CMCC is a partner of the travelling exhibition examining the ocean’s dynamics as viewed from Space. The exhibition explores current efforts to protect our valuable marine ecosystems using stunning Earth observation satellite images, augmented reality, and interviews with experts, local decision-makers, and coastal inhabitants engaged in the United Nations Ocean Decade. It was inaugurated on April 8, 2024, at the Port of Barcelona, within the framework of the United Nations Ocean Decade Conference.

From heatwaves to marine heritage, from changes to Arctic Sea ice to rising sea levels, the role of sea salinity and ocean currents, and the consequences of climate change on coral reefs and biodiversity, “Our Ocean from Space” covers a range of scientific topics. With its breathtaking images and video interviews, the exhibition showcases concrete examples of how innovation can help ecological transition while encouraging people to better understand the ocean, change their practices, and develop sustainable approaches.

CMCC participates in this initiative, which is co-produced by UNESCO and ESA. It contributes to specific topics representing significant aspects of CMCC’s advanced oceanographic research.

“Ocean is the frontier between society and nature,” explains Giulio Boccaletti, CMCC Scientific Director. “We study it from all perspectives, its impact on economic infrastructures and the consequences of sea-level rises. We are now able to predict behaviour along the coast and out at sea.”

One of the stories in the exhibition is dedicated to marine heatwaves: “The Mediterranean Sea is a focal point for studying marine heat waves because the number of events, their duration and their intensity are increasing. The basin is projected to be a real hotspot for climate change and global warming”, says Giovanni Coppini, Division Director at the CMCC Institue for Earth System Prediction, in his video interview.

Another relevant CMCC contribution to the initiative is related to Marine heritage sites, as it is clarified by Giulia Galluccio, CMCC Division Director at Institute for Climate Resilience. Marine heritage sites are places of outstanding universal value for humanity, such as coral reefs, underwater caves, shipwrecks, and archaeological sites. Satellites help locate, document, and protect these sites from threats. Galluccio brings in the initiative a specific Italian case of global relevance: “In the Cinque Terre National Park, a UNESCO Heritage site since 1997, we help park managers to develop adaptation measures which align with positive transition pathways, to the benefit of tourism, the Park, and marine ecosystems.”

“Our Ocean from Space”: the exhibition is open at the United Nations Ocean Decade Conference, Portal de la Pau, Port Vell. 8 April – 6 May 2024.

“Our Ocean from Space” is curated by Fiorella Coliolo and Benoit Delplanque and is a UNESCO / ESA coproduction, with the support of Mercator Ocean International, the Italian Space Agency (ASI), the French Space Agency (CNES), the Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya (ICGC), Planetek Italia, the Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici (CMCC), SHOM and the Maldives Space Research Organisation (MSRO).