Major investments are needed for core research in ocean science and to upgrade and replace infrastructure to support use-inspired, basic research in ocean studies, said a new report published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM). For more than two years, Shimi Rii, faculty member at the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology in the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), served as a member of the NASEM committee that authored the consensus study report intended to inform the next decade of research and innovation.
"In this report, we challenge ourselves and the broader ocean science community, by 2035, to establish a new paradigm to forecast ocean processes at scales relevant to human well-being," said Rii. "What this means, is that now is the time to do science differently than we have always done it-through creative partnerships, innovative endeavors and inclusion of multiple perspectives to enhance scientific advancements."
The report, requested and sponsored by the National Science Foundation, focuses on three themes of ocean research important for improving forecasts of ocean processes:
- ocean and climate,
- ecosystem resilience and
- extreme events, such as tsunamis, hurricanes, storm surges, flooding and heat waves.
It underscores the importance of basic research needed to understand how changes in the health of ocean ecosystems could affect fisheries, how greater access to the Arctic will challenge U.S. national security, how the ocean contributes to extreme weather events and more.
"I was honored to be invited to join a subcommittee of experts from across the U.S. to address the critical research needs for 'coastal oceans and urban seas'," said Margaret McManus, SOEST Department of Oceanography chair, who provided guidance to the committee regarding the most pressing ocean science research questions, challenges, and opportunities in Hawaiʻi, the U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islands, and outlying islands and atolls. "In Hawaiʻi, challenges such as coastal inundation, ocean warming and marine pollution are becoming increasingly urgent. I was pleased to see our subcommittee's recommendations included in a cohesive plan to guide the next decade of ocean research and investing."
Reinvigorating U.S. leadership in ocean research
The report provides advice to the National Science Foundation on how to reinvigorate U.S. leadership in ocean research. Focusing investments on research, infrastructure, and the ocean studies workforce through a transdisciplinary collaborative framework will help meet national and global challenges in the coming decade and help enhance national security, scientific leadership and economic competitiveness in support of a thriving U.S. blue economy.
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