The EU4OceanObs Action Coordinator of GEO Blue Planet component, heads the GEO Blue Planet EU Office, established and hosted by Mercator Ocean International. The EU Office, together with the US and Asian Offices, make up the GEO Blue Planet secretariat, which provides scientific and logistical support to all GEO Blue Planet activities, and develops partnerships.
Specifically, the EU4OceanObs’ component on the GEO Blue Planet initiative
- Contribute to the overall governance GEO Blue Planet (executive, steering and advisory committees) and its evolution including links with GEO, aligned with the GEO post-25 strategy.
- Lead the operations of GEO Blue Planet in accordance with GEO Blue Planet Terms of Reference (2025 Update) and working in close collaboration with the EU4OceanObs advisory board at the European Commission
- Support thematic working groups focused on priority topics for the EU, involving relevant EU initiatives and actors. The EU action currently leads the working group activities on Marine Litter, Sargassum, Fisheries and Climate Adaptation, revising the thematic activities when needed.
- Ensure the technical uptake and promotion of European programmes, projects and activities with GEO Blue Planet and wider GEO community, linked to the development of societal applications and services based on ocean observations. These EU assets include the Copernicus Space component, Copernicus Marine and Climate services, EMODnet, AAORIA, Horizon Europe research and innovation projects, the Mission Ocean, the European Digital Twin of the Ocean, among others.
- Ensure all activities contribute to the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (Ocean Decade) by working with the EU4OceanObs Ocean Decade component (Decade Implementing Partner) to foster cooperation among GEO, GEO Blue Planet and UN Ocean Decade activities (e.g., ForeSea, CoastPredict, DITTO, GOA-ON / OARS, Marine Life 2030, OBON, Ocean Best Practices) and the Decade coordination structures for data (DCO-Data), observations (DCO-Obs), and prediction (DCC-OceanPrediction).
- Catalyse collaborations with EuroGEO and relevant ocean actions in the GEO Work Program.
- Further promote EU initiatives and actors in international GEO and GEO Blue Planet related events including Symposia and GEO Global Fora.
- Ensure inclusion and diversity in all activities, particularly by co-leading the OceanBRIDGES (Bridging (Ocean) Research, Innovation and Diversity across Generations of Experts and Stakeholders), an endorsed project of the (Early Career Ocean Professional) ECOPs UN Decade Programme.
EU-led GEO Blue Planet Working Groups
The GEO Blue Planet EU coordination team, supported by EU4OceanObs, leads the following GEO Blue Planet Working Groups. For a full list of the GEO Blue Planet working groups, click here.
Marine Litter
This Working Group works with a network of experts to support the of a global integrated marine debris observing system (IMDOS). To find out more, click here.
Fisheries
This Working Group works with experts and country representatives to identify the needs and the gaps in data availability and knowledge sharing for the fisheries communities through the regional fisheries management organisations. This Working Group will support the implementation of actions to promote informed socio-economic strategies, bridging the gap between scientific knowledge and decision-makers. To find out more, click here.
Sargassum
The main goal of this Working Group is to support the successful development of operational satellite-based monitoring and early warning systems for Sargassum for all impacted regions of the Tropical Atlantic involving international and regional partners. To find out more, click here.
Early Career Ocean Professionals Decade Programme/ Ocean Bridges Task Team
This Task Team co-hosted by the ECOP Ocean Decade Programme promotes a two-way expertise-sharing between Early Career Ocean Professionals (ECOPs) and Experienced (mid to late career) Ocean Professionals (ExpOPs) to establish a dialogue across generations of experts and stakeholders by bridging research, innovation and diversity to address ocean challenges. Click here for more information.
The European Office of the GEO Blue Planet is hosted at Mercator Ocean International in Toulouse, France, and headed by Audrey Hasson. Audrey is a physical oceanographer, specialising in the study of water masses using satellite-borne, situ observations and numerical simulations. She has worked for the US, French and European space agencies, co-founded the Ocean Plastic Webinars and led several science outreach projects.
Contact
Audrey Hasson – ahasson@mercator-ocean.fr
GEO Blue Planet – Excecutive Director
