COMPATIBILITY OF INDONESIA’S REGULATIONS ON SUBMARINE CABLE WITH UNCLOS 1982

The special status of Exclusive Economic Zone of Indonesia (EEZ) raises a problem particularly related to the submarine cable laying activities. This study aims to analyze the compatibility of the marine location permit instrument under Law No. 32/2014 on Marine Affairs and Government Regulation No. 32/2019 on National Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) with UNCLOS 1982 in regulating submarine cable in the EEZ. This normative research shows that the marine location permit instrument regulating submarine cable laying activity in EEZ is incompatible with the provisions of UNCLOS 1982. In contrast, the MSP instrument is compatible and a suitable instrument to protect Indonesia's interests in the EEZ. The Government of Indonesia is advised to regulate an exemption clause for submarine cable installation in EEZ in the Draft of Government Regulation on Marine Location Permit; formulate and formalize ‘prior notification’ procedures by other countries in submarine cable laying activities in EEZ into laws and regulations; and publish the Government Regulation on Marine Spatial Planning and its annexes through the channels of relevant international organizations such as International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC) and Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC).

Estimating the Absolute Salinity of Chinese offshore waters using nutrients and inorganic carbon data

In June 2009, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO released The international thermodynamic equation of seawater – 2010 (TEOS-10 for short; IOC et al., 2010) to define, describe and calculate the thermodynamic properties of seawater. Compared to the Equation of State-1980 (EOS-80 for short), the most obvious change with TEOS-10 is the use of Absolute Salinity as salinity argument, replacing the Practical Salinity used in the oceanographic community for 30 years. Due to the lack of observational data, the applicability of the potentially increased accuracy in Absolute Salinity algorithms for coastal and semi-enclosed seas is not very clear to date. Here, we discuss the magnitude, distribution characteristics, and formation mechanism of Absolute Salinity and Absolute Salinity Anomaly in Chinese shelf waters, based on the Marine Integrated Investigation and Evaluation Project of the China Sea and other relevant data. The Absolute Salinity SA ranges from 0.1 to 34.66 g kg−1. Instead of silicate, the main composition anomaly in the open sea, CaCO3 originating from terrestrial input and re-dissolution of shelf sediment is most likely the main composition anomaly relative to SSW and the primary contributor to the Absolute Salinity Anomaly δSA. Finally, relevant suggestions are proposed for the accurate measurement and expression of Absolute Salinity of the China offshore waters.

Estimating the Absolute Salinity of China Sea Using Nutrients and Inorganic Carbon Data

In June 2009, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO released the international thermodynamic equation of seawater – 2010 (TEOS-10 for short) to define, describe and calculate the thermodynamic properties of seawater. Compared to the Equation of State-1980 (EOS-80 for short), the most obvious change with TEOS-10 is the use of Absolute Salinity as salinity argument, replacing the Practical Salinity used in the oceanographic community for 30 years. Due to the lack of observational data, the applicability of the potentially increased accuracy in Absolute Salinity algorithms for coastal and semi-enclosed seas is not very clear to date. Here, we discuss the magnitude, distribution characteristics and formation mechanism of Absolute Salinity and Salinity Anomaly in Chinese shelf waters, based on the Marine Integrated Investigation and Evaluation Project of China Offshore and other relevant data. The Absolute Salinity SA ranges from 0.1 to 34.66 g·kg−1. Instead of silicate, CaCO3 originating from terrestrial input and re-dissolution of shelf sediment is most likely the main composition anomaly relative to SSW and the primary contributor to the Absolute Salinity Anomaly δSA. Finally, relevant suggestions are proposed for the accurate measurement and expression of Absolute Salinity of the China offshore.

RESULTS OF THE INTERNATIONAL SEA LEVEL DATA ARCHAEOLOGY WORKSHOP

It is reported that the international sea level data archaeology workshop was held on March 10–12, 2020 in Paris, at the headquarters of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission. A total of 34 reports were presented by sea-level experts from 15 countries. This paper provides a brief overview of the most important presentations, a number of conclusions and recommendations of the workshop. Information is also provided on the work at the N.N. Zubov’s State Oceanographic Institute of the Roshydromet with historical data about the level of the seas surrounding Russia.

Future decade of ocean science: prospects of interaction of Ukraine with the intergovernmental oceanographic commission of UNESCO

The article considers the prospects of Ukraine’s cooperation with the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO in the scope of the forthcoming United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. According to the resolution adopted on the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly, the Decade is to begin on January 1, 2021 and take place within the existing structures and available resources. The purpose of the Decade is to implement the objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals, namely “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development”. The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC), maintained by Member States, facilitates international cooperation and the coordination of programs to deepen knowledge about the nature and resources of the oceans and coastal areas. The IOC is currently finalizing draft implementation plan for the Decade (2021—2030) in consultation with Member States, specialized agencies, funds, programs and bodies of the United Nations, as well as other intergovernmental organizations, nongovernmental organizations and relevant stakeholders with the aim to identify specific objectives, crosscutting issues and key Decade`s themes. Ukraine’s membership in the IOC UNESCO is strategically focused on expanding international cooperation of domestic scientific and educational institutions by ensuring their participation in the program activities of the organization. There should be only one national coordinating body for liaison with the Commission within each IOC member state. Unfortunately, in Ukraine there is no such legitimate coordinating body today. Considering the intergovernmental character of the Commission, this officially designated body is governmental by nature and relies on institutional basis as well as answers directly to a ministry. Therefore, in accordance with the requirements of the IOC UNESCO it is necessary to establish the Interdepartmental National Oceanographic Commission as a national coordinating body in Ukraine that will determine one or two coordinators, a professional national correspondent in the relevant IOC field, as well as representatives of intergovernmental programs and thematic groups.

Prospects of exchange of marine technology in the field of ecological and oceanological research

“Global Ocean Science Report: The Current Status of Ocean Science around the World” published in 2017 by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO was a first consolidated assessment of the ocean science and was intended to show the current status of the science in question. One of the important points of the report was a statement that sharing infrastructure and development of new technologies will reduce the cost of field expeditions and stimulate the scientific potential of the countries participating in international cooperation. The article studies the possibility of sharing marine technologies associated with marine research activities. It considers the possibility of application of some of the Criteria and Guidelines of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC-UNESCO) when sharing the marine technology in the field of ecological and oceanographic research based on the provisions of international conventions, resolutions, documents of the United Nations General Assembly and IOC-UNESCO. Special attention is drawn to UN General Assembly Resolution “Oceans and the law of the sea" which mentions the issue of marine technology transfer. The article studies the definition of the term “marine technology” in the context of the IOC's Criteria and Guidelines on the transfer of marine technology. It determines that the term “marine technology” covers a wide range of subjects including information and data, manuals, guidelines, criteria, standards, reference materials, observation facilities and equipment, computers and computer software, expertise, know-how and analytical methods related to marine scientific research and observation. The article also presents the results of the scientific and practical seminar "International Cooperation in the Field of Marine Scientific Research – an Important Factor in the Development of Black Sea Regional Projects of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO and European Union" which took place in Kyiv on October 19, 2017.

Part I Marine Living Resources and Marine Biodiversity, 2 The Work of the UNESCO-IOC in Respect of Global Ocean Governance

This chapter focuses on the work of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), a separate unit of UNESCO, in respect to global ocean governance. The functions of IOC are part of the system of ocean governance, based on 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Its purpose is to promote international cooperation and to coordinate programmes in research, services and capacity building, in order to learn more about the nature and resources of the ocean and coastal areas and to apply that knowledge for the improvement of management, sustainable development, the protection of the marine environment, and the decision-making processes of its Member States. The chapter first provides an overview of IOC’s purpose and organisational structure, its collaboration with international organizations with regard to ocean governance, and its ocean governance-related activities before discussing the ways in which it contributes to capacity building and enhancing ocean governance.

Sea Level 2017 Conference Looks to Coastal Sea Level Rise Impact

International World Climate Research Programme/Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (WCRP/IOC) Open Science Conference on Regional Sea Level Rise and Its Impacts; New York, New York, 10–14 July 2017

Visions for a Sea Change: Report of the First International Workshop on Marine Spatial Planning

From 8-10 November 2006 the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) and the Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) held the first international workshop on Marine Spatial Planning. The meeting was held at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France.We prepared this technical report from expert presentations made at the workshop and subsequent discussions during and following the workshop, supplemented and updated with new information where appropriate. Marine spatial planning is a rapidly developing field, and we wanted to keep this report up to date. We take responsibility for any misinterpretation or misrepresentation of ideas in the original presentations or factual errors in the report.