3rd GEO Blue Planet Symposium

The crucial role of the oceans in the Earth’s life-support system, on which the welfare of present and future generations depends, provided the overarching theme for the 3rd Blue Planet Symposium. The goal was to detail the state of knowledge and the monitoring, forecasting, and research requirements resulting from societal information needs in four main areas:

• Sustainable use of ocean resources
• Threat from pollution, warming and acidification
• The changing oceans
• Processes and life at the interfaces with the oceans

Bringing together a range of communities, the symposium was a unique opportunity to provide input to the further development of the Blue Planet Initiative in the GEO Work Programme and to improve coordination between observational networks. The Symposium was jointly organized by the GEO Blue Planet Initiative, the Coastal Zone Community of Practice, the Group on Earth Observations, and the Research Coordination Network “OceanObs”. The event took place at the NOAA Center for Weather and Climate Prediction in College Park, MD, USA,  with the opportunity to have pre- and post-symposium events. See Symposium website for more information.