The authorized representatives of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine participated in the work of the Sixth Steering Committee Meeting of the Black Sea Oceanographic Data and Information Network Project of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO

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During the Sixth Steering Committee Meeting of the ODIN-Black Sea Project

On November 6-8, 2017, the Sixth Steering Committee Meeting of the Black Sea Oceanographic Data and Information Network Project, the ODIN-Black Sea Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), continued with the participation of the Director of the Scientific Hydrophysical Center National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, ODIN-Black Sea National Coordinator, Doctor of Geographical Sciences, Professor O.Shyptsov and Acting Secretary of the Center, Deputy National Coordinator of the mentioned project G.S. Stefanov

The meeting was opened by the coordinator of the ODIN-Black Sea project, Mr. Murat Elge, and Mr. Peter Pissierssens, Head of the Project Office for the International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE) of the IOC of UNESCO. M. Elga emphasized the importance of the ODIN-Black Sea project and thanked the participants for the great efforts they have made to implement the project activities.

It should be noted that the ODIN-Black Sea project was created in 2007 by the decision of the IOC Joint Committee and the International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange Program of the IOC of UNESCO. In 2007-2015 3 training courses were conducted, in which about 30 participants from ODIN-Black Sea countries participated. Previously, the Fifth Meeting of the ODI-Black Sea Steering Committee was held in 2015 in Varna (Bulgaria).

According to M. Elge, in accordance with the new program documents adopted at the 24th session of the IODE Committee in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) in March 2017, ODIN-Black Sea activities were extended for the period 2017-2019 with such planned activities :

  • 2 trainings (using Ocean Data Portal and data collection and management);
  • Preparation of work plans for the use of research vessels of the Black Sea basin for 2018 and 2019;
  • Preparation of an expedition plan for the Black Sea in 2018;
  • Inventory of databases and metadata databases of ODIN-Black Sea member states;
  • expanding cooperation with the Commission for the protection of the Black Sea from pollution;
  • assisting in the development, operation and strengthening of national centers for oceanographic data in the Black Sea region.

As at the 24th session of the IODE Committee, ODIN-Black Sea participants were recommended to consider the possibility of closer interaction with the OCEAN-OCEAN Oceanic Biogeographic Information System project, ODIN-Black Sea Steering Committee meetings were requested by the coordinator of the OBIS Project, Mr. Ward Appeltas. During the meeting, the prospects for further cooperation between ODIN-Black Sea and OBIS projects were discussed. U. Appelstan, in particular, stressed that there is now only a point in the OBIS project in the Black Sea region, and invited all partners in the region to consider joining OBIS. The ODIN-Black Sea Steering Committee has recommended that authorized representatives of the Black Sea region actively support OBIS and disseminate information about the project through the ODIN-Black Sea website.

One of the main topics of the Sixth Meeting of the ODIN-Black Sea Steering Committee was the discussion of the prospects for a joint Black Sea scientific oceanographic expedition in 2018. According to M. Elga, representatives of Turkey at the 29th session of the Assembly of the IOC proposed to conduct a joint expedition. This idea was supported by representatives of the countries of the Black Sea region in the Assembly. M. Elge presented the working version of the plan of the joint Black Sea scientific oceanographic expedition in 2018 and noted that for the purposes of this expedition, Turkey is ready to grant a scientific research vessel "Cesme" on a royalty-free basis. According to the proposed expedition plan, it is planned to carry out the action at least one port of each Black Sea basin country and work in the territorial waters of each country for at least 3 days.

The ODIN-Black Sea Steering Committee has decided to continue the process of pre-approval of the program plan. Upon agreement of the program plan at the scientific level, Turkey will send it to the permanent missions of the Black Sea countries under UNESCO for official approval in the prescribed manner.

A representative of the Permanent Secretariat of the Commission for the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution from the Black Sea Contamination Protection Convention (Black Sea Commission), Ms. Irina Makarenko, participated in the meeting of the ODIN-Black Sea Committee, which presented the main activities of the Black Sea Commission and emphasized the need to deepen cooperation between the Black Sea Commission and ODIN-Black Sea. According to I. Makarenko, a joint Black Sea scientific oceanographic expedition could become an element of deepening cooperation if some samples of samples could be used for analysis by the Black Sea Commission.

The ODIN-Black Sea participants then presented presentations by their national oceanographic data centers (all presentations will be posted later on the ODIN-Black Sea website). By informing about the activities of the Ukrainian national center for oceanographic data, Ukraine's representatives, in particular, drew attention to the holding of a scientific-practical seminar "International cooperation in the field of marine scientific research - an important factor for the implementation of the Black Sea regional projects of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO and the European Union", which was held on October 19, 2017 in Kyiv. Given the significance of this event, the management of the IODE Project Office of the IOC UNESCO has disseminated information on it on its own web site.

In the framework of the Sixth Meeting of the ODIN-Black Sea Steering Committee, technical issues related to the use of different types of databases for ODIN-Black Sea activities were also considered. Therefore, the participants of the meeting switched to discussing the prospects for conducting 2 trainings in 2018.

At the end of the meeting, the presenters reviewed several presentations demonstrated by the responsible officers of the IODE Project Office of UNESCO. In particular, Mr. Greg Reed presented information on the activities of the Global Ocean Teacher Academy of the IOC of UNESCO. He explained the process of admission of students to courses, noting that all courses held are available on the respective site. In addition, G. Reed spoke about the accreditation process of the national centers for oceanographic data and the Quality Control System of the IOC of UNESCO.

During the overseas business trip O.A. Shchiptsov and GS Stefanov took part in separate meetings, having consulted on assistance in search of an oceanographic vessel, which may be transferred to the property of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine on a charitable basis. They spoke in particular with the head of the Project Office of the International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IOC) UNESCO Mr Peter Pississsense and the Honorary President of the French Maritime Union, Mr François Souley de Briujeer in Ostend (Belgium), with the Chairman of the Board of the Seaport Dunkirk (France ) Mr. Stefan Rezon and the Secretary General of the French Maritime Union, Mr. Bernard Mazuel in Paris (France).

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In the photo (from right to left): F.S. de Brujier, S. Rezon, O. Shchiptsov and G. Stefanov

As a result of consultations, the Scientific Hydrophysical Center of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine prepared and sent a corresponding written application to the Secretary General of the Union of Ports of France.

It should be noted that FS where Brujier, P. Pissierssens, S. Rezon and B. Mazuel expressed their readiness to assist in solving the search of a corresponding oceanographic vessel for the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. In particular, F.S. where Breujeer said that the above-mentioned written application of the Scientific Hydrophysical Center of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine has already been forwarded to the General Secretariat for the Sea, including the unit of the French Government responsible for maritime affairs.

On November 10, 2017, with the assistance of the Advisor to the Head of the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to UNESCO Mr. Kostiantyn Ablazov and the staff of the Office of the Executive Secretary of the IOC, Mrs. Isabel Chavez, a meeting was held between Doctor of Geographical Sciences, Professor O.A. Shchiptsova and G.S. Stefanova with the staff of the secretariat of the IOC (Paris). In particular, during the aforementioned meeting, consultations were held with the head of the Ocean Sciences Section, Mr. Salvatore Arico, Head of the Oceanic Monitoring Section (GOOS, JCOMM), Mr. Albert Fisher and Head of the Tsunami Division, Mr. Thorkild Aarup.

S. Ariko informed Ukrainian colleagues about the main priority areas of scientific research in the marine environment (in particular, the study of biology, ecology and chemistry of the sea, the interaction of the ocean surface and the atmosphere), carried out within the framework of the international programs and projects of the UNESCO IOC, as well as the planned conduct of UNESCO " Decade of Marine Sciences "(2021-2030), devoted to the study of the marine environment. His goal - to increase the effectiveness of "marine sciences" to a level that meets the requirements of modern times. Within the framework of the Decade of Marine Sciences, a significant increase in the number of marine expeditionary research with the use of research vessels of the member states of the IOC and the number of IOC scientific projects aimed at integrated exploration of the marine environment is planned. In addition, S. Ariko invited representatives of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine to send to the IOC the scientific information on marine biological research conducted by Ukrainian scientists in 2017 - for inclusion in the annual report of the Ocean Sciences Section.

A. Fischer recommended the Scientific Hydrophysical Center of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine to establish scientific contacts with the Chief of the Black Sea Regional Alliance of the Global Ocean Observing System (Black Sea Alliance of WSSOs), the Deputy Director of the Institute of Oceanology of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Mr. Atanas Palazov (Varna, Bulgaria) and submit proposals from Ukraine. to the report of the Chief of the Black Sea Alliance of All-Ukrainian CSOs on the activities of the Alliance for 2017.

T. Aarup advised to submit candidacies from Ukraine to the "Tsunami-Black Sea" Committee of the IOC of UNESCO and to the UNESCO IOC Executive Board for the quota of Eastern European countries, as well as to provide details of a Ukrainian organization conducting round-the-clock observation of the meteorological situation in the Black Sea from The purpose of the operational warning about the possible occurrence of the tsunami.

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In the photo (from right to left): S. Ariko, T. Arap, O. Shhibtsov, A. Fischer and G. Stefanov

The meeting was successful, and consultations on improving the effectiveness of the integration of the scientific potential of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in the international programs and projects of the IOC in the field of marine environment research were fruitful.