Session TM17

TM17 | Testing Grounds for Innovation in Ocean Science: The Mediterranean and Black Seas

Testing Grounds for Innovation in Ocean Science: The Mediterranean and Black Seas

Convener: Marilaure Grégoire | Co-convener: Emanuela Clementi

Wed, 06 May, 19:00–20:00 (CEST)

Room M1

This Town Hall proposes the analysis and review of the interdisciplinary exploration of the Mediterranean and Black Sea starting from the sixties and culminating with advanced operational oceanographic services and advanced Digital Twins for coastal resilience. The initiative is being jointly developed by experts from the University of Bologna, the Decade Collaborative Centre for Coastal Resilience (DCC-CR), the UN Ocean Decade Programme CoastPredict, the University of Liège and the Euro-Mediterranean Center for Climate Change. Their shared objective is to examine how knowledge production on these semi-enclosed basins has evolved, how technological and conceptual shifts have shaped the scientific understanding of their dynamics, and how historical perspectives may guide future developments in ocean science. The session aims to integrate interdisciplinary insights with broader historical and philosophical reflections, encouraging participants to reconsider the foundations upon which observational, modelling and analytical approaches to these regions have been built.

The Town Hall will feature concise presentations introducing both the historical evolution of Mediterranean and Black Sea oceanography and their contemporary relevance as grounds for innovation and sustainability.

A moderated discussion with slido will follow, addressing future perspectives and key questions such as:
Which aspects of the scientific investigations of the Mediterranean and Black Sea may usefully inform emerging strategies for observation, prediction and coastal resilience?
How might insights from the humanities help refine scientific priorities for these regions?

The target audience includes oceanographers, marine researchers, historians and philosophers of science, early-career scientists and all participants interested in interdisciplinary dialogue within the geosciences. Expected outcomes include strengthening exchanges across disciplines, identifying shared conceptual frameworks, and stimulating new thinking on the epistemological foundations of marine science, with potential implications for future research agendas across the EGU community.

The oral presentations are given in a hybrid format supported by a Zoom meeting featuring on-site and virtual presentations. The button to access the Zoom meeting appears just before the time block starts.