WHOI at the UN Ocean Conference—Nice, France
The United Nations Ocean Conference is a pivotal moment to drive international cooperation and collaboration in order to protect our ocean from the many compounding threats it faces today. The UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water provides a valuable framework for how we can achieve a sustainable ocean and this year’s conference will provide a forum for countries to jointly work towards that goal.
Ocean Action Panel
Conserving, sustainably managing and restoring marine and coastal ecosystems including deep-sea ecosystems
June 9, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm CET (4:00 am to 7:00 am EST)
Blue Zone, Ocean Action Panel Room (Blue Zone credentials required)
WHOI President & Director Peter de Menocal joins a high-level panel to discuss ways of fostering global collaboration, leveraging scientific advancements and promoting equity and inclusivity, the international community can chart a path towards the conservation, sustainable management and restoration of the oceans.
Watch live | Concept note
Official Side Event
Unraveling Plankton Biodiversity and Food Security
June 9, 3:45 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. CET (9:45 am to 11:00 am EST)
Blue Zone, Room 3 (Blue Zone credentials required)
Scientists are developing new measurement techniques to study plankton biodiversity in patchy, unpredictable blooms using ship-based sampling of ocean physics chemistry, and biology to better understand marine food webs which is central to coordinated progress of all SDGs.
Organized by: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, CMA CGM, and IFREMER
Green Zone Event
Meet the Expert: Peter de Menocal, President & Director, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
June 10, 12:00 p.m. to 12:45 p.m. CET
La Baleine, Palais des Expositions
Dr. de Menocal will take Green Zone visitors on a journey of deep-sea exploration through the lens of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s scientists featured in the Deep Blue pavilion.
Off-site Side Event
The importance of environmental and ecological monitoring, reporting, and verification to build trust and confidence for marine carbon dioxide removal research
June 10, 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. CET
Gigi Tavola, 5 Quai des Deux Emmanuels, 06300 Nice, France
Carbon dioxide removal in the marine environment (mCDR) will need frameworks for environmental and ecological monitoring, reporting, and verification (eMRV) in addition to conventional carbon accounting MRV. The purpose of eMRV is to ensure that practitioners of mCDR can quantitatively demonstrate insight into the ecological and environmental shifts in the marine environment to inform decision makers about the consequences of mCDR, and to build trust and confidence that these changes are well understood when weighing the benefits and consequences of mCDR.Organized by: Exploring Ocean Iron Solutions (ExOIS)
Refreshments provided
Registration required: https://forms.gle/SHFVypTZo45DQov86
Green Zone Event
Meet the Expert: Kilaparti Ramakrishna | Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
June 13, 10:00 p.m. to 10:45 p.m. CET
La Baleine, Palais des Expositions
Dr. Ramakrishna will discuss the successful translation of research on the inner workings of the ocean’s mesopelagic into international policy to protect critical parts of this globe-spanning marine ecosystem that is fundamental to ocean health.
Official Side Event
Protecting the Ocean Twilight Zone: Driving Global Action for Biodiversity, Climate Stability, and a Sustainable, Healthy Ocean
June 13, 2:00 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. CET (8:00 am to 9:15 am EST)
Blue Zone, Room 5 (Blue Zone credentials required)
This event, sponsored by the Government of Panama, will showcase the ocean twilight zone's (OTZ) dazzling biodiversity and its role in carbon sequestration. It will also highlight the threats posed by marine pollution and the desire to develop new sources of fishmeal and fish oil. With high-level participation from heads of state and the UN Special Envoy for the Ocean, we will present a commitment to the conservation of the OTZ that addresses the global challenges facing our ocean.
Organized by: Ocean Conservancy, Government of Panama, Costa Rica, Ocean Conservancy, Monterrey Bay Aquarium, Environmental Defense Fund, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution