The “Global Ocean Science Report – The Current Status of Ocean Science around the World” has just been published by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO).

The Global Ocean Science Report (GOSR) assesses for the first time the status and trends in ocean science capacity around the world. The Report offers a global record of who, how, and where ocean science is conducted, generating knowledge, helping to protect ocean health, and empowering society to support sustainable ocean management in the framework of the United Nations Agenda 2030.

The GOSR identifies and quantifies the key elements of ocean science at the regional, national and global scales, including workforce, infrastructure and publications. This is the first collective attempt to systematically highlight opportunities as well as capacity gaps to advance international collaboration in ocean science and technology. This Report is a resource for scientist, academics, policy makers, and other stakeholders seeking to harness the potential of ocean science to address global challenges. The Report makes a case for increased funding in view of the ocean’s economic importance and other social and scientific challenges (e.g. the UN Sustainable Development Goals).

The GOSR is the result of the enthusiastic collaboration of many reputable scientists from around the world, under the leadership of the IOC-UNESCO. This is the first time ever that this information is being presented in a straightforward manner in understandable language at a comprehensible pace. The list of contents includes, but is not limited to:

• Ocean research capacity and infrastructures (Chapter 3)
• The Funding for ocean sciences (Chapter 4)
• Ocean research productivity and science impact (Chapter 5)
• Oceanographic data information, management and exchange (Chapter 6)
• International organizations supporting ocean sciences (Chapter 7)
• Contribution of ocean sciences to the development of ocean and coastal policies and sustainable development (Chapter 8)

To be published every five years, the inaugural Report also serves as an instrument to assess progress in the accomplishment of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 on the conservation and use of the oceans, seas and marine resources.

The full Report, in English, as well as the Executive Summary, in the six official UN languages, are available online here:  https://en.unesco.org/gosr