CoastPredict programme endorsed under the Ocean Decade at the opening week of Expo 2020 Dubai

On October 8, Joaquín Tintoré, Balearic Islands Coastal Observing and Forecasting System (SOCIB) director and CoastPredict co-chair, took part in the opening week of Expo 2020 Dubai (Italian Pavilion), presenting this initiative to achieve a predicted coastal ocean endorsed by UNESCO as a programme under the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. This presentation was held in the framework of the collaboration between the Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change (CMCC) and the General Commission for the Italian participation at Expo 2020 Dubai.

The CMCC brought its techno-scientific contribution to Expo 2020 Dubai through the provision and visualization of weather-marine data, oceanographic modelling and marine applications, talks, and events with international experts on critical issues such as the global coastal ocean, and the “CoastPredict: observing and predicting the Global Coastal Ocean” programme. This initiative is co-chaired by SOCIB, the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), the University of Bologna (Italy) and the University of Miami (USA).

CoastPredict presentation at Expo 2020 Dubai entitled “The future of the Coastal Zone. Observing and Predicting the Global Coastal Ocean in support of sustainable economics and coastal policies”, promoted awareness of this initiative aimed at redefining the global coastal ocean science and solutions for the coastal ocean we need for the future we want. According to Tintoré, understanding the global coastal ocean in ever greater detail and its many facets is one of the most advanced challenges for societies and the world. In this context, the event offered an opportunity for dialogue between policy-makers, business representatives, and science to tell the story of a world in great flux where the scientific community uses technological innovation to advance knowledge, infrastructure, and solutions for the ocean.

Accordingly, Tintoré's presentation included some examples from new capacities from SOCIB open science and innovation in the global coastal ocean, such as the SOCIB Sub-regional Mediterranean Sea Indicators Tool or its IBISAR web service in support of search and rescue operations.

CoastPredict event also involved the participation of Nadia Pinardi (CoastPredict chair, CMCC, University of Bologna), Villy Kourafalou (CoastPredict co-chair, University of Miami), Chris Davis (NCAR, USA), Albert Fisher (Head of GOOS programme, UNESCO-IOC), Giovanni Sylos Labini (CEO, Planetek Italia), and Philip Easthill (European Boating Industry).

The presentation is available for rewatch here.