Climate, life and hazards

From challenges to research

At ICM we identify three broad, overlapping challenges that frame and guide our research

Research activities of ICM’s groups aim at tackling a range of topics related to one or some of these challenges. In this way, each of the challenges can be broken down into smaller, actionable research lines within the fields of physical oceanography, biosciences, and geosciences.

  • Understanding Ocean and Climate Interactions

  • Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Life and Ecosystems

  • Comprehension and Mitigation of Anthropogenic and Natural Hazards

Comprehension and Mitigation of Anthropogenic and Natural Hazards

Impacts of bottom trawling, pollutants and marine litter, marine mining, and ocean-based tourism have severe consequences on marine life habitats in the oceans. Anthropogenic forcing may influence and trigger natural phenomena and increase their associated hazards. Hazard mitigation now focuses on building stronger, safer, and smarter—and therefore resilient—communities able to mitigate future damage.

Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Life and Ecosystems

Marine environment conservation is one of the most important human challenges. Anthropogenic impacts on coastal zones threaten the functioning of the ecosystem. Our goal is to provide sound scientific knowledge towards the conservation and sustainable use of marine life and ecosystems.

Understanding Ocean and Climate Interactions

One of our goals is to fully understand ocean dynamics and its role in the Earth’s past, present and future climate, but also to elucidate how climate-driven processes and global change affect the state of the ocean, including marine life. To this aim, we contribute to the development of innovative approaches to observe and monitor the oceans.