New use cases highlight critical role of seabed mapping in driving ocean sustainability and innovation

The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project

New use cases highlight critical role of seabed mapping in driving ocean sustainability and innovation

New use cases highlight critical role of seabed mapping in driving ocean sustainability and innovation 640 384 Ocean Decade
A new species, believed to be a Stalked Ascidian, discovered in the depths of the Java Trench. Credit: Five Deeps Expedition

The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project, in partnership with NLA International (NLAI), has published a series of seabed mapping use cases. This comprehensive compendium showcases the indispensable role of seabed mapping in addressing some of the world’s most pressing marine and maritime challenges.

The use cases – compiled as part of the ‘Wind in the Sails (WITS)’ project – aim to address pressing global issues such as climate change mitigation, marine biodiversity protection, and Blue Economy development. They also ensure that seabed mapping efforts are targeted to support ocean sustainability, policy development, and economic growth.

The WITS project is a key initiative supporting Seabed 2030 by providing critical empirical data to inform the development of a prioritised, targeted seabed mapping strategy. It seeks to bring together the global hydrographic community and stakeholders in the marine and maritime sectors, establishing a unified global seabed mapping priority list.

The use cases were first unveiled by Seabed 2030 Project Director Jamie McMichael-Phillips at the Risorsa Mare Forum, held in Palermo, Sicily – an international gathering focused on fostering collaboration and innovation within the marine and maritime sectors.

The twelve use cases, accessible in this compendium, cover key areas such as climate change, marine biodiversity, disaster management, and marine spatial planning. They also address the evolving needs of both the Global North and South, including Small Island Developing States (SIDS), as well as the Blue Economy sectors:

  1. Seabed Mapping Innovation
  2. EEZ Seabed Mapping in the Absence of a National Hydrographic Organization
  3. Subsea Cable Planning and Design
  4. Tsunami Propagation and Storm Surge Modeling
  5. Renewable Energy – Offshore Wind Energy
  6. Climate Change Ocean Models
  7. Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Sea Level Rise and Coastal Inundation
  8. Marine Biodiversity
  9. SIDS Marine and Coastal Development and Seabed Mapping for Marine Spatial Planning
  10. Government Policy
  11. Ocean Discovery and Ocean Exploration
  12. Seabed 2030 Driving Hydrographic Industry Expansion and Human Capital Benefits

“The Seabed Mapping Use Cases represent a critical step forward in realising our vision of a fully mapped ocean,” commented McMichael-Phillips. “Leveraging evidence-based priorities helps us ensure that seabed mapping efforts directly contribute to sustainability, innovation and economic development across multiple sectors – from climate resilience to the growth of the Blue Economy.”

“The WITS project provides a clear, data-driven pathway for aligning seabed mapping efforts with the real world needs of the marine sector,” observed Gary Hesling, NLAI Associate Director and WITS project lead.

“This robust, evidence-based framework will help Seabed 2030’s diverse set of supporters focus even more effectively on areas where seabed data is most needed. This will catalyse yet more activity around the world in support not only scientific and environmental goals, but also tangible economic and social development.”

Seabed 2030 is a collaborative project between The Nippon Foundation and the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO), which seeks to inspire the complete mapping of the world’s ocean by 2030, and to compile all the data into the freely available GEBCO Ocean Map. The Project is formally endorsed as a Decade Action of the UN Ocean Decade. GEBCO is a joint programme of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), and is the only organisation with a mandate to map the entire ocean floor.

All data collected and shared with the Seabed 2030 project is included in the free and publicly available GEBCO global grid.

***

For more detailed information on The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project, please visit our website, seabed2030.org, like our Facebook page, follow us on X @Seabed2030, or contact enquiries@seabed2030.org.

For media inquiries contact:
Pegah Souri
pegah.souri@shearwater.global
+44 (0)7951 581707

The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project is a collaborative project between The Nippon Foundation and GEBCO. The Seabed 2030 Project, launched at the United Nations Ocean Conference in 2017 by Chairman Sasakawa of The Nippon Foundation, coordinates and oversees the sourcing and compilation of bathymetric data from different parts of the world’s ocean through its five centres into the freely-available GEBCO Grid. Four Regional Centres cover the Southern Ocean, the Arctic and North Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, and the South and West Pacific Ocean. These feed data products into the Global Data Centre. The IHO Data Center for Digital Bathymetry (DCDB) serves as the long-term archive for Seabed 2030

About the Ocean Decade:

Proclaimed in 2017 by the United Nations General Assembly, the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) (‘the Ocean Decade’) seeks to stimulate ocean science and knowledge generation to reverse the decline of the state of the ocean system and catalyse new opportunities for sustainable development of this massive marine ecosystem. The vision of the Ocean Decade is ‘the science we need for the ocean we want’. The Ocean Decade provides a convening framework for scientists and stakeholders from diverse sectors to develop the scientific knowledge and the partnerships needed to accelerate and harness advances in ocean science to achieve a better understanding of the ocean system, and deliver science-based solutions to achieve the 2030 Agenda. The UN General Assembly mandated UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) to coordinate the preparations and implementation of the Decade.

About the UNESCO-IOC:

The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (UNESCO-IOC) promotes international cooperation in marine sciences to improve management of the ocean, coasts and marine resources. The IOC enables its 150 Member States to work together by coordinating programmes in capacity development, ocean observations and services, ocean science and tsunami warning. The work of the IOC contributes to the mission of UNESCO to promote the advancement of science and its applications to develop knowledge and capacity, key to economic and social progress, the basis of peace and sustainable development.

This article was originally published on Seabed 2030’s website.

THE OCEAN DECADE

The Science We Need for the Ocean We Want

GET IN TOUCH

NEXT EVENTS

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

OPPORTUNITIES

Join #OceanDecade

Privacy Preferences

When you visit our website, it may store information through your browser from specific services, usually in the form of cookies. Here you can change your Privacy preferences. It is worth noting that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our website and the services we are able to offer.

For performance and security reasons we use Cloudflare
required

Enable/disable Google Analytics tracking code in browser

Enable / disable the use of Google fonts in the browser

Enable/disable embed videos in browser

Privacy policy

Our website uses cookies, mainly from 3rd party services. Define your Privacy Preferences and/or agree to our use of cookies.