January 2021 marks the beginning of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021 – 2030). The goal of the Decade is to unite ocean stakeholders worldwide behind a common framework to ensure sustainable use of ocean resources and reverse the cycle of decline in long-term ocean health. In a two-day virtual event, on February 3 and 4, the US National Committee for the Ocean Decade, chaired by MTS member Larry Mayer and vice chaired by MTS Past-President Rick Spinrad, kicked off the US activities by fostering engagement, dialog, and ideation around transformative research efforts. Over 800 individuals attended and more than eighty transformative concepts called “Ocean-Shots” were presented to address the challenges of the Decade.

A second call for Ocean-Shots is open until April 1, 2021 and a directory of those submitted prior to the February event will be made available soon. Meantime, you may view the session recordings on the event webpage.

MTS participated in the electronic exhibit hall as a Nexus organization and was indirectly involved through its members who participated at the event. As an active partner, MTS will be hosting a number of Ocean Decade activities over the next ten years including panel sessions, keynotes, technical tracks, and other activities held at the MTS/IEEE OCEANS Conferences; webinars; posting news and events on the MTS website; Currents articles; and a multi-volume series of the MTS Journal published throughout the Decade.

In addition, 150 member nations of UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission support the Ocean Decade, and we look forward to engaging and sharing news on the Decade's activities from around the world. There will be plenty of ways for our members to become involved in the Ocean Decade on a professional and personal level. MTS is dedicated to keeping our members up-to-date on the Decade, and please reach out to us with any questions on how you can get involved.