Norway Becomes the First Member State of the Mercator International Centre for the Ocean
Norway has officially become the first Member State of the Mercator International Centre for the Ocean, following the unanimous ratification of the Convention by the Norwegian Parliament. This development represents a significant milestone in the ongoing establishment of the intergovernmental organization dedicated to the development of Digital Ocean systems and services. This ratification builds on […]
Mercator Ocean Advances Its Transition to an Intergovernmental Organisation
Over the past year, Mercator Ocean International has advanced its transformation into an intergovernmental organization (IGO) for digital Ocean systems and services. At the UN Ocean Conference in Nice (June 2025), 12 countries endorsed a declaration of continued commitment, led by France and Norway as the first signatories of its international Convention. The Convention is now open […]
Navigating COP30 with Mercator Ocean’s Special Envoy, Dr. Karina von Schuckmann
Following her previous engagement at earlier Conferences of Parties (COPs), Mercator Ocean International once again designated world-renowned oceanographer Dr. Karina von Schuckmann as its Special Envoy at COP30. Key agenda highlights of Karina von Schuckmann, Mercator Ocean International Special Envoy for COP30 Recognised globally for her leadership in Ocean climate monitoring and her role as […]
BG4Sea: Advancing AI-driven seasonal forecasting for marine ecosystems
From numerical models to AI-assisted seasonal forecasts, BG4Sea demonstrates Mercator Ocean’s cutting-edge approach to marine ecosystem prediction. Marine ecosystems are under increasing pressure from climate change, affecting the global carbon cycle, ocean productivity, biodiversity, and human livelihoods. Anticipating these changes is essential for monitoring, sustainable management, and climate-informed decision-making. At Mercator Ocean International, this challenge […]
AI Meets the Ocean: Next Generation of Forecasting with OceanBench and GLONET
Mercator Ocean International is intensifying its efforts to leverage the power of AI to deliver increasingly accurate ocean forecasting. At the Annual Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS2025) in San Diego, USA, our organization unveiled OceanBench, the first open benchmark designed to assess AI Ocean forecasting models. This represents a new major milestone after […]
Sentinel-6B Secures the Future of High-Accuracy Sea-Surface Height Data
On Monday 17 November, the Sentinel-6b satellite was successfully launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California (USA), finally taking its place in orbit. The advanced technology integrated into the Sentinel-6b satellite will support scientists and organizations across the world to extend the unique 30-year record of sea-surface […]
Progress Through Co-Design: Looking Back at the Digital Ocean Forum 2025
On 27 and 28 November, the European Ocean community gathered in Brussels at the Digital Ocean Forum 2025 to mark the launch of the second phase in the development of the European Digital Twin Ocean, EDITO2 (2025-2028). Alongside European Commission representatives and co-development partners, Mercator Ocean participated in the many panel discussions and breakout sessions […]
The Copernicus Ocean State Report presented to Greenpact2025 in Poland
Muriel Lux represented Mercator Ocean International at the conference and highlighted its leadership in Digital Ocean Systems at the Greenpact Conference in Poznań, and presented its transition into a new Intergovernmental Organization. The organisation emphasised the strategic importance of strengthened cooperation with Poland to advance Europe’s digital ocean governance. A Changing Ocean and Europe’s Digital […]
New Study Finds Evidence of Ongoing Simultaneous Changes in the Global Ocean
A new international study, led by researchers from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (Chinese Academy of Sciences), Mercator Ocean International (MOi), and the Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique at École Normale Supérieure (ENS-PSL), has demonstrated that large parts of the global Ocean are affected by simultaneous changes in multiple physical and chemical properties. The study, published […]
The Copernicus Ocean State Report Presented to European Parliament’s Fisheries Committee
On 11 November 2025, Pierre Bahurel, Director-General of Mercator Ocean International, addressed the European Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries (PECH), presenting the latest findings from the 9th Copernicus Ocean State Report. The session underscored the vital link between Mercator Ocean’s trusted stewardship of the Copernicus Marine Service and the future of European and global operational oceanography. […]
Global Ocean Indicators: Building a Common Language for Ocean Knowledge
A new global framework for Ocean indicators, led by Dr. Karina von Schuckmann from Mercator Ocean International and developed under the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) initiative, aims to translate Ocean science into actionable knowledge, supporting sustainable decision-making and policy. Figure 1. Diagram showing how Ocean science and operational services support informed decision-making and Ocean […]
Dr. Karina von Schuckmann receives Petersen Excellence Professorship for pioneering research on Ocean warming
Dr. Karina von Schuckmann, Mercator Ocean’s Senior Advisor for Ocean Science for Policy, has been awarded the Petersen Excellence Professorship for her research on Ocean warming, the Earth energy imbalance and its role in monitoring and understanding climate change. Dr. h.c. Klaus Wichmann and Dr. Christian Zöllner (Petersen Foundation), Frank Spiekermann, Administrative Director of GEOMAR […]