New partnership announced between Seabed 2030 and Brazil’s Marine Geology and Geophysics Program

London, 30 September 2022 – The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project has announced a new partnership with the Brazilian Program of Marine Geology and Geophysics (PGGM). The two parties signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen the collaborative work being undertaken to further our understanding of ocean bathymetry and contribute to the global effort to produce the definitive map of the ocean floor.

Founded in 1969, the PGGM is a network of Brazilian academic and scientific institutions working to develop the understanding of the Brazilian continental margin and the adjacent ocean basin – the South Atlantic. The organisation, which is hosted at the Federal University of Espírito Santo’s oceanography department, contributes to the country’s environmental management policies, as well as scientific research activities.

Seabed 2030 is a collaborative project between The Nippon Foundation and GEBCO to inspire the complete mapping of the world’s ocean by 2030, and to compile all bathymetric data into the freely available GEBCO Ocean Map. GEBCO is a joint programme of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) and is the only organisation with a mandate to map the entire ocean floor. Seabed 2030 is formally endorsed as a Decade Action of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.

“Here at PGGM we acknowledge the indispensable value a greater understanding of the ocean plays in our ability to make informed decisions that will have long-term effects,” said Alex Bastos, PGGM Coordinator.

“We are therefore proud to partner with Seabed 2030 and join the global effort towards mapping the entire ocean floor. Having a complete map will enable us to make key decisions that can define the future of the planet.”

Seabed 2030 Project Director Jamie McMichael-Phillips said, “The Atlantic and Indian Oceans span an area of more than 140 million kilometres squared.

“Ocean mapping activities in the region are championed by one of Seabed 2030’s four Regional Data Centers which PGGM – with over half a century’s worth of experience – will no doubt greatly support. We are delighted to announce this latest partnership which will help map the gaps in the South and Equatorial Atlantic, bringing us one step closer to the finish line.”

All data collected and shared with the Seabed 2030 Project is included in the GEBCO global grid, which is free and publicly available.

ENDS

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