Future Ocean Report Scientific Advisory Board Meeting
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FUTURE OCEAN REPORT Scientific Advisory Board Meeting 24th – 25th September 2013 Steigenberger Conti-Hansa Schloßgarten 7, 24103 Kiel, Germany | 1 2 | Future Ocean Report | Editorial DEAR FUTURE OCEAN ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS, We are very happy to welcome you to the upcoming meeting of the Scientific Advisory Board on September 24 and 25, 2013 in Kiel and are looking forward to discussing ongoing progress and future strategies of “The Future Ocean” cluster with you. In this document we have strived to compile ongoing and envisioned future activities of the Future Ocean. Although we have tried to keep this document short and focused in order to allow you to read through everything that happened, we have failed to keep it the volume we had envisioned – there is just too much going on. We ne- vertheless hope that you will be able to read through some of our activities, share your ideas and suggestions with us, and maybe get some inspiration for your own activities. In this way we hope to experience a mutually interesting meeting for all of us in September in Kiel. We sincerely look forward to your visit. Yours, Martin Visbeck and Ralph Schneider Editorial | 3 Editorial 02 Introduction 06 RESEARCH TOPICS R1 Our Common Future Ocean 08 R2 Ocean Governance 12 R3 Ocean Resources 15 R4 Ocean Innovation 19 R5 Ocean Sinks 23 R6 Dangerous Ocean 27 R7 Ocean Interfaces 30 R8 Evolving Ocean 33 R9 Ocean Controls 36 R10 Ocean Observations 39 R11 Predicted Ocean 42 4 | Future Ocean Report | Content CENTRAL SERVICES S1 Internationalization 46 S2 Knowledge Exchange Stakeholder Dialogue – Cooperation with Industry on the National Level 48 Knowledge Exchange and Public Outreach 49 S3 Science Support – Education & Careers 52 S4 Research Platforms 57 S5 Project Support Gender Report 60 Semester Topics and Proposals 62 List of Active Cluster Projects 64 Content | 5 – KIEL EAN MA OC RIN E E R S U C T YSTEM UNDER I U N S ST E A AN N F CE D O IN C E G E H RESEARCH TOPICS S T R1 Our Common Future Ocean R2 S Ocean GGovernance U R3 Ocean Ressources S I S r T n R4 Ocean IInnovation e t A O e I e I r R5 r N Oceaan Sinks R n a A A a R6 C Dangerous Ocean t B N i o & L R7 E n Ocean Interfaces n E C a o l R8 Evolving Ocean S i O t C C D a o R9 Ocean Controls c o E N u p A A d e R10 N Ocean Observations E r N a M • t R11 Predicted Ocean O i I t o A T r n N C o A I p • G D p K E E u n M R S o E P t w NT AN c l CE je ed O o g Pr e • Ex s ch rm ang atfo e • Research Pl Research for tomorrow Understanding the Ocean – Sustaining Our Future The Cluster of Excellence “The Future Ocean” pursues a re- The Mission of the Future Ocean is to use the results of mul- search approach that is unique in Germany: marine researchers, tidisciplinary scientific research on the past and present ocean to geologists and economists join forces with mathematicians, compu- predict the future of the Earth’s marine environment. This includes ting, medical, legal, and social scientists and philosophers to investi- understanding changes to the past, on-going and future ocean as gate ocean and climate change from a multidisciplinary perspective. well as the interaction between society and the ocean in regard to A total of over 200 scientists from the Christian-Albrechts-University marine resources, services and risks. This Mission carries with it of Kiel (CAU), the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research an obligation to develop and assess scientifically-based global and Kiel, the Institute for the World Economy (IfW) and the Muthesius regional ocean governance options, taking their legal, economic and Academy of Fine Arts are using innovative means to share their ethical aspects into account. findings with the international scientific community, stakeholders, decision makers, civil society and the public at large because they believe that by understanding the ocean we can sustain our future. In order to transfer this interdisciplinary approach to the edu- cation of young scientists, the Integrated School of Ocean Sciences (ISOS) was created as a central element within the Cluster. A new focus of the Cluster is the support of young scientists within the network of Integrated Marine Postdocs (IMAP). Further, scientists of the “Future Ocean” have access to a wide-ranging and excellent research infrastructure. These platforms include tools for ocean observation, numerical simulation, isotope and tracer analysis and molecular biosciences. The Cluster of Excellence “The Future Oce- an” is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). 6 | Future Ocean Report | Introduction Research TOPICS Introduction | 7 R1 Our Common Future Ocean Disciplines: ethics, economics, art, political science, law Objectives: concept of ocean sustainability; application to specific issues; artistic perception/interpretation of the cultural impact of ocean change Central question: How can ocean sustainability be conceptualized in a way that can be widely agreed upon to guide responsible decision-making? 8 | Future Ocean Report | R1 – Our Common Future Ocean R1 – OUR CommoN FUTURE OCEAN REPORT The common goal for our research team is to answer the question: How can sustainability of the uncertain future ocean be conceptualized in a way that can be widely agreed upon and that guides responsible decision-making? The topic of Our Common Future Ocean brings together researchers from the disciplines of ethics, economics, arts, political sciences, geography, law and natural marine sciences to develop a concept of ocean sustainability. The conceptual approach is complemented by analyzing and actively taking part in the societal and scientific discourse on ocean sustaina- bility in different cultures, and by experimentally eliciting sustainability views held by society to complement the conceptual approach. We will apply the sustainability concept to a range of coastal and ocean issues such as the use of ocean resources, sustainable governance and management of marine fish stocks. Sustainability has been a key notion in the societal and scientific discourse about the relationship between hu- man societies and nature at least since the UN report ‘Our Common Future’ (WCED 1987). Although sustaina- bility has become widely agreed upon as a general and abstract objective, the practical effect of this concept has remained small. A major problem is that it is often unclear what sustainability actually means in a concrete decision context. In particular, the great uncertainties with regard to the future development of the ocean and inevitable ocean changes challenge simple concepts of sustainability. A sustainability concept can only be of practical relevance if it is shared by a large part of society. To this end, it is necessary to increase public and cultural awareness of the effects of ocean change and to take into account the normative views on susta- inability held by society. Therefore, the objectives of our common future ocean are Fig. 1 Coastal development is a critical driver of change for both coastal and marine envi- to develop a concept of ocean sustainability that ronments (Yantai, China, BN 2011) works in societal as well as in scientific discourse; to elicit normative views held in society to scrutinize the concept advocate an SDG for ocean and coasts and in which we also pre- empirically; sent ideas for future coastal governance and future ocean spatial to explore and advance the artistic perception and interpretation planning: “Securing Blue Wealth: The need for an Ocean and Coasts of the cultural impact of ocean change; Sustainable Development Goal and Future Ocean Spatial Planning.” to apply the concept of ocean sustainability to specific issues 2 The next step will be to publish a policy brief with external policy experts as co-authors to bridge the gap between science and policy Highlights and foster the discussion on ocean governance and spatial planning. A great success for the interdisciplinary work for Our Common In our paper we propose that developing and agreeing on a SDGs Future Ocean is the group’s participation in the international dis- for Oceans and Coasts could be an essential element for sustainable cussion on Sustainability Development Goals (SDG) through the ocean management. At the UN Conference on Sustainable Develop- proposal of a “SDG Ocean and Coasts” via a joint publication. The ment in 2012 (Rio+20), the need for action to accelerate the progress working paper “Establishing a Sustainable Development Goal for in achieving sustainable development at the global level was empha- Oceans and Coasts to Face the Challenges of our Future Ocean”1 sized, and the development of a set of measurable SDGs that support marks the starting point for further publications and activities of the focused and coherent action in global priority areas was proposed. group. We presented the paper as a contribution to the discussions These new SDGs will build upon the Millennium Development Goals at the Conference ‘Good Governance for Sustainable Marine Deve- (MDGs) and replace them by 2015. Even though ensuring environ- lopment’ organized by the Dräger Foundation from June 3-5 2013 mental sustainability is one of the eight MDGs, the ocean is neither in Cascais/Portugal. The paper is available online and attached in explicitly mentioned, nor is it – in our opinion – adequately addressed the appendix. An opinion paper with an extended author list has considering its overarching importance for the wealth and develop- been submitted to “Marine Policy”, in which we illustrate why we ment of humankind, and its fundamental role as key component in R1 – Our Common Future Ocean | 9 Plans Ocean Sustainability and ocean governance Our research-related activities include the develop- ment of a fully negotiable SDG text and a concept for Future Ocean Spatial Planning (FOSP).