Oceans June 2009

Year of Science Covers Conservation and Ocean Environments

Jan 8, 2009 John Blatchford

June 2009 will concentrate on the oceans and water, while September 2009 highlights biodiversity and conservation.

Full COPUS Programme

Each month this year will have a special focus as follows:

* January - Process and Nature of Science; Communicating Science

* February - Evolution

* March - Physics and Technology

* April - Energy Resources

* May - Sustainability and the Environment

* June - Oceans and Water

* July - Astronomy

* August - Weather and Climate

* September - Biodiversity and Conservation

* October - Geosciences and Planet Earth

* November - Chemistry

* December - Science and health

In addition 2009 is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin, to be celebrated by ‘Darwin 200’.

Marine Ecosystems and Fisheries

The Ocean Studies Board of the National Academies has made 'Marine Ecosystems and Fisheries' available as a freely downloadable 24-page pdf. It will also be available later for purchase as a traditional book, and is well worth reading. Like COPUS itself this is an American initiative concentrating particularly on American Science (although the project has international aspects).

Public Awareness Of Science

The main focus of this year will be to engage the general public in the affairs of modern science. It is good to see the Biological Sciences so well represented (‘Evolution’ is the focus for February), and appropriate that this comes 150 years after the first publication of Darwin’s Origin of Species, which (arguably) was the start of modern biology. Darwin’s book was aimed at the general Victorian public, and by avoiding technical terms wherever possible and leading the reader gently on from the familiar (pigeons) to the startling idea (evolution by natural selection) he was one of the first to write accessibly about scientific thought.

International Aspects of Marine Conservation

Problems of conservation are complex – none more so than those for the ocean environment. While national governments might be able to influence their own land and freshwater, international co-operation is required to protect the oceans.

• Overfishing, and the use of inappropriate fishing techniques in threatened habitats goes on all over the world. Regulating in order to conserve the ocean environment will only be possible with full international co-operation.

• Pollution of the marine environment is similarly a word-wide problem, and since all the oceans are connected (and ocean currents carry pollutants far and wide), the same kind of international effort will be required to solve the problem.

By focusing public awareness on global issues such as the conservation of the ocean environment sufficient ‘groundswell’ might be built up to influence international politics. As Margaret Mead said: ‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.’.

Main reference: 'International Celebrations of Science occurring in 2009'