2026 Ocean Sciences Meeting

The Ocean Sciences Meeting (OSM) is a unique gathering designed to foster connection and collaboration among researchers and solution scientists in the greater ocean-connected community.

Co-sponsored by the American Geophysical Union (AGU), the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO), and The Oceanography Society (TOS), the Ocean Sciences Meeting welcomes a diverse community of scientists, students, journalists, policymakers, educators and organizations who are working toward a world where scientific discovery leads to scientific solutions, and where our global collaborations and partnerships can carry us into a sustainable future.

Join us for two special Ocean Decade sessions:

🔵  Road to Rio: Preparatory Process for the 2027 Ocean Decade Conference
🗓️ Monday 23 February, 16:00 – 17:00, Hall 1
✔️ Open to everyone

Moderated by Julian Barbière, Head of Section Marine Policy and Regional Coordination and Ocean Decade Coordinator at IOC, it will convene a diverse group of OSM participants to discuss progress on priority actions identified in the 2024 Barcelona Statement and identify remaining gaps and challenges where progress needs to be accelerated in the lead up to the 2027 Conference:

• Philile Mbatha, Senior Lecturer at the University of Cape Town
• Evgeniia Kostianaia, Early Career Ocean Professionals Programme Lead at IOC
• Nadia Pinardi, Professor of Oceanography at the University of Bologna

Participants will also be requested to provide input on the priority themes to be addressed in the Conference looking towards the last three years of the Decade implementation and the construction of the post-Decade legacy. The outcomes of the event will contribute to shaping a series of thematic and regional workshops and meetings that will be held during 2026 to develop substantive input to underpin discussions at the 2027 Ocean Decade Conference.

🔵 Convening of Ocean Decade Actions in preparation of 2027 Ocean Decade Conference
🗓️ Thursday 26 February, 12:45 – 13:45, M4
✔️ By invitation only
This event will bring together members of endorsed Ocean Decade Actions to facilitate the discussion of thematic / regional commitments, actions and partnerships that will be presented at the 2027 Ocean Decade Conference.

View the whole Scientific Program here.

OSM has been convened biennially since 1982 and 2026 marks the first time this meeting will assemble outside the United States in Glasgow, Scotland.

The Ocean Sciences Meeting is an endorsed Ocean Decade Contribution.

The Ocean Decade at the 2026 Ocean Sciences Meeting

Please find below the list of sessions that are either organised by the Ocean Decade and Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO or by endorsed Decade Actions, or that focus on the Ocean Decade’s mission, impact and future.

Friday 20 February

GOOS Ocean Observing Co-Design Meeting | Atlantic Quay, Glasgow

Codesigning Synergistic Ocean Observing Systems for Impact: Addressing End-User Needs in Ocean and Climate Monitoring and Prediction | Oral session: 14:00 – 15:30, Poster session: 16:00 – 18:00 | Carron (SEC) | GOOS Ocean Observing Co-Design Programme at IOC and partners

Road to Rio: Preparatory Process for the 2027 Ocean Decade Conference | 16:00 – 17:00 | Hall 1 | The Decade Coordination Unit at IOC and partners

Bridging the Ocean with Data: Connected Regional Services Driving a Resilient, Interoperable Global Ocean Digital Ecosystem I Oral | 14:00 – 15:30 | Alsh (SEC) | IOC and partners

Digital Twins of the Ocean: Science and Innovation for a Sustainable Future | 8:30 – 10:00 | Dochart (SEC) | Helmholtz Zentrum Hereon and partners

Universities and the UN Ocean Decade: A Vision from Early Career Ocean Professionals for 2030 and Beyond | 16:00 – 18:00 | Hall 4 (Poster Hall, SEC) | NORCE Norwegian Research Centre and Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, University of Bergen and partners

Validation of a Coupled Hydrodynamic-Sediment Transport Model Developed for a Pilot Site of the UN-Decade Project Coast-Predict: the Gulf of Gabes, Mediterranean Sea (Pilot Site ID Number: PS-027-16) | 16:00 – 18:00 | Hall 4 (Poster Hall, SEC) | University of Monastir and partners

Navigating Boundaries and Power in Transdisciplinary Ocean Research: Toward “the Science We Need for the Ocean We Want” II Poster | 16:00 – 18:00 | Hall 4 (Poster Hall, SEC) | University of California Santa Barbara and partners

Innovative and Climate-Informed Technologies for Marine Fisheries and Ecosystem Management I Oral | 8:30 – 10:00 | Hall 3, The Sound (SEC) | Ocean Rock Base and Africa Ocean Alliance ( African Ocean Biodiversity Atlas) and partners

Connecting People, Technology and Knowledge to Advance Deep-sea Research in Africa | 9:12 – 9h22 | Carron (SEC) | Nelson Mandela University and the African Network of Deep-water Researchers (ANDR), a project of the Ocean Decade-endorsed Challenger 150 Programme

SCOOP- Solutions for Cost-effective Ocean Observation Platform | 9:25 – 9h35 | Hall 3, Deep Blue Lab (SEC) | Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute on behalf of the SCOOP project, endorsed by the Ocean Decade

Fisheries Tools, Strategies and Technologies for Changing Oceans and Resilient Ecosystems by 2030 | 9:00 – 9:10 | Hall 3, The Sound (SEC) | FishSCORE2030, an endorsed Ocean Decade Programme

Innovative and Climate-Informed Technologies for Marine Fisheries and Ecosystem Management I Oral | 16:00 – 18:00 | Hall 4 (Poster Hall, SEC) | Ocean Rock Base and Africa Ocean Alliance (African Ocean Biodiversity Atlas) and partners

No Coast? No Problem! Teaching Ocean Literacy Within Landlocked Canada Through the Ocean Decade Challenge | 16:00 – 18:00 | Hall 4 (Poster Hall, SEC) | Ocean Networks Canada, University of Victoria and partners

Ocean Data Sharing: Ready for 2030? | 16:00 – 18:00 | Hall 4 (Poster Hall, SEC) | IOC, Seascape Belgium and partners

Innovating Ocean Sustainability: Integrating Science, Innovation, and Workforce Development for a Resilient Future | 16:00-18:00 | Hall 4 (Poster Hall) (SEC) | Global Ecosystem for Ocean Solutions and partners

Navigating Boundaries and Power in Transdisciplinary Ocean Research: Toward “the Science We Need for the Ocean We Want” I Oral | 8:30 – 10:00 | Hall 3, Deep Blue Lab (SEC) | University of California Santa Barbara and partners

The Ocean Biomolecular Observing Network: Advancing Biomolecular Science for Sustainable Development I Oral | 8:30 – 10:00 | Carron (SEC) | Scripps Institute of Oceanography, UCSD on behalf of the Ocean Biomolecular Observing Network (OBON), an Ocean Decade-endorsed Programme

Innovating Ocean Sustainability: Integrating Science, Innovation, and Workforce Development for a Resilient Future | 10:30-12:00 | Hall 3, Blue Horizon (SEC) | Global Ecosystem for Ocean Solutions and partners

Convening of Ocean Decade Actions in preparation of 2027 Ocean Decade Conference | 12:45 – 13:45 | SEC, M4 | The Decade Coordination Unit at IOC and partners

Accelerating Collaboration Across Sectors and Geographies: The Global Ecosystem for Ocean Solutions as a Platform for Scalable Ocean-Climate Innovation | 14:50-15:30 | Dochart (SEC) | Global Ecosystem for Ocean Solutions and partners

Resilient Coasts: Assessing and Managing Ocean-Related Risks III Poster | 16:00 – 18:00 | Hall 4 (Poster Hall, SEC) | University of Bologna Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici, Italy

Plankton and Particle Imaging: Moving Beyond Classification Toward Ecosystem Understanding II Poster | 16:00 – 18:00 | Hall 4 (Poster Hall, SEC) | Centre of Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, South Africa on behalf of the project ‘Picture Perfect: rapid classification of plankton’, endorsed by the Ocean Decade

The Science of Current and Emerging Blue Carbon Ecosystems II Poster | 16:00 – 18:00 | Hall 4 (Poster Hall, SEC) | University of St Andrews and partners on behalf of the Global Ocean Decade Programme for Blue Carbon (GO-BC)

Bridging the Ocean with Data: Connected Regional Services Driving a Resilient, Interoperable Global Ocean Digital Ecosystem II Poster | 16:00 – 18:00 | Hall 4 (Poster Hall, SEC) | IOC and partners

Advances in Ocean Data Assimilation and Prediction Science III Poster | 16:00 – 18:00 | Hall 4 (Poster Hall, SEC) | King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), OceanPredict Programme, Ocean Decade-endorsed ForeSea Project and partners

Advances in Ocean Data Assimilation and Prediction Science | Oral | 10:30 – 12:00 and 14h – 15h30 | Hall 3, The Sound (SEC) | King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), OceanPredict programme, Ocean Decade-endorsed ForeSea Project and partners

Modelling and Digital Twins of coastal ecosystem for UN Decade MoNITOR programmes | 11:30 – 11:40 | Carron (SEC) | Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, China

Plankton and Particle Imaging: Moving Beyond Classification Toward Ecosystem Understanding I Oral | 14:00 – 15:30 | Carron (SEC) | Centre of Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, South Africa on behalf of the project ‘Picture Perfect: rapid classification of plankton’, endorsed by the Ocean Decade

Closing Plenary moderated by Alison Clausen, Deputy Coordinator of the Ocean Decade, IOC | 14:00 – 15:00 | Clyde Auditorium (SEC)