We are pleased to announce that the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), with the support of Partnership for the Observation of the Global Ocean (POGO), the Nippon Foundation (NF), the University of Galway and Chair of Climate Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, will conduct its fifth training expedition on board its icebreaker RV Polarstern, Germany's largest research vessel. 

We are offering 20 training scholarships and, for the first time, 5 scholarships for junior teachers.

The NoSoAT (North-South Atlantic Transect) OceanCapX (Ocean Capacity Exchange) expedition will depart on 20 November from Bremerhaven, Germany. Arrival in Walvis Bay, Namibia, is scheduled for 17 December 2025. A one-day pre-cruise workshop will be included.

During the latitudinal transect, participants will be trained in advanced techniques of oceanographic, meteorological and climate observation and analysis. They will learn how to take and process samples with standard sampling procedures (CTD Rosette 25l Niskin bottles, Underway CTD Profiler (towed), Plankton nets, FerryBox, Thermosalinography, xBTs) and handle the associated data. Causes of natural climate variability and anthropogenic climate change will be discussed in the context of international climate negotiations, as well as ocean governance and its implications for research at sea.
The data collected during the cruise will become part of an established data series on the North-South (NoSoAT) and South-North (SoNoAT) transits of the icebreaker RV Polarstern.

All 25 successful scholars will be divided into five groups. These groups of five will rotate through all topics during the cruise, so that by the end of the cruise each scholar has been through all teachers and topics.

Please apply until 15 March 2025

SOURCE: https://www.awi.de/en/about-us/sites/helgoland/guest-research/training-capacityexchange-helgoland-sylt/nosoat.html

This manual aims to foster, facilitate, and support NGO participation in the Ocean Decade. It provides clear guidelines for navigating the Ocean Decade’s coordination and engagement frameworks to identify partnership opportunities, as well as a structured approach for project development and implementation. Through case studies of endorsed Decade Actions, the Manual demonstrates the impact of NGOs in producing and communicating science and knowledge across society, thereby inspiring action from local to global.

The Ocean Decade fosters collaboration across society to advance ocean science, sustainable development, and ocean literacy. NGOs play a key role in bridging science, policy, and society, contributing to inclusive and actionable solutions.

Through participation, they gain access to networks, resources, and opportunities to amplify their impact globally. This publication is a direct product of cooperation between the NGO-UNESCO Liaison Office and UNESCO-IOC since 2022. The manual will be presented next Wednesday (18 December) during the 2024 International Conference of NGOs at headquarters.

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The IOCAFRICA  Secretariat, is seeking to employ the services of an individual consultant to conduct a desktop assessment on the vulnerability and adaptation of West Africa's marine and coastal ecosystems. The assessment will focus on the coastal countries of West Africa and will contribute to fostering and informing ongoing and constructive dialogues on climate change in West Africa within various platforms, including within the Conference of Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the African Union, and regional bodies, and national authorities.

See the attached RFP for detailed information: 

UNESCO-IOCAFRICA in partnership with the Kenya Marine & Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) undertook a joint training on ‘The Implementation of FAIR Principles to African Marine and Coastal Data’. The blended training organized in the KMFRI headquarters, Mombasa Kenya, between 23- 26 September 2024, aimed at impacting and sharing skills with practitioners in research and data management, focusing on ocean and coastal zones in Africa. The training was attended by 22 participants, drawn from 16 IOCAFRICA member states.

Preference was given to data managers in the National Oceanographic Data Centres (NODCs) and Associated Data Units (ADUs) in Africa, affiliated to the UNESCO International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE) program. Among other issues, the hands-on training session focused on addressing key issues such as:

• Remapping critical ocean data gaps in different African countries,
• Providing information on methods to strengthen data quality control procedures
• Training participants on publishing data for inclusion in scientific papers and data repositories
• Providing mechanisms to members states for contributing and accessing data through African regional nodes for platforms such as the Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS) and the Ocean Data and Information System (ODIS)

The training will go a long way in supporting marine research and sustainable development. In addition, it will initiate and facilitate a continuous dialogue geared towards identification and addressing specific end-user group needs for data, information, and digital infrastructure.