Marine Scientific Research
Promoting and encouraging marine scientific research in the Area and coordinating and disseminating the results of such research are and have always been at the core of ISA’s mission. ISA may also carry out marine scientific research concerning the Area and has a responsibility to encourage the design and implementation of appropriate programmes for the benefit of developing and technologically less developed States to strengthen their capacity.
Years of effort and progress across these remits have provided critical information on deep sea environments of the Area. They provide a valuable and ever-growing foundation of understanding environments and ecosystems which are extremely challenging to study owing to their scale, conditions and in many cases due to their remote nature. These endeavours have also demonstrably increased capacity for and engagement with such science worldwide. In the recent years the global momentum for deep-sea research has increased significantly.
United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development
In 2017, the United Nations General Assembly declared the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development for 2021-2030 to foster scientific research and technological innovation to support a healthier and more sustainable ocean. This initiative is led by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO). The objectives of the Ocean Decade are at the core of ISA’s mandates to promote and encourage the conduct of marine scientific research in the international seabed area and to facilitate the participation of developing States in deep sea exploration and research programmes.
Recognizing these synergies, ISA has been collaborating with the UN Decade to achieve shared objectives, such as improved knowledge sharing on deep-sea biodiversity and enhancing ocean observing networks. By building inclusive, innovative and transformative partnerships, ISA offers a unique platform to gather all experts and relevant actors to meet strategic objectives of ISA and contribute to the scientific objectives of the UN Decade to universally foster actions to advance ocean science for the benefit of humankind. You can find out more about the contribution of ISA to the Ocean Decade here.
ISA Global Deep-Sea Research Agenda
A key contribution of ISA to the UN Decade is the development of a dedicated Action Plan on Marine Scientific Research in support of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. The Action Plan (ISAB/26/A/4) was unanimously adopted by Members of ISA in 2020. It is anchored in the strategic directions, high-level actions and associated outputs endorsed by the Members of ISA in the Strategic Plan and the High-Level Action Plan of ISA for 2019-2023 and extended by the Assembly until 2025. The Action Plan structures activities across six Strategic Research Priorities. Since then, there has been advancement across all six of the priorities. The Secretary-General annually presents to the Assembly a progress report on implementing the MSR Action Plan.[1],[2] An annual update is also presented to the UN General Assembly and the meeting of the States Parties to UNCLOS.
Advancing scientific knowledge and understanding of deep-sea ecosystems, including biodiversity and ecosystems functions, in the Area;
- Standardizing and innovating methodologies for deep-sea biodiversity assessment, including taxonomic identification and description, in the Area;
- Facilitating technology development for activities in the Area, including ocean observation and monitoring;
- Enhancing scientific knowledge and understanding of potential impacts of activities in the Area;
- Promoting dissemination, exchange and sharing of scientific data and deep-sea research outputs and increasing deep-sea literacy;
- Strengthening deep-sea scientific capacity of Authority members, in particular developing States
Advancing deep-sea research in support of the 2030 agenda
Marine Scientific Research activities catalysed by ISA play a critical role in the advancement of 12 out of 17 Sustainable Development Goals. You can find out more about ISA’s contributions to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda here. An important step forward was taken in September 2023 when ISA, together with Bangladesh and Argentina, launched a global Call to action for ensuring the stewardship of the Area and its resources for the benefit of all humanity through deep-sea science, technology, and innovation. This call has been signed by many Member States, as well as research institutions, and exploration contractors.
[2] ISBA/28/A/8.
ISA MSR repository
In 2024 the ISA Secretary-General commissioned a stock-taking report to assess the contribution of ISA to the scientific objectives of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development available here: The contribution of the International Seabed Authority to the scientific objectives of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.
In the framework of this report, scientific output from contractors’ environmental studies has been assessed and has resulted in the reporting of 431 peer-reviewed publications. Approximately 85% of these publications focus on data or methodologies directly related to offshore exploration campaigns, while the remainder address policy perspectives and broader topics. These peer-reviewed works appear across 121 journals and are available here for download. This bibliographic library, “ISA MSR repository”, will be updated annually with new publications reported by contractors, ultimately evolving into a comprehensive resource for deep-sea MSR.
