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(L-R): Tommy Furey, Chief Scientist, and Dr. Peter Heffernan, CEO, Marine Institute, Ireland, review previously uncharted features on the Atlantic seabed, onboard Ireland’s national re- search vessel, the RV Celtic Explorer. necessarily involve the key operational agencies or research- EOOS is currently in development and will be discussed at ers. Partnerships are often developed through historical pro- a special event in the European Parliament on September 8. grams and initiatives, rather than bringing together the most This will be followed by an open consultation with all stake- appropriate expertise. Resource allocation mechanisms to holders on EOOS in autumn 2016. bring all strategic stakeholders together is required, such as “The global Ocean is facing multiple anthropogenic and a network of marine data centers or active seabed mapping natural stressors and consequently marine ecosystems are organizations,” explains Heffernan. “Ireland has built up con- increasingly vulnerable to exceeding tipping points which siderable expertise in seabed mapping through INFOMAR, may lead to irreversible change. Society will rely on scienti? c the national seabed mapping program carried out by the Geo- information to tackle these threats and potentially even turn logical Survey of Ireland and the Marine Institute. It is one of challenges into opportunities A particularly important goal is the largest civilian mapping exercises undertaken worldwide.” to achieve a balance between protecting the marine environ-

EMB has recently met through a high-level delegation with ment and supporting Blue Growth,” states McDonough.

the EU Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and

Acknowledgements

Fisheries, Karmenu Vella, to discuss needs and strategic ac-

Niall McDonough, Executive Secretary, tions to improve Europe’s ocean observing system. While the

European Marine Board meeting on July 8, 2016 produced a number of follow-up ac-

Prof Karen Wiltshire, Deputy Director of Alfred Wegener Institute tions, the EMB will continue to work with the Commissioner for Marine and Polar Research (AWI) and Chair of Partnership and DG MARE to develop and shape the next actions to pro- for Observation of the Global Oceans (POGO) mote and expand Europe’s ocean observing capacity.

Going forward, the EMB will continue to work with its part-

Peter Heffernan, Chief Executive of the

Marine Institute, Ireland ner network, EuroGOOS, to develop EOOS. A Roadmap for www.marinetechnologynews.com

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