The Marine Institute of Ireland held the 10th EuroGOOS International Conference in Galway with the title “European Operational Oceanography for the Ocean we want – Addressing the UN Ocean Decade Challenges”, as Ocean Decade endorsed event.
The event brought together over 160 participants for an in-person Conference covering all aspects of operational oceanography and its societal relevance. Four high-level plenary sessions were dedicated to the UN Ocean Decade, Digital Twin Ocean, European Ocean Observing System (EOOS), and Future of Operational Oceanography.
In addition, the Conference participants discussed over 80 presentations and 20 posters on all areas of operational oceanography.
PLOCAN, member of EuroGOOS, has contributed to the event with the presentation of two scientific papers under the title “The iFADO PAAnoramic mission: the first European Atlantic area international multi-platform ocean monitoring” and “Joint venture to maintain a permanent glider observation line between Nazaré Submarine Canyon (W Portugal) and Canary Islands” in collaboration with the iFADO Consortium and the Hydrographic Institute of Portugal, respectively.
The event marked the 10th anniversary of the international EuroGOOS Conference and nearly 30 years of the EuroGOOS organization, which was founded in 1994 as the European implementer of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) of the UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission.
The Conference Statement, summarizing the conference presentations and discussions, will lead EuroGOOS and its large community in the coming years. The Statement, including key messages and recommendations, as well as the Conference proceedings will be available soon on the EuroGOOS website.
The Conference concluded with a handover from the Marine Institute to the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute, CMMI, who will host the 11th EuroGOOS International Conference in 2026 in Larnaca.
EuroGOOS is the European component of the Global Ocean Observing System of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC GOOS). EuroGOOS Secretariat is located in Brussels, serving 46 members and supporting five regional systems in Europe.
EuroGOOS working groups, networks of observing platforms (task teams), and regional systems (ROOS), provide fora for cooperation, unlock quality marine data and deliver common strategies, priorities and standards. These many EuroGOOS networks work towards integrated, sustained and fit-for-purpose European ocean observing, underpinning the EOOS framework.
