��ɫ��Ƶ Marine and Maritime Institute news

SMMI Student highlight - Sunke Trace-Kleeberg: Fighting flooding in the face of climate change with big data analysis

Thu, 11 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Exploring STEAM with SMMI: Highlights from SOTSEF Science and Engineering Day

Fri, 05 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0100

The Deep-Ocean Stewardship Initiative (DOSI) continues successful capacity development work in Namibia

Fri, 01 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

In collaboration with colleagues from the Namibian Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (NatMIRC), and DOSI members from South Africa, Portugal and the UK, SOES staff member and DOSI Executive Director, Maria Baker, led an in-person, hands-on workshop in Swakopmund, Namibia in October/November 2023.

SMMI/CMMI partnership: Exploring future collaborations and novel technologies for the creation of digital twins

Tue, 04 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0100

Celebrating HMS Challenger and 150 years of marine geology and oceanography

Tue, 01 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Hundreds of marine scientists of all flavours gathered in South Kensington, London, in early September at the Royal Geographic Society and Natural History Museum to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the voyages of discovery of HMS Challenger – arguably the birth of oceanography.

Exploring potential future ocean-facing education collaborations with the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute

Tue, 01 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000

The autumn sunshine in late September brought another visit to ��ɫ��Ƶ by our friends from the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute. CMMI is a major new research organisation based in Larnaka in the eastern Mediterranean supported by the MaRITeC-X EU Horizon 2020 Teaming grant, of which SMMI is an advanced partner.

Professor Ajit Shenoi, retires after 41 years of service to the ��ɫ��Ƶ

Fri, 28 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0100

Professor Ajit Shenoi, Lloyd’s Register and Royal Academy of Engineering Research Professor in Lightweight Structures, and founding Director of the ��ɫ��Ƶ Marine & Maritime Institute (SMMI), retired on the 30 September 2022, marking a significant milestone to the ��ɫ��Ƶ.

Adjunct Professor Grahaeme Henderson elected Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering

Thu, 27 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0100

SMMI Adjunct Professor Grahaeme Henderson has been elected Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Success for AUV SMARTY200 in its maiden mission to survey seagrass in Studland Bay

Mon, 05 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0100

The Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) SMARTY200 successfully surveyed seagrass distribution in Studland Bay during its maiden mission in July this year.

Autonomous Underwater Vehicle SMARTY200

Thu, 21 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0100

Nature Based Solutions: FELS+SMMI Networking Event

Mon, 30 May 2022 00:00:00 +0100

BLEACHED. An immersive exhibition where coral science meets the arts.

Tue, 24 May 2022 00:00:00 +0100

Offshore trials demonstrate capabilities of new autonomous underwater sensor systems

Fri, 29 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0100

Engineers and scientists from the ��ɫ��Ƶ and the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) have recently returned from trials of new, state-of-the-art ocean biogeochemical sensors integrated with autonomous vehicles.

Centre of Excellence to help the maritime sector reduce its emissions is soon to launch

Wed, 27 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0100

The Data-centric Engineering for Clean Oceans (DECO) will bring together researchers from a range of disciplines, focused on maximising the benefits of the data being collected in service to decarbonise the maritime sector. It builds on a number of strengths at the ��ɫ��Ƶ to provide immediate reductions in fuel usage across the maritime industry.

SMMI welcomes Tamara Topic to the Maritime Decarbonisation Team

Mon, 24 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

SMMI supports growth of Cyprus sister – CMMI

Fri, 17 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Considerations of the Impact of COP26 on Business and the Greater Solent Region

Thu, 16 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Beyond 1.5 to stay alive: Small Island Developing States and Policy Change

Fri, 10 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Grant Success for news SMMI Research Fellow Dr Sam Robinson

Fri, 10 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000

SMMI’s Deputy Director Susan Gourvenec and Policy Fellow Wassim Dbouk in pre-COP26 event ‘Is it too late to save our oceans?’

Thu, 18 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000

SMMI researchers launch voyage optimisation solution to reduce ship emissions

Thu, 18 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000

The ��ɫ��Ƶ present at COP26

Sat, 13 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000

SMMI experts to tackle maritime decarbonisation

Mon, 04 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0100

Researchers at the ��ɫ��Ƶ will work on four winning projects from the Department for Transport’s Clean Maritime Demonstrator Competition announced by Secretary of State for Transport Rt. Hon Grant Shapps.

The Environment Bill’s policy statement on environmental principles: a golden opportunity for a principled framework for the sustainable management of UK waters

Sat, 24 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +0100

From the Mantle to Mountains – Just add Water

Fri, 25 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0100

The Troodos Mountains of Cyprus are iconic to geologists. It was here in the 50’s and 60’s that the great British geologist Ian Gass recognised that the particular suite of “ophiolite” rocks preserved in the Troodos mountains formed at an ocean spreading ridge and preserve on-land an ancient slice of ocean crust and upper mantle. These were key observations in the development of plate tectonic theory. Subsequently generations of Earth Science students, particularly from the UK, have inspected the rocks and sediments exposed in Cyprus as an essential pilgrimage during their geological training. However, to date, there has been no quantitative mechanistic explanation of why the deepest mantle rocks crop out at the top of the Troodos mountains, almost 2000m above sea level, while shallower forming rocks are exposed at progressively lower altitudes.

��ɫ��Ƶ ranked top for publications related to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14: Life Below Water

Thu, 17 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0100

The ��ɫ��Ƶ is ranked first in the UK for the volume of publications related to SDG 14 (2015-2021) with nearly 1000 captured on SciVal.

Optimising high voltage underwater cable design to support growing use of renewable energy

Mon, 24 May 2021 00:00:00 +0100

Pioneering research and consultancy at the ��ɫ��Ƶ is optimising the design of high voltage underwater cables that deliver renewable energy to our shores.

Dr Roz Coggon wins award for her development of a 30-year future plan for scientific ocean drilling

Mon, 24 May 2021 00:00:00 +0100

��ɫ��Ƶ Royal Society University Research Fellow Dr Roz Coggon, based in the School of Ocean & Earth Science, has recently been awarded the European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling – ECORD Award for her leadership of a 30 year plan to guide future ocean research drilling.

��ɫ��Ƶ welcomes Richard Westgarth to the SMMI team

Fri, 26 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000

SMMI researcher Dr Wassim Dbouk joins Commonwealth partnership of rising stars to accelerate climate action

Thu, 25 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Droplet in the ocean: Three Minute Thesis success

Molly Phillips, a second-year SMMI PhD student, won the People's Choice at the prestigious Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition. Molly represented Engineering at the university final, after winning the FEPS heat earlier this month. Her presentation, focusing on the development of a high-frequency sensor to measure ocean alkalinity, was up against presentations from other faculties at the Doctoral College Day on 25 June 2024.

The 3MT competition challenges PhD students to present their research in just 3 minutes, making complex topics accessible and engaging to a broad audience. Molly’s presentation highlighted the negative impacts of ocean acidification and her novel solution using droplet microfluidics to create a faster, more accurate sensor. This technology could revolutionise the way scientists measure and understand ocean health, offering critical insights into mitigating the effects of climate change.

“I found 3MT a great opportunity to reflect on the novel aspects of my PhD, communicating how my research benefits my scientific community, and how it can make a difference outside of research, benefitting our planet,” Molly said. “This was also a fun way to engage friends and family in my research.”

Molly’s research addresses the pressing need for improved monitoring of ocean alkalinity in highly variable regions, the buffering capacity of the ocean against increasing acidity. By using droplet microfluidics, her sensor can provide rapid measurements, essential for understanding and protecting marine ecosystems.

The 3MT competition is an excellent platform for researchers to showcase their work and its broader impact. Molly’s success in the 3MT competition highlights the importance of interdisciplinary research and its role in addressing global challenges.

Droplet in the ocean: Three Minute Thesis success

Molly represented Engineering at the university final, after winning the FEPS heat earlier this month. Her presentation, focusing on the development of a high-frequency sensor to measure ocean alkalinity, was up against presentations from other faculties at the Doctoral College Day on 25 June 2024.

"The 3MT competition challenges PhD students to present their research in just 3 minutes, making complex topics accessible and engaging to a broad audience. Molly's presentation highlighted the negative impacts of ocean acidification and her novel solution using droplet microfluidics to create a faster, more accurate sensor. This technology could revolutionise the way scientists measure and understand ocean health, offering critical insights into mitigating the effects of climate change. I found 3MT a great opportunity to reflect on the novel aspects of my PhD, communicating how my research benefits my scientific community, and how it can make a difference outside of research, benefitting our planet," Molly said. "This was also a fun way to engage friends and family in my research."

Molly's research addresses the pressing need for improved monitoring of ocean alkalinity in highly variable regions, the buffering capacity of the ocean against increasing acidity. By using droplet microfluidics, her sensor can provide rapid measurements, essential for understanding and protecting marine ecosystems.

The 3MT competition is an excellent platform for researchers to showcase their work and its broader impact. Molly's success in the 3MT competition highlights the importance of interdisciplinary research and its role in addressing global challenges.

Thalassa 2024: Marine Science conference, Larnaca, Cyprus

Thalassa 2024 was organised by the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute (CMMI), Maritime Institute of Eastern Mediterranean and Emerge.

This second biannual regional conference brought together marine experts and stakeholders from academic, research institutes, industry, NGO, and the public sectors. Their insight can be implemented to tackle current ocean hot topics in the regional context. These cover a wide range of marine science topics from Marine Biotechnology and Aquaculture, Marine and Coastal Governance, Oceanography, Maritime Cultural Heritage, to Marine and Coastal ecology.

Day 1 of the conference was opened by Andreas Vyras, Mayor of Larnaca and Zacharias Siokouros, the Director of CMMI. Speaker sessions covered Marine and Coastal Ecology and Marine and Coastal Governance. Each session began with a keynote speaker followed by a diverse range of other speakers on the topic. Cedric Muscat, a graduate from Civil, Maritime, and Environmental Engineering, Intelligent and Resilient Ocean Engineering represented the ��ɫ��Ƶ. Cedric presented his work on Finding space for offshore wind in Malta through GIS analysis. Download Cedric's presentation. The day closed with a poster session, a virtual reality demo of a virtual dive site MUSAN underwater museum near Ayia Napa and the wreck Kyrenia. This was followed by a social gathering.

Cedric Muscat presenting in the Marine and Coastal Governance session

Dr Felix Pedrotti from SMMI Centre for Maritime Archaeology was out in the marina testing the use of small ROVs to survey marina structures and visually inspect ships for damage and biofouling (sea life accumulation on hulls and propellers). This fieldwork, in partnership with the CMMI's Marine Robotics Innovation Centre (MaRIC), is crucial for enhancing capacity to offer these services to marinas and to understand the improvements needed for higher quality results.

SMMI and CMMI surveying boat and marine structures using ROVs

Day 2 had sessions on Marine Biotechnology & Aquaculture, Oceanography and Marine Cultural Heritage. A highlight was the insightful presentation session featuring the ��ɫ��Ƶ's Maritime Archaeology team. Presenters included Dr Alexandra Karamitrou, Dr Felix Pedrotti, Professor Lucy Blue, Celia Prescott, and Dr Crystal El Safadi. They covered topics of the importance of digitalisation (photogrammetry) and databasing of maritime archaeological sites and assets, using AI to identify maritime heritage assets, and assessing the impact of climate change on maritime heritage assets, that are applicable in Mediterranean and globally.

Dr. Louis Hadjioannou, Chief committee member of Thalassa 2024, closed the conference. There was a final poster session, and coffee at CMMI house.

Cedric and Lucy participating in the MUSAN virtual dive demo

crucial role of co2 decarbonisation

Recently, Dr. Seyedvahid Vakili and colleagues led a study titled "Optimising Life Cycle Costs of Carbon Capture and Storage: Insights for Shipping CO2 from the Solent Region," which won the best paper award at the International Association of Maritime Economist (IAME) 2024 Conference in Valencia, Spain.

The study recognises the importance of CO2 shipping, particularly for industrial clusters lacking access to geo-storage areas or situated far from suitable sites. It offers a techno-economic and environmental framework to facilitate the transportation of captured CO2 from clusters to appropriate geo-storage locations. The awarded paper assesses the Life Cycle Cost (LCC) for CO2 shipping and proposes carbon pricing strategies for different LCO2 shipping options. These strategies aim to enhance the competitiveness of CCUS compared to other emission mitigation measures.

Capt. Seyedvahid Vakili, a Research Fellow in Sustainability, Energy, and Net Zero Emissions in Maritime Industries, and part of the ��ɫ��Ƶ Marine and Maritime Institute (SMMI), explains: "CCUS technology can play an important role in meeting the Paris Agreement goals and transitioning to zero-emissions industries. Considering the value chain of the process, Liquid CO2 shipping is expected to play a crucial role in facilitating and expanding the utilisation of this technology. However, decision-makers need to be supported with appropriate decision-making tools, such as techno-economic and environmental frameworks and results. Our study aims to provide these necessary tools to aid decision-makers and policymakers in the effective implementation and expansion of CCUS. The recognition at the IAME 2024 Conference highlights the significance of this research in advancing sustainable practices in the maritime industry and supports the broader goals of global decarbonisation efforts."

Professor Stephen Turnock, Professor Damon Teagle, Associate Professor Dr. Lindsay-Marie Armstrong, and Eng. Panos Manias were part of the team that contributed to writing the paper.

Transforming sargassum monitoring

Our project "Interactive Community Engagement Using Technology and Citizen Science for School and Community Capacity Building on Pelagic Sargassum in Mexico" (SarTECH) is funded by the SMMI. Led by Dr Victoria Dominguez Almela, the aim is to initiate community level monitoring and management of the seaweed. Our journey has been marked by significant milestones and an inspiring expansion of our community engagement efforts.

Enhancing monitoring with cutting-edge technology

When we first envisioned SarTECH, our goal was to deploy a handful of low-cost cameras to monitor the sargassum that affects the Mexican coastlines. We surpass our original goal by installing six cameras, two more than planned! We also broadened our reach to include locations in Jamaica and Ghana, supported by the ESRC funded SARTRAC. These cameras, designed and engineered with the expertise of the Institute of Engineering of UNAM and PhD talents of Jose Antonio Lopez Portillo, offer hourly data (detailed overhead views of beached and nearshore sargassum) that help us quantify sargassum distribution effectively. Thanks to advanced algorithms, these images are transformed into a bird's eye view, making every pixel visible for sargassum tracking. Furthermore, a new PAPIIT grant won by colleagues in Mexico with Dr Dominguez (Support Programme for Research and Innovation Projects in Mexico) allowed the team to install a meteorological station and acoustic doppler current profiler to record data on winds and currents. This data provides a cornerstone for developing a robust early warning system that will benefit entire communities.

Transforming sargassum monitoring

Enhancing monitoring with cutting-edge technology

Professor Alberto Naveira Garabato delivers the inaugural ��ɫ��Ƶ Regius Professor in Ocean Sciences Annual Lecture

The inaugural lecture “Rewriting the Tale of Deep-Ocean Upwelling” was delivered by Professor, or more correctly Regius, Alberto Naveira Garabato of the School of Ocean & Earth Science, the Regius Professor of Ocean Sciences. The event was sponsored by the ��ɫ��Ƶ Marine and Maritime Institute as part of the flagship Earth and Ocean Science “EOS” lecture series at NOCS.

Regius Professorships are an ancient tradition of royal patronage or appointment that dates back to 1497 with the establishment by King James IV of Scotland of the first Regius Professorship in medicine at the University of Aberdeen. Until the last decade, Regius professorships have only rarely been awarded since the reign of Queen Victoria. The Regius Chair in Ocean Sciences was awarded in 2016 by Her Majesty the Queen as part of her 90^th Birthday celebrations, to acknowledge the University’s distinctive and broad excellence in ocean-facing research. There are only a few Regius Professorships in environmental subjects. Emeritus Professor Harry Bryden FRS was the first Regius Professor of Ocean Sciences until Professor Naveira Garabato took on the position in 2023. This is the University’s second Regius Professorship following the granting of the Regius Professorship in Computer Sciences in 2013 to commemorate Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee, and presently held by Dame Wendy Hall FRS.

Professor Naveira Garabato is an internationally recognised oceanographer and a ��ɫ��Ƶ alumnus having completed a BSc (Hons) in Physics with Oceanography before undertaking a PhD at the University of Liverpool and a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of East Anglia. Alberto returned to the ��ɫ��Ƶ in 2005 for a lectureship and was promoted to Professor in 2011. He has a formidable funding recording including large grants from UKRI and ERC. He wrote and led the NERC-EPSRC CDT NEXUSS on the smart and autonomous observing of the environment and is a co-lead of the recently awarded EPSRC CDT Mathematics for our Future Climate, led by Prof Dan Crisan at Imperial College. Alberto’s research has been internationally and widely recognised including the Philip Leverhulme Prize (2010), a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award (2014), the Challenger Medal of the Challenger Society for Marine Science (2020) and the European Geoscience Union Nansen Medal in 2023.

In his lecture, Professor Naveira Garabato projected his capabilities as a world-class physical oceanographer and scientific communicator. He principally investigates processes that govern ocean circulation and its impact on climate with particular focus on the Southern Ocean and Antarctica. In this talk Alberto interrogated the fundamental, yet poorly understood, process of ocean upwelling. How dense, cold waters sink in the oceans is intuitive but the mechanisms by which deep waters return to the surface remains poorly explained. He described recent seagoing experiments as part of the BLT Recipes Project, and highlighted how interactions between tides, currents and ocean floor topography generate (micro-)turbulence and sustain deep-ocean upwelling. Alberto was joined in this celebration by colleagues, some past PhD and early career researchers at ��ɫ��Ƶ, from the British Antarctic Survey, the National Oceanography Centre (NOC), and the Universities of Cambridge, Liverpool, and Exeter.

In his closing remarks, Vice President (Research and Enterprise) Professor Mark Spearing, thanked Alberto for his engaging and extremely clear presentation. He welcomed the establishment of the Regius Professor in Ocean Sciences Annual Lecture as a major event in the University calendar, with the next event planned for June 2025 and featuring a major international speaker.

Drinks reception following the Regius Professor in Ocean Sciences Annual Lecture

Professor Alberto Naveira Garabato delivers inaugural ��ɫ��Ƶ Regius Professor in Ocean Sciences Annual Lecture

Drinks reception following the Regius Professor in Ocean Sciences Annual Lecture

Creating Positive Change Coastal Communities

The SMMI’s Coastal Communities Special Interest Group aims to work with stakeholders from research, industry, policy and beyond to understand the needs of our coastal communities and increase our impact together to the benefit of the coast locally, nationally, and internationally. In July, we hosted an event to showcase current research and projects and identify priorities for creating positive change in local coastal communities.

Prof Sir Stephen Holgate, UKRI Clean Air Champion, opened the event emphatically discussing the “wicked problem” that is air pollution. With port cities dotted along the coast, there is an additional burden on health from shipping emissions, intersecting with high deprivation thus highlighting pollution sources and inequities which contribute to ill health in society. The SMMI’s Coastal Communities Special Interest Group aims to work with stakeholders from research, industry, policy and beyond to understand the needs of our coastal communities and increase our impact together to the benefit of the coast locally, nationally, and internationally. In July, we hosted an event to showcase current research and projects and identify priorities for creating positive change in local coastal communities.

Nicola Bridge and Eden Stevens introduced the Ocean Conservation Trust, a charity that serves to protect and restore the ocean, with an understanding that threats to the ocean are an outcome of human behaviour. By placing people at the centre of the narrative, it allows collaboration and empowerment of local communities to take action and drive change.

Prof Ivan Haigh, from the National Oceanography Centre ��ɫ��Ƶ, introduced the latest research on sea level rise and its impact on the Coast. With the ocean covering 70% of the Earth’s surface, and 90% of the world’s heat going into the ocean, we are seeing record levels of high ocean temperatures, resulting in thermal expansion and massive impacts on sea levels rising. The consequences of this were illustrated by closures of the Thames Barrier, which have doubled over two seasons, in order to adapt to rising waters.

Building on the latest science and interventions shared during the presentations, all attendees engaged in themed discussions, examining: research and society, health and air quality, resilience and vulnerability, and natural environment. We were able to further explore the key challenges in these areas, whilst building relationships and trying to navigate how to address these priorities in collaboration. The aim of the lunch – for every attendee to have made a new contact in the coastal communities space – was widely considered to be successfully achieved. New conversations were had, old acquaintances reignited; we look forward to further facilitating these networks and discussions in the coming academic year.

Why oral history should be valued beyond the humanities

The half-day training session was held in April 2024, and provoked conversation around the potential for oral history to be used in disciplines between the humanities. The reflections on the definition, best practice and applications of oral history were written up into an article.

Following this training, the SIG leads have published a short article in THE Campus. Read the full article.

AUV2026 will be held in ��ɫ��Ƶ

The city has been chosen for AUV2026, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and Oceanic Engineering Society (OES) flagship symposium for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV) and marine robotic technologies. The event has been running every two years since 1990. AUV2026 is the17th instalment and will be hosted by the ��ɫ��Ƶ and National Oceanography Centre at their dockside campus between 1-3 September, 2026.

“In addition, we are excited to announce that AUV2026 will have an IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering Special Issue. All articles will be open access and published before the symposium starts, forming a peer-reviewed route for presentation as part of the technical programme,” Professor Blair Thornton of the ��ɫ��Ƶ, who is the symposium chair, says.

“The special issue will be a great way to share the latest high-quality advances in marine robotics with experts from around the world. All accepted special issue papers will be presented at the symposium alongside other contributions.”

He adds,

“AUV is a single track symposium, usually attended by about 150 international experts from universities, industry and government sectors. It’s a fast moving field, so I am really excited to see what stories and experiences people come and share.”

The deadline for contributions to the Journal of Oceanic Engineering Special Issue is 15th July 2025. For more information about AUV2026 and its key dates, visit the symposium website.

From Deep-Ocean Discoveries to Decision-making: Bridging Marine Fieldwork and Ocean Governance

Boarding a ship to the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) with the aim of assessing the ecological baseline of a unique, remote nodule field would likely land you in dazzling orange coveralls, wiping sleep and seawater from your eyes and watching the sun rise over the boundless Pacific horizon. In stark contrast, the low hum of international languages, wooden desks and plastic earpieces of the plenary conference room at the International Seabed Authority (ISA), Kingston, Jamaica is where the fate of the CCZ resides. These contrastive environments are inextricably linked, with the data from scientific expeditions offering a platform upon which policymakers and NGOs can base their deep-sea mining negotiating positions.

Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) Articles, 136 and 145, the ISA is responsible for making resources of the seabed beyond national jurisdiction (“the Area”) the “common heritage of mankind” and ensuring the “effective protection for the marine environment [in the Area] from harmful effects”, respectively (UNCLOS, 1982, 1994 Agreement, 1994). With contractors poised to the mine metal-rich, polymetallic nodules from the CCZ, the 30th Session of the ISA in July 2025 is in the process of developing draft exploitation regulations to facilitate the prospect of mining without generating harmful effects.

Pioneering science such as Jones et al., (2025), on the long-term impacts of a deep-sea mining track and Sweetman et al., (2024), on dark oxygen production at the abyssal seafloor, are the direct result of fieldwork in the CCZ and are forming the basis of policy and public opinion on the potential implications of deep-sea nodule mining. However, the pressure for the ISA to deliver exploitation regulations has rendered the 30th Session dedicated to seemingly minor, but legally consequential minutia such as the replacement of “may” with “shall” or “serious harm” with “harmful effects” and appears far removed from novel scientific discoveries and deep-sea exploration (Tsioumanis et al., 2025).

The diametric environments of marine fieldwork and ocean governance do, however, have their share of similarities, and whilst materially distinct, drama is an inescapable feature. Though, on a ship, this could be the result of uncooperative machinery, noisy cabins, stomach-turning weather or lost experiments, the announcement, on the penultimate day of the March 2025 Session by contractor, The Metals Company USA LLC (TMC), sent shockwaves through ISA negotiations. TMC proposed that they would be applying for commercial recovery permits to mine nodules from the CCZ under existing US legislation, the ‘Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act of 1980’, which would effectively undermine the ISA. This prompted Secretary General Leticia Carvahlo to comment that, this “would constitute a violation of international law and fundamentally violate the principles of multilateralism and the collective framework under [UNCLOS]” (Tsioumanis et al., 2025). Reliably however, the common passions incited by the need to work beyond expected hours, changes to daily schedules, weak coffee and shortened lunch breaks persists as an intervening delegate or sub-sampling biologist.

It would also be impossible to walk away from a research expedition or an ISA Session without an appreciation for the remarkable inter-personal collaboration required for success, where the melting pot of nationalities, languages, cultures, expertise and personalities can make for a rewarding but challenging workplace. Evidence of this is no starker than during the interventions of the Maui Nui Makai Network, who highlighted at the 30th Session that after 132 years of American occupation, Hawaiʻi still cannot intervene to the same degree as member states, despite the CCZ being located adjacent to Hawaiian territory. Solomon “Uncle Sol” Kahoʻohalahala, provided the perspective of many indigenous Hawaiians whose genealogy describes the living Earth as originating from the depths of the ocean, generating so-called “intangible”, but deep-rooted cultural value associated with the deep ocean. Exploitation under these circumstances generates a clear divergence from nations such as Nauru, who attempted to fast-track exploitation in 2021 by triggering the “two-year rule”, setting a deadline for the ISA to complete regulations by July 2023 (which was not met and was extended to 2025) (Singh, 2021). Likewise, research expeditions can often encompass up to 50 technicians, crew and scientists to conduct exploration under time pressure, in often bad weather for up to 12 hours a day from varied institutions, with distinct working cultures and methodologies… certainly a recipe for challenging cooperation. Moreover, the recent rebuttals by independent scientists and deep-sea mining companies of Sweetman et al.’s (2024) dark oxygen finding, (which indicates the role of nodules in the production of oxygen at abyssal depths) similarly demonstrates the inevitable “back and forth” arising from work at these deep ocean frontiers, which naturally incites diverse and impassioned thought (Voosen, 2024).

Finally, spending seven consecutive weeks aboard a ship with your colleagues will at some point generate the feeling that either jumping or throwing someone overboard is an enticing prospect. It would not be a leap to assume that similar intrusive thoughts, potentially involving laptop cables, are also felt by ISA delegates who’s biannual 3-week-long trips to Kingston, Jamaica, often conjures high pressure, head banging discussions and glacial-rate progress. It is in moments such as these that Secretary General Leticia Carvahlo’s assertion that, “we are not separated by land but connected by ocean” can apply to both the CCZ abyssal plain and the Jamaican Conference Centre.

Disclaimer: Thoughts of an early career researcher with ISA and CCZ fieldwork experience.

Acknowledgements: I would like to acknowledge and thank the ��ɫ��Ƶ Marine and Maritime Institute for providing the funding to attend the July 2025 ISA negotiations, TBA21, Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary for the opportunity to be a part of their delegation, and Giulia Champion for collaborating on this grant and blogpost.

References

Jones, D.O.B., Arias, M.B., Van Audenhaege, L. et al. Long-term impact and biological recovery in a deep-sea mining track. Nature 642, 112–118 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-08921-3

Singh, P. A. The two-year deadline to complete the International Seabed Authority’s Mining Code: Key outstanding matters that still need to be resolved. Marine Policy 134, (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2021.104804

Sweetman, A.K., Smith, A.J., de Jonge, D.S.W. et al. Evidence of dark oxygen production at the abyssal seafloor. Nat. Geosci. 17, 737–739 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-024-01480-8

Tsioumanis, Asterios, Tomilola Akanle Eni-ibukun, and María Ovalle. Summary of the 1st Part of the 30th Annual Session of the International Seabed Authority. Earth Negotiations Bulletin/IISD, 25, 257 (2025).

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Dec. 10, 1982, 1833 U.N.T.S. 397.

1994 Agreement Relating to the Implementation of Part XI of UNCLOS, Jul. 28, 1994, 1836 U.N.T.S. 3.

Voosen, P. Claim of “dark oxygen” on sea floor faces doubts. Science, AAAS Articles DO Group, [Preprint], (2024) https://doi.org/10.1126/science.zr37iom

Author

Lucy Harris, ��ɫ��Ƶ and National Oceanography Centre

Our Heritage and Futures: Negotiating the Deep Ocean

Supported by the SMMI and the ��ɫ��Ƶ, Dr Mekhala Dave, an Ocean Law & Policy Analyst based in Vienna, attended the meeting and co-hosted a cultural side event exploring how law, heritage and Indigenous knowledge intersect in shaping the future of the seabed.

In her reflections below, Dr Dave offers a first-hand view of the ongoing negotiations and the perspectives shaping them. Her account highlights the questions at the centre of the debate: how to balance technical and economic ambitions with cultural understanding, ecological care and a shared sense of responsibility for the ocean as the common heritage of humankind.

The International Seabed Authority (ISA) concluded its 30th Session Part II in Kingston, Jamaica (7–25 July 2025), where both the Council and the Assembly gathered to debate the future of deep-sea mining. Central to the discussions was the so-called “Mining Code”: the draft Rules, Procedures, and Regulations (RPRs) that would govern commercial exploitation of seabed minerals in the Clarion Clipperton Zone (CCZ) of the Pacific Ocean, an area of international waters lying more than 4,500 metres below the surface between Hawai‘i and Mexico. Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), this deep seabed, referred to as the “Area,” and its resources are defined as the common heritage of (hu)mankind.¹ At its 30th Session, under the leadership of newly elected Secretary-General Leticia Carvalho, the ISA continues to press forward on developing the Mining Code required to govern a potential deep-sea mining industry and its sponsorship by States. The dual mandate of the ISA is to commercially mine and to protect the deep-sea ecosystems. This urgency also stems from the requirement to begin industrial mining, with July 2025 marking the delayed roadmap deadline following the July 2021 two-year trigger.

From 2021, I have been working to contribute to interventions and policy-making, with a particular focus on Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH) within ocean governance. Coming from a background in the law of the sea and ocean governance, I was particularly interested in whether law itself could be provoked, nudged, or even unsettled, through the edges of science, arts and culture. How can the merging of different fields of research and scholarship act as bridges, opening new ways of thinking about the ocean, or can they destabilise the status quo, questioning assumptions that have long gone unchallenged? I have long been interested in how knowledge about the deep-sea is produced and circulated, and how it feeds into global debates around the so-called green energy transition. I have also been supporting the global south’s proclamation of deep-sea protection, aligning with partners and coalitions from the Pacific and Caribbean. The EU and the UK have made strong commitments in this direction, yet the geopolitics are anchored elsewhere from colonial histories: the Caribbean, as home to the ISA, and the Pacific, which stands on the frontlines since the prospective mining sites are located in the Pacific Ocean, close to South Pacific Island states.

With the Republic of Nauru’s triggering of the so-called 2year rule in 2021, and the recent unilateral move by the The Metals Company to apply for mining permit in the U.S. legal system undermining the ISA,² my curiosity has also centred on the capacity of States, their positions, their knowledge, and their preparedness to engage with something as remote and elusive as the deep-sea. And then there is the matter of how those most connected local communities and stakeholders are responding to the deep-sea. My work has been also dedicated to how coastal and island communities most directly connected to the deep sea—through livelihoods, cultural practices and their knowledge of ocean ecologies are articulating their responses. This involves not only the ways they sustain long-standing relations with the deep-sea as a site of meaning and survival, but also how they are engaging with, resisting, or reframing the emerging pressures of deep-sea mining.

In recent years, civil society, States, financial institutions, and the media have begun to confront the question of deep-sea exploitation. To date, more than 35 States, most recently Croatia, have expressed support for a moratorium, precautionary pause, or outright ban.³ While these terms differ in scope, each signals growing recognition of the urgent need to halt seabed mining until its legal and ethical implications are better understood. There is a danger that the deep seabed could soon become a frontier for the mining of critical minerals such as cobalt, copper, lithium and nickel, far from humanity’s touch more than 4,500 metres below the surface. These earthy, palm-sized nodules lie in pressurised darkness, with sea creatures moving around them on their own timescales. Scientists have made clear that extracting these nodules, sucking them from the seabed with surface vessels and machines, would devastate the ocean, creating sediment plumes that travel for miles, generating noise pollution, and leaving permanent scars with no recovery possible within human timescales.⁴

From my observations, negotiations at the ISA are unpredictable and politically charged. It is an exercise and effort of what becomes of our future from the series of predictions we make today as a collective body. Yet what struck me most was the absence of cultures of ocean relations. Despite mounting evidence from environmental humanities, Indigenous knowledges, multispecies research and community perspectives that culture and nature are inseparable, this perspective remains largely excluded from the ISA’s deliberations. Indeed, during the Council meetings, some delegations went so far as to dismiss cultural rights as irrelevant. UNCLOSabsents culture, structuring the ocean primarily through zones and resources, determined by sovereign rights. Within the ISA, this translates into negotiations that are almost exclusively technical and economic, leaving little space for indigenous peoples and their relations to the ocean.

Currently, the ISA’s agenda is dominated by technical discussions spanning lack of environmental baselines, financial models, enforcement and compliance, liability concerns, and many more outstanding issues.⁵ While these are critical, they leave little procedural room for integrating concepts of heritage. What is it, and whose heritage are we talking about? However, a limited space for such discussions lies in intersessional working groups, particularly that on UCH, co-facilitated by Micronesia, Brazil and Greece, and within side events organised by Indigenous peoples, industries, NGOs and States, taking place around the official sessions.

There is a need to push the boundaries of UNCLOS and to think about it in more evolving ways. UCH offers a unique challenge in this regard; It carries an element of culture that is universal, our collective and relationships to the ocean through ancestral and lived experience, which the law must find ways to guarantee and protect. Within the ISA, however, this remains a difficult task. States are constrained in their capacity to define UCH, let alone uneasy to enforce such protections during the mining phase, and the current regulations leave significant gaps in the diverse cultures of the deep-sea. Culture is assumed to be, as if it were, universal, something everyone can claim in the same way. But this can easily slip back into modern or even colonial ways of thinking. Indigenous knowledge shows us something different: they are diverse, place-based, built through lived experience, and carried through relationships with the ocean.

Despite obligations under UNCLOS (Articles 149 and 303) to preserve archaeological and historical objects “for the benefit of humankind,” UCH remains weakly protected in ISA regulations.⁶ Further, States were apprehensive about aligning UNESCO and UNCLOS, even though the harmony between these legal regimes is, in fact, arguably clear. The UNESCO 2001 Convention sets clear standards, such as in situ preservation and a ban on commercial exploitation, but its limited ratification undermines its global reach.⁷ Yet despite this compatibility, ISA regulations have so far avoided integrating UNESCO principles into binding Mining Code provisions, leaving cultural protections fragmented and weak. Integrating these principles into the Mining Code would require binding measures: mandatory UCH impact assessments, contractor reporting requirements, no-disturbance zones, and effective sanctions.

Yet such proposals have faced resistance from several states, particularly regarding the definition of intangible heritage and the creation of an independent expert body to oversee UCH. Uncle Solomon Kaho‘ohalahala, through the Maui Nui Makai Network, regularly intervenes in discussions on UCH, one of the few advocates, raising concerns about the deep sea as an ancestral home within Hawaiian culture⁸. Yet, with Hawai‘i under the jurisdiction of the United States and lacking an independent seat at the ISA, its perspectives remain filtered through U.S. representation. This situation highlights a structural gap in international ocean governance, where Indigenous relationships to the ocean are acknowledged in discourse but remain without direct procedural recognition at the ISA.

As a rising coalition on culture at the ISA, within this fragile balance, Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Foundation (TBA21), with the Deep Currents Collective, an international network of artists, lawyers, activists and academics, made a joint written submission to the ISA Assembly, through TBA21’s observer seat, pushing for cultural recognition.⁹ Our statement urged caution against rushing to adopt regulations that may entrench extractive models, emphasised the lack of transparency regarding UCH, and warned against dismissing Indigenous and intangible heritage. It further highlighted the risk of creating irreversible “lost zones” through mining and questioned whether environmental management plans could meaningfully address such impacts.

Alongside these interventions within the Assembly, the Deep Currents Collective, in collaboration with the National Gallery of Jamaica and TBA21, organised a side event and an exhibition titled Our Collective Seabed on 22 July 2025. Supported and funded by the ��ɫ��Ƶ Marine and Maritime Institute (SMMI) and the ��ɫ��Ƶ, the event brought together Caribbean scholars, artists, activists, scientists and ISA delegates to explore the many angles of cultures with the pull of Caribbean localities that underpin the deep sea but are often absent in Kingston’s official ISA Council and Assembly sessions.

Speakers included Alex Moore-Minott, who opened with a blessing contextualising Jamaica’s extractive history and the Maroon community’s spiritual and communal responses¹⁰; marine biologist Robyn Young, who reflected on Jamaica’s dependence on and vulnerability to the ocean; Prof Elizabeth DeLoughrey, who reframed the deep sea through Caribbean and Pacific transoceanic imaginaries; and Dr Jonathan Galka, who traced the connections between Jamaica’s bauxite industry and the establishment of the ISA in Kingston in 1994.

Dr Susan Reid warned of the irreversible damage as “lost zones” mining may cause, while Alejandro Limpo González and the museum head Nadine Goodman and curator Monique Barnett-Davidson spoke about the importance of reclaiming cultural heritage through expanded meanings and how museums meet with the local community to deliberate the future deep-sea. The event was co-moderated by me and Dr Giulia Champion, having supported the organisation of the exhibition together with the Chief Curator O’Neil Lawrence and Senior Curator Monique Barnett, and their team at the National Gallery.

The event drew over seventy participants, including ISA delegates, ambassadors, artists, NGOs, and members of the Jamaican public, creating for the first time a one-of-a-kind, important forum for dialogue within the Jamaican community. The accompanying exhibition, featuring Caribbean artists from the National Museum collection and contributions of international artists curated by the Deep Currents Collective, ran until 22 August 2025. Our Collective Seabed featured a curated selection of artists from the National Gallery of Jamaica’s collection Nadia Huggins (Trinidad and Tobago), Colin Garland, Albert Huie, Archie Lindo and Barrington Watson (Jamaica), presented alongside international artists including Emma Critchley (UK), Hefrani Barnes (Fiji), Patty Chang and David Kelley (USA), Enar de Dios Rodríguez (Spain), Orchestras from Awe/dacity (seven ocean citizens), and Jonathan Galka’s Insurgent Seabed Archive.

Taken together, these engagements highlight both the urgency and the difficulty of integrating modes of questions and perspectives from the field of social sciences, humanities, the arts and cultures into the ISA’s plans, and question place within the UNCLOS. As the ISA edges closer to finalising the Mining Code, the question remains: will the governance of the deep sea be defined by extraction, or by stewardship of our collective seabed? Although the ISA space is closed off only to delegates, it cannot be understated that the relations we build here last. This is humanity coming together in a slim space, with the fate of the ocean in our hands. And it is this kind of culture, of dialogue, negotiation, co-learning and encounters that also meets with Indigenous ways of knowing, together with the deep sea, reminding us that governance is not only technical, but truly cultural.

The Deep Currents Collective are a group of researchers and seabed protectors including Khadija Stewart (Rise Up), Professor Elizabeth DeLoughrey (University of California, Los Angeles), Dr Susan Reid (University of British Columbia), Dr Mekhala Dave (University of Applied Arts Vienna), Dr Jonathan Galka (National University of Singapore) and Dr Giulia Champion and Alejandro Limpo González (��ɫ��Ƶ).

I would like to thank the ��ɫ��Ƶ Marine and Maritime Institute (SMMI) and the ��ɫ��Ƶ for their generous support of this important participation, as well as for their continued commitment over recent years.

The attendance was made possible through the Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Foundation’s observer seat and funded by the SMMI HEI Funding.

Author:

Dr Mekhala Dave is a lawyer and art academic based in Vienna. She is an Ocean Law and Policy Analyst/Researcher, formerly with the Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Foundation (TBA21). She earned a doctoral degree in contemporary art history and curatorial practice from the University of Applied Arts Vienna. In her past and current legal practice, as well as through her doctoral research, she advocates for a social turn in artistic practices and explores encounters located across knowledge spheres and communities in the Global South at the intersection of activism and newly shaping ocean policy.

From her lived experiences across borders, she draws inspiration and spiritual guidance from water to the questions of historicity and the search for emerging “new” relations of identity and belonging. She has been mapping deep-sea mining developments from a nuanced and transdisciplinary research at the intersection of art, law, and science, alongside participating in UN platforms like UN Ocean Conference (UNOC) and International Seabed Authority (ISA). She is a member of the international group Deep Currents Collective that envisions the deep seabed as an intrinsically relational world on which humans and nonhumans alike depend for their ecological and cultural wellbeing.

Footnotes:

¹The principle of the common heritage of (hu)mankind was first introduced by Maltese diplomat Arvid Pardo in his 1967 speech to the United Nations, calling for the deep seabed beyond national jurisdiction to be preserved for peaceful purposes and managed for the benefit of all humanity. It was later codified in Article 136 of the Part XI of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

² Singh, Pradeep A. 2021. “The Two-Year Deadline to Complete the International Seabed Authority’s Mining Code: Key Outstanding Matters That Still Need to Be Resolved.” Marine Policy 134: 104804. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2021.104804. Also refer to The Metals Company. 2025. “The Metals Company to Apply for Permits under Existing U.S. Mining Code for Deep-Sea Minerals in the High Seas in Second Quarter of 2025.” Press release, March 27, 2025.

³ Seas At Risk, “Global Deep-Sea Mining Talks Yield Mixed Verdict: No Mining for Now but No Reform Either,” July 24, 2025, https://seas-at-risk.org/general-news/global-deep-sea-mining-talks-yield-mixed-verdict-no-mining-for-now-but-no-reform-either/.

⁴ Amon, Diva J., et al. 2022. “Assessment of scientific gaps related to the effective environmental management of deep-seabed mining.” Marine Policy 140: 105027. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X22000537. Also refer, Amon, Diva J., Lisa A. Levin, Anna Metaxas, Gavin Mudd, and Craig R. Smith. 2022. “Do we need deep-seabed mining?” One Earth 5, no. 3: 370-377. https://library.sprep.org/sites/default/files/2023-05/heading-deep-seaed-mining.pdf.

⁵ Singh, P., Jaeckel, A., & Ardron, J. A. (2025). A Pause or Moratorium for Deep Seabed Mining in the Area? The Legal Basis, Potential Pathways, and Possible Policy Implications. Ocean development and international law, 56(1), 18-44. doi:10.1080/00908320.2024.2439877.

⁶ United Nations. 1982. United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Articles 149 and 303.

⁷ United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). 2001. Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage. Adopted November 2, 2001. https://www.unesco.org/en/underwater-heritage/2001-convention.

⁸ Maui Nui Makai Network. Accessed October 2, 2025. https://www.mauinui.net.

⁹ Deep Currents Collective. 2025. “Voices from the Deep.” Accessed October 2, 2025. https://www.deepcurrentscollective.org/voices-from-the-deep. Also refer to TBA21 (Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary). 2025. Accessed October 2, 2025. https://www.tba21.org.

¹⁰ Alex Moore-Minott on Maroon Legacy, Ancestral Voices. “Maroon Legacy.” Accessed October 2, 2025. https://ancestralvoices.co.uk/maroon-legacy/.

Our Heritage and Futures: Negotiating the Deep Ocean - Reflections from the ISA 30th Session, Kingston

By Dr Mekhala Dave - Ocean Law & Policy Analyst

Members of the Deep Currents Collective with collaborators at the Our Collective Seabed exhibition, Kingston. © National Gallery of Jamaica

Audience at the Our Collective Seabed side event and exhibition, 22 July 2025, National Gallery of Jamaica, Kingston. © Photo by IISD/ENB – Andrés Felipe Carvajal Gómez

The attendance was made possible through the Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Foundation’s observer seat and funded by the SMMI HEI Funding.

Author

Footnotes

⁶ United Nations. 1982. United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Articles 149 and 303.

⁸ Maui Nui Makai Network. Accessed October 2, 2025. https://www.mauinui.net.

¹⁰ Alex Moore-Minott on Maroon Legacy, Ancestral Voices. “Maroon Legacy.” Accessed October 2, 2025. https://ancestralvoices.co.uk/maroon-legacy/.

Our Heritage and Futures: Negotiating the Deep Ocean - Reflections from the ISA 30th Session, Kingston

By Dr Mekhala Dave - Ocean Law & Policy Analyst

Members of the Deep Currents Collective with collaborators at the Our Collective Seabed exhibition, Kingston. © National Gallery of Jamaica

Audience at the Our Collective Seabed side event and exhibition, 22 July 2025, National Gallery of Jamaica, Kingston. © Photo by IISD/ENB – Andrés Felipe Carvajal Gómez

The attendance was made possible through the Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Foundation’s observer seat and funded by the SMMI HEI Funding.

Author

Footnotes

⁶ United Nations. 1982. United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Articles 149 and 303.

⁸ Maui Nui Makai Network. Accessed October 2, 2025. https://www.mauinui.net.

¹⁰ Alex Moore-Minott on Maroon Legacy, Ancestral Voices. “Maroon Legacy.” Accessed October 2, 2025. https://ancestralvoices.co.uk/maroon-legacy/.

‘New reality’ as world reaches first climate tipping point

With ministers gathering today ahead of the COP30 summit, the second Global Tipping Points Report finds that warm-water coral reefs are passing their tipping point.

Nearly a billion people and a quarter of all marine life depend on these reefs, and widespread dieback is taking place. Unless global warming is reversed, extensive reefs as we know them will be lost, although small refuges may survive and must be protected.

With global warming set to breach 1.5°C, the report by 160 scientists at 87 institutions in 23 countries, including the ��ɫ��Ƶ, argues that countries must minimise temperature overshoot to avoid crossing more tipping points. Every fraction of a degree and every year spent above 1.5°C matters.

Action to trigger “positive tipping points” of self-propelling change, such as the rollout of green technologies, now offers the only credible route to a safe, just and sustainable future, the report says.

The researchers are working with Brazil’s COP30 Presidency to ensure that tipping points are on the agenda at the summit.

Professor Tim Lenton at the University of Exeter, which led the report, said: “We are rapidly approaching multiple Earth system tipping points that could transform our world, with devastating consequences for people and nature. This demands immediate, unprecedented action from leaders at COP30 and policymakers worldwide.

“In the two years since the first Global Tipping Points Report, there has been a radical global acceleration in some areas, including the uptake of solar power and electric vehicles. But we need to do more – and move faster – to seize positive tipping point opportunities. By doing so, we can drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions and tip the world away from catastrophic tipping points and towards a thriving, sustainable future.”

Dr Mike Barrett, chief scientific advisor at WWF-UK and co-author of the report, said: “The findings of this report are incredibly alarming. That warm-water coral reefs are passing their thermal tipping point is a tragedy for nature and the people that rely on them for food and income. This grim situation must be a wake-up call that unless we act decisively now, we will also lose the Amazon rainforest, the ice sheets and vital ocean currents. In that scenario we would be looking at a truly catastrophic outcome for all humanity.

“As we head into the COP30 climate negotiations it’s vital that all parties grasp the gravity of the situation and the extent of what we all stand to lose if the climate and nature crises are not addressed. The solutions are within our reach. Countries must show the political bravery and leadership to work together and achieve them."

��ɫ��Ƶ researcher Dr Kathryn Gunn contributed to a section of the report looking at Southern Ocean overturning circulation. This overturning is a key part of the global climate system, moving heat, carbon, and nutrients between the surface and deep ocean.

“This circulation depends on Dense Shelf Water—very cold, salty seawater that forms around Antarctica, sinks and flows along the ocean floor,” says Dr Gunn.

“But as Antarctic ice melts it adds freshwater to the Southern Ocean, which is less dense and less likely to sink, slowing the ‘engine’ driving the Southern Ocean overturning circulation.

“There is growing evidence that the formation of dense shelf water is declining. If this continues, long-standing connectivity between the surface and deep ocean may be disrupted, or stop entirely, with major impacts on global climate, sea level, and ocean ecosystems.”

“To understand these changes, we need more direct observations of this hard-to-reach area and continued improvement of computer simulations.”

The report says that the nature of abrupt and irreversible Earth system tipping points mean that they pose a different type of threat to other environmental challenges, and that current policies and decision-making processes are not adequate to respond.

It says global action must include accelerating emissions reductions and scaling up carbon removal to minimise temperature overshoot. The expected impacts of tipping processes need to be considered in risk assessments, adaptation policies, loss and damage mechanisms and human rights litigation.

Dr Manjana Milkoreit, from the University of Oslo, said: “Current policy thinking doesn’t usually take tipping points into account. Tipping points present distinct governance challenges compared to other aspects of climate change or environmental decline, requiring both governance innovations and reforms of existing institutions.

“Preventing tipping points requires ‘frontloaded’ mitigation pathways that minimise peak global temperature, the duration of the overshoot period above 1.5°C, and the return time below 1.5°C. Sustainable carbon dioxide removal approaches need to be rapidly scaled up to achieve this.”

The report’s authors are working with Brazil’s COP30 Presidency on the “Action Agenda” as a platform for accelerating climate transition plans and triggering self-reinforcing change across different sectors – from agriculture to energy, from forests to cities – towards low-carbon and climate-resilient global transformation.

The President Designate of COP30 in Brazil, Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago, said: “As part of a global mobilisation against climate change – our ‘Global Mutirão’ – the COP30 Presidency invited community leaders, scholars and scientists to explore the best available science and ancestral wisdom around how our institutions can gain exponentiality in deploying solutions and versatility in responding to the climate crisis, including through agile, iterative and adaptive capabilities.

“I welcome the Global Tipping Points Report as a positive and timely response to our invitation. The report stands as hopeful and sober evidence that humanity can still choose to change and evolve towards a safe, prosperous and equitable future.”

Exhibition to celebrate 100 years of Discovery

Between Ice and Ocean: 100 Years of RRS Discovery marks the centenary of the Discovery Investigations, which heralded the modern era of British oceanographic research and conservation.

The RRS Discovery had originally been built in 1901 during what became known as the ‘Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration’. It was the first ship in the world purpose-built for scientific research in ice-packed Antarctica and launched the careers of Robert Falcon Scott, Ernest Shackleton and other notable polar explorers.

After being refitted by Vosper in Portsmouth in 1922, the ship became the first to carry the title Royal Research Ship (RRS).

The ship set sail from Falmouth in September 1925 with the aim of studying whale populations in the Southern Ocean, as well as the ecology and oceanography of the South Atlantic and Antarctic waters.

The Discovery Investigations continued until 1951 and provided evidence that several whale species were on the brink of extinction. This sparked some of the earliest marine conservation efforts and ultimately led to the global ban on commercial whaling, which remains in place today.

Today, the modern RRS Discovery, the fourth ship of its name and based at the National Oceanography Centre in ��ɫ��Ƶ, continues this tradition of undertaking important oceanographic research, boasting state-of-the-art capabilities that had not even been imagined possible 100 years ago.

The exhibition tells the story of the ship and the lives of the crew, officers and scientists who sailed on board.

It features a 2.5-meter-long recreation of the original RRS Discovery hull, which ��ɫ��Ƶ scientists have been rigorously testing in the University’s towing tank. The replica was created using a ‘digital twin’ made by the same team.

The replica hull being tested in the towing tank

Dr Michael Grant, from Coastal and Offshore Archaeological Research Services at the ��ɫ��Ƶ, says: “RRS Discovery was a wooden ship built not only to undertake scientific exploration but also to traverse the equator through to the Southern Ocean, and survive the Antarctic ice. The need to deal with lots of different, contrasting conditions resulted in a ship with some very unique design choices to meet these challenging environments.

“By recreating these conditions within our towing tank, we can see how the ship would have handled and how this compares to reports we have from those onboard.”

Boards featuring documents, photographs and maps from the National Oceanographic Library’s archives reveal fascinating details about life onboard the ship, such as the clothing they were allocated to withstand polar conditions, the supplies onboard, and even reports of unruly conduct.

Officers and scientific staff of Discovery

Karen Robson, Head of Archives and Special Collections at the ��ɫ��Ƶ, said: “The National Oceanographic Library archive and the exhibition illustrate the fascinating story of human endeavour as well as dedication to scientific work in extreme conditions, which is a part of the Discovery history.”

Today, RRS Discovery is docked at the Dundee Heritage Trust in Scotland, where it has been joined by its modern-day namesake to celebrate the centenary of the inaugural Discovery Investigations voyage and the founding of the British Royal Research Ship fleet.

The exhibition will be open to the public throughout October in Hartley Library’s Level 4 Gallery.

Ancient plankton hint at steadier future for ocean life

Researchers show that warming in the tropical Pacific — home to some of the world’s most productive fisheries — may not trigger the severe declines predicted by earlier models. Instead, the region’s fisheries could remain productive even as ocean temperatures rise.

The study, co-led by the University of South Florida (USF) and the University of Massachusetts Boston, working with an international team of scientists, including the ��ɫ��Ƶ, is due to publish online in Science .

Co-lead Patrick Rafter, a chemical oceanographer at USF’s College of Marine Science, said the findings are welcome news: “Our measurements suggest that, on a warmer planet, the availability of marine nutrients to fuel plant growth and fisheries may not necessarily decline.”

Nitrogen isotope expert at the ��ɫ��Ƶ, Dr Alexandra Auderset , generated the Atlantic Ocean record for the study which was used as a baseline to interpret the Pacific records, and helped examine ocean nutrient levels across hundreds of thousands of years and thousands of miles.

Dr Auderset comments: “Our findings show that looking deep into Earth’s past with new geochemical tools can reshape how we think about the future of ocean life. We are opening a new window into how resilient marine ecosystems might be in the face of future climate change.”

Foraminifera in a microscope slide. Credit: Kaitlin Prince/UMass Boston

The team turned to the Pliocene Epoch, 5.3 to 2.6 million years ago, when ocean warming trends were similar to today’s. By analysing nitrogen isotopes preserved in the shells of tiny plankton called foraminifera (forams), researchers reconstructed nutrient characteristics in the tropical Pacific.

Today, nutrient upwelling in the region supports vast blooms of plankton — the base of the marine food chain. During warming events like El Niño, this process weakens, reducing nutrients and harming fisheries. Previous studies suggested such conditions could become permanent in a hotter world.

But Patrick Rafter and his colleagues found no evidence of reduced nitrate concentrations — a key nutrient for plankton — in the eastern tropical Pacific over the last five million years. The results suggest that nutrient upwelling and biological productivity remained stable, despite higher global temperatures.

“We’ve used this nitrogen isotope like a geochemical fingerprint,” Patrick said. “We don’t have a time machine, but we can use our detective toolkit to reconstruct what happened in the ocean the last time Earth was as warm as today.”

Extracting the isotopes required painstaking work. Researchers from USF, the University of Massachusetts Boston, ��ɫ��Ƶ, the University of California Irvine and Princeton University hand-sorted foram shells from deep-sea cores, dissolved them and analysed the nitrogen isotopes with the help of bacteria.

“Analysing nitrogen isotopes derived from forams has allowed us to reconstruct the past with precision,” Patrick Rafter said. “We can compare these past conditions to today and make better predictions about the future. The methods we’ve used represent a big step forward in improving our predictive capabilities.”

Jesse Farmer, co-lead author and assistant professor at UMass Boston, thinks the findings provide cautious optimism.

“Our current warming is happening so quickly that the ocean may behave differently than it does when it’s been warm for a long time, as was the case in the Pliocene,” Jesse says, also noting modern threats such as ocean acidification and overfishing. He adds: “It’s good news that the nutrient supply to the eastern Pacific food web will be maintained in a warmer ocean.”

Looking ahead, the team plans to apply their ‘detective toolkit’ to other parts of the ocean.

“We’re looking at a changing system,” says Patrick Rafter. “What’s clear from this study is that the system is more complicated than we previously thought.”

This project first began in the lab of Daniel Sigman, the Dusenbury Professor of Geological and Geophysical Sciences at Princeton University.

Partners in the study are University of South Florida, University of Massachusetts Boston, UC Irvine, Princeton University, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, UC Santa Cruz, University of Colorado Boulder, ETH Zürich, National Taiwan University and ��ɫ��Ƶ.

Global partnership launches new maritime research centre

The new virtual centre aims to advance research and development in low- and zero-carbon maritime technologies, intelligent ship systems and digital innovation.

It will serve as a global platform for collaboration between industry and academia, supporting the sector’s transition towards a smarter and more sustainable future. The focus will be on translating research into practical, scalable solutions for deployment across global fleets.

Led by COSCO Shipping Group, the Centre will draw on each partner’s specialist strengths in technical standards, alternative fuels, vessel performance, intelligent navigation and digital modelling. Using COSCO Shipping’s extensive operational data and fleet network, it will test and validate new technologies that can deliver practical, real-world decarbonisation solutions.

The ��ɫ��Ƶ will use its expertise in maritime engineering, in particular in providing systems-level modelling of vessel energy use and provision to assess potential alternative fuels for large ocean-going vessels.

The expertise of the University in applying machine-learning to minimising fleet emissions, using our world-leading hydrodynamic testing facilities to understand complex fluid dynamics around ships (allowing emissions reductions), and autonomy for surface vessels, will all contribute to this centre. The institution’s experience in working with data recorded on ships at sea and of working with ship owners and operators will also be invaluable.

Professor Fraser Sturt, Director of ��ɫ��Ƶ Marine and Maritime Institute (SMMI) at the University, said: “It is exciting for the ��ɫ��Ƶ to be a partner in this Global Centre. We have worked alongside LR for many years and this is a great opportunity to work with other leading organisations in the maritime sector."

Professor Dominic Hudson, who leads the Centre for Maritime Futures at the ��ɫ��Ƶ, noted: “The challenges the maritime industry faces in decarbonisation are global and can only be tackled through global collaboration. We look forward to building on our research with other leading ship operators through this new partnership to really impact the shipping industry.”

Nick Brown, LR’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “This partnership is about turning ambition into action. Together with our partners, we are investing in the ideas, data and technologies that will help the maritime industry meet the challenges of the energy transition head-on and drive change that benefits both business and society.”

The founding partners have also established a Technical Committee to oversee research direction, ensure the continuity of innovation and align the Centre’s work with the maritime industry’s evolving technical and regulatory needs.

Prior to the Centre’s establishment, LR worked alongside the Shanghai Shipping and Science Research Institute (a branch of COSCO Shipping Group) and Shanghai Jiao Tong University to develop a techno-economic model for fleet energy transition. The model assesses multiple decarbonisation pathways and their associated costs, providing data-driven tools to support informed decision-making across the sector. The success of this collaboration laid an important foundation for the creation of the new innovation centre.

Ends

Celebrating 80 Years of UNESCO’s work on Heritage, Climate and Education Priorities

The debate, led by Jonathan Davies MP, recognised the organisation’s origins in London in 1945 and emphasised the continued need for international cooperation in addressing global challenges.
Members highlighted the strength and diversity of UNESCO designations across the UK, including World Heritage Sites, Biosphere Reserves, Global Geoparks and Creative Cities. MPs noted the value these designations bring to local communities, supporting cultural identity, tourism and economic development, while reinforcing the UK’s contribution to global cultural and scientific engagement.

Climate and Funding Challenges for UK UNESCO Sites

The debate addressed ongoing pressures facing UK heritage sites, particularly the rising costs of protection, conservation and restoration. MPs identified climate change as a significant threat, citing risks such as flooding, coastal erosion and degradation of fragile landscapes and historic structures.
A recurring concern was the balance between conservation and development, particularly where major planning and renewable energy projects intersect with protected areas. Members called for sustainable decision-making that recognises both the UK’s environmental commitments and its heritage responsibilities.

Education, Multilingualism and Global Leadership

Beyond heritage, the debate spotlighted UNESCO’s wider mission, including science diplomacy, multilingual education, cultural protection in conflict zones and ethical frameworks for emerging technologies. MPs emphasised that 40% of the world’s children are not taught in a language they understand, reinforcing the need for global educational equity.

Renewed Commitment to UNESCO’s Mission

The session concluded with calls for sustained UK leadership within UNESCO, including support for communities managing designations and stronger engagement in global education, science and cultural cooperation. The UK’s continued participation was described as both a national responsibility and an opportunity to support innovation, community resilience and international collaboration.

See the debate transcript for full details.

UNESCO and the ��ɫ��Ƶ’s excellence in maritime heritage

The Centre for Maritime Archaeology at the ��ɫ��Ƶ is a world leader in Maritime and Underwater Archaeology and represents the UK as a founding Member and former Chair of the UNESCO UNITWIN Network for Underwater Archaeology.

Our maritime archaeologists have worked closely with UNESCO to set the standards of best practice to safeguard underwater heritage and to disseminate our findings to the public. As an island nation, we have a long heritage of maritime activity: migration, fishing, naval and merchant maritime histories.

Through close work with UNESCO, the ��ɫ��Ƶ has driven the discourse surrounding the protection of coastal and underwater heritage, ocean security and sustainability. Ratification of the 2001 Convention is the next step in moving forward with UK’s leadership in ocean science and literacy.

“Being the national lead for our UNITWIN Network within the UK National Commission has enabled me to advise on policy and work with other UNESCO Chairs across the country” says Prof. Helen Farr. “It is a great way of amplifying the interdisciplinary work we do here at the University and advocating for the importance of studying and protecting our maritime cultural heritage.”

A few examples of the major Maritime Archaeology projects that the ��ɫ��Ƶ has led across the globe:

Black Sea MAP, the largest maritime archaeological project to have been conducted since the raising of the Mary Rose. This collaboration between UK, Bulgarian, Swedish and US institutions deployed cutting-edge technologies to transform our knowledge of sea-level change and seafaring, including identification of 65 new shipwrecks including the oldest intact wreck ever found, an Ancient Greek sailed galley from the classical era (c. 2500 years old). This project also included an education outreach programme using maritime science and archaeology to support STEM education to over 22,000 schools across England.
The MarEA project is documenting endangered maritime heritage across the Middle East and North Africa. The project works with local communities and partner organisations, using satellite and remote sensing data to create new, openly accessible datasets in order to record cultural heritage and aid coastal decision making and planning for the future.
Unpath’d Waters: Working with colleagues from across all four home nations, the ��ɫ��Ƶ developed AI tools to link and unlock hidden details held by each devolved body. The results allowed a first view of our shared maritime past, enabling new insights into change through time, guiding how we manage maritime space for future planning, offshore development, marine renewables and environmental sustainability.

“Our work follows Best Practice and implements the UNESCO 2001 Convention on Underwater Cultural Heritage, addressing many of the concerns raised in the parliamentary debate surrounding protection of heritage sites and the challenges that are faced today” shared Prof. Farr. “Whilst there are still legislative and administrative complexities with UK ratification, we believe that it still provides the best opportunity to safeguard our maritime heritage. Here at the CMA, we are well placed to work with interdisciplinary academics, industry and community stakeholders to learn about, communicate and protect our maritime and coastal heritage.”

Author

Nadiya Catel-Arutyunova is a Specialist Policy Officer at the ��ɫ��Ƶ Marine and Maritime Institute (SMMI). She strengthens the policy impact of marine and maritime research at the ��ɫ��Ƶ by building links between academics, policymakers and industry leaders. Drawing on expertise in law, diplomacy, and sustainability, she works across disciplines to ensure research and innovation inform policy and practice.

Professor Robert Nicholls recognised in 2025 Highly Cited Researcher List

The annual list, released by Clarivate Plc, recognises researchers whose contributions have demonstrated broad and significant influence in their fields.

It is compiled through rigorous analysis of global citation data, highlighting researchers whose work has had exceptional reach and influence, ranking in the top 1 per cent of citations for their fields.

Eight researchers from the ��ɫ��Ƶ are featured in the 2025 list – with four of these from FELS.

They are:

Professor Samuele Cortese – NIHR Research Professor, School of Psychology
Professor Justin Sheffield – Head of School, School of Geography and Environmental Science
Professor Andrew Tatem – Personal Chair, School of Geography and Environmental Science
Professor Robert Nicholls – Professor in Coastal Engineering, School of Ocean and Earth Science

The list, compiled by analysts from the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) at Clarivate, recognises 6,868 individuals from more than 1,300 institutions in 60 countries and regions. The selection process uses quantitative metrics and qualitative analysis to identify individuals whose work has had a genuine, global influence on their fields.

Each researcher selected has authored multiple Highly Cited Papers which rank in the top 1% by citations for their field(s) and publication year in the Web of Science Core Collection over the past eleven years. This list, based on citation data, is then refined using other quantitative metrics, as well as qualitative analysis and expert judgment.

View the 2025 Highly Cited Researcher list

Continents peel from below, triggering oceanic volcanoes

The research, led by the ��ɫ��Ƶ, shows how slivers of continents are slowly stripped from below and swept into the oceanic mantle – the hot, mostly solid layer beneath the ocean floor that slowly flows. Here, the continental material fuels volcanic activity for tens of millions of years.

The discovery solves a long-standing geological mystery: why many ocean islands far from plate tectonic boundaries contain materials that look distinctly continental, despite being found in the middle of oceans.

The study, published in Nature Geoscience , was led by the ��ɫ��Ƶ, and involved the GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam, Germany, the University of Potsdam, Queen’s University Canada, and Swansea University.

Ancient chemical trails in the mantle

Many ocean islands, such as Christmas Island in the northeast Indian Ocean, contain unusually high levels of certain so-called ‘enriched’ elements that are normally found in continents – possibly because deep Earth processes have folded in older, recycled material, much like a churning cake mixer.

It was thought these elements came from sediments that get recycled when ocean plates dive into the mantle, or by columns of hot rock, known as mantle plumes, which rise from deep within the Earth.

But these explanations fall short, as some volcanic regions show little sign of crustal recycling, while others appear too cool and shallow to be driven by mantle plumes.

“We’ve known for decades that parts of the mantle beneath the oceans look strangely contaminated, as if pieces of ancient continents somehow ended up in there,” said Thomas Gernon, Professor of Earth Science at the ��ɫ��Ƶ, and lead author of the study. “But we haven’t been able to adequately explain how all that continental material got there.”

The continents are peeling from below

A piece of the lowermost continental mantle (the crystalline roots of the continents). This represents the material that the research proposes is removed and swept sideways into the oceanic mantle. Credit: Prof Tom Gernon

The study proposes a novel answer: continents don’t just rift apart at the surface – they also peel away from below, and over much greater distances than previously thought possible.

The scientists developed simulations to mimic the behaviour of continents and mantle as they are stretched by tectonic forces.

Their work builds on their previous research showing that when continents break apart, deep tectonic forces trigger a wave of instabilities – a ‘mantle wave’ – that sweeps along the continents’ base, disturbing their roots at depths of 150 to 200 km.

This sweeping movement unfolds at an incredibly slow pace, just a millionth the speed of a snail, gradually stripping material from the deep roots of continents.

These peeled fragments are then swept sideways – sometimes over more than 1,000 km – into the oceanic mantle, where they feed volcanic eruptions in the ocean over tens of millions of years.

Study co-author Professor Sascha Brune, of GFZ in Potsdam, said: “We found that the mantle is still feeling the effects of continental breakup long after the continents themselves have separated. The system doesn’t switch off when a new ocean basin forms – the mantle keeps moving, reorganising, and transporting enriched material far from where it originated.”

Evidence from the Indian Ocean

The team analysed geochemical data from areas of the Earth including the Indian Ocean Seamount Province, a chain of volcanic features formed after the supercontinent Gondwana broke apart over 100 million years ago.

Through simulations and chemical analysis, they discovered that soon after Gondwana broke apart, a burst of unusually enriched magma rose to the surface.

Over tens of millions of years, that chemical signal faded as the flow of material from beneath the continent waned. This happened without a mantle plume coming from deep in the Earth, which geologists had long assumed must be responsible.

Professor Gernon explained: “We’re not ruling out mantle plumes, but this discovery points to a completely new mechanism that also shapes the composition of the Earth’s mantle. Mantle waves can carry blobs of continental material far into the oceanic mantle, leaving behind a chemical signature that endures long after the continents have broken apart.”

The study builds on the team’s recent discovery that mantle waves can also stir dramatic changes deep within continents. Their earlier work showed that these slow, rolling movements in the Earth’s mantle can help trigger diamond eruptions and even reshape landscapes thousands of kilometres from the edges of tectonic plates.

‘From Plankton to Plate’ event marks World Fisheries Day at ��ɫ��Ƶ

Researchers, students, practitioners and community partners came together in the ��ɫ��Ƶ city centre on Wednesday, 19 November for From Plankton to Plate, an event to celebrate World Fisheries Day.

World Fisheries Day is held each year on 21 November to highlight the vital role of fisheries in food security, livelihoods and healthy oceans. The day calls attention to the need for sustainable fish stocks and better support for the communities who depend on fishing, especially small-scale and coastal groups.

The evening explored how marine life connects across the food chain, from microscopic plankton to whales, fisheries and the coastal communities shaped by the sea. It was hosted by the ��ɫ��Ƶ Marine & Maritime Institute, iPACT and the Future Towns Innovation Hub.

Researchers from across the University shared perspectives on marine ecosystems, aquaculture, fisheries systems and the changing relationships between people and the sea. The talks prompted thoughtful questions from attendees and showed how strongly these issues resonate across our region.

Discussion shaped by community questions

Audience questions covered areas from climate-driven species shifts to the future of coastal livelihoods. Speakers reflected on how communities are adapting to fast-moving environmental and economic pressures, with Dr Sien van der Plank noting that constant change “comes with a cost” for those who depend on the sea.

Panellists also explored the pressures facing traditional industries, including the decline of dry-fish production in parts of India and the growing challenge of recruiting younger generations into fisheries. Questions about ecological resilience, carbon cycling, vessel safety and the potential use of AI for data analysis highlighted both the complexity of today’s coastal challenges and the appetite for new tools and collaborative approaches.

Across the discussion, one theme stood out: the need to connect ecological science with social realities and community priorities, as Professor William Powrie emphasised when he said, “These issues have to be defined by the community, not by us as academics.”

Engaging talks sparked thoughtful questions and lively conversations from the audience

Launching Coastal Communities South

The event also marked the launch of Coastal Communities South, a new network designed to bring together local authorities, community groups, researchers, charities, businesses, and organisations across the south coast.

The network’s aim is to define shared challenges, strengthen collaboration, amplify local voices and help coastal places navigate environmental, social and economic change.

Join the mailing list to be updated on future events and opportunities as part of the Coastal Communities South initiative.

Professor Paul Kemp outlining the vision for Coastal Communities South

Acknowledgements

Our sincere thanks to all who made the evening possible. With thanks to Professor Paul Kemp for hosting the evening and chairing the panel, and to our speakers for sharing their expertise and enthusiasm: Dr Cathy Lucas, Dr Julie Mestre, Avanthika Kamath, Dr Sien van der Plank, Imali Manikarachchige, Freya Ivy Palmer, Professor William Powrie and Professor Fraser Sturt.

Thank you also to the organising team, Jenny Knight, Ruby Jackson and Carin Reisinger.

SMMI at the Solent Forum in Cowes, Isle of Wight

On 15 October 2025, Dr Sien van der Plank presented the SMMI Special Interest Groups (SIGs) to the Solent Forum, highlighting upcoming research exploring access to blue and green spaces on the Isle of Wight.

Sien showcased two projects that have grown from previous SMMI workshops focused on improving local access to natural spaces.

Green-Blue Connections explores how people on the Isle of Wight experience and use natural green and blue spaces. Through surveys, creative engagement, and collaboration with local partners, the team is uncovering what makes these spaces valuable for health and wellbeing, and how they can be made more accessible and enjoyable for the community.

Building Resilience through Nature-based Solutions investigates how coastal communities can benefit from green and blue spaces in their everyday lives. By combining fieldwork with community engagement, the team is developing ways to measure and enhance access to these spaces, ensuring that all residents, particularly those facing challenges, can benefit from their mental health and wellbeing potential.

In her own Forum update, Solent Forum Manager Kate Ansell highlighted growing interest in how people engage with blue and green spaces across the Solent, demonstrating the potential for further joint research and collaborative action in this area.

The Solent Forum brings together over 50 stakeholders across the Solent, including harbour authorities, marine businesses, charities, and agencies. It provides an important space for SMMI members to connect with local partners, understand pressing challenges, and explore new research opportunities. As an SMMI member, our community has access to Forum resources, and our named representatives or delegates participate in their twice-yearly meetings.

There are many benefits to engaging with the Forum and staying updated:

The Solent Forum Monthly News and biannual newsletter provide opportunities to share research outputs with over 500 direct subscribers.
The website receives over 5,000 unique visitors each month, and members can contribute content for publication.
The Solent Forum Information database summarises available data on local coasts and provides a platform for researchers to promote their open-access datasets.
The Forum can support research proposals through letters of support and networking opportunities.

The ��ɫ��Ƶ Marine and Maritime Institute connects researchers from across all five faculties of the ��ɫ��Ƶ to work with businesses, governments, and organisations to address marine and maritime challenges. This collaborative effort takes place at global meetings, the national policy agenda, and on our doorstep – the south coast of the UK.

The SMMI is well placed to lead Forum-university collaborations, and it would be great to see SMMI and SIG members attending and presenting at future Forum meetings.

To stay informed or share Solent-based projects, colleagues can sign up to the Forum’s monthly e-news distribution list by emailing info@solentforum.org. You can also follow them on LinkedIn.

Dr Sien van der Plank is a Lecturer in the School of Geography and Environmental Science and serves as the Champion of the SMMI Coastal Communities SIG. Her research focuses on how communities adapt to coastal change, including citizen science, oral histories, and local-scale strategies for resilient coastal futures.

Ancient Australian settlers

The genetic research reveals two distinct groups of settlers dispersed into the region from different parts of what is now South East Asia.

The study, published in the journal Science Advances, is a collaboration between archaeogeneticists, archaeologists, earth scientists and oceanographers. It clarifies the much-debated who, where and when of this early maritime migration.

The work was funded by a European Research Council grant to Professor Helen Farr of the ��ɫ��Ƶ’s Centre for Maritime Archaeology, with the archaeogenetics team led by Professor Martin Richards at the University of Huddersfield’s Archaeogenetics Research Group.

During the last Ice Age, when sea levels were much lower than they are today, New Guinea and Australia were part of a single landmass, known as Sahul. There has been a long-running discussion about both the timing of the first settlement of Sahul and the routes by which people first travelled to the ancient super-continent.

A map showing migration routes into the ancient super-continent of Sahul that encompassed modern day Australia.

It is widely known that the ancestors of New Guineans and Aboriginal Australians have inhabited Sahul for tens of thousands of years, with many Aboriginal Australians understanding that they have always been ‘on country’.

However, for western scientists and archaeologists, the details of global dispersals have remained controversial.

There are two views on the timing of the settlement – the ‘long chronology’, suggesting that the first settlement goes back to around 60,000 years and the ‘short chronology’, which argues for a first landfall around 45,000 to 50,000 years.

The interdisciplinary team, including colleagues at the University of Minho in Portugal, at La Trobe University in Australia, and the University of Oxford, focused firstly on human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genomes to address this question. The mtDNA is inherited only from the mother, and the way the mtDNA sequences vary from one person to the next can therefore be used to recreate the maternal genealogy in great detail.

The team analysed almost 2,500 mtDNA genomes from Aboriginal Australians, New Guineans, and people from the western Pacific and Southeast Asia. They used these to build a genealogical tree and looked at the way the lineages in the tree were distributed from one population to the next. As all DNA changes gradually over time, they used the amount of change in the lineages – known as the ‘molecular clock’ – to date lineages from each region.

Their findings showed that the most ancient lineages seen either in Aboriginal Australians, New Guineans, or both, but nowhere else, dated to around 60,000 years, coming down firmly in support of the long chronology.

The ancestry of the most ancient lineages could be traced back to Southeast Asia. But the team also found that while the majority traced back to more northerly parts of Southeast Asia – northern Indonesia and the Philippines – a significant minority traced to more southerly parts – southern Indonesia, Malaysia and Indochina. This suggested there were at least two distinct dispersal routes into Sahul with lineages from both routes dated to around the same arrival time.

Professor Martin Richards and Professor Helen Farr.

��ɫ��Ƶ’s Professor Helen Farr comments: “This is a great story that helps refine our understanding of human origins, maritime mobility and early seafaring narratives. It reflects the really deep heritage that Indigenous communities have in this region and the skills and technology of these early voyagers.”

The work is especially significant as although the new genetic results fit well with the archaeological and palaeoenvironmental picture, in the last few years many geneticists have been moving in the opposite direction, towards a short chronology

Professor Martin Richards said: “We feel that this is strong support for the long chronology. Still, estimates based on the molecular clock can always be challenged, and the mitochondrial DNA is only one line of descent. We are currently analysing hundreds of whole human genome sequences – 3 billion bases each, compared to 16,000 – to test our results against the many thousands of other lines of descent throughout the human genome.

“In the future there will be further archaeological discoveries, and we can also hope that ancient DNA might be recovered from key remains, so we can more directly test these models and distinguish between them.”

The work is published in the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s journal Science Advances. A companion paper by a similar interdisciplinary team including both Professor Richards and Professor Farr and led by Dr Pedro Soares of the University of Minho, used to check the accuracy of the molecular clock data, was published in October in the journal Scientific Reports.

Science Policy Secondment into the UK Civil Service Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)

It was a unique opportunity for Dr Kwa to gain first-hand experience on how scientific research can be used to inform the policymaking process and explore potential routes to accelerate and enhance research impact. Dr Kwa’s secondment was enabled by an EPSRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) award and support from SMMI and the Royal Academy of Engineering. Dr Kwa was inspired to pursue the secondment after attending the Royal Society Policy Primer , a residential course that aims to help researchers better understand the rapidly changing policy landscape in the UK, and how science research helps to shape and is shaped by Government policy.

Dr Kwa worked with the DESNZ Energy Engineering Team to enable scaling up of floating offshore wind (FLOW) around the UK, identifying ways to overcome barriers in FLOW commercial viability and supply chain pressures, by reducing costs and material requirements for the FLOW support structure. Deployment of farm scale FLOW around the UK is essential to achieve the UK’s 2040 offshore wind target of 34 GW of electricity generation, because FLOW unlocks access to more wind energy and ocean space further from shore, in deeper waters where fixed bottom offshore wind is not feasible. However, while the UK has a very high potential for floating offshore wind, the current levelized cost (LCOE) of floating offshore wind needs to decrease (from £0.15 per kwh) to be more comparable to commercially viable fixed bottom offshore wind (at £0.059 per kwh). The material cost of FLOW support structure components, which includes the tower, floater and mooring line chain components, is not commercially scalable, as it is 10 times more expensive per MW of generated electricity compared to fixed bottom offshore wind, and the steel material requirements for these components exceed current supply chain capacity.

Dr Kwa’s work on ‘Using artificial intelligence to optimise the capital cost of floating offshore wind’ involved creating a novel automated design optimisation framework that treats the design of the full FLOW support structure holistically, to capture beneficial coupled design optimisation between support structure components. The analysis identified an optimised FLOW support structure design that could save up to 18% in the capital cost and 10% in material requirements. This translates to a potential upscaled cost saving of £4.3 billion for future farm scale UK FLOW.

The secondment’s project findings were compiled into a report that Dr Kwa presented at the London Whitehall office to the Science and Innovation for Climate Energy (SICE) Directorate within DESNZ, which includes a number of teams with expertise in Energy Engineering, Policy and Innovation Delivery. The presentation was very well received, prompting lots of interesting questions and discussions.

Dr Kwa has described her secondment as ‘an enriching and worthwhile experience. I learnt a lot and it has been an excellent opportunity to highlight the expertise we have at ��ɫ��Ƶ in the Energy Engineering space, through working with the DESNZ Energy Engineering Team and also from having them come to visit some of the ��ɫ��Ƶ laboratories as one of their Away Days .’ She is ‘happy to share (her) experience with others and connect SMMI colleagues who are interested in pursuing a secondment with DESNZ in the future.’

SMMI and partners deliver a successful two‑day course in Larnaca on Autonomous Futures

The course, Autonomous Futures: Drones for Health, Heritage, Transport, Science and Security, brought together researchers, practitioners, and early‑career professionals to explore the rapidly evolving role of autonomous systems across multiple sectors.

Designed as an accessible yet academically rich introduction to autonomous operations, the course combined informal lectures with hands‑on practical activities led by experts including Professor Tom Cherrett, Professor David White, Professor Fraser Sturt, Professor Damon Teagle, Dr Katherine Theobald, Dr Felix Pedrotti, and Dr Emma Curtis. Participants from a wide range of professional backgrounds gained new skills in mission planning, operational risk assessment, data analysis, and the evaluation of real‑world applications.

Interactive sessions included VR‑based autonomy scenarios, AI‑assisted seabed mapping, and a popular gamified exercise in which teams designed drone delivery routes across Cyprus. Practical demonstrations of heritage mapping and environmental monitoring—both terrestrial and marine—provided direct insight into how autonomous tools are being used to support archaeology, ecology, logistics, and public services.

The programme was enriched by a public lecture delivered by Professor Tom Cherrett, “Drones in Society: The Scope for Drone Logistics to Improve Healthcare Provision.” Hosted at CMMI and attended by representatives from local government, academia, and industry, the lecture explored how drone logistics can support more resilient and equitable healthcare, particularly in remote or resource‑limited communities.

Alongside the course, the CMMI hosted a showcase of ongoing research projects, giving attendees the opportunity to meet scientists working across the institute’s autonomy programmes and learn more about developments taking place in the Eastern Mediterranean. The presence of the Mayor of Larnaca, Mr Andreas Vyras, underscored the city’s commitment to innovation and to strengthening partnerships with European research institutions.

The course forms part of SMMI’s ongoing collaboration with CMMI and the Lorelei‑X project to build capacity in autonomous systems, support innovation in maritime and coastal environments, and develop the next generation of researchers and practitioners. The enthusiasm and engagement seen throughout the two days highlighted both demand for these skills and the growing impact of autonomous technologies across sectors.

Funded through Horizon Europe, the Lorelei‑X project is accelerating the development and testing of autonomous systems for marine and maritime applications. This short course demonstrates how international collaboration can translate cutting‑edge research into practical training, supporting both regional and global innovation in autonomous operations.

The SMMI extends its thanks to all instructors and participants whose energy and expertise made the event a success.

Group photo including members of the SMMI research team involved in leading the Autonomous Futures short course

Tom Cherrett (middle) and Katherine Theobald (right) at the research showcase

Cedric Muscat wins Malta Intellectual Property Award for Emerging Innovation

Supervised by Prof. Susan Gourvenec (SMMI Deputy Director and IROE chair) and Dr Hugo Putuhena for his individual project at part of his undergraduate civil engineering course at the ��ɫ��Ƶ, Cedric identified suitable locations for offshore wind in Malta. The results proved promising; with 40% of Malta’s marine space suitable for offshore wind and only a tenth of that would provide enough electricity to supply 7 times Malta’s peak energy demand, providing attractive export potential. For this research and findings, Cedric was awarded the winner for Technological Initiative by Hon. Silvio Schembri, Minister for the Economy, Enterprise and Strategic Projects in Malta.

The Malta Intellectual Property Awards are awarded to 6 individuals or companies to recognise their efforts in developing their ideas, concepts and operational processes. In doing so the Government of Malta aims to encourage the development of innovative ideas and products which have a degree of potential that is both unique and sustainable. The winners of the Malta Innovation Awards also receive an award from the World Intellectual Property Organisation.

You can watch Cedric’s interview presentation on YouTube.

The Malta Intellectual Property Award follows on from Cedric’s previous work which he presented at Thalassa 2024 and published on the EMODnet portal. Since then, Cedric has continued this research, supervised by Prof. Susan Gourvenec and Dr Hugo Putuhena for his PhD by conducting a geospatial analysis for offshore renewable energy for the rest of Europe.

Find out more about IROE: Intelligent and Resilient Ocean Engineering.

Spatial datasets of Malta’s EEZ

Cedric Muscat and the other winners at the Malta Intellectual Property Awards 2025

��ɫ��Ƶ secures major grant to advance sustainable offshore wind planning in the Greater North Sea

This major grant recognises ��ɫ��Ƶ’s growing strength in marine, coastal, and offshore systems research and marks a significant success for project lead Dr Hugo Putuhena and the team.

The four‑year programme (January 2026–December 2029) will generate vital new knowledge about how offshore wind interacts with other human activities and the marine environment. As offshore wind expands at unprecedented speed, decision‑makers increasingly need tools that help balance energy development with fishing, shipping, biodiversity, and coastal community interests. This project aims to provide exactly that.

Working alongside Hugo is a strong interdisciplinary team of co‑investigators from across the ��ɫ��Ƶ: Dr Alexandra Karamitrou, Dr Sien Van Der Plank, Professor Jasmin Godbold, Professor David White and SMMI Director, Professor Fraser Sturt. The team covers expertise in Spatial analysis, Archaeology, Human Geography, Marine Biology and Ecology, and Engineering.

Hugo, Alexandra, and Sien also serve as champions of two of the SMMI Special Interest Groups for Digital Oceans and Coastal Communities, helping to shape the Institute’s strategic research activities in these areas.

The team will assess how offshore wind development affects other marine activities, the seabed, and wider ecosystems, while developing new tools that can help governments and industry plan responsibly. The project will bring together existing data, apply artificial intelligence to fill key evidence gaps, and produce new digital maps, models, and an open decision‑support tool to guide future ocean planning across the Greater North Sea.

"With the project, we will conduct a thorough assessment of how offshore wind impacts other human activities, the seabed and ecosystems” says Hugo. “The goal is to gain a deeper understanding of the overall consequences. At the same time, we will develop new decision support tools that provide unprecedented insights into the cumulative effects of offshore wind development in the North Sea,"

The project will be delivered in collaboration with research groups, authorities, industry partners, and coastal communities across the region, ensuring the outcomes support a more holistic, evidence‑based approach to offshore wind expansion.

Learn more about the wider programme via the VELUX FOUNDATION announcement.

Healthy Coasts, Smart Choices: Exploring Ocean Futures at SOTSEF 2026

The annual ��ɫ��Ƶ Science and Engineering Festival (SOTSEF) brought thousands of visitors to campus for hands on discovery across science, engineering and the arts. Among the hotspots for marine and maritime was the Coastal Communities South (CCS) stand at Boldrewood Innovation Campus, where researchers from across the ��ɫ��Ƶ came together to deliver Healthy Coasts, Smart Choices — an interactive activity exploring the links between coastal environments, seafood systems and the communities who rely on them.

Hosted by partners from the Future Towns Innovation Hub (FTIH), the ��ɫ��Ƶ Marine and Maritime Institute (SMMI) and the Infrastructure for Port Cities and Coastal Towns (iPACT), the CCS team showcased how coasts are shared spaces where fishing, wildlife, shipping, energy and recreation overlap. Visitors explored an illustrated coastal scene and contributed drawings and Post it notes describing what they value most about the coast and what they would like to see improved. These reflections will inform future CCS engagement and help shape conversations around coastal resilience, wellbeing and local identity.

One of the day’s highlights was the “Tragedy of the Commons” fishing game, where visitors used small magnetic rods to “catch” fish while being challenged to leave enough in the sea to breed. Children quickly grasped the balance between catching as many as possible and conserving stocks for the future, sparking conversations about sustainable seafood, quotas and how individual choices can contribute to healthy oceans.

Imali Manikarachchige showing visitors how sustainable fishing works through the “Tragedy of the Commons” game

Beyond the CCS stand, marine themed activities across campus helped broaden the picture of how society interacts with the ocean. At Highfield Campus, the Turner Sims hosted a day of Marine Music, bringing together researchers from the School of Ocean and Earth Science (Dr Julie Mestre) with musician Fran Lobo for songwriting workshops inspired by whales and ocean science. Families joined drop in craft sessions and musical storytelling, discovering how creativity can help communicate marine research in new and engaging ways.

Families turning ocean science into songs during the Marine Music workshops at Turner Sims

At Boldrewood, the Intelligent and Resilient Ocean Engineering (IROE) team immersed visitors in the world of offshore engineering. Through hands on activities, demonstrations and an interactive quiz, attendees learned how offshore wind turbines are designed, anchored and tested, and why engineering choices are essential to building sustainable energy systems. Younger visitors installed model foundations in simulated seabeds, tested anchors, explored geotechnical materials and proudly wore “Future Ocean Engineer” stickers after completing the challenge.

The IROE team guiding visitors through hands‑on offshore wind challenges and engineering demos

The Maritime Engineering group also opened the Boldrewood Towing Tank, giving visitors a hands on look at how boats, ships and offshore structures are designed and tested. Families drove a remote controlled tug along the 138 metre tank, explored how different hull shapes move through water, and experimented with sinking a small model boat using golf balls. Visitors also tried adjusting weights on miniature AUV models to make them neutrally buoyant, a simple but effective way to understand the engineering behind ocean exploring robots and marine technologies.

The Maritime Robotics team showcasing how miniature AUVs are balanced and controlled

Together, these activities highlighted the breadth of ocean related research at the ��ɫ��Ƶ, from cultural connections and environmental change to engineering innovation and community resilience.

New video explores solutions to maritime decarbonisation at ��ɫ��Ƶ

The film brings together researchers and engineers from across the ��ɫ��Ƶ, showcasing work on wind-assisted propulsion, hydrogen fuels, and ship efficiency, alongside the experimental facilities and industrial partnerships that underpin this research. It highlights how systems-level thinking and collaboration are helping to accelerate progress towards lower-emission shipping.

The video also reflects the breadth of activity across the SMMI and wider ��ɫ��Ƶ, from fundamental research through to applied engineering and real-world trials with industry partners, demonstrating how innovation moves from concept to deployment.

The maritime sector is responsible for the majority of global trade, making its transition to lower-carbon operation a critical global challenge. This new film illustrates how researchers are working across disciplines and with industry to develop solutions that can be scaled across fleets and ports worldwide.

Hear how our experts from across engineering, fuels, and systems research are developing and testing practical solutions to address the maritime decarbonisation challenge, and how working with industry is helping move them into real-world use

Featuring research and designs from:

Acua Ocean, USV Pioneer
Just Add Water, Shell (JAWS)
Seatech
Smart Green Shipping, Winds of Change Project
Spaera
Theyr Voyage Optimisation Solution (T-VOS)

Facilities showcased include:

Related Centres, Institutes & Groups:

Sarg’COPE – Sargassum Community Outreach and Participatory Education

Barbados, Dominica and other Eastern Caribbean islands have been dealing with a wide range of socio-economic and environmental impacts from these recurrent sargassum influxes, with the fishing industry being one of the industries heavily impacted (Figure 1 and Figure 2). During periods of intense sargassum accumulation, fish landing sites, particularly those on the south and east coasts of these islands, can become heavily inundated. This obstructs access to sea, hindering fishermen’s ability to launch their boats which results in them losing valuable fishing days (Figure 3 and Figure 4).

In response, this project was developed to improve our understanding of sargassum dynamics while prioritising knowledge exchange with affected communities. The main focus has been participatory engagement with fishing communities and educational institutions in Barbados and Dominica. Supported by the SMMI 2025/2026 HEIF Fund, field visits were conducted in Barbados (22-27 March 2026) and Dominica (12-18 April 2026). Activities included stakeholder workshops with fishermen and students, as well as consultations with government officials to discuss impacts of sargassum and explore strategies for its management.

Figure 2 Sargassum influx on the east coast of Dominica

Fisheries workshop

Fishers’ routine interactions with sargassum have provided them with experience-based understanding of oceanic and atmospheric conditions associated with its arrival. This knowledge is a valuable resource that can contribute to improving both localised forecasting efforts and management strategies. Recognising this, fisheries-focused workshops were conducted in both Barbados and Dominica to educate fishermen on sargassum dynamics and to document fishers’ experiences, perceptions, and ecological knowledge of the seaweed (Figure 5). These workshops provided the opportunity for two-way knowledge exchange.
To extend monitoring beyond the coastal region, participating fishers were encouraged to share geo-referenced photos and videos of offshore sargassum via WhatsApp (Figure 6).

This participatory monitoring approach enables real-time or near-real time documentation of sargassum distribution at sea which compliments coastal observations and enhances spatial coverage of monitoring efforts. In Dominica, engagement was further strengthened through collaboration with the Soufriere Scottshead Marine Reserve. Discussions with the reserve manager focused on introducing the project and promoting awareness among user groups including fishers, divers and yacht operators, regarding the reporting of offshore sargassum. The Dominica Fisheries Division has committed to ongoing outreach, including the continuation of workshops at fish landing sites that are impacted

Figure 3 Fish landing site in Barbados inundated with decomposing sargassum

Figure 4 Two fish landing sites in Dominica inundated with sargassum

Figure 5 Fisheries workshop conducted at the Barbados Fisheries Division

Figure 6 Flyers shared with fishermen to inform them about the project and sharing of sargassum data

SargSnap Stations

To involve other beach users in sargassum monitoring, SargSNAP! Stations (Sargassum CoastSnap stations) will be installed at select coastal locations around both islands to raise public awareness of sargassum dynamics and to enable systematic data collection of sargassum influxes through citizen science (Figure 7). The CoastSnap mobile app allows persons to share photos of sargassum

Figure 7 Example of a SargSNAP! sign to be installed at beaches in Barbados and Dominica

1.1 School Workshops

Educational outreach and community engagement was carried out at four schools, two in Barbados and two in Dominica (Figure 8, Figure 9 and Figure 10). Primary and secondary school students were engaged through workshops and hands-on activities to build understanding of citizen and climate science, encouraging environmental awareness and potential career interest in marine science.

These sessions included simulations of buoyancy experiments, encouraging students to apply scientific principles and understand climate science through real-world applications. Notably, despite living in areas affected by sargassum influxes, many students reported that this was their first opportunity to physically handle and closely examine the seaweed. In addition to these experimental activities, students were introduced to the citizen science initiatives and encouraged to participate in data collection through the use of SargSNAP! Stations.

Figure 8 Students at the Deighton Griffith Secondary School who participated in the sargassum workshop in Barbados

Figure 9 Students at the Charles F Broomes Primary School who participated in the sargassum workshop in Barbados

Figure 10 Students at the Dublanc and San Savier Primary Schools who participated in the sargassum workshop in Dominica

Sargassum nearshore prediction

While in Barbados, Dr. Victoria Dominguez-Almela and Micaela Small had to opportunity to conduct field work with Khalil Greene, a PhD student from the ��ɫ��Ƶ researching sargassum. Khalil’s PhD project focuses on the use of observed and modelled data along with computing algorithms to better understand the movement of sargassum seaweed in the Tropical Atlantic Ocean, with the view of providing better forecasting systems. He is currently configuring a model to forecast sargassum arrival times and location and quantify biomass.

During his field studies in Barbados, in collaboration with the Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies (CERMES) at the Cave Hill Campus of The University of the West Indies, he deployed several drifters to aid in understanding the nearshore drift patterns along the east coast which contribute to localised beaching of sargassum seaweed. The satellite-tracked drifters, deployed up to 2000 m offshore, simulated sargassum drift northwards in the nearshore currents and interaction with the tides and bathymetry. The resultant data will be used for ground-truthing and/or integration into the new ocean model and forecasting system under development. The study was conducted between October 2025 and May 2026.

Figure 11 Demonstration of the trackers at the fisheries workshop in Barbados

Figure 12 Close up of tracker design and how they are released

Significance and future impact

At the national level, the sargassum monitoring data will provide critical insights into exposure of coastal areas to sargassum. This knowledge can then be used to implement or improve existing sargassum management plans. At the regional level, it is expected that these datasets will contribute to the development of sargassum forecasts and increase understanding of the seasonality and spatial distribution of sargassum in the Eastern Caribbean.

Conclusion

Persons interested in this area of research and would like to discuss it can contact me at m.a.small@soton.ac.uk or follow me on LinkedIn for any updates. If you would like to learn more about this phenomenon you can visit CERMES’ Sargassum Information page for more information. Further details and initial results on Khalil’s research can be found at PhD trials: Report on the first field study in Barbados.
e following link:

Dr Panagiotis Manias wins Pyrgotelis Zoitos Award

The award was warmly presented to Panos by Ms Marina Hadjimanolis, the Shipping Deputy Minister of the Republic of Cyprus, during the final session of European Maritime Day 2026 in Limassol.

The Pyrgotelis Zoitos Award is a biannual initiative of the Cyprus Marine & Maritime Institute (CMMI) named after a naval architect known through a 3rd-century BC inscription preserved at the Temple of Paphian Aphrodite at Kouklia in Cyprus. This award recognises excellence in naval architecture but also serves to inspire early career ressearchers to pursue professions related to the sea and promote the rich maritime heritage of Cyprus.

Dr Manias is from Athens and completed in 2021 a Master of Engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering at ��ɫ��Ƶ, including specialist options in maritime engineering. Recognising his talents Panos was recruited by the ��ɫ��Ƶ Marine and Maritime Institute (SMMI) as a research associate for a series of impactful maritime decarbonisation studies, including multiple projects within the UK’s Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC). At the same time, Panos enroled in a part-time PhD in maritime engineering, that he successfully defended in April 2026. His research also took him to Cyprus to work with CMMI teams investigating shipboard carbon capture and storage processes as well as making design contributions to the locally built ZEST (Zero-Emissions Sea-Transporter) electric boat.

Through his research and wide ranging engagement with industry in the UK, Greece and Cyprus, Dr Manias has developed into an internationally well-regarded expert on marine decarbonisation, with impact on the science and practice of marine propulsion. Of special note is Panos’ design and development of the Wind-to-Wake ratio (WtWr) as a renewable energy approach instead of ‘Well to Wake’ Lifecycle Assessment of maritime fuels, for the objective comparison of low and zero-carbon alternatives to heavy fuel oil or marine diesel. His influential, well cited paper ^[1] proposed the wind-to-wake ratio (WtWr) to assess the energy required to deliver the shaft energy needed for a ship to complete a voyage rather than the subjective approaches based on future fuel cost predictions.

Importantly, this new ratio includes the energy required to extract and refine hydrocarbons or manufacture using renewable energy, potential synthetic fuels such as hydrogen, ammonia or methanol. The results obtained show that liquid hydrogen requires the least amount of renewable energy investment of all fuels discussed, 30% less than ammonia and 26% less than methanol. These significant total energy savings should encourage shipping to adopt hydrogen as its fuel of the future with the additional benefits of zero greenhouse gas.

Since completing his PhD, Panos has taken up a postion in Cyprus at Safebunkers as a technical and transition specialist evaluating new maritime systems, fuels and powertrains to decarbonise deep sea vessels, particularly bulk carriers. His job also has a focus on regulatory developments, as these are essential to enable the commercial viability of maritime decarbonisation.

^{[1] Manias et al, 2024, Intl J of Hydrogen Energy Vol. 82, pp 1039-1050}

Photo credit: Republic of Cyprus Shipping Deputy Ministry

Dr Panos Manias receiving the Pyrgotelis Zoitos Award at the closing session of European Maritime Day 2026 in Limassol flanked by the Republic of Cyprus Shipping Deputy Minister Ms Marina Hadjimanolis and CMMI CEO Mr Zacharias Siokouras.

IROE PhD candidate Cedric Muscat takes part in SMMI delegation contributing to EU Ocean Pact conference in Cyprus

The event “Riding the Wave: Advancing the EU Ocean Pact through Science, Innovation and cooperation” formed part of activities organised by the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2026 and brought together over 300 participants from academia, policy, industry and innovation sectors to discuss the future of ocean governance and the blue economy.

The ��ɫ��Ƶ delegation included Professor Fraser Sturt (Director of SMMI), Professor Yannis Ieropoulos (Head of Department for the Civil, Maritime and Environmental Engineering), Professor Dominic Hudson (Shell Professor of Ship Safety and head of Centre for Maritime Futures), Dr Felix Pedrotti (Maritime Archaeologist and Senior Research Assistant), Dr Emma Curtis, Dr Katherine Theobald (Research Fellows in Maritime and Aerial Transport Autonomy) and Cedric Muscat (IROE PhD Student).

Co-organised by the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute (CMMI), the ERATOSTHENES Centre of Excellence and the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, the conference explored how scientific research, innovation and international cooperation can support healthier and more resilient oceans. Discussions focused on the implementation of the EU Ocean Pact, marine spatial planning, sustainable maritime innovation and strengthening collaboration across the Mediterranean region.

Prof Fraser Sturt moderated the workshop “The Mediterranean at a Crossroads: Science, Heritage and Regional Cooperation for a Sustainable Sea Basin”, which examined the role of science-policy cooperation in addressing interconnected challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss and competing maritime uses. The session brought together speakers from organisations including PRIMA, CNR-ISMAR, the Union for the Mediterranean and CMMI.

On the 12^th May, Prof Yannis Ieopoulos also contributed to discussion on Europe’s blue innovation ecosystem highlighting the importance of collaboration between research institutions, policymakers and industry in translating marine research into impactful and scalable solutions.

Alongside conference participation and networking, SMMI hosted an exhibition stand showcasing a range of ongoing marine and maritime research initiatives at the ��ɫ��Ƶ. The stand featured projects linked to green maritime innovation, autonomous systems, drone technologies, maritime archaeology, offshore renewable energy and public engagement tools designed to support discussion around future maritime, coastal and ocean use challenges. The exhibition provided opportunities to strengthen international partnerships and highlight ��ɫ��Ƶ’s interdisciplinary approach to marine research and innovation.

The conference featured contributions from European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans Costas Kadis, alongside representatives from European research initiatives, maritime organisations and innovation networks. Discussions throughout the event emphasised the growing importance of evidence-based policymaking, innovation and cross-border cooperation in supporting a sustainable and competitive blue economy.

Reflections on Coast-R Data Collection Workshop

I personally joined this workshop to increase my exposure in the field of Geospatial Analysis, however, was truly amazed at the extent to which my horizons were broadened. The first day consisted of practical field work aboard the Research Vessel Callista, and this was effectively reinforced by relevant theory whilst considering data analysis the next day. This was taught in a very accessible and engaging way, ensuring that participants of all levels of prior knowledge could benefit, and were motivated to be truly curious. The data analysis section (day 2) also covered a wide list of where to find secondary sources of data which I found to be particularly useful when attempting to further practice and apply the skills gained during the workshop.

From having extremely interesting conversations whilst conducting interviews as part of fieldwork, to observing riverbed sample collection and sonar deployment, any word other than “fulfilling” for this experience would fall short. The workshop provided a holistic opportunity to not only gain technical knowledge and soft skills, but also to network with motivated individuals in the field.

Author: Arko Mukherjee, ��ɫ��Ƶ, Mechanical Engineering Student

From research to soggy victories, the ��ɫ��Ƶ brought innovation, insight and humour to Seawork 2026

Held at Mayflower Park, the University’s session highlighted its leading role in shaping the future of maritime technologies. Attendees heard from ��ɫ��Ƶ Marine and Maritime Institute (SMMI) Director Professor Fraser Sturt on the importance of maritime research to the Solent region, and Professor Dominic Hudson, outlined plans for the Centre for Green Maritime Innovation (cGMI), a major initiative to advance sustainable maritime solutions, with the launch of this facility later this year.

Further insights were shared by SMMI Deputy Directors Professors Blair Thornton and Julian Leyland into cutting-edge research in autonomous systems and marine robotics, demonstrating how the University is supporting the next generation of maritime technologies. The event also heard from Dr Joseph Banks who promoted maritime skills and training opportunities.

The session concluded with a networking reception that brought together industry representatives, researchers, and alumni, providing an opportunity to connect and hear how careers across the maritime sector are evolving.

Colleagues from the Wolfson Unit also contributed throughout Seawork with their exhibition stand, sharing their expertise in testing and consultancy across maritime sectors.

Alongside the formal programme, the University also took part in Seawork’s Cardboard Boat Regatta.

Representing the Wolfson Unit, Magnus Gregory competed in the highly competitive race, navigating ��ɫ��Ƶ Water in a fully cardboard-crafted vessel. Despite a determined effort, the boat experienced what has since been described as a “catastrophic structural failure”, resulting in an unplanned but memorable swim. Undeterred, Magnus was awarded the coveted “Soggy Bottom Award”, bringing both pride and humour to the team.

Overall, Seawork 2026 provided a valuable platform to showcase the ��ɫ��Ƶ’s expertise, strengthen partnerships and demonstrate the real-world impact of its research and innovation. Building on this year’s success, SMMI, cGMI, and the Wolfson Unit, look forward to returning next year with more to share.

Popular courses on offshore geosciences support industry and ECRs

In partnership with the Society for Underwater Technology, the two-day course introducing offshore geophysics and geotechnics is split between the NOCS and Boldrewood Campuses, and blends industry speakers and hands-on activities run by the SMMI team. The second course – a two-day Masterclass in Offshore Geotechnics – is part of a wider series convened by the EPSRC Offshore Renewable Energy Supergen Hub. This course is aimed at Early Career Researchers, and includes a contribution by the University of Oxford.

Together, these well-established courses have now been completed by more than 150 participants, across industry and academia, with attendees from across the UK and throughout Europe. The courses meet the growing demand for expertise in geosciences for offshore renewables created by the rapid expansion of wind and tidal energy. SMMI, in partnership with the SUT, NOCS[DW6.1] and our industry partners, is uniquely placed to provide training and hands-on experience across the all the geoscience disciplines, which are a critical aspect of the planning and design of offshore renewables.

SMMI offers a wide range of training in offshore geosciences beyond our degree programs. Contact course convenors Justin Dix and David White for further information.

Course with Supergen ORE Hub
The industry-focussed two-day course on offshore geosciences, delivered with the Society for Underwater Technology

SMMI PhD Poster Event Showcases Emerging Research Talent

The event highlighted the breadth and depth of marine and maritime research taking place at ��ɫ��Ƶ, with students sharing projects spanning topics such as sustainable ocean technologies, offshore engineering, and environmental resilience. It provided an opportunity for attendees to engage directly with researchers, fostering interdisciplinary discussion and valuable feedback.

Poster sessions remain a key platform for early-career researchers to communicate complex ideas in accessible formats, while developing networks across faculties and research groups.
Participants noted that the event was an important opportunity to refine their research narratives and gain insights from peers and academic staff alike.

The SMMI PhD poster event continues to be a highlight of the postgraduate calendar, celebrating cutting edge research while strengthening the University’s vibrant research community.

09 IROE Chair and SMMI Deputy Director, Susan Gourvenec participates in All Party Parliamentary Group roundtable at Parliament celebrating World Ocean Day and 10 years of the Blue Belt Programme

The discussion provided an opportunity to reflect on lessons learned from the first decade of the Blue Belt Programme and to consider future priorities for international cooperation, marine protection and sustainable ocean governance at a time of growing environmental, geopolitical and economic pressure.

Particular emphasis was placed on practical delivery, scientific collaboration and evidence-led policymaking, as governments and institutions seek to balance environmental protection, climate resilience and sustainable economic development.

Discussion was wide ranging covering the evolution and lessons learnt from the first decade of the Blue Belt Programme, how marine protection efforts have adapted to increasing geopolitical, environmental and climate pressures; the role of Overseas Territories in shaping future global ocean policy; and the role of science, technology and local expertise in strengthening marine monitoring, enforcement and conservation.

A delegation from the Cayman Islands provided insights into their partnership role with the UK government to develop and deliver vital environmental programmes, the value of the Blue Belt Programme to the Cayman Islands, and current ocean-facing challenges and opportunities.

Participants in round table, including Prof Susan Gourvenec (second from left standing)

The round table was hosted by Dr Al Pinkerton MP, with participation of MPs and Peers, including Fleur Anderson MP, Chair of the Environment APPG, Anna Gelderd MP, and Baroness Golding; the Cayman Island delegation including Katherine Ebanks-Wilks MP, Wayne Pemberton MP, John Bothwell, and Dr Tasha Ebanks-Garcia; Charles Long, Secretary of the Environment APPG, Felix Lane of Greenpeace UK, Alec Taylor of Oceana, Adrian Gahan of the Blue Marine Foundation and Sarah Taylor of NOC provided policy and public affairs expertise; Susan was joined by Dr Ben Moat of NOC representing the scientific community.

Read about the roundtable on the APPG website and see their LinkedIn post on the event, or find out more about the Environment APPG and the Blue Belt Programme.

Read the SMMI-led white paper “From Grey to Blue: An Ocean Economy fit for the Future” that informed the UK Government’s Global Strategic Trends: Out to 2055; our paper “Pathways to achieving a sustainable and just ocean economy”, and Conversation article “Five ways to make the ocean economy more sustainable and just”.

11 IROE Chair and SMMI Deputy Director, Susan Gourvenec, featured as one of 50 Fellows as Royal Academy of Engineering celebrates 50th anniversary!

IROE Chair & SMMI Deputy Director Susan Gourvenec was selected as one of the 50 Fellows to be selected to mark the 50th anniversary of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

The Academy website highlights their intention to “showcase 50 people whose innovation has helped to tackle some of humanity’s greatest challenges. From radar and telecommunications breakthroughs to cutting-edge AI, wind turbines, and satellites, these engineers have shaped – and continue to shape – our modern world.” The showcase features Fellows elected in every decade of the Academy’s history, from all across the UK.

Susan’s citation states “As Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Emerging Technology for Intelligent and Resilient Ocean Engineering at the ��ɫ��Ƶ, Susan’s research focuses on the design and performance of offshore foundations. Her methods have been embedded in international stand ards, shaping engineering practice across the global energy sector. 

Susan is known for her multidisciplinary approach, working across engineering, environmental science and the wider sciences to address complex offshore challenges. Her work supports the safe and efficient delivery of critical infrastructure, particularly in renewable energy. 

Alongside her research, Susan is a passionate educator and a strong advocate for equality, diversity and inclusion in engineering, actively supporting the next generation of engineers.  She was elected Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2022.”

Susan was also featured along with two other Fellows in an article on how the Academy is supporting the green energy transition, by backing research that drives innovation across the energy ecosystem. Susan talks about the work of the Centre of Excellence for Intelligent & Resilient Ocean Engineering, and the essential interdisciplinary nature of the green energy transition, supported through the ��ɫ��Ƶ Marine & Maritime Institute.

Explore the history of the RAEng and learn about the 50th anniversary activities. Check out the 50 Fellows showcased for the 50th Anniversary Celebrations. Read The Engineering special issue to commemorate the RAEng’s 50th Anniversary.

SMMI rides EU waves at sister institute CMMI

Representing the ��ɫ��Ƶ, the delegation included Professor Dominic Hudson, Professor Fraser Sturt, Professor Yannis Ieropoulos, Dr Emma Curtis, Dr Katherine Theobald, Cedric Muscat and Dr Felix Pedrotti. Their participation highlighted the breadth of ��ɫ��Ƶ’s research and innovation in support of sustainable ocean exploration and protection, with expertise spanning green shipping, underwater robotics, civil engineering, seafloor mapping and cultural heritage.

The event was organised by the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute (CMMI), a sister institute of SMMI. The visit formed part of the CMMI MaRITeC-X project, an EU-funded Horizon 2020 Teaming project launched in 2019 and concluding in September 2026. Over recent years, CMMI and SMMI have developed a strong and productive collaboration through MaRITeC-X, working together on marine and maritime research and innovation, blue economy development, scientific exchange, maritime policy support, and international cooperation. The visit to Cyprus was a clear reflection of this growing partnership.

Science, heritage, and regional cooperation

On the first day of the event, Professor Fraser Sturt led a workshop exploring the increasing pressures facing the Mediterranean Sea, including climate change, pollution, biodiversity loss, and competing maritime uses. These challenges place both ecosystems and the region’s exceptionally rich cultural heritage at risk.
Discussions focused on the need for integrated sea-basin governance and considered how science, regional cooperation, and policy coordination can help address these interconnected issues. The workshop also examined ways to strengthen the science-policy interface, encourage collaboration between northern and southern Mediterranean partners, and promote sustainable and culturally aware blue economy solutions across the basin.

The day concluded with a gala dinner featuring traditional local music and valuable knowledge exchange across marine and maritime disciplines. A key moment during the evening was the signing of a Statement of Intent between the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute and the Marine Institute of Ireland.

From research to impact

On the second day, Professor Yannis Ieropoulos contributed to discussions on Europe’s growing ecosystem for ocean innovation. The panel explored how public institutions, foundations, mission initiatives, and industry platforms can work together to accelerate the transition from research to real-world impact.
The discussion highlighted gaps and opportunities within Europe’s investment ecosystem, including how stronger partnerships can unlock funding, reduce risk for investors, and help scale solutions that contribute to ocean restoration, climate action, and sustainable economic growth.

Showcasing next-generation ocean technologies

The same afternoon featured Blue Tech Demonstrations, showcasing next-generation ocean technologies in action. The ��ɫ��Ƶ presented technologies and research developed across its marine and maritime community.

This interactive session, which included Virtual and Augmented Reality experiences, gave participants the opportunity to experience cutting-edge ocean technologies through live demonstrations both onshore and at sea. Innovators and technology developers showcased solutions designed to address key challenges in the blue economy, including clean maritime transport, marine observation, sustainable aquaculture, and digital ocean services.

As the final rays of the second day disappeared beyond the horizon, the ��ɫ��Ƶ delegation reflected on the conclusion of an important event that strengthened international collaboration, shared expertise, and demonstrated how cross-disciplinary science, innovation, and partnership can support a more sustainable future for our ocean.

Author: Felix Pedrotti, SMMI-CMMI Research Fellow

During the gala dinner, delegates enjoyed a beautiful concert of traditional local music alongside local cuisine
Professor Yannis Ieropoulos contributed to a panel discussion on how Europe’s ocean innovation ecosystem can accelerate the transition from research to real-world impact. .

��ɫ��Ƶ professor to receive Royal Society Fellowship

Established in 1660, the Fellowship of the Royal Society is one of the highest honours a scientist can achieve and is awarded to individuals who have made significant contributions to the advancement of knowledge in their field. Notable fellows include Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, Lise Meitner, Stephen Hawking and Tim Berners-Lee.

Professor Alberto Naveira Garabato is a physical oceanographer focused on the processes governing ocean circulation and how these influence global climate systems. His research addresses how ocean processes operating at different sizes and timescales interact with one another - from tiny turbulent swirls a few centimetres wide to massive global currents stretching across entire ocean basins.

He has led and participated in numerous expeditions to remote regions, including Antarctica, combining advanced technologies with innovative analytical techniques.

His research has unravelled the complex, turbulent physics of the ocean’s interactions with its boundaries – the atmosphere, the seafloor, and ice.

Analytical and conceptual advances made by Professor Naveira Garabato have quantified the rates and mechanisms of the ocean mixing resulting from such interactions, and unveiled mixing’s global impacts on climate.

Alberto is from Galicia in Spain and was educated at the Universities of ��ɫ��Ƶ and Liverpool. He has spent most of his career at the ��ɫ��Ƶ, where he now holds the Regius Chair of Ocean Sciences.

His research has attracted a range of awards, such as the Challenger Medal and the Fridtjof Nansen Medal.

Reflecting on the award, Prof Garabato said: “I am very grateful to the Royal Society for granting me this honour. Throughout my journey in oceanography, I have been immensely lucky to have had the opportunity to work with many gifted and kind collaborators of all career stages. I think of this Fellowship as a shared recognition of their talent and effort.”

Sir Paul Nurse, President of the Royal Society, said: “I am delighted to welcome this newest group of exceptional scientists to the Fellowship of the Royal Society.

“Our Fellowship is strengthened not only by individual distinction, but by the diversity of perspectives and experiences its members bring. This incoming cohort highlights the truly international character of contemporary science and underscores the vital role that collaboration plays in achieving breakthroughs that benefit us all.”

Prestigious funding for coral research and historic maritime trade project

European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grants are among the most prestigious and competitive research awards in the world, supporting established researchers with exceptional track records in pursuing ambitious, groundbreaking five year projects.

The University’s Professor Gavin Foster is set to receive a €3.4m (£3m) grant for the ‘UNLOCK’ project which will help scientists more accurately understand how the skeletons of tropical corals record the environment they experienced when alive.

Professor Gavin Foster

Researchers will measure, for the first time, the chemical and isotopic composition of calcifying fluid which corals secrete to form their skeletons. This is only possible thanks to novel cryo-analytical techniques the team will develop.

“Compositional variations in coral skeletons are widely used as proxies of past environmental change, but these reconstructions are complicated by life processes that influence the composition of the calcifying fluid and hence the skeleton,” says Professor Foster. “These new observations will allow UNLOCK to deliver palaeoclimate reconstructions over centuries and millennia with unprecedented accuracy, improving our understanding of the preindustrial climate and the scale of anthropogenic climate change.”

Head of the ��ɫ��Ƶ’s Coral Reef Laboratory , Professor Jörg Wiedenmann , has won €3.3m (£2.9m) to investigate a fundamental aspect of coral biology – how the main reef builders cope with different temperature environments.

Professor Jörg Wiedenmann

Leading the ‘Symbiolink’ project, he will explore connections between the microscopic organisms that live within corals, and coral health, nutrition and resistance to heat stress. The project will examine why reefs can exist at very different temperatures across the Earth’s oceans, helping to identify conditions that may support future reef persistence.

“Coral reefs around the world are under increasing pressure from rising ocean temperatures, causing widespread coral bleaching and threatening ecosystems. We know some corals are more resilient to heat than others, but the biological processes influencing this are still not well understood,” comments Professor Wiedenmann. “Our research will help inform future conservation efforts to protect reef ecosystems.”

Historian Professor Craig Lambert has secured €2.8m (£2.4m) to lead international research into how maritime trade connected Europe in the past and helped shape the modern world.

‘Uncharted Maritime Worlds (UMW): An Integrated Digital History of Seaborne Trade from European Archives’, brings together the University’s historians ( Dr John Mcaleer ), electronics and computer science experts ( Professor Stuart Middleton ) and the members of the GeoData Institute.

Professor Craig Lambert

It will reconstruct the complex networks of ships, merchants, ports, commodities, and communities that connected Europe between the 16th and 19th centuries.

"For generations, historians have been constrained by the fragmented nature of surviving evidence. Advances in Artificial Intelligence now allow us to combine millions of records from archives across Europe and ask entirely new questions about how people, goods, and ideas moved across the continent," says Professor Lambert. “Our expertise in history, AI, and geospatial analysis, will enable us to uncover the hidden networks that connected Europe and helped shape the world we see today.”

The award places ��ɫ��Ƶ at the forefront of international research into the application of artificial intelligence and digital technologies within the humanities.

Commenting on these awards, ��ɫ��Ƶ Vice-President (Research & Enterprise), Professor Mark Spearing said: “ERC Advanced Grants are highly coveted by academics throughout Europe and the process is extremely competitive. Receiving funding for three in one round is a tremendous achievement and demonstrates the quality and depth of research at our university. Congratulations to all those involved.”

ERC Advanced Grants are part of the EU’s Horizon Europe programme, supporting established research leaders pursuing ambitious projects with the potential to achieve significant scientific and scholarly breakthroughs.

SMMI shares offshore wind policy at Evidence Week in Parliament

The brief highlights how research can help remove barriers to offshore wind development while supporting environmental protection and sustainable management of UK marine space. SMMI researchers Susan Gourvenec, Fraser Sturt, Julian Leyland and Blair Thornton engaged with MPs, Peers, parliamentary staff and policy organisations to discuss how evidence can support the UK's clean energy, climate and economic ambitions.

Visitors to the stand included Professor Dame Angela McLean, Government Chief Scientific Adviser; Lord Robert Mair; Baroness Janet Whitaker; Jayne Kirkham MP; Caroline Voaden MP; Perran Moon MP; Jakob Habsburg, representing Sir Mark Hendrick MP; Saudamini Sigdel from the Institute for Government; and Laura Clough. SMMI also thanks Sense about Science and Dr Lauren Sullivan MP for hosting the event.
Discussions focused on accelerating offshore wind deployment to meet the UK's net zero, energy security and economic goals, alongside streamlining planning and consenting while responsibly managing environmental impacts through adaptive monitoring and evidence-based decision making.

Professor Susan Gourvenec, Deputy Director of SMMI, said: "Many visitors were surprised by how little space offshore wind occupies compared with other ocean sectors, the scale of deployment needed to meet net-zero targets, and how much longer planning and consenting takes in the UK than elsewhere. They were particularly interested in the research underpinning the evidence and its policy implications."

The policy brief draws on research supported by the Royal Academy of Engineering, Supergen Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Hub and the ECOWind programme.

Watch the Evidence Week video

Carbon Capture Storage Association (CCSA) President’s Reception – House of Lords – 7 July 2026

It brought together leaders from across the CCUS sector, government and industry to discuss the next phase of the UK's decarbonisation journey. Lord Hunt, a former Minister of State for Energy and a long-standing advocate for climate action, has played an influential role in shaping UK energy policy, providing a fitting backdrop for discussions on the future of carbon capture, utilisation and storage.

A particular highlight was hearing Lord Alan Whitehead CBE, Minister for Energy Security and Net Zero, deliver the keynote address. In 2025, I was invited to serve on the Advisory Panel for his 2025 Independent Review of Greenhouse Gas Removals (GGRs), commissioned by the Secretary of State for DESNZ, and it was rewarding to see many of the Review's central themes reflected in his remarks. The Review concludes that greenhouse gas removals are ‘supplementary but essential’ to achieving the UK's legally binding carbon budgets and net zero target, recognising that a significant contribution from permanent removals will be required to balance residual emissions from industry and other hard-to-abate sectors. It also highlights the UK's unique opportunity to build on its world-class CO₂ storage resources, engineering expertise and CCUS infrastructure to support industrial decarbonisation, strengthen energy security and drive regional economic growth.

Fig 2: Keynote, Lord Alan Whitehead CBE, Minister for Energy Security and Net Zero

Events in the energy sector rarely stand still, and much has changed since this reception was held on 7^th July 2026

Recent changes in Government, ministerial appointments and the wider fiscal landscape have inevitably shifted the policy conversation. However, the central message from the event remains unchanged.

While political leadership has evolved, energy security, industrial competitiveness and regional growth continue to underpin the Government's agenda. At the same time, increasing pressure on public finances reinforces the need for the CCUS sector to demonstrate how it can unlock private investment, strengthen UK supply chains, create high-value jobs and deliver long-term value for money. The discussions throughout the afternoon reinforced that carbon capture and storage is no longer viewed solely as a climate solution, but increasingly as essential infrastructure for the UK's industrial future.

Reported by Professor Lindsay-Marie Armstrong

Images and Sounds Competition

The competition invited submissions from the ��ɫ��Ƶ and beyond to capture original images and sound recordings that showcased marine and maritime research, fieldwork, innovation, education, and lived experience in working to address the challenges facing our oceans. Entries spanned six categories:

Ocean Arts, Humanities & Communities (Winner - Josie Sengers Gray)
Ocean Life & Environments (Image Winner - Aaron Rudy / Sound Winner - Cassia Wilson)
Ocean Use & Sustainability in Shipping (Winner - Avanthika Kamath)
Ocean Law, Policy and Social Impact (Winner - Bastian Hambach)

The winning entries were selected for their creativity, quality, and ability to communicate the breadth of marine and maritime research taking place across the ��ɫ��Ƶ.

The competition highlighted the many ways researchers, students, and members of the wider SMMI community engage with the ocean, from scientific discovery and technological innovation to cultural heritage, environmental stewardship, and policy.

Among this year's winners was postgraduate researcher Avanthika Kamath, whose image won the Ocean Use & Sustainability in Shipping category. Reflecting on her submission, she said:

"I decided to submit an image that I captured during my fieldwork at Mangaluru Fishing Harbour in India. It shows the diverse, colourful catch arranged in equally colourful baskets, ready for the morning auction at the harbour. I titled the image Borrowed Nourishment because I wanted to highlight the idea that sustainability is ultimately about sustaining both lives and livelihoods. At the same time, it's a reminder that we are only borrowing from nature for our nourishment. I hope the image encourages people to think about being more mindful of what we take, how we take it, and how we can give back to ensure marine resources remain available for future generations."

Avanthika Kamath’s winning submission of a catch of fish at Mangaluru Fishing Harbour

Bastian Hambach, Manager of the Stable Isotope Laboratory in the School of Ocean and Earth Science, won the Ocean Law, Policy & Social Impact category. He captured his winning image while undertaking water and sediment sampling as part of an international polar research project. He said:

"During the summer months off the Greenland coast, the persistent fog is a typical weather phenomenon, creating an almost eerie atmosphere with the midnight sun in the background as the ship glides through the ice floes."

The winning images and sound recording will be showcased across SMMI communications, helping to bring marine and maritime research to wider audiences through powerful visual and audio storytelling.
Visit the SMMI SharePoint site to view all of the winning submissions, find out more about the Institute's latest research, and discover opportunities to get involved.

��ɫ��Ƶ Marine and Maritime Institute news

SMMI Student highlight - Sunke Trace-Kleeberg: Fighting flooding in the face of climate change with big data analysis

Exploring STEAM with SMMI: Highlights from SOTSEF Science and Engineering Day

The Deep-Ocean Stewardship Initiative (DOSI) continues successful capacity development work in Namibia

SMMI/CMMI partnership: Exploring future collaborations and novel technologies for the creation of digital twins

Celebrating HMS Challenger and 150 years of marine geology and oceanography

Exploring potential future ocean-facing education collaborations with the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute

Professor Ajit Shenoi, retires after 41 years of service to the ��ɫ��Ƶ

Adjunct Professor Grahaeme Henderson elected Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering

Success for AUV SMARTY200 in its maiden mission to survey seagrass in Studland Bay

Autonomous Underwater Vehicle SMARTY200

Nature Based Solutions: FELS+SMMI Networking Event

BLEACHED. An immersive exhibition where coral science meets the arts.

Offshore trials demonstrate capabilities of new autonomous underwater sensor systems

Centre of Excellence to help the maritime sector reduce its emissions is soon to launch

SMMI welcomes Tamara Topic to the Maritime Decarbonisation Team

SMMI supports growth of Cyprus sister – CMMI

Considerations of the Impact of COP26 on Business and the Greater Solent Region

Beyond 1.5 to stay alive: Small Island Developing States and Policy Change

Grant Success for news SMMI Research Fellow Dr Sam Robinson

SMMI’s Deputy Director Susan Gourvenec and Policy Fellow Wassim Dbouk in pre-COP26 event ‘Is it too late to save our oceans?’

SMMI researchers launch voyage optimisation solution to reduce ship emissions

The ��ɫ��Ƶ present at COP26

SMMI experts to tackle maritime decarbonisation

The Environment Bill’s policy statement on environmental principles: a golden opportunity for a principled framework for the sustainable management of UK waters

From the Mantle to Mountains – Just add Water

��ɫ��Ƶ ranked top for publications related to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14: Life Below Water

Optimising high voltage underwater cable design to support growing use of renewable energy

Dr Roz Coggon wins award for her development of a 30-year future plan for scientific ocean drilling

��ɫ��Ƶ welcomes Richard Westgarth to the SMMI team

SMMI researcher Dr Wassim Dbouk joins Commonwealth partnership of rising stars to accelerate climate action

Droplet in the ocean: Three Minute Thesis success

Droplet in the ocean: Three Minute Thesis success

Droplet in the ocean: Three Minute Thesis success

Thalassa 2024: Marine Science conference&comma; Larnaca&comma; Cyprus

crucial role of co2 decarbonisation

Transforming sargassum monitoring

Enhancing monitoring with cutting-edge technology

Transforming sargassum monitoring

Enhancing monitoring with cutting-edge technology

Professor Alberto Naveira Garabato delivers the inaugural ��ɫ��Ƶ Regius Professor in Ocean Sciences Annual Lecture

Professor Alberto Naveira Garabato delivers inaugural ��ɫ��Ƶ Regius Professor in Ocean Sciences Annual Lecture

Creating Positive Change Coastal Communities

Why oral history should be valued beyond the humanities

AUV2026 will be held in ��ɫ��Ƶ

From Deep-Ocean Discoveries to Decision-making: Bridging Marine Fieldwork and Ocean Governance

Our Heritage and Futures: Negotiating the Deep Ocean

Our Heritage and Futures: Negotiating the Deep Ocean - Reflections from the ISA 30th Session&comma; Kingston

By Dr Mekhala Dave - Ocean Law & Policy Analyst

Author

Footnotes

Our Heritage and Futures: Negotiating the Deep Ocean - Reflections from the ISA 30th Session&comma; Kingston

By Dr Mekhala Dave - Ocean Law & Policy Analyst

Author

Footnotes

‘New reality’ as world reaches first climate tipping point

Exhibition to celebrate 100 years of Discovery

Ancient plankton hint at steadier future for ocean life

Global partnership launches new maritime research centre

Celebrating 80 Years of UNESCO’s work on Heritage&comma; Climate and Education Priorities

Climate and Funding Challenges for UK UNESCO Sites

Education, Multilingualism and Global Leadership

Renewed Commitment to UNESCO’s Mission

UNESCO and the ��ɫ��Ƶ’s excellence in maritime heritage

Author

Professor Robert Nicholls recognised in 2025 Highly Cited Researcher List

Continents peel from below&comma; triggering oceanic volcanoes

‘From Plankton to Plate’ event marks World Fisheries Day at ��ɫ��Ƶ

Discussion shaped by community questions

Launching Coastal Communities South

Acknowledgements

SMMI at the Solent Forum in Cowes&comma; Isle of Wight

Ancient Australian settlers

Science Policy Secondment into the UK Civil Service Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)

SMMI and partners deliver a successful two‑day course in Larnaca on Autonomous Futures

Cedric Muscat wins Malta Intellectual Property Award for Emerging Innovation

��ɫ��Ƶ secures major grant to advance sustainable offshore wind planning in the Greater North Sea

Healthy Coasts&comma; Smart Choices: Exploring Ocean Futures at SOTSEF 2026

New video explores solutions to maritime decarbonisation at ��ɫ��Ƶ

Featuring research and designs from:

Thalassa 2024: Marine Science conference, Larnaca, Cyprus

Our Heritage and Futures: Negotiating the Deep Ocean - Reflections from the ISA 30th Session, Kingston

Our Heritage and Futures: Negotiating the Deep Ocean - Reflections from the ISA 30th Session, Kingston

Celebrating 80 Years of UNESCO’s work on Heritage, Climate and Education Priorities

Continents peel from below, triggering oceanic volcanoes

SMMI at the Solent Forum in Cowes, Isle of Wight

Healthy Coasts, Smart Choices: Exploring Ocean Futures at SOTSEF 2026

From research to soggy victories, the ��ɫ��Ƶ brought innovation, insight and humour to Seawork 2026

09 IROE Chair and SMMI Deputy Director, Susan Gourvenec participates in All Party Parliamentary Group roundtable at Parliament celebrating World Ocean Day and 10 years of the Blue Belt Programme

11 IROE Chair and SMMI Deputy Director, Susan Gourvenec, featured as one of 50 Fellows as Royal Academy of Engineering celebrates 50th anniversary!

Events in the energy sector rarely stand still, and much has changed since this reception was held on 7^th July 2026