Expert-run website the definitive source for information on world oceans

Source: IMO

IMO and a group of 14 partner organizations are marking the fifth anniversary since the launch of the web-based UN Atlas of the Oceans (http://www.oceansatlas.org), in June 2002. The Atlas is a pioneering online encyclopaedia containing a wealth of information on the world´s oceans that is maintained collaboratively by an international network of expert editors.

The Atlas was launched in 2002 by a group of UN agencies and their partners - constituting some of the world´s foremost ocean agencies - amid mounting concern over the continuing deterioration of marine and coastal ecosystems and with the goal of helping to reverse this decline and promote the sustainable development of oceans.

"The Atlas is cross-sectoral in nature and, with respect to IMO´s mandate, includes extremely valuable information on shipping, maritime safety and security and the protection of the marine environment," said Mr. Miguel Palomares, Director of IMO´s Marine Environment Division and IMO Focal Point of the UN Atlas.

The Atlas allows policymakers, resource managers, academics and experts to access, contribute and continuously update and expand human knowledge on these issues.

"The basic idea is to pool knowledge and expertise from around the globe in one easy-to-use tool that can deepen our understanding of marine environments and help promote a shared, coherent vision for ocean management," said Mr. Jorge Csirke, Director of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)´s Fisheries and Aquaculture Management Division and the UN Atlas Project Director.

A wiki approach
Currently, the Atlas contains over 4,000 entries which, aside from those related directly to maritime transport, range from fisheries biology to ocean law to undersea prospecting for pharmaceuticals and telecommunications.

Each topic listing provides background information, records UN agency programme roles and involved organizations, describes relevant legal and policy frameworks, identifies research needs, and gives an assessment of what the future holds.

These entries are maintained by a network of 42 volunteer expert editors, with another 7,000+ plus "members" who receive regular updates on new or altered atlas content, contribute to the content and give feedback to the editors. This collaborative method of contributing to and updating a website is known as a "wiki" system.

About 100,000 people access the UN Atlas of the Oceans website each month.

A global partnership
Acting under the UN-OCEANS framework, fifteen UN and non-UN organizations make up the Atlas partnership, with FAO serving as the coordinating Secretariat: IMO, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the International Seabed Authority, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the United Nations Environment Programme, the World Meteorological Organization, the Census of Marine Life, Russia´s Head Department of Navigation and Oceanography, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the National Geographic Society, the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the World Ocean Observatory and the World Resources Institute, with initial funding from the United Nations Foundation.

Topics covered by the Atlas

Uses of the oceans - covers the main types of use of the ocean´s living and non-living resources with the following sub-topics:

Fisheries and aquaculture
Recreation and tourism
Transportation and telecommunication
Human settlements on the coast
Offshore oil, gas and mining
Energy
Marine biotechnology
Non-consumptive uses
Ocean dumping and ship wastes
Disposal of waste from land

Ocean issues - the main issues affecting the uses of the ocean and their overall governance are catalogued and described here under cross-cutting and broad topics:

Climate variability and climate change
Economics
Emergencies
Food Security
Governance
Human health
Pollution and degradation
Safety
Sustainable development

About the Oceans - an encyclopaedic collection of information about the oceans, organized in the following areas:

How Oceans were formed
How Oceans are changing
Maps, statistics and online databases
Ocean dynamics
Physical & chemical properties
Ocean-atmosphere interface
Biology
Ecology
Coasts & coral reefs
Monitoring & observing systems
Research
Education & training
International co-operation
Early explorations
The oceans of the future