EU Researchers and Underwater Tech Experts Discuss New Technologies and Treaties for Preserving Deep-Sea Ecosystems

Deep-sea researchers attended the Ocean Business 2019 event last week to share their latest findings with ocean technology developers and marine and maritime industry leaders, and to raise awareness of current international negotiations to protect the high seas.

Climate Change and Environment

© AquaTT

The research team, from the EU-funded ATLAS project, presented their key findings on the status of deep-sea ecosystems in the North Atlantic Ocean at an open workshop during the three-day event in Southampton (UK) which brings together leading stakeholders in ocean technology. The ATLAS team stressed the importance of cutting-edge ocean technologies for supporting Blue Growth, the EU’s strategy for sustainable development in the marine and maritime sectors.

ATLAS partner Matthew Gianni said: “Ocean research is essential to understanding the deep sea and to support sustainable Blue Growth. You are all producing and selling technology that allows us to do this.” He then called upon developers and industry experts to participate in face to face interviews with ATLAS researchers. Ocean Business provided a chance to gather views on current challenges and opportunities for the sustainable development of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods and ocean ecosystem health.

New international treaties for the conservation and sustainable use of deep-sea resources could shape Blue Growth and are driving the need for products developed by ocean tech experts to adequately map and help us to further our understanding of the deep ocean. As the demand for these products and services increases, scientists are seeking to increase the visibility of these investment opportunities as well as to assist with providing the information needed to implement new conservation regulations, and to further collaborate with industry figures.

ATLAS’ Dr Rachel Boschen-Rose stated: “The discussions today demonstrate the complexity of the situation in the North Atlantic. Industry-academia collaborations can enrich Blue Growth and help us to achieve a unique balance between the protection and development of ocean resources.”

For more information and to input into the ATLAS Industry Reactions survey, please contact Dr Rachel Boschen-Rose: [e-mail]

Notes for Editors:
ATLAS (“A Trans-Atlantic Assessment and deep-water ecosystem-based spatial management for Europe”) is a research and innovation action funded under the European Union’s Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, Horizon 2020, Grant Agreement No 678760. It is the largest integrated study of deep Atlantic ecosystems ever undertaken. The four-year project was launched in May 2016 and has a total budget of €9.4 million. Led by the University of Edinburgh (Scotland, UK), ATLAS brings together 25 partners (and one linked third party) from 10 European countries, the USA and Canada.

Ocean Business 2019 (the hands-on ocean technology exhibition and training forum) took place at the UK National Oceanography Centre, Southampton from 9-11 April 2019. With more than 340 exhibitors and an expectation of some 5000 international visitors, this is a major event that has taken place each year since 2007. Businesses represented included autonomous, remote-controlled and manned scientific platforms, sensors and underwater technologies. Many of these technologies will be required in the context of a new regulatory regime currently being negotiated for the deep-ocean beyond national jurisdiction.

For more information on the ATLAS project, please visit www.eu-atlas.org

Keywords

ocean science, H2020, ocean business, ocean technology, marine, maritime