Oceans, a multidisciplinary research priority for the CNRS
The oceans are at the heart of the political and scientific agendas of the coming years. With more than 2,000 ocean-related researchers in some 50 laboratories, the CNRS is mobilizing at all levels of action.
The sea is rising... on the list of societal and scientific priorities. For a long time now, the ocean has been subjected to 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 large size. It was a fixed point on our planet. But its visible transformation has made it a real focus of attention," says Cyril Moulin, Deputy Director of the CNRS's Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU). Indeed, the melting of the ice, the occurrence of extreme events or the emergence of a plastic continent are all markers that illustrate this trauma and worry the citizens of the world.
The ocean is now at the top of many agendas - illustrated recently by the creation of a Ministry of the Sea following the July 6 government reshuffle, headed by Annick Girardin. A multi-scale dynamic has been set in motion from the international to the local level to identify the actions to be implemented to support its resilience. Among the major challenges: its contribution to climate phenomena, the acquisition of new knowledge on its functioning, the protection of ecosystems and biodiversity, the sustainable use of marine environments and adapted governance. "In this context, the CNRS, one of the world's leading research organizations on ocean issues, has set itself the objective of bringing together the players through interdisciplinary approaches and is asserting itself as a major player in the field," says Anne Corval, advisor to the CNRS's Deputy Director General for Science. To achieve this, the organization is committed to the various projects currently under way.
2021-2030: the decade of ocean sciences for sustainable development
That's where it all started: a decade for ocean science. This process, initiated by the United Nations, addresses in particular sustainable development goal 14 (SDO14) of Agenda 2030 on the conservation of aquatic life. Launch time: January 2021. This global effort involves scientists, policy-makers, NGOs and other stakeholders. The plan of action for the decade was carried out by a committee of experts mandated by UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) with input from the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR) and Future Earth Ocean1. For Marie-Alexandrine Sicre, President of SCOR and CNRS researcher in paleoclimate: "The success of this interdisciplinary project depends on our ability to decompartmentalize science and the political environment. Indeed, the programme aims to transform the way in which scientific questions are posed by integrating more partnerships for a multi-actor construction.
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 General Secretariat for the Sea (SGMer), a department reporting to the Prime Minister, which will soon set up a scientific committee on which the CNRS will sit. But beyond the identification of problems, the decade is intended to bring solutions. The studies will therefore require high-performance observation and information systems. In this sense, CNRS, Ifremer and IRD have jointly positioned themselves as key players in regional observation systems at the OceanObs'19 international conference. They also supported the implementation of data sharing on a global scale. "Regional conventions on this data sharing exist between several African countries and provide a framework for collaboration for 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 huge stakes of the future of our planet in relation to the oceans that feed several billion people. The decade is the trigger for many regional initiatives, including the Health of the Oceans, Seas and Coastal and Inland Waters mission, one of the five missions of the new Horizon Europe programme (2021-2027). Its objective? To regenerate Europe's marine and freshwater ecosystems by 2030. The focus is on reducing anthropogenic (pollution, tourism, fisheries, etc.) and climatic (acidification, extreme events, etc.) impacts, ocean governance, increasing knowledge and strengthening the interfaces between science and society.
As the second largest Exclusive Marine Economic Zone, France is strongly concerned by ocean issues. The SGMer has set up a French contact group to represent, with a single voice, French strategy in response to the European mission. In this context, the CNRS insists to the other French representatives on 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. Objectives that echo the European Green Deal for a climate-neutral Europe by 20502. In addition, CNRS is ready to get involved in the burning issue of marine renewable energy (MRE), in particular the characterization of the potential environmental impacts of these offshore installations. Indeed, MRE is part of both the Green Deal and the "decarbonation" of the ocean issue of the European mission, which aims to increase MRE by 200% by 2025 and for 35% of the energy mix to come from MRE (wind, tide, swell) by 2030.
The ocean: challenges for France and the CNRS
Under the leadership 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 by CNRS and Ifremer from 2021. The two players are already jointly coordinating the ocean working group of the national environmental research alliance AllEnvi4. The PPR should contribute to national discussions in the framework of the European mission on the health of the oceans and the decade of ocean sciences. At the French level, three areas with specific challenges have been targeted: overseas territories, the deep ocean and the polar oceans. Special attention will also be paid to coastal and littoral 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. "We are also an independent expert organization capable of addressing societal issues in the development of collective expertise, such as that expected for the exploration and exploitation of the seabed," adds Anne Corval. But CNRS's strategy is not limited to meeting the needs of other bodies. That is why it is also organising itself internally. Since 2018, it has had an Ocean Task Force bringing together the ten institutes. This task force disseminates information on research programmes and funding. It also aims to strengthen the interface between scientists and decision-makers.
The CNRS has recently decided to structure itself internally and implement its own strategy based on the wide range of its strengths. "We have a unique diversity of approach and we are the only research organization that can provide a fully integrated vision of the ocean. Yet until now we have not been organized to do so," says Moulin. This is why a research grouping (GDR)5 dedicated to the ocean is being set up. This will bring together communities of researchers from all the institutes from 2021. This space for reflection will make it possible to initiate dialogue between disciplines and create new research dynamics.
This GDR is also anchored in the organization-wide vision of the decade of ocean sciences. It is organized around four major themes: 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: "CNRS's strategy as an organization is bearing fruit. We already have more visibility as an institution, and no longer only through the expertise of our researchers. This allows us to feed the political agenda and to be present on the major scientific issues of the oceans that will be played out on a global scale in the years to come".