Som en oppfølging etter Forumets internasjonale seminar “The Ocean and Future Aspects of the European Marine Research Area” 11. juni i Brussel, har Irland, Portugal og Norge samarbeidet om et uformelt innspill til en satsning på "Ocean" i 7. rammeprogram. Det spilles nå inn til Kommisjonens forberedelse av forslaget til rammeprogram, jf. Kommisjonens konsulteringsprosess hvor fristen er 31. desember - se webstedet her.
Et bakgrunnsdokument er utarbeidet av eksperter fra de tre landene og dette blir nå brukt som grunnlag for videre innspill i rammeprogrammet. Se omtale nedenfor.
Etter at representanter fra Irland, Portugal og Norge ble enige om en uformell oppfølging av Ocean-møtet, inviterte forskningsrådene ved de tre Brussel-representasjonene representanter fra samtlige medlemsland, assosierte land samt enkelte representanter fra Kommisjonen til et møte den 5. oktober for å drøfte rollen til marin/maritim forskning i neste rammeprogram. Over 30 deltakere som representerte 17 land og 3 generaldirektorater diskuterte rasjonalet for et Ocean-initiativ og ekspertene fra de tre initiativ-landene tok på seg å utarbeide et dokument som gir bakgrunn for en "Ocean"-satsning i 7. rammeprogram. Dokumentet har vært til kommentering i ulike sammenhenger og kan nå lastes ned her: Download the_oceans_fp7_.pdf .
Ved siden av å benyttes i Kommisjonens konsulteringsprosess (se også tidligere omtale av status i forberedelsene av rammeprogrammet, her), vil dokumentet bli diskutert med nøkkelaktører på nyåret. I disse dager sendes dokumentet bredt ut til landrepresentasjoner, aktører i Brusselmiljøet og aktører innen "Ocean"-området. Se e-post fra Geoffrey O'Sullivan nedenfor.
Geoffrey O'Sullivan, stående på bildet, har vært en av de to ekspertene fra Irland i utarbeidelsen av dokumentet.
Lars Horn, Forskningsrådet, har deltatt fra norsk side.
Research Themes to be included in FP7 (Marine Research)
Dear colleague
The European Commission has recently issued an invitation to stakeholders to identify Research Themes to be included in FP7. Submissions are invited on-line and must be input on or before 31st December 2004.
<http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/future/themes/comments_en.cfm>
The statistics generated from this exercise will be used by the Commission in its negotiations with Member States to select / disgard Themes to be included in FP7. It is essential, therefore, that there be a good statistical return in favour of Marine Research from this on-line consultation.
As an absolute minimum, we urge that you complete the on-line questionaire inserting the words "Marine Research" in the box entitled "Other areas not covered in the Sixth Framework Programme".
We would encourage that you go further and complete the Comments Box outlining the specific issues you would like to see addressed under a Marine Research Programme.
To assist, a short text is attached which you might like to use or cut and paste as part of your submission.
A more detailed scope and rationale, prepare by Ireland, Portugal and Norway, titled "The OCEANs and FP7" can be downloaded (shortly) from www.EUROCEAN.ORG <http://www.EUROCEAN.ORG>. You are invited to use all or parts of this text in (a) making your own on-line submission and (b) encouraging your National Authorities to consider Marine Research as one of their Priorities for FP7.
EU 7th Framework Programme:
Building the European Marine Research Area
The sustainable development of Europe's marine resources, encompassing some 50% of the European territorial space, represents a continuing and outstanding challenge for the European Union and its Member States. Marine research can and must play a critical role in the sustainable development of European marine resources and in supporting European development policies as they pertain to the marine sector, for example with respect to regional development, transport, energy, fisheries and aquaculture, healthy food, mineral resources and recreation. Marine science and technology has an essential role to play in generating the knowledge and technologies needed to fuel economic development as outlined in the Lisbon Agenda. The seas and oceans play a critical role in climate, carbon cycle and ecosystem function, the understanding of which is essential to the implementation of European policies on sustainable development and environmental protection (Gothenburg Agenda).
Marine science and technology must therefore be included as one of the strategic orientations of European Science Policy and implemented through the 7th Framework Programme. Marine research meets all three criteria identified by the Commission for inclusion in FP7. It contributes to EU policy objectives, it represents significant potential for excellence in science and technology, contributes to social, environmental and economic goals and has a strong European added-value aspect bringing together existing European expertise to form the critical mass needed to address multidisciplinary and regional issues and challenge our major maritime competitors (USA, Japan).
Given the broad range of topics, themes and priorities relevant to the marine sector (see above) and the need to develop and apply a broad range of new and innovative technologies (bio, nano-technologies, acoustics, ICT, etc), attempts to include all of these in a single FP7 Theme or Priority is problematical. The success of a European Marine Research initiative will, therefore, depend upon a holistic implementation of actions across the various Axes (Pillars) and Priority Themes of FP7, in other words:
"marine science must be introduced as an innovative horizontal element spanning all 6 pillars and priority themes of the proposed 7th Framework Programme".
Geoffrey O'Sullivan
International Co-Operation / Foresight & Planning
Strategic Planning & Development Services (SPDS)
Marine Institute
80 Harcourt Street
Dublin 14
IRELAND
Tel: +353-1-4766500
E.Mail: gosullivan@marine.ie
Web: www.marine.ie <http://www.marine.ie>
Why not visit the EUROCEAN 2004 Conference website
Read the GALWAY DECLARATION and download Conference presentations www.eurocean2004.com <http://www.eurocean2004.com>
Dear Sirs,
I participated in the seminar of the permanent Norwegian mission to EU, Brussels 11 June 2004, and became enthusiastic about the prospects of The Oceans and FP7. The scope seems to embrace several of the research suggestions identified in a NATO Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) organised in Oslo 11-15 November 2003. The proceedings volume was published last week (Skreslet, S 2004. Jan Mayen Island in Scientific Focus. Kluwer Academic Publishers. Boston, Dordrecht, London. 363 pp. ISBN 1-4020-2955-1).
The NATO ARW discussed the possibilities of establishing a research station for pluri-disciplinary research on Jan Mayen Island. Some of the identified research topics are in line with The Oceans and FP7. I will briefly outline a few.
Maritime transports, hazards and safety.
The meteorological service on Jan Mayen served a crucial role during the World War II shipping activities in the Norwegian Sea and the Barents Sea. At present, northern hemispheric models are developed to study climate and air-sea interactions for scientific studies and prognostic applications. The NATO ARW identified observations from Jan Mayen Island to be of particular interest for validation and tuning of such models. Data from the standard meteorological routines made since 1921 is a very valuable reference, but for more sophisticated development other observations should be developed and included. Safe navigation in the North-East and North-West Passages in the future will depend on prognostic models as well as improved daily weather service.
Ocean research, global change and ecosystems.
1. Jan Mayem has a very strategic position in the Arctic Mediterranean Ecosystem, its shores being bordered by the Greenland Sea to the north-west and by the Norwegian Sea in the south-east. The Global Thermo-Haline Circulation is to a large extent driven by air-sea interactions that causes Greenland Sea Surface Water to sink. The process is poorly studied due to the poor access to these waters, especially during winter. Direct on-line observations from moored sensor systems monitored and maintained by a manned research station on Jan Mayen would provide essential knowledge.
2. Despite Jan Mayen waters are remote from any continent, its avian fauna contains industrial pollutants that may originate from the local food-chain. However, essential parts of the local plankton communities possibly originate from European shelf waters and may provide a live medium for transportation of pollutants. The plankton ecology of the western Norwegian Sea and the Greenland Sea is very poorly investigated. A research station on Jan Mayen would dramatically change the sampling options.
3. Understanding the exchange of meroplanktonic larvae between island and continent may improve our understanding of biodiversity, and the structure and resilience of benthic population structures. Jan Mayen communities are possibly to some extent populated by larvae brought by Atlantic water, and may export juveniles to Europe by the East Iceland Current. A Jan Mayen MPS could possibly serve as a sanctuary and repopulation source for species that are threatened in continental shelf waters.
Fisheries.
Jan Mayen waters are biologically very productive, being summer feeding habitats of the two largest fish populations in the NE Atlantic, i.e. Norwegian spring-spawning herring and the North Atlantic blue whiting. Both are important raw materials in the production of feed for farmed fish, and are utilised for direct human consumption. Both are also basic food resources for a food-web that includes squids, whales, seals and sea-birds that are parts of the natural heritage. The carrying capacity for sustainable exploitation lies in the plankton production that is very weakly studied.
The Final Frontier.
Jan Mayen's Beerenberg is an active volcano that rises directly from the North Atlantic Ridge. To the North its submarine slopes fall directly into the abyss. The recent discovery of thermal vent communities in the Polar Sea makes it likely that similar communities may occur in Jan Mayen Island. The slopes may be prospected for vent systems at any depth down to 3.000m and may well disclose depth differences in community structure. Once observed, such communities could be monitored with any observation frequency on a year-round basis, by remote monitoring from a laboratory on Jan Mayen Island.
A Laboratory for Basic Science.
The NATO ARW particularly addressed basic science in many marine fields, from geology to marine systems ecology. Most fields of marine science may be addressed at a pluri-disiplinary station established on Jan Mayen Island.
A Challenge for Innovative Technologies.
In many respects, research operations on Jan Mayen Island will be much more reliable and less expensive than research ship operations. However, they will still pose risks that were discussed in the NATO ARW. The participants recommended that a small crew of highly skilled technicians should take care of routine observations and preferably maintain a range of moored and self-navigating vehicles. That will require the deployment of sophisticated new technologies presently under development. Jan Mayen would serve as a test laboratory that may challenge the capabilities of new technologies. Direct involvement of highly qualified scientists and construction engineers on the island may be required in short testing campaigns and in training of technical staff.
The option for establishing a research station on Jan Mayen Island is very imminent. There is a spacious Loran-C station being considered terminated by the Norwegian authorities who search for replacement activities. The Parliament recently postponed the decision from 2005 to 2006. The NATO ARW proposed that the facility should be made available for scientific research from 2005-06 with special reference to activities that could pave the scientific ground for the next International Polar Year (IPY 2007-08).
I have understood that The Oceans and FP7 may preferentially adopt a holistic approach in the ongoing planning. Therefore I hope that Jan Mayen Island as such, and the Norwegian dilemma of what to do with the island's existing infrastructure, may be regarded as an opportunity to launch science of interest to EU. I fully understand that the FP7 projects will finance only running costs for projects and not support infrastructure. However, I think that the Norwegian establishment of politicians and managers will appreciate an expressed interest from EU to do research on the island.
I look forward to see your progress.
Yours sincerely,
Stig Skreslet
Associate Professor
Faculty of Fisheries and Natural Sciences
Bodoe University College
N-8049 Bodoe, Norway
Posted by: Stig Skreslet | 13 December 2004 at 15:13