The ocean has a fundamental role regarding climate regulation and global biochemical cycles. Since the Industrial Revolution, said role has suffered major changes that have great impact on its functioning: global warming associated with the increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere has led to significant changes in the circulation of matter and energy in the ocean. In addition, and in the context of global change, sea level is expected to rise between 40 and 80 cm by 2100 (IPCC, AR6, 2021), which will have important social implications, as around 50% of the world’s population lives in the coastal zone. The oceans also function as providers of services and resources of immense importance for human populations’ development. Improving knowledge about the ocean and its functioning is crucial for the future development of humanity. Ocean observation is a fundamental step in this direction, and it has already been integrated into major international environmental research and management programmes.
OCEAN OBSERVATION AND GLOBAL CHANGE
Ocean observation
- Line 1.1: Physical Oceanography. Studies of large scale and coastal oceanic circulation, including masses of waters, tides, among other oceanographic phenomena, based on different methods of observation and analysis.
- Line 1.2: Chemical Oceanography. Study of biogeochemical cycles, the synthesis of natural products, the study of organic matter in the ocean, chemical pollution, the nutrient cycle, greenhouse gases and the ocean-atmosphere interaction.
- Line 1.3: Geological Oceanography. Study of coastal morphodynamics, paleoclimatology, paleoecolology, paleontology, biostratigraphy and paleography, stratigraphy, sedimentology, gas, the evolution of continental margins, volcanism and dune complexes.
- Line 1.4: Biological Oceanography. Taxonomy and ecology of plankton, benthos and nekton from the intertidal zone to the deep seas, the study of trophic chains, primary and secondary production, life cycles, population dynamics, biogeography and invasive species.
Systems and technologies for ocean observation
- Line 1.5: Remote sensing. It includes from sensor development to signal processing, recognition patterns, analysis of satellite images, spectroscopy.
- Line 1.6: Observation Networks. It includes operational oceanography, analysis of time series, autonomous monitoring platforms, artificial intelligence, high frequency radars and ocean buoys.
- Line 1.7: Equipment and sensors. Development of autonomous monitoring platforms, artificial intelligence, high frequency radars and ocean buoys.
Global change
- Line 1.8: Impact on the coast, hydrography and dynamics of the oceans. Studies on sea level rise and its effect on the coast, temperature, salinity variations; predictive numerical models and temporary studies, among others.
- Line 1.9. Impact on biogeochemical cycles. Analysis of the effect of global change on carbon cycles, nutrients, metabolism, primary production, respiration, etc.
- Line 1.10. Impact on biodiversity. From phytoplankton and zooplankton to benthic and pelagic organisms, from populations to communities, invasive species, with special emphasis on their monitoring and modernization.
- Line 1.11. IImpact on trophic networks. Analysis of the alterations of marine trophic networks due to climate change. How changes in temperature, salinity, etc., will alter the structure of trophic chains (number and type of species and / or interactions between species) due to the differential impact that these changes will have on the availability of food, habitat, predators, etc. of its components.
- Line 1.12. Impact on exploitable resources. Fisheries regional organization, globalization and rights over resources, bilateral and multilateral exploitation agreements, fisheries and shellfish assessment, dynamics of exploitable populations, etc.
- Line 1.13: Legal and economic evaluation of global change. Macroeconomic impact of climate change, reforms in environmental taxes and rates, social policies, the effect of global warming on the exploitation of fisheries, services and the value of ecosystems, the effect of coastal erosion on land-sea interface areas, instruments and policies for mitigation and adaptation to climate change, etc.