The oceans are at the heart of the political and scientific agendas for the coming years. With more than 2,000 ocean-related researchers in around fifty laboratories, CNRS is involved at every level.
The sea is moving up the list of social and scientific priorities. For a long time now, the ocean has been suffering from the intensive use of its resources, the destruction of its habitats and the effects of climate change. "Until now, there has been a shared vision of an ocean that is indestructible because of its great size. It was a fixed point on our planet. But its visible transformation has made it a real focus of attention," notes Cyril Moulin, deputy director of the CNRS's Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU). Melting ice, the occurrence of extreme events and the emergence of a continent of plastic are all markers that illustrate this trauma and are worrying the world's citizens.
The ocean is now high on many agendas - most recently illustrated by the creation of a Ministry of the Sea following the government reshuffle on 6 July, headed by Annick Girardin. A multi-level dynamic has been set in motion, from the international to the local level, to identify the actions that need to be taken to support its resilience. The major challenges include its contribution to climate phenomena, the acquisition of new knowledge about how it works, the protection of ecosystems and biodiversity, the sustainable use of marine environments and appropriate governance. "As one of the world's leading ocean research organisations, the CNRS has set itself the goal of bringing together all the players involved through interdisciplinary approaches, and is establishing itself as a major player in the field," explains Anne Corval, adviser to the CNRS Director General for Science. To this end, the organisation is committed to the various projects currently underway.
2021-2030: the decade of ocean sciences for sustainable development
It all started from there: a decade for ocean sciences. This approach, initiated by the United Nations, is tackling Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG14) of the 2030 Agenda on the conservation of aquatic life. Launch date: January 2021. This global effort involves scientists, policy-makers, NGOs and other stakeholders. The action plan for the decade was drawn up by a committee of experts commissioned by UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), with contributions from the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR) and Future Earth Ocean1. According to Marie-Alexandrine Sicre, President of SCOR and a CNRS researcher in palaeoclimate: "The success of this interdisciplinary project depends on our ability to break down the barriers between science and politics". Indeed, the programme aims to transform the way in which scientific questions are posed by integrating more partnerships for a multi-stakeholder approach.
In order to address the problems of each region of the world, UNESCO has carried out consultations by ocean region. France has taken up the issue through the Secrétariat Général de la Mer (SGMer), a department reporting to the Prime Minister, which will shortly be setting up a scientific committee on which the CNRS will have a seat. But beyond identifying the problems, the decade aims to provide solutions. Studies will therefore need effective observation and information systems. With this in mind, CNRS, Ifremer and IRD jointly positioned themselves as key players in regional observation systems at the OceanObs'19 international conference. They also spoke out in support of data sharing on a global scale. "Regional conventions on data sharing exist between several African countries and provide a framework for collaboration in the protection and management of the marine and coastal environment," notes Marie-Alexandrine Sicre.
European mission for the health of the oceans
The choice of the United Nations also reflects the enormous challenges facing the future of our planet in relation to the oceans, which feed several billion people. The decade is the trigger for a number of regional initiatives, including the Health of the Oceans, Seas, Coastal and Inland Waters mission, one of the five missions of the new Horizon Europe programme (2021-2027). Its aim? To regenerate Europe's marine and freshwater ecosystems by 2030. The focus is on reducing the impact of human activity (pollution, tourism, fishing, etc.) and climate change (acidification, extreme events, etc.), ocean governance, increasing knowledge and strengthening the interface between science and society.
As the second largest exclusive marine economic zone, France has a major stake in ocean issues. The SGMer has set up a French contact group to represent, with a single voice, the French strategy in response to the European mission. In this context, the CNRS is stressing to the other French representatives the importance of implementing new descriptors of the state of health of the aquatic environment. It also supports the development of a digital twin of the ocean, its modelling and the improvement of data collection and processing. These objectives echo the European Green Deal for a climate-neutral Europe by 20502. In addition, CNRS is ready to get involved in the pressing issue of marine renewable energies (MRE), in particular the characterisation of the potential environmental impacts of these offshore installations. Indeed, MRE is part of both the Green Deal and the ocean 'decarbonisation' issue of Europe's mission, which aims to increase MRE by 200 % by 2025 and for 35 % of the energy mix to come from MRE (wind, tidal, wave) by 2030.
The ocean: challenges for France and the CNRS
Under the aegis of the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation (MESRI) and the General Secretariat for Investment, a priority research programme (PPR)3 will be co-piloted from 2021 by CNRS and Ifremer. The two organisations already coordinate the ocean working group of the AllEnvi4 national environmental research alliance. The PPR is expected to contribute to national discussions as part of the European Mission on the Health of the Oceans and the Decade of Ocean Sciences. In France, three areas with specific challenges have been targeted: the overseas territories, the deep ocean and the polar oceans. Particular attention will also be paid to coastal areas.
In order to quantify its activity, the CNRS is launching a bibliometric study with the Institut de l'information scientifique et technique (INIST) on its publications in ocean sciences. "Anne Corval adds: "We are also an independent expert organisation capable of taking on societal issues in the establishment of collective expertise, such as that expected for the exploration and exploitation of the seabed. But the CNRS's strategy is not limited to meeting the needs of other bodies. That's why it is also organising itself internally. Since 2018, it has had an Ocean Task Force bringing together the ten institutes. This distributes information on research programmes and funding. It also aims to strengthen the interface between scientists and decision-makers.
The CNRS recently decided to structure itself internally and put in place its own strategy, drawing on the breadth of its strengths. "We have a unique diversity of approaches and we are the only research organisation that can provide a fully integrated vision of the ocean. However, until now we have not been organised to do this", explains Cyril Moulin. That's why a research group (GDR)5 dedicated to the ocean is being set up. This will bring together communities of researchers from all the institutes from 2021. It will provide a forum for dialogue between disciplines and create new research dynamics.
This GDR is also anchored in the vision of the decade of ocean sciences at the organisational level. It is organised around four major themes covering the state of health of the ocean, its global modelling, the study of marine ecosystems and socio-ecosystems, and the preservation of biodiversity and its resources (food, energy, raw materials). Anne Corval added: "The CNRS's strategy as an organisation is bearing fruit. We already have greater visibility as an institution, and not just through the expertise of our researchers. This allows us to feed into the political agenda and to be present on the major scientific issues concerning the oceans that will be at stake on a global scale in the years to come".