On July 11, 2024, Bologna will host the high-level event “Mediterranean and Atlantic Ocean Health and Coastal Resilience” to address the health and coastal resilience of the Mediterranean macro-region and Atlantic Ocean towards climate-related extreme events. Director-General of Mercator Ocean International Pierre Bahurel will present the European Digital Twin Ocean (EU DTO) in the session “EU leading actions on the restoration, reduction of pollution, monitoring and resilience of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean”. The event is jointly organised by the Italian Ministry of University and Research and the European Commission in the context of the EU Mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030” and the G7 Science and Technology 2024.

On the next day in Bologna Maria Hood and Maria Grigoratou of MOi will participate in the G7 FSOI Workshop 2024: Marine Research Infrastructures Integration and Harmonization for the EU coordination action within the G7 Future of the Seas and Ocean Initiative (FSOI). The MOi scientific director Pierre-Yves le Traon will participate as well as a member of the French delegation.

International Efforts to Protect the Ocean and Coastal Areas

Despite covering only 1% of the global Ocean surface, the Mediterranean Sea is a crucial economic hub, generating 20% of the global Gross Marine Product. However, it faces significant environmental challenges due to pollution and climate change. The event will showcase international efforts to regenerate marine biodiversity, improve climate mitigation and adaptation, and enhance the resilience of coastal communities in the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, capitalising on the related strategic mobilisation initiatives of G7 countries.

The European Digital Twin Ocean

The development of Digital Twins and deep technologies for advanced Ocean ecosystem monitoring and assessment is one of the major priorities of the G7 Research and Technology. Mercator Oceans’ Director-General Pierre Bahurel will discuss the progress and capabilities of the European Digital Twin Ocean in a session dedicated to EU’s leading actions to address the critical challenges that the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean are facing.

The EU DTO is the flagship initiative of the European Commission under the EU Mission Restore Our Ocean and Waters. The development of its core infrastructure (EDITO-infra) has been entrusted to Mercator Ocean International and the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) and integrates data and services from the Copernicus Marine Service and EMODnet. The organisations are federating the EU community to co-create and co-construct the EU DTO and ensure its value to stakeholders and as a tool to foster science-driven decision-making.

The G7 FSOI Workshop 2024

The following day, Mercator Ocean will also be present at the G7 FSOI Workshop 2024: Marine Research Infrastructures Integration and Harmonization as the host of the FSOI Coordination Center through to the participation of Maria Hood and Maria Grigoratou. MOi’s Scientific Director Pierre-Yves le Traon will participate as a member of the French delegation. The workshop aims to achieve four goals:

1. Map the G7 member ocean observation systems sustained by Marine Research Infrastructure funding or other forms of long-term infrastructure investment.
   
2. Assess current limitations for transition to sustained funding for ocean observations, drawing on lessons learnt from national approaches.
   
3. Map existing common services that are shared within and between networks. Barriers that limit global infrastructure sharing and integration opportunities to draw on best practices
   
4. Define action to progress towards a common vision and strategy for the integration and harmonization of national infrastructures into a global/international research infrastructure focusing on next steps for 2025.

The FSOI was agreed among G7 Countries in 2016 with the aim to develop a holistic approach to tackling ocean issues.

Additional Resources

• Access the full agenda
• Read about the launch of the European Digital Twin Ocean pre-operational platform
• Learn more about the EU Mission Restore Our Ocean and Waters
• Visit the G7 FSOI website
• Read more about the G7 FSOI Workshop 2024: Marine Research Infrastructures Integration and Harmonization