As part of the 2nd International Ocean Research Conference entitled 'One Planet One Ocean', I had the opportunity to travel around Barcelona. This was my first trip to Catalonia and Barcelona and I found it to be a fascinating city with amazing things to see, eat and drink. I will highlight some of the features of this vibrant coastal metropolis.

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This is a continuation of my blog on the several themes that emerged at the 2nd International Ocean Research Conference, entitled ‘One Planet One Ocean’. Oceanic plastics. The realization that 28 million pieces of plastic enter the ocean every day was staggering.

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There were several themes that emerged at the 2nd International Ocean Research Conference, entitled ‘One Planet One Ocean’. The status and future of oceanic fisheries were a major theme, both with plenary speakers and in panel discussions. Another theme was the emerging threat of plastics in the ocean, both the macroplastics that form floating ‘garbage patches’ in the oceanic gyres and the nano and microplastics being discharged from human activities.

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As part of the 2nd International Ocean Research Conference in Barcelona, Spain, Lynne Shannon (University of Cape Town) and I organized a pre-conference workshop on ecosystem indicators. This workshop proved to be a valuable opportunity to explore the development and use of ecosystem indicators. The workshop summary is as follows: How is your ecosystem doing? Advances in the use and understanding of ecosystem indicators workshop … Conveners:

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I attended the 2nd International Ocean Research Conference entitled 'One Planet One Ocean' in Barcelona, Spain 16-21 Nov 2014. I was a co-organizer for a workshop 'How is your ecosystem doing? Advances in the use and understanding of ecosystem indicators' and presented an invited talk, 'Science communication strategies and environmental report cards for effective coastal ocean governance'. The conference and workshops were over a six-day period, and five plenary talks were presented.

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Jane Hawkey, Caroline Donovan, and I had a fantastic visit to Raleigh, NC, where we are working with the South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative (SALCC) develop a State of the South Atlantic Ecosystems Assessment. Over the last two years or so, the SALCC has been developing a set of indicators that reflect on conservation priorities for 11 ecosystems in the US South Atlantic region.

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In late October 2014, I travelled to New York City to represent IAN at the media launch of a new National Science Foundation (NSF) project based in New York Harbor and led by PACE University. It’s a pretty big deal to receive major funding from the NSF and this is the first NSF project that I have been involved in. For it to be based in one of the most famous cities in the world is an added bonus.

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Three teams of coastal scientists, engineers, and planners are going head-to-head to see who can come up with the best ideas for creating a self-sustaining coast for Louisiana. That's the challenge posed by the Changing Course competition. Selection of these teams this summer completed a year-long process [pdf] that started with screening applications from over 21 groups. The eight strongest applicants were asked to prepare detailed proposals, which were reviewed last spring.

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One of the interesting things that came out of attending the 17th Annual International Riversymposium was the opportunity to learn about several new relevant books. Last year at the 16th Annual International Riversymposium , I launched the IAN Press eBook 'Dancing with Dugongs: Having fun and developing a practical philosophy for environmental teaching and research' that I co-authored with the late Peter Oliver.

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The 7th biennial Education and Science Forum sponsored by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration Educational Partnerships Program (NOAA-EPP) was held on the beautiful campus of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) during some spectacular autumn weather (Oct 24-26).

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