Scientists' perspectives on global ocean research priorities

Murray A Rudd

doi:10.3389/fmars.2014.00036

Abstract

Diverse natural and social science research is needed to support policies to recover and sustain healthy oceans. While a wide variety of expert-led prioritization initiatives have identified research themes and priorities at national and regional scale, over the past several years there has also been a surge in the number of scanning exercises that have identified important environmental research questions and issues ‘from the bottom-up’. From those questions, winnowed from thousands of contributions by scientists and policy-makers around the world who participated in terrestrial, aquatic and domain-specific horizon scanning and big question exercises, I identified 657 research questions potentially important for informing decisions regarding ocean governance and sustainability. These were distilled to a short list of 67 distinctive research questions that, in an internet survey, were ranked by 2179 scientists from 94 countries. Five of the top 10 research priorities were shared by respondents globally. Despite significant differences between physical and ecological scientists’ priorities regarding specific research questions, they shared seven common priorities among their top 10. Social scientists’ priorities were, however, much different, highlighting their research focus on managerial solutions to ocean challenges and questions regarding the role of human behavior and values in attaining ocean sustainability. The results from this survey provide a comprehensive and timely assessment of current ocean research priorities among research-active scientists but highlight potential challenges in stimulating crossdisciplinary research. As ocean and coastal research necessarily becomes more transdisciplinary to address complex ocean challenges, it will be critical for scientists and research funders to understand how scientists from different disciplines and regions might collaborate and strengthen the overall evidence base for ocean governance.

Highlights

Oceans provide critical, multi-dimensional support for life on earth (Costello et al, 2010; Halpern et al, 2012) and, given their role in Earth sustainability (Rockström et al, 2009; Griggs et al, 2013), will play a central role in society’s shift toward a more sustainable future
There is a crucial need for targeted natural and social science research that builds our understanding of earth processes, helps identify possible solutions to critical challenges, and provides the knowledge needed to catalyze transformational changes in human behavior
A variety of efforts to identify ocean research priorities have been undertaken in the past at national and regional levels, often through agency-led approaches that draw on eminent scientists for advice (e.g., International Ocean Discovery Program, 2011; European Marine Board, 2013; Expert Panel on Canadian Ocean Science, 2013; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2013)

Summary

Introduction

Multi-dimensional support for life on earth (Costello et al, 2010; Halpern et al, 2012) and, given their role in Earth sustainability (Rockström et al, 2009; Griggs et al, 2013), will play a central role in society’s shift toward a more sustainable future. Ocean governance has special challenges associated with political and legal arrangements within and beyond areas of national jurisdiction (Berkes et al, 2006; Warner, 2014), monitoring marine environmental and ecological conditions (Katsanevakis et al, 2012), limited knowledge regarding the links between ocean environmental conditions and ecological structure, function and services (Balvanera et al, 2006; Heip et al, 2009; Armstrong et al, 2012; Liquete et al, 2013), and understanding how various governance interventions affect goods and services that oceans provide humans (Rudd, 2004; Schlüter et al, 2013) These issues may strongly impact food security and livelihood viability for hundreds of millions of people who depend on ocean resources (Allison et al, 2009; Garcia and Rosenberg, 2010; Johnson et al, 2013).

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion