NOAA has announced a partnership with The Ocean Foundation to cooperate on international and national scientific efforts to advance research, conservation and understanding of the global ocean.
Retired Navy rear admiral Tim Gallaudet, PhD, assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and deputy NOAA administrator, said, “These partnerships help accelerate NOAA’s mission to predict changes in climate, weather, the ocean and coasts, share that knowledge with communities, strengthen the Blue Economy, and conserve and manage healthy coastal and marine ecosystems and resources.”
NOAA and The Ocean Foundation have signed a memorandum of agreement to provide a framework for cooperation on international and other activities of mutual interest.
The new agreement highlights several priorities for cooperation including understanding climate change and ocean acidification and their effects on oceans and coasts; increasing coastal resilience and strengthening capacity for climate and acidification adaptation and mitigation; and fostering the development of sustainable US marine aquaculture to support healthy, productive coastal ecosystems and local economies.
“We know that a healthy ocean is the ‘life-support system’ for human wellbeing, planetary health and economic prosperity,” said Mark J Spalding, president of The Ocean Foundation. “Our partnership with NOAA will allow both partners to continue our long-established international scientific relationships and research collaborations, including capacity building, that are the foundation for more formal international agreements — something we call science diplomacy — and build equitable bridges between communities, societies, and nations.”
The agreement builds on an existing collaboration between NOAA and The Ocean Foundation, to expand scientific capacity in developing nations to research, monitor and address the challenges of ocean acidification.