eurOcean for a unified view of European maritime wealth
Leading efforts to a better understanding of our Oceans, a better understanding of our Nature
More than 50% of Europe’s territory consists of seas and oceans. Half
of the global oxygen production is derived from ocean phytoplankton and
oceans are the main drivers of the Earth’s climate. On top of that, many
growing economic sectors rely on the seas for transport, extraction of
living and non-living resources, energy-supply, tourism, etc. Only with a
substantial amount of high-quality research and technology will Europe
be able to cope with the growing pressures on our seas and oceans, and
to take advantage of the opportunities they present in a sustainable
way.
"Ecosystems are unpredictable and still full of surprises" - To
achieve good environmental status one needs to understand the environment - unfortunately to understand the marine environment we are lacking critical knowledge. Society needs marine science to get that understanding/knowledge.
Media Release - EurOcean 2010 - is a Belgian EU Presidency event, organised in close cooperation with the European Commission and the Marine Board-ESF
According to Maria Damanaki (EU-Commissioner for Maritime Affairs
& Fisheries): “It is increasingly clear that maritime policy has
very wide implications and a real potential to fuel sustained recovery
and growth across Europe and the world. Our goal has to be to create
jobs and to foster growth in an environmentally friendly manner”.
Climate change
European marine waters are already affected by climate change. Two
thirds of the commercial fish stocks in the North sea have moved
northwards over the last 25 years. “As a result of climate change
and ocean acidification one thing is certain: in 50 to 100 years time,
our marine ecosystems are going to be very different from those we know
today… the scary thing is, we do not know how different” (Professor
Michael Thorndyke, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences). This is also
very much the case for our knowledge of marine microorganisms, which we
now know play a critical role in regulating the cycle of carbon and
nutrients in the oceans, but remain largely unstudied. Marine
observations and data are now more essential than ever for monitoring
the rate and scale of environmental change. There are clear economic
benefits: it is estimated that a 25% reduction in uncertainty in future
sea-level rise will save 100 million EUR annually in European coastal
defences.
Marine biotechnology: food security, environmental and
human health
Europe is a major consumer and the world’s number three importer of
fishery and aquaculture products. The annual output of the European fish
processing industry amounts to 23 billion EUR, or three times that of
the catch sector. Whereas globally marine and inland aquaculture
production is quickly catching up with capture fisheries (now
representing about 50% of the food-fish production), EU aquaculture
production is much more static at a level of 1.3 million tonnes of fish,
shellfish and crustaceans, generating a turnover of 3.2 billion EUR and
supporting 65,000 jobs. “It seems we have the knowledge and tools
to manage fisheries sustainably, but this will help the rising demand
for seafood only to a limited extent. Better knowledge on how to develop
sustainable aquaculture of marine organisms is needed to help feed a
growing world population”, states Dr. Ole Arve Misund (Institute of
Marine Research, Bergen).
The oceans and seas have a high potential for discovery of bioactive
compounds, given the rich and unique marine biodiversity. More than
fifteen such compounds from marine organisms are currently in clinical
development for novel drugs and several marine-derived drugs and
nutraceuticals are already on the market, mainly for the treatment of
cancers.
Future health issues can also arise from eutrophication with
land-borne nutrients. Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) events have increased
over the past decades along the European coasts, leading to an increase
of related illnesses and economic losses in the fisheries and
aquaculture sector with a total estimated cost to the EU of more than
627 million EUR/year. True interdisciplinary approaches will be required
to address further economic and environmental degradation.
Maritime transport
The same conflict between growth and increasing demand and
sustainability holds for the maritime transport sector. Today, almost
90% of external freight trade in the EU is carried by the seas, and
around 3,500 million metric tonnes of cargo and 350 million passengers
pass through Europe’s ports each year. However, this growing sector
produces large amounts of carbon dioxide, nitrogen and sulphur oxides,
representing 4.5% of global emissions. Here too, research and technology
could be a significant drivers towards the development of safe,
sustainable and efficient waterborne transport operations, of
crashworthy vessels, with low emissions and enhanced maritime security.
Energy & marine spatial planning
By 2050, 15% of European electricity could be provided by wave,
tidal, thermal and osmotic resources. On top of that, offshore wind
power will avoid the emission of 100 Mt of CO2 by 2020. The installation
of these new devices requires, among other things, careful marine
spatial planning (MSP). However, “While the advantages of MSP become
rapidly acknowledged, few recognize the shortcomings of current MSP
initiatives. Research will need to focus on the fact that the latter are
not set up to allow and adequately measure the performance of
management actions, and that little research is already available on how
to apply MSP in areas beyond national jurisdiction, an area that covers
45% of the globe”, says Dr. Fanny Douvere (Coordinator of the
World Heritage Marine Programme, UNESCO, Paris).
Experts call upon Europe to urgently build a marine observation
network that “with a free access to real-time data will generate
revenue for business and government, new products, and a leading role
for European research and development” (Prof. Peter Haugan,
Director Geophysical Institute, Bergen). They highlight the need for
more research and knowledge on the deep-sea and its sub-seafloor. “Europe
should play a leading role in addressing issues of sustainable ocean
management and explore some of the deep-seated geological processes that
drive seafloor ecosystems and resources” (Prof. Achim Kopf, MARUM
Research Centre, Bremen).
“The backside of the moon is still better
known than the 70% of our planet which is covered by oceans. In order to
meet the challenges of the next decade, major investments in marine
science and technology are necessary. The future of the oceans is the
future of mankind” (Prof. Peter Herzig, director Leibniz Institute
of Marine Sciences IFM-Geomar).
The top priorities for marine and maritime research will be
summarised in ’Navigating the Future IV’, a position paper that will be
published by the Marine Board of the European Science Foundation (ESF)
in Autumn of 2011. The content of this visionary position paper will be
discussed by Europe’s leading experts at the occasion of the EurOCEAN
2010 Conference in Ostend (12-13 October 2010). Top-speakers will
present a state-of-the-art overview of the major topics and will shed
light on what Europe needs for its “blue future”. The EurOCEAN 2010
Conference will build upon the tradition of earlier EurOCEAN conferences
in Galway (2004) and Aberdeen (2007), and will bring together leading
European scientists, European, national and regional policy makers,
marine science programmes and representatives of a wide spectrum of
marine and maritime stakeholders.
The Conference will be attended by two EU Commissioners: Máire
Geoghegan-Quinn, EU-Commissioner for Research & Innovation, and
Maria Damanaki, EU-Commissioner for Maritime Affairs & Fisheries.
Máire Geoghegan-Quinn (EU-Commissioner for Research &
Innovation), who will present a closing keynote speech summarises the
importance of marine science and technology: “Overfishing, pollution
and the effects of climate change have dramatically affected the marine
environment, putting fragile ecosystems at great risk. Sea level rise,
coastal erosion and extreme events threaten our coasts. However, with
focused research and innovation, we can address these challenges and
maximise the potential of our natural resources”.
EurOCEAN 2010 (www.eurocean2010.eu)
ESF – Marine
Board - European Science Foundation
The Marine Board Member Organizations are major national marine
scientific institutes, funding agencies and research councils in Europe.
At present, 20 countries are represented at the Board, leading to a
total membership of 30 organizations.
The main aim of the Marine Board is to facilitate cooperation between
its Member Organizations and promote the profile and development of
marine science in Europe. The Marine Board is entirely self-financed by
direct contributions from its Member Organizations, and external (FP)
contracts.
Network and country contact point in Cyprus, is represented by the Cyprus Oceanographic Center