DOSI Town Hall at Ocean Sciences Meeting - Glasgow, Scotland
2026-02-25 12:45 - 13:45 UTC
DOSI Town Hall
Deep-Ocean Science as the Foundation for a Thriving Global Ocean (TH33F)
Wednesday 25 February 2026, 12:45-13:45
DOSI is hosting a Town Hall at the Ocean Sciences Meeting in Glasgow, focused on the essential role of deep-ocean science in underpinning a healthy, resilient, and productive global ocean. This session will bring together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to discuss how deep-ocean knowledge supports effective ocean governance, informs international agreements, and enables sustainable management across areas within and beyond national jurisdiction.
The Town Hall will provide space for open discussion, community exchange, and identification of priorities for advancing deep-ocean science in support of global ocean goals.
The deep ocean is a vast Earth-spanning ecosystem, kilometres deep and continuously yielding new discoveries. It is also attracting increasing commercial attention. Nascent deep-sea mining and marine carbon dioxide removal industries are potential significant new pressures on top of ongoing impacts from climate change, fisheries and offshore energy extraction. We must shed light on these darkest areas of the ocean to safeguard their future. The context of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement and the UN Ocean Decade provide powerful international frameworks within which to rally a global community of deep-ocean stewards. The deep-ocean science community has already been proactive and successful in engaging with the UN Ocean Decade from the outset. This event gathers representatives of deep-ocean-focused Decade Actions to provide updates of their achievements, followed by discussions with the audience to identify future opportunities to enhance engagement of the community across the Decade. This call halfway through the Decade for further scientific participation in the future of global ocean sustainability and policy comes at a critical time, with momentum to generate much needed deep-ocean knowledge.

Moderators

Maria Baker – University of Southampton
Eva Zoe Ramirez-Llodra – REV Ocean

Presenters

Kirsty McQuaid – Nelson Mandela University
Fengping Wang – Shanghai JiaoTong University
Adrian Martin – National Oceanography Centre Southampton
Leslie M Smith – Your Ocean Consulting, LLC
Louise Allcock – University of Galway
Alison Wale – Uu-a-thluk, Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council

31st Session of the ISA (Part I), Council – Kingston, Jamaica
2026-03-09 - 2026-03-20
Reflective summary
DOSI participated in the first part of the 31st session of the Council of the International Seabed Authority (9–19 March 2026, Kingston, Jamaica), contributing scientific expertise to ongoing negotiations on regulations for deep-sea mining in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
Throughout the session, DOSI provided independent, science-based input to support discussions on environmental protection, exploitation regulations, and key governance mechanisms. This included formal interventions and extensive engagement with state delegations and stakeholders on issues such as biodiversity, ecosystem functions, cumulative impacts, and the application of the precautionary approach.
The session highlighted the growing recognition of the importance of robust scientific evidence in shaping policy decisions related to the deep ocean. DOSI’s contributions were actively referenced in discussions and welcomed by multiple delegations, reinforcing the value of sustained scientific engagement in international processes.
As negotiations continue, DOSI remains committed to ensuring that deep-sea science informs decision-making and supports the effective protection and stewardship of ocean ecosystems.
Read the full blog for detailed insights from the session:
DOSI at the 31st session of the Council of ISA (Part I)

BBNJ Preparatory Commission 3 – New York, USA
2026-03-23 - 2026-04-02
DOSI will be sending a delegation to the BBNJ Preparatory Commission.
More details of our engagement with the event will follow soon.

UNFCCC June Climate Meetings SBI64 – Bonn, Germany
2026-06-08 - 2026-06-18
DOSI will be sending a delegation to UNFCCC SBI64.
More details of our engagement with the event will follow soon.

31st Session of the ISA (Part II), Legal and Technical Commission – Kingston, Jamaica
2026-06-29 - 2026-07-10

31st Session of the ISA (Part II), Finance Committee – Kingston, Jamaica
2026-07-07 - 2026-07-10

31st Session of the ISA (Part II), Council – Kingston, Jamaica
2026-07-13 - 2026-07-24

31st Session of the ISA (Part II), Assembly – Kingston, Jamaica
2026-07-27 - 2026-07-31
