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World Water Day, observed every 22 March, will be focusing this year's events on "coping with water scarcity". FAO leads this UN initiative for 2007 where a wide-range of issues - from protection of the environment and global warming to equitable distribution of water for irrigation, industry and household use - will be discussed. Visit the UN Water Web site for more information.
This month we highlight the International Polar Year which looks at the work of all the many explorers, researchers and local inhabitants who give their time and energy to our understanding of the extremities of our planet.
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Thank you,
The UN Atlas of the Oceans Editors
Visit the UN Atlas of the Oceans Web site
Comments? Please write to UN-Atlas-Oceans-Project@fao.org
- International Polar Year 2007-2008 : The International Polar Year is a large scientific programme focused on the Arctic and Antarctic from March 2007 to March 2009
- Twenty New Ocean Species Found in Indonesia : Twenty new species of sharks and rays have been discovered in Indonesia in a five-year survey of catches at local fish markets, Australian researchers said.
- Finned aliens appearing on dinner tables worldwide : FAO helps fish farmers evaluate responsible use of exotic species
- World Water Day : 'Coping with Water Scarcity' is the theme for World Water Day 2007, which is celebrated each year on 22 March. This year's theme highlights the increasing significance of water scarcity worldwide and the need for increased integration and cooperation to ensure sustainable, efficient and equitable management of scarce water resources, both at international and local levels.
- New web site offers tools for implementation of right to food : Features training materials, e-learning course, virtual library
- Making every drop count : FAO heads UN water initiative
- The effect of climate and weather on our oceans : The complex relationship between oceans, climate and weather
- African Marine Atlas : The purpose of the African Marine Atlas is to identify, collect and organize available geospatial datasets into an atlas of environmental themes for Africa
- First African Marine Atlas in Africa launched : The first African Marine Atlas was officially launched today at the Project Office of the International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE) in Ostend, Belgium. The Atlas was developed by the Ocean Data and Information Network for Africa (ODINAFRICA) with support from the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission's (IOC) of UNESCO and the Government of Flanders, Belgium. The occasion was presided over by the IODE Programme Coordinator, Mr Peter Pissierssens, the Head of the IODE Project Office Dr. Vladimir Vladymyrov, representatives of key National Oceanographic Data and Information Centres (NODCs) in Africa and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
- Antarctic Memoirs : Antarctica in the 1950s
- World Heritage Research: Making a Difference. CRC Reef Research, Education and Capacity Building 1999-2006 : Research summary in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area
- Australian-led projects in International Polar Year : Outlines 8 projects on the Antarctic
- Subglacial Water in West Antarctica : The recent discovery of a subglacial water system beneath the West Antarctic ice sheet (WAIS) is causing scientists to rethink the mechanisms that control the flow of ice streams into the Ross Ice Shelf and ultimately into the Southern Ocean, according to a report in the February 15, 2007, issue of Science magazine online.
- IMO: 18 States sign 2005 SUA Protocols : Eighteen States have signed, subject to ratification, the 2005 Protocols to the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Maritime Navigation (SUA), 1988, and the related Protocol for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Fixed Platforms Located on the Continental Shelf, 1988.
- IMO: New international rules to allow storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) : New international rules to allow storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) in sub-seabed geological formations have come into force on 10 February 2007.
- South Atlantic Habitat and Ecosystem Internet Map Server : This project is ongoing and incorporates GIS data from a variety of federal, state, academic and private sources.
- The Dynamics of Integrated Coastal Management. Practical Applications in the Sustainable Coastal Development in East Asia : Practical Applications in the Sustainable Coastal Development in East Asia
- Polar Libraries Colloquy : An international forum concerned with information dealing with the Arctic and Antarctic regions.
- Surf Aid International : The mission of SurfAid International, a non-profit humanitarian aid organization, is to improve the health of people living in isolated regions connected to us through surfing.
- Census of Antarctic Marine Life (CAML) : Investigating the distribution and abundance of Antarctica's marine life to establish a benchmark. A Census of Marine Life (CoML) project.
- Warming Reef can be Saved : One of Australia's leading marine scientists, Russell Reichelt, has called for a risk management study of the Great Barrier Reef to target areas critical for conservation in the face of global warming. Dr Reichelt is the Managing Director of the Reef and Rainforest Research Centre and a member of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.
- The growth of micro-finance in fishing communities : A focus on the growth of micro-finance in fishing communities as it is known that micro-finance helps poverty reduction and fisheries management
- Sea Level on the Rise : In a review published in the journal Science, a team of scientists from across the world has found that the climate system may be responding more quickly to rising carbon emissions than previously estimated. Dr John Church, of CSIRO, Hobart, Australia, who was part of the research team, discusses its findings in a 5 1/2 minute podcast that you can download to your computer from the website.
- Corporate Australia Joins Fight to Save Reef : The Great Barrier Reef Foundation, a not for profit organisation charged with saving the reef, says that big business can no longer afford to sit idle in the face of threats to the Reef. In a related story, Warming Reef can be Saved by Narelle Hooper (The Australian Financial Review, 02 February 2007, p. 32), Dr Russell Reichelt, a member of the Foundation, has called for a risk management study of the Great Barrier Reef to target areas critical for conservation in the face of global warming.