01-05 December 2025
INCOIS, Hyderabad, India.
| Abstract Submission No. | ABS-07-0249 |
| Title of Abstract | Building capacity for coastal oceanography across the Indian Ocean |
| Authors | Greg Cowie*, Juliet Hermes, Tommy Bornman, Tamaryn Morris, Jethan d'Hotman, Bernardion Malawene |
| Organisation | University of Edinburgh |
| Address | 35 Impasse de la Forge Pont-de-Barret, Drome, France Pincode: 26160 E-mail: glcowie@ed.ac.uk |
| Country | France |
| Presentation | Oral |
| Abstract | A central objective of the next phase of the 2nd International Indian Ocean Expedition (IIOE-2, 2025-2030) will be to address the serious lack of reliable and comparable oceanographic observations that exists for most coastal areas across the Indian Ocean. The Coastal Observation Lab in a Box (COLaB) initiative is a UN Decade-endorsed project (under the CoastPredict programme). Its aim is to deliver instruments, protocols and training for water sampling and a wide range of ⿿old-school methods for physical, biological and biogeochemical observations. The package will include both commercial instruments and affordable counterparts that, wherever possible, are open-source and can be built by the end user. A key feature is that the methods can be applied in settings ranging from coastal wetlands to the open continental shelf, without need of a formal research vessel or laboratory. Training will be both hands-on, through regional training camps, and online, and the package will include data management and modelling tools. Trainees will come not only from academic institutions but also from bodies such as NGOs, port authorities, MPA management teams and the mariculture industry. In particular, a key COLaB objective is to engage with early career scientists from around the Indian Ocean, to become multi-skilled coastal oceanographers and to be trainers in their own right. An overview of the COLaB initiative will be presented, with descriptions of planned contributions to IIOE-2 and the CoastPredict Global Coast project, to begin with a regional training camp in Mozambique in 2026. |
| Are you part of IIOE-2 endorsed project | no |
| Keywords | Coastal observations, oceanography, capacity building, instruments, affordable, open-source |
| For Awards | no |