hydrate and limestone are all examples of carbon sinks. After long processes and under certain conditions, these sinks have stored carbon for millennia. On…
MARINE AND COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS SERVICES Over the past ten years, the environment has entered the public debate. Why protect nature? Why preserve biodiversity? Our environment is made of a series of ecosystems, each supplying numerous services daily. Ecosystems are defined as dynamic complexes of plant, animal and micro-organism communities and the nonliving environment, interacting as…
FROM SPACE TO GENOMICS : THE NEW FRONTIERS OF OCEAN SCIENCE Technological progress regarding spatial and in situ observation, combined with improved data processing, provide real-time access to the state of the ocean. Scientific collaboration and knowledge-sharing open new perspectives for a better understanding of the interactions between ocean, climate and biodiversity. On March 27,…