About this Research Topic
Improved societal understanding of the services provided by the ocean and better use of the data collected from the ocean underpin the development and implementation of sustainable decision making. This is also key for achieving the globally agreed sustainability goals of the United Nations Agenda 2030. However, social factors including global population growth, urbanisation and increasing socio-economic disparity and the pressures associated with increasing use of the ocean significantly affect opportunities for communities and society to engage and connect with ocean environments.
The challenge for research communities, and for other sectors of society, including business, industry, regulators and managers is to develop means to improve and increase the use of information derived from ocean observations as well as raising global ocean literacy and societal connections to the ocean.
This Research Topic brings together current interdisciplinary thinking around the pathways needed for taking ocean observations and transforming them into useful information for stakeholders and decision makers. It also discusses approaches and tools for improving societal ocean literacy, aiming for overall improved global value of the ocean and what it provides to society.
Papers dealing with the following specific topics will be of particular interest:
• fundamentals in marine science communication and education
• emerging, innovative and creative approaches for the delivery of information on marine issues
• ocean literacy and citizen science
• public engagement in marine science and marine issues
• uptake and use of operational oceanography services by stakeholders and decision makers—approaches, platforms and tools
• interactions between marine scientists, educators and other stakeholders in building community connections to the ocean
• advancements on improving the science-policy interface and the role of ocean literacy
• the different communities within marine science and their views, values, social and cultural contexts
• barriers, obstacles and opportunities in provision of ocean information, particularly those that might be limiting improving societal ocean understanding
• communication and public participation in decision making and ocean governance.
The challenge for research communities, and for other sectors of society, including business, industry, regulators and managers is to develop means to improve and increase the use of information derived from ocean observations as well as raising global ocean literacy and societal connections to the ocean.
This Research Topic brings together current interdisciplinary thinking around the pathways needed for taking ocean observations and transforming them into useful information for stakeholders and decision makers. It also discusses approaches and tools for improving societal ocean literacy, aiming for overall improved global value of the ocean and what it provides to society.
Papers dealing with the following specific topics will be of particular interest:
• fundamentals in marine science communication and education
• emerging, innovative and creative approaches for the delivery of information on marine issues
• ocean literacy and citizen science
• public engagement in marine science and marine issues
• uptake and use of operational oceanography services by stakeholders and decision makers—approaches, platforms and tools
• interactions between marine scientists, educators and other stakeholders in building community connections to the ocean
• advancements on improving the science-policy interface and the role of ocean literacy
• the different communities within marine science and their views, values, social and cultural contexts
• barriers, obstacles and opportunities in provision of ocean information, particularly those that might be limiting improving societal ocean understanding
• communication and public participation in decision making and ocean governance.
Keywords: Marine observations, Ocean literacy, SDGs, Stakeholders, Ocean science communication and education
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
