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 This issue of Meridian focuses on the POGO program and the new Centre of Excellence in Observational Oceanography status awarded to BIOS through an open competition with other marine science institutions globally. The award - funded by the Nippon Foundation - adds to BIOS' long history in education and training, opening doors to developing nations that are in need of expertise in their own countries.
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Seen from satellites in space, the Earth is a blue planet: more than two-thirds of the surface is covered by water. But the ocean does not function in isolation. It is part of the coupled Earth system, comprising the land, the ocean and the atmosphere together, as well as their associated ecosystems. Because all these components function together, change in any of them can have implications for all the others. Climate change is a perfect example of this interdependence. Release of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere through burning of fossil fuels on land has led to a modification of the Earth's climate, which has, in turn, profoundly affected the oceans.
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The Nippon Foundation's long-standing record of partnering with non-profit organizations, non-government organizations, and international organizations around the globe is significant and laudable. Grant assistance in selected programs and projects amounts to over $300 million annually, supporting institutions such as the United Nations, the World Health Organization, UNICEF and the Partnership for Observations of the Global Oceans (POGO). The Nippon Foundation initiatives provide support for human resources projects in particular, aimed at improving the social, cultural, and economic well-being of developing countries.
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The contributions of POGO to the education of marine science around the globe merit a more serious consideration. Two thirds of the world's oceans are in the southern hemisphere, and yet most of our well-resourced marine research centers are in the northern hemisphere. With our growing concern over the changing climate of our planet, it is becoming increasingly important that we are able to comprehensively understand the significant role that the world's oceans have in that balance.
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An academic selection process is never an easy endeavor. Even with a solid set of criteria on which to judge potential
candidates, there is always an element of comparing and contrasting which leads to many a pensive moment. This spring the Partnership for Observation of the Global Oceans (POGO) along with members of the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) had a number of such moments, with the task of awarding ten candidates places on, this the inaugural year of, the Nippon Foundation-sponsored POGO Centre of Excellence (CofE) in Observational Oceanography Programme. The NF-POGO CofE at BIOS was established to promote oceanography on a global scale by offering an integrated multidisciplinary program to young scientist from developing countries.
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The goals of the Nippon Foundation (NF) - Partnership for Observations of the Global Ocean (POGO) Centre of Excellence (CofE) at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) are to expand world-wide capacity to observe the oceans, to build human resources in developing countries, and to improve international networking in ocean sciences. The emphasis is on training young scientists from developing countries in particular. In the words of BIOS' Director of Education, Dr. Gerry Plumley, "The goal is to train the students. We are not trying to give academic credit, but to impart useful knowledge and skills that the students can take home with them and utilize in ocean observatories in their own regions."
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This year the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) is fortunate to be joined by Dr. Tom Anderson, a marine ecosystem modeller based at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton, UK. BIOS' establishment as the Nippon Foundation (NF)-Partnership for the Observation of Global Oceans (POGO) Centre of Excellence (CofE) in Observational Oceanography has demanded that - in order to ensure that the NF-POGO scholars are comprehensively trained in all areas of observational oceanography - the Institute bring in world-class scientists from across the globe. Tom Anderson is one of these scientists.
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Dr. Juliet Hermes represents a new generation of marine researchers who have participated in research projects across the globe. Her studies and participation in seminars and workshops have taken her to Antarctica, France, Brazil, India, Mauritius, Australia, Namibia, Hawaii, the Prince Edward Islands, Zanzibar, and now Bermuda. This new generation of young researchers are determined to tackle environmental issues such as climate change in a coordinated way for maximum impact.
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Dr. Maureen Conte's association with the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) began in 1994 when she took over leadership of the Ocean Flux Program at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). This program has been running for over thirty years, continuously monitoring the magnitude and composition of sinking particle flux in the Sargasso Sea. The studies are conducted from a mooring sited about 75km southeast of Bermuda. The close collaboration between BIOS and WHOI in this program raised the opportunity for Dr. Conte to join BIOS as a non-resident faculty member in 2004.
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