This course offers an informative overview of the international law of the sea and current challenges facing the world’s oceans and seas. How do States establish their maritime boundaries? What are the States’ rights and obligations with regard to the various zones of maritime jurisdiction? What are the rules and procedures for the peaceful settlement of international maritime disputes? What are the obligations of States towards migrants rescued at sea? And what is the interplay between marine natural resources exploitation and environmental protection in areas within and beyond national jurisdiction? more here

3 December 25th Reef Conservation UK conference, ZSL London Zoo

We welcome submissions for full length talks, speed talks, and poster presentations. Please join us for many inspiring talks, posters, workshops, and informal coral reef chat! We are also delighted to have two fantastic plenary speakers – Dr Gareth Williams and Dr Pasita Chaijaroen. More information here

8 December 19:00 – 20:00 OCTO webinar: A new toolkit for building climate-resilient fisheries, resented by: Jeff Young of EDF

Climate change and overfishing are increasingly straining fisheries and the marine ecosystems that support them, putting marine biodiversity, the nutrition of people in coastal communities, and the global food supply at greater risk. To help address these critical issues, EDF’s Fishery Solutions Center has worked closely with hundreds of stakeholders, researchers, and practitioners from around the world to synthesize their collective expertise into user-friendly tools. The resulting Climate-Resilient Fisheries Toolkit features over 30 tools and resources can help assess conditions and prioritize interventions; examine governance gaps, climate impacts, ecosystem threats, and food and nutrition security needs; integrate available data and knowledge into management action; and design and implement fishery solutions. Tools are designed for use by fishers, researchers, managers, NGOs, communities, and local officials and can help make informed fisheries decisions even in limited data situations. This webinar will introduce participants to the tools in the toolkit and invite input on how the toolkit can be strengthened and improved over time. Register here

9 December 10:00 – 12:00 DecomTools project (DecomTools, Interreg VB North Sea Region Programme) online regional stakeholder and share findings meeting

DecomTools, Interreg VB North Sea Region Programme. The DecomTools project engages different European partners and stakeholders in the North Sea region to provide a comprehensive approach by considering different aspects of OWF decommissioning. The research will be validated by demonstration pilots and working tools in the areas of logistics, safety, ship design, and up-/re-cycling. The currently available technologies will be combined to tackle some of the major aspects of the decommissioning challenge, including the optimisation of existing (port) off/onshore infrastructure. Transnational working and multidisciplinary cross-sector competencies will improve framework conditions for innovation and technology transfer in this specific niche area and help the sector to achieve a higher eco-balance. The overall objectives of the DecomTools project are to reduce decommissioning costs and emissions by 20% and 25%, respectively, and enhance the know-how and expertise of the North Sea Region’s involved stakeholders. Agenda: General overview of the project  – Prof Marcus Bentin, Hochschule Emden/Leer, National Decommissioning Centre – Prof Richard D Neilson (NDC Director), The predictive decommissioning tool (WP4) – Dr Alireza Maheri (UoA) and Potential for using the tool regionally – open discussion. Click here to join the meeting [no sign up]

13 December 14:00 – 16:00 SMMR training course Introduction to Flexible Coding for Qualitative Marine Sustainability Research, online [sign up deadline 8 Dec]

Liliana Bastian and Dr. Sien van der Plank who will host a 2-hour practical workshop that introduces flexible coding for the context of collaborative, qualitative research in marine sustainability. Flexible coding is a contemporary approach to qualitative data analysis developed by Deterding and Waters (2018) that is especially well suited to collaborative and group coding work. The discussion-based session aims to aid researchers in social and ecological sciences in applying deductive and inductive coding to identify and characterise themes in marine social science data. Participants will a) gain an understanding of flexible coding and assess its usefulness for their own research, b) practice collaboratively developing a code book and coding using sample data, and c) learn strategies for managing and documenting collaborative coding processes. Researchers in social and ecological sciences with a range of experiences in qualitative coding are welcome. Sign up to attend here 

14 December 09:30 – 13:00 Proposed Fisheries Management Measures within Offshore MPAs: Pre-consultation Workshop invite from Marine Scotland, online (deadline 30

Marine Scotland are hosting this workshop to give stakeholders the opportunity to provide feedback on the assessments undertaken for the proposed fisheries management measures within offshore MPAs, and to seek clarity on how to use and interpret these documents when replying to the public consultation once it is launched. This will include providing an opportunity to seek clarification and provide feedback on the draft Sustainability Appraisals (including the Strategic Environmental Assessment and Socio-Economic Impact Assessment), draft Islands Communities Impact Assessment, and the Appropriate Assessments ahead of the 12 week public consultation. These documents will be sent to attendees following registration. This workshop will not discuss the proposed individual drafted management measures in detail, although it will provide a general overview, as attendees will have the opportunity to raise any feedback on these proposals within the public consultation. If you would like to attend: CLOSED

18-21 December British Ecological Society (BES) Annual Meeting 2022, Edinburgh (abstract submission and registration: deadline)

2023

9 – 11 January The 1st International Conference On Ocean Education And Training, Ghent, Belgium and its free! (abstracts deadline:closed, registration deadline: 14 Dec)

The OceanTraining project is pleased to invite you to participate in the 1st International Conference on Ocean Education and Training 2023 (OceanTraining2023). Through five leading themes, this international and open conference will bring together marine scientists, educators, (joint) educational programme coordinators, graduate students and non-academic stakeholders from a range of disciplines to discuss the most recent innovations, trends, challenges encountered and solutions adopted in the fields of Ocean Education and Learning, with a focus on digital education. information here

11-13 January 17th Annual UK & Ireland Regional Student Chapter Marine Mammal Conference (registration now open)

We encourage everyone to attend in person and will be offering travel grants to as many student attendees as we can. We welcome application to present your work: Talk – 10-15 min followed by live Q&As Speed talk – 5 min followed by live Q&As Poster – available throughout the conference with opportunity for live Q&As during specific times. Please note preference will be given to those attending in person, however, we may run a virtual only talks session if time allows or demand is high. register here

18 – 30 January OCB Scoping Workshop: Building a Cost-effective Coastal Biogeochemical Observing Network in Collaboration with the Commercial Fishing Community, Woods Hole, MA USA. ( virtual attendance option available)

This 3-day scoping workshop will initiate a dialog among key stakeholders and collaborators across the commercial fishing community, federal and state governments, technology companies, and academia to focus on building a cost-effective, coastal biogeochemical (BGC) observing network. Existing data coverage often lacks the spatial and temporal resolution to characterize key processes in dynamic coastal systems. What is needed is a more sustainable model for collecting high-resolution data, including BGC data, at a significantly lower cost that can provide improved spatial and temporal coverage. Fishing activities are uniquely well suited for such a sustainable model. A fishery-based BGC coastal observing network will provide data products that directly benefit fishing operations, marine resource management, coastal research, climate change mitigation, the Blue Economy and beyond. Building on decades of collaboration with the commercial fishing industry, this workshop will provide a platform to share diverse stakeholder perspectives and end goals, learn about new and emerging observing capabilities and technologies, and discuss viable approaches to establish a fishery-based BGC observing network. More info here

19 January 10:00 – 15:00 Building a Sustainable Seafood Sector Through Collaboration By Bioeconomy Cluster Builder, Stirling (free)

BCB in collaboration with IBioIC, Opportunity North East, Seafood Scotland, University of Stirling, and Zero Waste Scotland. The Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC), Opportunity North East, Seafood Scotland, University of Stirling and Zero Waste Scotland are hosting this dedicated meeting to bring together key stakeholders from the seafood, biotechnology and waste valorisation communities. Event page here

The National Conferences on Global Change have been held biennially under the banner of the Global Change Grand Challenge (GCGC), one of the focus areas known as grand challenges in the Ten-Year Innovation Plan (TYIP) of the DSI since 2012. These conferences are aimed at providing a platform for networking and knowledge sharing among global change stakeholders to share and debate the latest research and innovations accelerating transformation. Active participation by early career researchers is strongly encouraged. Conference webpage here

3-9 February  5th International MPA Congress (IMPAC5), Vancouver, Canada (standard registration now open)

A global forum that brings together ocean conservation professionals and high-level officials to inform, inspire and act on marine protected areas. IMPAC5 is an opportunity to bring together Indigenous peoples and cultures from around the world to embrace a collaborative approach and learn from Indigenous leadership in ocean conservation. More here

8 February hosted by University of St Andrews: 1-day Geochronology workshop led by Dr Maarten Blaauw from Queens University Belfast (free with travel financial  support available)

Dr Blaauw is an expert in using statistics to answer palaeo-ecological questions and has developed multi-software packages utilizing Bayesian statistics to chronologically constrain palaeo records. These packages include: CLAM(14C), BACON (14C), PLUM (210Pb, 137CS) and COFFEE (Fossil, Tree Rings) – https://maarten14c.github.io/ The workshop will introduce the participants to the concepts of Bayesian age depth modelling and will include hands on use of the software packages with both test datasets and with the participants own data. It is currently envisaged that the bulk of the workshop will focus on the use of BACON and PLUM but other packages can be included if there is interest.The workshop is free to attend. Further SAGES (Scottish alliance for geoscience environment and society) has provided some support to cover travel costs for PhD students and ECRs. If you would are interested in attending the workshop please email (Dr Craig Smeaton – [email protected]).

18 – 19 February Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) on Mesophotic Coral Reef Ecosystems: Leveraging Ecological and Molecular Approaches Within Data-Limited Mesophotic Ecosystems

This forum will focus on leveraging data in data-limited mesophotic environments. Mesophotic coral reef ecosystems comprise a significant portion of total coral reef area but are relatively understudied. As these reefs are typically found between depths of 30 – 150m they are structured by factors such as light and bathymetry. Despite growing interest, sampling and exploration of these reefs remains difficult. Accessing the necessary depths for study poses a significant barrier to research. As this environment is still data-limited, the training of new researchers in both technical diving and rigorous methodologies is critical. This also highlights the need for strong collaborative work. More information here

19 – 24 February Gordon Research Conference on Mesophotic Coral Reef Ecosystems: Connectivity and Resilience Relative to Shallow Reefs, Ventura, CA, United States (deadline 22 January)

The Mesophotic Coral Reef Ecosystems GRC is a premier, international scientific conference focused on advancing the frontiers of science through the presentation of cutting-edge and unpublished research, prioritizing time for discussion after each talk and fostering informal interactions among scientists of all career stages. The conference program includes a diverse range of speakers and discussion leaders from institutions and organizations worldwide, concentrating on the latest developments in the field. The conference is five days long and held in a remote location to increase the sense of camaraderie and create scientific communities, with lasting collaborations and friendships. In addition to premier talks, the conference has designated time for poster sessions from individuals of all career stages, and afternoon free time and communal meals allow for informal networking opportunities with leaders in the field. More information here

20 -24 February Training with OceanWise and Medin: Marine Data Management, Governance And The MEDIN Toolset (free!)

The course can be taken as a whole, or attendees can select modules according to two streams: Marine Data Governance; or Practical MEDIN. Some modules are common to both streams, for example, modules on marine data management principles and components. Each run of the course takes place over 5 days with live lessons in the morning and independent learning in the afternoons. More information and sign up here when open here

21 – 23 February Future Coastal Ocean Climates Workshop, Liverpool (FLAME is an endorsed UN Ocean Decade Action and a core project of the CoastPredict Programme, Abstract deadline 13 January, Free)

This workshop will seek to bring together an international community of scientists to discuss and develop the key action areas of FLAME: Assessing the performance of future coastal ocean projections; Developing new and strengthening regional Earth System Models; Developing new downscaling approaches and improving hazard information; Advancing observation-model co-analysis and data assimilation; Improving understanding of the global coastal oceans response to future climate. We invite submission of abstracts that align with these priority knowledge gaps and technical challenges. Studies investigating the potential response of the coastal ocean to future climate change in any region of the world, from the tropics to the poles are welcomed, including global model analysis and regional downscaling. In particular projections of future hydrodynamic, biogeochemical and ecosystem decadal-centennial change and regime shifts, and the impacts on coastal habitats (e.g. coral reefs, sea grass beds, mangroves) and ecosystem services (e.g. blue carbon stores, food security, natural hazard protection); coastal flooding and erosion in future climates, including risks and impacts of extreme and compound events and how they are induced by modified ocean state; coupling strategies for downscaled earth-system climate models, notably between terrestrial drivers and the coastal ocean; and assessments of climate model ensembles and uncertainty estimation in local-regional coastal-ocean areas. event page here

28 Feb – 3rd March International NoWPaS Workshop (International Workshop of PhDs and Post-doctoral Fellows on Anadromous Salmonids), Norway

more information will be released here

20 – 21 March International Ocean Data Conference – II, Paris and hybrid (abstract deadline: closed)

The previous International Ocean Data Conference held in Poland 2022 concluded with new commitments and recommendations on achieving a “global ocean digital ecosystem” in the context of and as a contribution to the UN Ocean Decade. The IODC-II will focus on the implementation of those commitments and recommendations, and report on the problems faced, solutions found, lessons learned and challenges identified. We invite abstracts for oral presentations to be submitted before 15 November 2022. More here

17-21 April – 5th International Symposium on the Effects of Climate Change on the World’s Oceans, Bergen, Norway (abstract deadline: closed, early bird registration 15 January) ECOP Financial Support available!

The 5th International Symposium Ecosystem Effects of Climate Change on the World’s Ocean (ECCWO-5) brings together experts from around the world to better understand climate effects on ocean ecosystem, what adaptation and mitigation measures could look like, and how to implement them. More to be announced here. Abstract submission here. Apply for ECOP financial support here.

23 – 28 April EGU General Assembly 2023 , Vienna and hybrid (abstract  deadline 10 January)

EGU is pleased to announce that our General Assembly will once again be following an hybrid format in 2023, with a return of the popular poster and PICO sessions, alongside the traditional orals. The meeting will take place both on-site in Vienna (Austria) and virtually, as we take the next step towards building a fully hybrid event. The EGU General Assembly 2023 will bring together geoscientists from all over the world for an hybrid meeting covering all disciplines in the Earth, planetary, and space sciences. EGU aims to provide a welcoming, inclusive, and safe forum where scientists, especially early career scientists, can present their work and discuss their ideas with experts in all fields of geoscience. Abstract page here

22–25 May Human Impacts on Marine Functional Connectivity, Portugal (Abstract submission deadline: closed)

The International Symposium on the “Human Impacts on Marine Functional Connectivity” will highlight the latest research on changes in marine functional connectivity caused by human impacts and on the possible management options for preserving this ecosystem property. event page here

22 – 26 May 10th International Crustacean Congress, Wellington, New Zealand (abstracts deadline: 9 December)

The Crustacean Society is pleased to invite you to the 10th International Crustacean Congress in Wellington, New Zealand, in May 2023 for the Congress’s first in-person meeting in a long time. The organizers are currently accepting suggestions for special sessions and symposia (with a chance to win free registration following a short survey!) Event website here

24 – 25 May European Maritime Day 2023, Brest (workshop application deadline: 14 December)

The annual event during which Europe’s maritime community meet to network, discuss and outline joint actions on maritime affairs and sustainable blue economy. Thematic workshops organised by maritime stakeholders are at the core of the conference. EMD website link here

29 May 8th International Symposium for Deep-Sea Corals, University of Edinburgh (Call To Propose Session Topics Deadline: closed)

In preparation for the hybrid 8th International Symposium for Deep-Sea Corals the week of 29 May 2023 at the University of Edinburgh, the Symposium’s Scientific Steering Committee is inviting innovative session proposals that will result in a diverse range of talks and discussions. The broad overall theme for the conference will be ‘Corals in a Changing Ocean’.

23-27 October PICES North Pacific Marine Science Organization annual meeting: Connecting Science and Communities for Sustainable Seas, Seattle, USA (Session or Workshop submission deadline: closed)

PICES-2023 occurs just a few years into the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and is a chance to assess PICES progress to date and set a path for the rest of the Decade. The meeting will focus on developing and strengthening PICES diverse partnerships, building on existing joint activities and promoting cross-fertilization. Priorities for PICES within the Decade focus on climate change, fisheries and ecosystem-based management, social, ecological and environmental dynamics of marine systems, coastal communities, traditional ecological knowledge and human dimensions. Opportunities to engage new partners, especially around the cross-cutting themes of Early Career Ocean Professionals, diverse communities, and engaging with local and Indigenous communities are especially encouraged. more information will be released here

5 – 16 June SOLAS Summer School, cape verde (application deadline closed)

The SOLAS Summer School is a regular, international event with the goal to provide the needed multidisciplinary air-sea interaction background to the next generation of Earth System scientists. more here

6-8 June Energy Ethics 2023: Financing the Future, St Andrews (hybird) [abstract for panels, films, papers and posters deadline closed]

Finance shapes our lives in profound ways and is fundamentally entwined with visions of, and expectations for, the future. It can fuel the future-gazing aspirations of entrepreneurs, feelings of hope, desires for innovation, and shared moral horizons. At the same time, it can create relations of obligation and indebtedness, deepen historical patterns of inequality and exclusion, and power feelings of despondency and despair. At a time of growing energy demand and rapid climate change, we ask: How will we finance the future? More info on the EE2023 webpage.

6-8 June IGU Thematic conference ‘The Ocean and Seas in Geographical Thought’, Milan (call for sessions deadline: closed abstract deadline: 9 Jan 2023)

Sessions and papers could be devoted (but not limited) to the following sub-themes (see the conference website for the call): ● History of Ocean and Seas ● The Ocean and Diversity ● Livelihoods and Life in and on the Ocean and the Seas ● Imaginaries and representations of the Ocean and the Seas ● Heritage, culture, tourism in coastal and maritime areas ● Planning and governance of coastal and maritime regions ● Ocean and Seas: spaces of inclusion and exclusion. Session proposal form here and more information forthcoming here.

04-06 July UK Coastal Research Conference, Plymouth (Abstract submission deadline and registration open: 10 February)

18-21 July Spatial Statistics 2023: Climate and the Environment,  Boulder, USA (abstract deadline: 27 Jan 2023, Author reg deadline 28 April, Early bird deadline: 28 April)

The conference will provide a forum to debate and discuss how to use spatially referenced data to advance our understanding and provide support for decision making in the domain of Earth system dynamics. Conference topics and more can be found here

2024

17-22 March 2024 – 7th International Zooplankton Symposium, Hobart, Tasmania

July 2024 – The International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research (IAHR) International Symposium on Environmental Hydraulics will be hosted at the University of Aberdeen. SAVE THE DATE