International Fellowship Programme on Integrative Kidney Physiology and Pathophysiology

A Snapshot of the IOC: Their History, Their Research, Their Future For 50 years now, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission has been the UN’s body for ocean based research, information, and services. EU Researcher’s Richard Davey explores the past, present and future of the IOC and the importance of its work

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any of us take the Earth’s oceans and seas for granted. We know that the oceans cover around 70% of its surface; we may also know that it supplies us with 96% of the entire planet’s surface water. The issues of global warming, the melting of the ice caps and rising sea levels will also not have escaped our attention. We may know all these things, but how many of us really take a note of them? How many pause and wonder just what the oceans mean to our daily lives? The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) are one group that have dedicated their professional lives to helping unlock the mysteries still contained within the oceans and they want to share this knowledge with the rest of the scientific community and the rest of the world.

The IOC is a branch of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and currently comprises of 142 member states, including US, UK, and China, with a maximum of 40 member states sitting on the Executive Council at any one time. For 50 years now, the IOC has worked toward expanding not only our knowledge of the oceans and all they contain, but have also looked for ways to harness the power of the sea, as well as search for ways to protect the vast array of life in the seas, and monitor the state of the water itself.

Part of the IOC’s mission statement declares that: “The world community faces growing challenges arising from climate variability and change, marine environmental degradation and pollution, biodiversity losses, and natural hazards. How we respond to these global issues, while facing the increasingly complex challenges of sustainable development and ecosystems-based management will dominate the work of the IOC.” – IOC Resolution EC XXXIX.1 The origins of the IOC date back to an Intergovernmental Conference on Oceanographic Research that was held in Copenhagen in 1960; it was during this conference that the decision to establish an Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission

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within UNESCO was made. A year later, the first Intergovernmental Session of IOC was held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, and the IOC found its first 40 member states.

There are four main areas that provide the focus for the IOC’s work and research:

• Coordination of Oceanographic research programmes Perhaps the most significant aspect of the IOC’s work is its commitment to international oceanographic research. The IOC oversees the development, promotion, and facilitation of many research programmes every year. The research undertaken not only helps to improve our knowledge and understanding of global and regional ocean processes, but is also geared towards the sustainable development and stewardship of ocean resources.

The IOC was one of a number of organisations who were affiliated with the Census of Marine Life (COLM), a decade long study that attempted to assess the diversity, distribution, and abundance of marine life on a global scale. COLM utilised the time and knowledge of 2700 scientists from 80 nations around the world; cumulatively spending over 9000 days at sea on 540 expeditions, it was the first comprehensive census of its type. From the COLM project came the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS), an online, userfriendly repository that contains the COLM project findings and which can be used by scientists and the public alike.

• Global Ocean Observing System and Data Management Another aspect of the work the IOC undertakes is the planning, establishment and co-ordination of an observation system that monitors global oceans. 15 years ago, the IOC began overseeing the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) in order to observe, model and analyse marine and ocean variables. The data collected by GOOS can be used to monitor the state of the oceans, provide

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information relating to the future conditions of the sea, and can also provide the basis for climate forecasts. It is also used by coastal nations for ocean and coastal zone management, and by researchers studying global climate change.

Advances in technology have allowed the IOC to utilise groundbreaking developments within oceanographic research in order to gain a more detailed picture of the earth’s seas and oceans.

Satellites now have the ability to monitor surface temperatures, winds, the height of the sea surface, and novel sensor equipment can provide a wealth of information regarding the ocean’s subsurface. The Argo system, a global network of over 3200 profiling floats, measures the temperature, salinity, and velocity of the ocean down to 2000m. What the IOC and GOOS offer us is an in depth dynamic snap shot of the state of the world’s oceans on a regular basis; the information collected by these systems is readily available via online database storage, accessed via the programme websites. Wendy Watson-Wright, Assistant Director-General and Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNSECO says: “The physical, chemical and biological characteristics of the ocean are important vital signs of the planet’s well being. But to understand indications of change it is crucial to monitor these vital signs frequently, with as fine a detail a possible, and from marine locations around the world.”

• Mitigation of Marine Natural Hazards When the Indian Ocean Tsunami struck in 2004, the IOC campaigned for the establishment of a global marine multi-hazards warning system; they wanted a system in place that would not only monitor and predict hazards, but would also issue rapid warnings and mitigation plans when hazards occurred. This system was put to the test earlier this year when an 8.9 magnitude earthquake struck Japan. 3 minutes after the quake, the Japanese Meteorological Agency issued a major tsunami warning, and within 9 minutes of the earthquake, warnings and watches had been issued in places such as Hawaii and Russia. Regular bulletins released by the IOC detailed the towns and cities affected by the tsunami along with statistics on population levels, peak water height, and how much area was flooded during the tsunami.

The IOC’s dedicated Tsunami programme has been set up to assess the risk to coastal regions from tsunami hazards and is there to inform and educate officials and civilians about their dangers. An early warning system has been established using a network of seismometers and sea level measuring devices, which broadcast real time data to national and regional warning centres. The information received by the warning centres allows authorities to assess the potential risk of a tsunami and take necessary action if it is needed. The IOC’s goal is to minimise as much as possible the loss of life though such natural marine hazards.

Support to Capacity Development The IOC’s management of GOOS, its tsunami programme, and the co-ordination of oceanic research, are just a few of the tasks they undertake n the course of their operations. On top of this, the IOC has shown a commitment to improving the education and training of others in the oceanographic area. The IOC’s Capacity Development programme is dedicated to providing international leadership for

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education and training, as well as providing expert technical assistance for global ocean and coastal zone based research, and the sustainable development of countries involved.

Using a global network of scientists and research institutions, the IOC is actively addressing the critical issues surrounding the protection and sustainable development of ocean and coastal regions. One of the most critical issues facing these areas is the affect of global climate change. The IOC is involved in a number of projects that hope to enable those who live in coastal areas to adapt to climate change. One of the methods being explored by the IOC’s work is the restoration of natural coastal ecosystems.

By restoring natural coastal ecosystems that are at risk from the impact of climate change, these coastal areas will not only find themselves better protected from effects such as rising sea levels or the erosion of coastland, but they will also benefit in many ways.

For example, these projects will aid local communities in terms of eco-tourism and the rejuvenated vegetation will help absorb atmospheric CO2 levels. Such initiatives are currently being implemented in coastal regions Africa that are deemed most at risk from global climate change.

Much of what IOC does may not seem glamorous. It is often behindthe-scenes work such as meetings and consultations, agreements, and seminars. But at the grass-root level the main corpus of IOC are the scientists themselves, at sea and in laboratories around the globe While these four areas provide the primary focus for the work undertaken by the IOC, they are not the only aspects of the organisation. Spanning the entire network of programmes and initiatives is an overarching policy that may not seem too groundbreaking, but which is invaluable to authorities, researchers, and civilians alike.

The IOC’s open access data policy means that there is no restriction on access to the wealth of data stored online as a result of the various programmes; this benefits not only researchers and scientists with access to information on vast numbers of marine life and the state of the oceans, but also government agencies who can utilise the observation networks for potential hazards and who have the power to affect policy. The general public can also benefit as they can learn more about the structure and state of our waters and prepare themselves for hazards or even educate themselves on issues of sustainability.

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The IOC Technical Committee on Data and Information Exchange (IODE) programme, established in 1961, was created by the IOC as a means of enhancing marine research, exploitation and development by providing member states with the facilities to exchange oceanographic information and data, and by providing them with the necessary tools that would allow the data to be shared with great ease. The biggest benefit of the IODE programme is the variety of data that can be accessed, and the fact that researchers from participating member states can draw upon data and information that suits their particular field of expertise. A global scale study is an arduous task, but programmes such as IODE mean that information is readily at hand.

Wendy Watson-Wright says about the IOC: “Much of what IOC does may not seem glamorous. It is often behind-the-scenes work such as meetings and consultations, agreements, and seminars. But at the grass-root level the main corpus of IOC are the scientists themselves, at sea and in laboratories around the globe. Through IOC researchers are able to form networks of cooperation and share ideas and resources that enable them to tackle challenges that are too big for any one research centre, one nation, or even one region.”

Part of the IOC’s overall mission is to educate and inform governments and the public alike in order to combat threats faced by our future generations, the biggest threat being rising global sea levels. If global climate change continues at the current rate, the global sea level will rise approximately one meter by around 2100.

This figure may not sound that significant, but to put it in perspective, the IOC points out that such a rise would spell the end of the Maldives.

Indeed in Europe, parts of the Netherlands, including Amsterdam, would be predominantly submerged underwater, and in the UK Great

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Yarmouth would itself become a peninsula. On top of all this, the increased volume of salt water flowing into fresh water habitats would have a devastating impact upon many species of life unused to such increased salinity levels.

Other issues that are of particular interest to the IOC include the acidification of our planet’s oceans. There are global concerns about the rising level of carbon dioxide emissions into our atmosphere; many of us now try to limit our carbon foot prints as much a possible.

The oceans have acted as a natural buffer of sorts to limiting the affects of climate change; the oceans have been absorbing around 25% of the CO2 emissions caused by human activity. While this has slowed the affect of global climate change, the side effect is that the continuous absorption of CO2 and heat is beginning to have a devastating effect on marine ecosystems; the pH levels of the oceans are falling, making them more acidic. If this acidification continues, many species will lose their sources of food, as they cannot sustain themselves in such conditions. On top of this, areas of the ocean are also becoming deoxygenated; as the temperature of the oceans increases, the level of dissolved oxygen in the water will decrease even more. The IOC is raising awareness of these issues and, by working together, the member states are in a position to affect international change in the way that we manage and develop our oceans. This is no easy task, and the IOC has a lot of hard work ahead of it.

So, what’s next for the IOC? There are still many projects being undertaken, but perhaps the biggest event in the IOC calendar is happening in June 2012. Rio De Janeiro will be hosting the Rio+20 Earth Summit, and the IOC along with the International Maritime Organisation, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN, and

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the United Nations Development Program, have prepared a Blueprint for Ocean and Coastal Sustainability to present at the summit. On the release of the blueprint, Irina Bokova, the Director-General of UNESCO said: “The role of the ocean in sustainable development is one of our core messages for Rio. […] The ocean is a source of life and the prime regulator of climate – it is also a key provider of economic and social services to humankind.” The importance of ocean and coastal issues are to be considered within the main outcomes of the conference. The blueprint is a wake-up call to the world’s nations; without action through policy, our oceans face an uncertain future.

Issues such as ocean acidification and the disappearance of coral ecosystems will be discussed alongside the need to protect more of our oceans and coastlines. Further to this, the blueprint addresses the depleting fish stock levels, the increasing occurrences of Hypoxic or “dead” zones in the ocean, as well as a general loss of marine biodiversity. The blueprint does not just highlight the science of the oceans, the biology, chemistry, and physics. It addresses the world’s nations and asks them to take greater notice of what is happening to the oceans around us all:

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“It is clear that the ocean choices made by world governments and the agencies they support will be critical to the welfare of future generations, in supporting poverty reduction, economic growth and environmental improvement. Ocean governance gaps, institutional failures and problems in the implementation of global and regional conservation measures, as well as the need to harness the expertise of scientific institutions are likely to feature prominently on the Rio+20 agenda.”

www.ioc-unesco.org www.ioc-tsunami.org www.ioc-goos.org

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