Decadal Ocean Observing Conference Held in Honolulu
Decadal Ocean Observing Conference Held in Honolulu
Posted September 23, 2019In September, the international, decadal conference OceanObs’19 was held for the first time ever in the United States. Approximately 1,500 attendees came to Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, to learn, share, and develop recommendations on how to grow and sustain global ocean observing capacity over the next decade.
PacIOOS’ Director, Melissa Iwamoto, gave a plenary talk as part of the Successes and Opportunities for Ocean Observing panel, discussing a stakeholder-driven process to develop tailored data products. PacIOOS co-investigators and staff, along with many other researchers from the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, were instrumental in developing numerous Community White Papers and posters. The importance of indigenous knowledge was recognized throughout the conference, resulting in the Aha Honua Coastal Indigenous Peoples’ Declaration, which goes hand-in-hand with the Conference Statement.
To celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS), the U.S. IOOS Program Office, IOOS Association, and PacIOOS hosted an evening reception at the Waikīkī Aquarium to celebrate IOOS’ past, present, and future.
Approximately 450 guests attended the 20th Anniversary reception at the Waikīkī Aquarium.
Around 450 international, national and local partners gathered for this informal networking event. Mahalo to all sponsors who supported the event, including Sea Bird Scientific, Shell, Teledyne Marine, Axiom, Kongsberg, Ocean Conservancy, RPS, CODAR, XPRIZE, Wildlife Computers, and SECOORA.
Other evening events, such as the Breaking Waves, Breaking Barriers reception that celebrated women’s instrumental role in ocean science, leadership, and mentorship, were also a huge success.
