The G7 Future of the Seas and Ocean Initiative (FSOI) Working Group* meeting was hosted by the National Research Council (CNR) of Italy in Rome from 29 to 31 October 2024, co-chaired by the G7 Presidency, Italy, and the incoming Presidency, Canada.
The meeting started with workshop-style discussions on ‘Marine Research Infrastructures integration and harmonisation’, followed by the review of the progress of each topic identified in the 2024 FSOI Work Plan**, which included ‘Arctic Ocean Observing’, ‘OneArgo***’ and ‘Digital Twin Ocean Capability’. Experts from the Research Institute for Global Change (RIGC), the Advanced Institute for Marine Ecosystem Change (WPI-AIMEC), and the Research Institute for Value-Added-Information Generation (VAiG) gave online presentations, representing some of the intersessional activities which they have engaged in. The Working Group then discussed the development of its Work Plan and working arrangements for 2025.
Two experts from RIGC and the International Affairs Section of JAMSTEC participated in person as the Japanese delegation to share their scientific knowledge and expertise, in cooperation with the Ocean and Earth Division of the Research and Development Bureau of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) as Japan's National Focal Point (NFP) for the G7 FSOI Working Group. The experts took part in discussions with the participating G7 members on scientific and political cooperation in sustaining ocean observation and utilising ocean data, and developed several sound proposals for the future of the Ocean.
JAMSTEC expresses its sincere gratitude to CNR for hosting the meeting, Italy and Canada for their co-chairship, the G7 FSOI Coordination Centre, hosted by the UK and the EU, for its coordination, and all G7 members for their active contribution. JAMSTEC looks forward to continuing to work together with the G7 FSOI Working Group to promote the science-policy interface and international cooperation in ocean science, including synergies with other international initiatives such as the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) and the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030).
Photo Credit: CNR
*G7 Future of the Seas and Ocean Initiative (FSOI) Working Group.
An expert working group of the G7 to discuss the future of the seas and oceans was established in 2016, led by the UK. ‘Future of the Seas and Oceans’ was on the agenda of the G7 Science and Technology Ministers' Meeting in Tsukuba, Japan, in 2016, where it was agreed to maintain the G7 expert working group as a Working Group under the G7 Science and Technology Sherpa Meeting. The current five main Action Areas, which were revised in 2024, are (i) Ocean Observation, (ii) Digital Infrastructure and Data Interoperability, (iii) Analyses and Predictions, (iv) Regional Observing Capacity, and (v) Political Cooperation.
In Japan, relevant ministries and agencies work together on the activities of the G7 FSOI Working Group, in collaboration with the Ocean and Earth Division of the Research and Development Bureau of MEXT, which serves as the NFP for the G7 FSOI. Experts from JAMSTEC, including Dr Shuhei Masuda, Director-General of the Research Institute for Global Change (RIGC), who acts as the Scientific Adviser to NFP of Japan, have been taking part in the FSOI-related activities.
**Each topic identified in the 2024 FSOI Work Plan:
The following experts from JAMSTEC participated in the intersessional discussions with other G7 members:
***OneArgo.
OneArgo is a global ocean observing network of Argo profiling floats which can automatically descend and ascend between the ocean surface and the deep sea to observe physical and biogeochemical conditions and provide those data in quasi real time. International efforts and coordination have been made to achieve objectives of OneArgo by 2030.