On December 8, the 28th United Nations Climate Conference (COP28) and the 6th International Conference on Global Warming: The Critical Role of the Ocean were held in the United Arab Emirates. Researchers Xu Xuewei and Wang Yuntao from the SIO attended the conference and gave reports to introduce the United Nations “Ocean Decade” scientific program and project undertaken by the SIO.

The conference is co-sponsored by the UNESCO and the United Arab Emirates Environmental Protection and Development Agency. The conference focuses on special topics such as the importance of the ocean in the context of global climate change, the ability of the ocean to regulate and adapt to climate change to ensure coastal ecological health, ocean productivity and food security, and the blue economy, to explore the important impact of the ocean on human survival and economic development in the context of global warming, and jointly discuss the international needs to promote the United Nations Ocean Decade Science for Sustainable Development (the “Ocean Decade”). More than 40 experts from nearly 20 countries around the world attended the conference.

At the conference, Researcher Xu Xuewei gave a conference report on the “United Nations ‘Ocean Decade’ Program - Joint Design of Digital Deep-sea Typical Habitats (Digital DEPTH)”, introducing the Digital DEPTH Programme approved by the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission this year. This Programme focuses on the parts of deep-sea habitats most susceptible to human activities and global changes, including typical habitats such as mid-ocean ridges, seamounts, trenches and deep-sea plains, and aims to construct an “observation-simulation-prediction” digital platform to provide scientific data and policy basis for deep-sea protection and sustainable utilization, helping humans find ways to achieve balanced development between deep-sea protection and sustainable utilization. Researcher Wang Yuntao delivered a conference report on “Ocean Observation and Prediction Services for Sustainable Development of Marine Ecosystems”, and introduced the United Nations “Ocean Decade” Program - “Mitigation of Natural Incidence Towards an Increased Oceanic Resilience (MoNITOR)” focusing on the international forefront of ocean observation and numerical models as well as ocean observation and prediction. The program aims to establish a high-resolution physical-ecological coupled ecological environment numerical prediction system by conducting multi-scale research and obtaining multidisciplinary data, clarify the process and mechanism of offshore ecological environment change, and provide scientific basis for marine resource protection and sustainable utilization.

During the conference, researchers of the SIO actively discussed the role of the ocean in global climate change with scientists from participating countries, exploring how to develop global climate policies and corresponding actions to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change on the earth, protect marine ecosystems and promote sustainable development of the ocean.