The Law of the Sea: Marine Scientific Research. A revised guide to the implementation of the relevant provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Abstract

The 1991 Guide “Marine Scientific Research: A Guide to the implementation of the relevant provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea” advises States of the means by which articles in the Convention could be implemented by coastal and researching States. It has proven useful in implementing the marine scientific research regime as contained in the Convention. However, in almost two decades, several trends have become apparent that suggested a need to reassess the Guide. Of particular importance are trends in marine data acquisition, marine data dissemination, and the emergence of large-scale, international collaborative programmes. With regard to marine data acquisition, marine scientific research is increasingly conducted from autonomous platforms that can be either fixed or mobile, within the ocean (in-situ) or remote, manned or unmanned, and powered by nature or by humans. One of the key drivers of this autonomous technology has been the increased cost of ship-borne research coupled with the growing demand for continuous, high-resolution, long-term ocean observations for both research and societal needs. Equipment and sensors for marine scientific research have also been improved to enhance both the accuracy and duration of their performance, and to increase the ability to sample in areas of extreme environmental conditions. With regard to marine data dissemination, an analysis of the trends indicates that intergovernmental and international organizations have facilitated the adoption of standards and protocols to enhance data exchange resulting from marine scientific research. Greater use of national, regional and global oceanographic data centres have likewise become more commonplace. The establishment and use of these data centers promotes access to large volumes of data, making collaborative efforts to interpret the results of research necessary. Finally, the continued emergence of large-scale, international collaborative programmes often occurs across many areas within as well as beyond the limits of national jurisdiction. The scope and scale of these activities require the efforts of all States – both developed and developing. Thus, capacity-building and technology transfer are critical to the success of the research objectives of these types of programmes. For instance, the need to better understand the oceans’ role in climate change, as well as the impacts of human activities on ocean resources have driven this need. This revised Guide takes these trends into account and attempts to inform all those stakeholders involved in marine scientific research of the significance of the relevant provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea