Dear Ocean Community Members,
I am very pleased to announce that the first World Ocean Assessment is now available for review at https://review.globalchange.gov.
The first World Ocean Assessment (WOA) is a comprehensive overview of the oceanic environment and comprises nearly 50 topics grouped within four main themes: biophysical aspects of the marine environment, food security and safety, human activities that influence the ocean, and marine biological diversity and habitats. The first WOA report will include a technical summary showing interdisciplinary linkages between human impacts, ecosystem services, species, and habitats. The WOA report will not appraise marine policy and governance.
All members of the community with interests in the report content are encouraged to participate in the review process. To view the chapters, visit https://review.globalchange.gov register for an account (or log-in if you already have one), read the "Guidance for Contributors," then choose the chapter(s) you are interested in and submit your review(s) according to the instructions. Chapters are approximately 15 pages long.
The chapters are available for public comment between December 20 – February 6. No comments will be accepted after February 6.
The WOA review is open to the international community. Members of the international community are welcome and encouraged to review and submit comments on the WOA chapters using the U.S. process outlined above – especially if their governments are not running a domestic process.
Please feel free to pass this information along to others in your network. We are very excited about the first WOA and want to make sure that the review process is robust and representative.
Thank you in advance for your interest and please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions.
Regards,
Kelly
Kelly A. Kryc, Ph.D
Foreign Affairs Officer
Office of Marine Conservation
Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs
U.S. Department of State
