life below water

Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi has strengthened its commitment to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 14), focusing on life below water, with the inauguration of its Ocean Institute. This initiative serves as a hub for research and education on marine conservation, addressing critical issues such as biodiversity, pollution, and sustainable fisheries. The Ocean Institute fosters collaboration with local and international organisations, promoting awareness and advocacy for marine protection among students and the wider community. Through workshops, research projects, and community engagement, Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi plays a vital role in promoting the health and sustainability of ocean ecosystems while empowering future leaders in marine science. 

Energy security, water scarcity, and environmental sustainability are among the most pressing global challenges facing humanity in the 21st century. The availability of freshwater resources is particularly critical for countries seeking sustainable economic development, especially in arid regions. 

In the UAE, water desalination facilities supply approximately 80% of the country’s water consumption. Consequently, significant investment is required in research to develop innovative water treatment and desalination technologies, as well as to reduce the overall cost of existing methods. 

This project in collaboration with ADNOC and Khalifa University contributes directly to the efforts to achieve one of the goals of Abu Dhabi 2030 plan as it targets the issues related to water scarcity, lack of water resources and reducing energy consumption in UAE by providing full water management guidelines towards the utilisation of oil and gas produced water.  

A key to addressing long-standing questions about the underlying mechanisms of climate change in the Mediterranean—such as the timing and amplitude of precipitation variability—is the development of a multiproxy record (e.g., pollen, glacial and marine sediment data) that spans multiple glacial–interglacial cycles and is sensitive to regional hydroclimatic changes.   

As mountain glaciers change volume in response to climatic shifts, their former extents record past changes in climate, providing data on how patterns of ice distribution have varied spatially with time. Mapping and dating of past ice margins, documented by terrestrial glaciogenic sediments and landforms, provide valuable information to gain a better understanding of landscape evolution. To compare palaeoglaciers across different geographical settings, the Equilibrium Line Altitude (ELA) serves as a valuable tool. It represents the altitude on a glacier where annual accumulation equals ablation and is primarily influenced by air temperature and precipitation.   

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Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi is one of the most prominent universities globally in the field of ocean sciences, covering a wide range of disciplines including climate science, hydrodynamics, biology, ecology, anthropology, and palaeontology, conducted across 30 research laboratories.  

Many of Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi’s researchers are contributing to the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Oceans play a key role in the climate system, absorbing approximately 90% of the excess heat caused by the greenhouse effect and 25% of global carbon emissions. Oceans protect humanity, acting as powerful regulators of the climate system. However, in doing so, they are changing—becoming warmer, more acidic, increasingly oxygen-depleted in certain regions, losing Arctic ice cover, and contributing to rising sea levels; even the global ocean circulation system may be disrupted. Will these changes affect the effectiveness of the ocean’s protective functions? Monitoring the oceans has become more critical than ever to better understand their role in the climate system and to anticipate transformations that will impact marine biodiversity, fisheries, food security, and coastal regions. This is why, in 2021, the United Nations launched the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. 

Internationally recognised researchers from Sorbonne Université and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) presented their work in the field of ocean monitoring, including applications to El Niño (Eric Guilyardi), the ocean microbiome (Colomban de Vargas), and the Argo observing system (Hervé Claustre). Elise Basquin, a PhD student at Sorbonne Université, presented her research on coastal hazards related to rising sea levels. 

This critical panel explored the profound intersection of climate justice and the oceans. As climate change intensifies, the repercussions are particularly severe in the marine realm, affecting ecosystems, biodiversity, and, crucially, vulnerable populations. The panel aimed to shed light on the disparities in the impact of climate change on different communities, emphasising the urgent need for equitable solutions to safeguard our oceans and promote climate justice. It provided a comprehensive platform for dialogue, fostering a deeper understanding of how climate justice principles can be effectively applied to marine environments, as well as highlighting actionable strategies that advance justice, resilience, and sustainability for both vulnerable populations and the oceans upon which they depend.