June 8-9, 2023, Shenzhen, China. The Third International Symposium on Indian Ocean Earth Sciences was successfully held in Shenzhen, China. Over 200 participants from 20 countries and regions converged to discuss major scientific issues and inter-disciplinary sciences of the Indian Ocean, and develop a strategy to address critical ocean problems and mitigate marine hazards.
This symposium was endorsed as an official activity of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. It was hosted by the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO), Chinese Academy of Sciences, and co-organized by Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), China-Pakistan Joint Research Center on Earth Science, UN Decade Collaborative Center on Ocean-Climate Nexus and Coordination Amongst Decade Implementing Partners in P. R. China (DCC-OCC), Global Ocean Negative Carbon Emissions (Global-ONCE), and Shenzhen Talent Institute. The symposium was co-chaired by internationally renowned scientists including Professors Jian LIN, Dake CHEN, Jiabiao LI, and Xiaofei CHEN.
Highlighting the immense importance of the Indian Ocean, co-convenor Professor Jian LIN emphasized its crucial role as one of the world’s three major oceans. The Indian Ocean monsoons have a direct impact on climate change in China and Asia. The region has experienced the most severe storm surges, mega-earthquakes and tsunamis, floods, and other disasters. These events have directly affected society’s well-being and economic development.
Professor Chaolun LI, director of the SCSIO, stressed the responsibility of Chinese scientists in international cooperation to address major societal challenges related to the Indian Ocean. The SCSIO has supported the establishment of the China-Sri Lanka Joint Center for Education & Research as well as China-Pakistan Joint Sub-Center for Ocean and Environment Sciences. These initiatives have contributed to the education of young marine science and technology talents and provided solutions to address critical society needs.
Professor Mohammad Qasim JAN, former president of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences, praised the fruitful China-Pakistan marine cooperation over the past decades. Notably, the first China-Pakistan Joint Expedition in the northern Indian Ocean in 2018 laid the foundation for tsunami and earthquake hazard assessment of the Makran region. He emphasized that the symposium served as a platform to enhance cooperation among China, Pakistan, and other countries
The 2-days symposium featured international keynote presentations, posters and group discussion of key recommendations. The symposium addressed the importance of the Indian Ocean, including Indian Ocean-land-atmosphere interactions, Indian Ocean marine ecosystems and hypoxic zones, and marine geological processes and hazards. Furthermore, the symposium called for the establishment of international scientific alliances and union of young scientists.
The Third International Symposium on Indian Ocean Earth Sciences marked a significant step forward in international collaboration, aiming to accelerate Indian Ocean science initiatives and address critical ocean issues of our time.