INTAROS was showcased during an event in Lisbon this month, marking the signing of the Belém Statement, a statement on Atlantic Ocean research and innovation cooperation between the European Union, Brazil and South Africa .

Carlos Moedas, European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation hosted a High-Level Ministerial and Scientific event in Lisbon on 12-14 July 2017, joined by government representatives from Europe, Brazil and South Africa, and many other stakeholders from over 25 countries. This event celebrated the launch of the South Atlantic Flagship Initiative between the European Union, Brazil and South Africa, which aims to better understand and deepen scientific knowledge of marine ecosystems and the interrelations between oceans and climate change, oceans and food, and oceans and energy systems, as well as the dynamics of the Atlantic Ocean and its interconnected Circulation Systems from Antarctica to the Arctic.

EurOcean’s Executive-Director, Ned Dwyer, joined a special panel on “Enhancing Ocean Observations in the Atlantic: from Antarctica to the Arctic”, showcasing INTAROS. Ned presented in a session together with representatives from other projects including: Martin Visbeck, AtlantOS – a Horizon 2020 funded project; Nuno Lourenço, Atlantic Seabed Mapping International Working Group; Moacyr Araujo, Federal University of Pernambuco, Prediction and Research Moored Array in the Tropical Atlantic, (PIRATA), Brazil; Edmo Campos, Senior Professor, S. Paulo University, Brazil and Isabelle Ansorge, Head of Oceanography department, University of Cape Town, South A­frica. South Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (SAMOC), Brazil; Pedro Monteiro, CSIR, SOCCO-SOSCEX-GoodHope2018+, South Afr­ica.

The session also comprised of a roundtable discussion involving Gilles Bessero, Director, International Hydrographic Organisation, Monaco; Pierre-Yves Le Traon, Scientific Director, Mercator Ocean, France; Emily Smail, Blue Planet Scientific Coordinator, United States of America; Paulo Nobre, Researcher, National Institute for Space Research, Brazil; and Alakendra Roychoudhury, Geotraces, Stellenbosch University, South A­frica.

Session reporteurs included Sabrina Speich, Ecole normale supérieure, France; Leticia Coltrin, State University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Issufo Halo, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, South Af­rica.

The special session on “Enhancing Ocean Observations in the Atlantic: from Antarctica to the Arctic” took place on Wednesday 13^th July, 13:45 – 15:30, at the Champalimaud Foundation Congress Centre, Belém, Lisbon.

You can find more information about the event on the official Blue Enlightenment website. The complete programme is also available online.

Torre de Belém, Lisbon.