3rd GEO Blue Planet Symposium

The 3rd Blue Planet Symposium was held in College Park, Maryland, USA from 31 May to 2 June 2017. The symposium was co-hosted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the University of Maryland and the University System of Maryland Foundation.

The symposium served as a forum for discussion of societal information needs resulting from the important role the oceans play in Earth’s life-support system and the challenge of minimizing the impacts of human activities on the oceans while utilizing the resources of the oceans to meet our needs. The symposium served as a platform for the participating communities to exchange information on their activities and identify potential pilot and prototype projects for Blue Planet to focus on in the coming years.

Symposium Presentations

Day 1: Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Welcome and Introductory Keynotes
Making Ocean Observations Matter		Craig McLean, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The Group on Earth Observations		Douglas Cripe , GEO Secretariat
The Group on Earth Observations “Oceans and Society: Blue Planet” Initiative		Sophie Seeyave, Partnership for the Observation of the Global Oceans
Session 1: The Changing Oceans
Observing the Changing Ocean		David Legler, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Understanding Sea Level Change on Global and Local Scales		Benjamin Hamlington, Old Dominion University
The Changing Cryosphere and Impact on Regional Sea Level		Isabella Velicogna, University of California, Irvine
Session 2: Threats from Pollution, Warming and Acidification
Marine Pollution: Status, Trends and Opportunities		Christopher Corbin, UN Environment Caribbean Environment Programme
Marine Pollution and the Toxic Legacy of Our Consumer Culture		Susan Shaw, Marine & Environmental Research Institute
Ocean Warming and Acidification: Present Conditions and Future Projections		Richard Feely, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Societal Impacts of Ocean Acidification and Warming		Jan Newton, University of Washington
Lunchtime Presentation The Open Data Cube and Coastal Applications		Jonathan Ross, Geosciences Australia
Session 3: Processes and Life at the Interfaces with the Oceans
Corals and Climate Change: A Shifting Landscape of Risk		Kim Cobb, Georgia Tech
Tracking Carbon and Nitrogen Pollution from Headwaters to Coasts		Sujay Kaushal, University of Maryland, College Park
Session 4: Sustainable use of Ocean Resources
COVERAGE: CEOS Ocean Variables Enabling Research and Applications		Eric Lindstrom, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
The Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service: Its Use for Marine Resource Applications		Pierre-Yves Le Traon, Mercator Ocean
The Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON): A Global Partnership for the Systematic Study of Life in the Sea		Frank Muller-Karger, University of South Florida
Incentivizing Sustainable Fisheries Management on a Global Scale: The Role of Markets and Science		Werner Kiene, Marine Stewardship Council

Day 2: Thursday, June 1, 2017

Introductory Keynote
Space for Blue Growth: A glimpse at the ESA-WB Partnership Focusing on Marine and Coastal Resources Management		Christoph Aubrecht, World Bank
Session 5: Services and Information for Healthy Ecosystems and Food Security
Advancing Aquaculture in a Changing World		Megan Davis, Florida Atlantic University – Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute
The use of Earth Observation Data for Decision Support and the Management of Fisheries Resources in West Africa		Kwame Adu Agyekum, University of Ghana
The Economic Benefits and Impacts of Sustaining the Global Ocean		Rashid Sumaila, University of British Columbia
Lunchtime Presentation  Global Ecological Marine Units (EMUs): An Environmental Stratification of the Ocean		Roger Sayer, United States Geological Survey
Session 6: Services and Information for Coastal Communities
Earth Observation Data and Information for Mitigation of Vulnerability to Climatic Hazards of Coastal Areas		Chide Ibe, University of Port Harcourt
Building a Futures assessment process to identify pathways to sustainability for coastal communities		Martin Le Tissier, Future Earth Coasts
Marine Monitoring for Evidence-based Action in Two Small Island Developing States: Barbados and Grenada		Kristin Qui, Yale University
Climate services as a model for deriving value from earth observation for coastal management		Maria Manez Cost, Climate Service Center Germany

Day 3: Friday, June 2, 2017

Session 7: Services and Information for the Blue Economy
Opening Comments		Ralph Rayner, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The Ocean Economy in 2030		Claire Jolly, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
The Contribution of Ocean Observations to Weather Forecast and Climate Projection Skill		John Siddorn, Met Office
The Impact of Ocean Observations on Wind and Wave Models for Application in the Offshore Industry		Andrew Cox, Oceanweather Inc.
The Impact of Ocean Observations on Risk Models for Application in the Reinsurance Industry		Dail Rowe, WeatherPredict Consulting Inc.
Lunchtime Presentation Earth Observation Processing and Analytics Services		Lauryn Gutowski, EOS Data Analytics, Inc.
Session 8: Services and Information for Maritime Awareness
Opening Comments		Samy Djavidnia, European Maritime Safety Agency
Collaborative Arctic Observations		Vera Metcalf, Eskimo Walrus Commission
Use of Satellite Data and Information for Monitoring Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing Activities		Mark Richardson, The Pew Charitable Trusts
Reinforcing and Moving Beyond Pacific SIDS Monitoring of Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fisheries Activities		James Movick, Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency

The full symposium scope, objectives, and agenda can be found here.