SOOS activities at COP28

The 28th annual United Nations climate meeting, COP28, has brought together nations from around the world to discuss strategies for mitigating and adapting to the impacts of climate change. The summit, held in Dubai, UAE, from November 30 to December 12, 2023, provides a platform for global collaboration beyond national boundaries.

As in previous years, SOOS is proud to support the International Cryosphere and Climate Initiative (ICCI) at the Cryosphere Pavilion, which focuses on the Earth's frozen regions and the challenges they face due to climate change. The Side Event Pavilion offers a space for exhibits, science-policy seminars, and ministerial-level events. All side events will be livestreamed and saved on ICCI’s YouTube channel. The Pavilion aims to strengthen the focus on the 1.5°C Paris limit, given the increasing loss and damage from cryosphere melt.

The COP28 Cryosphere Pavilion agenda comprises dedicated focus days for various topics. Each day features targeted side events, encompassing six or seven 60-minute slots, highlighted by ministerial-level speeches and active participation from the youth.

SOOS is involved in four side events in the Cryosphere Pavilion. SOOS is leading a side event entitled Antarctic and Southern Ocean Ecosystems Under Severe Threat from Climate Change with contributions from ICED, MEASO, SCAR, BEPSII and ASPeCt. SOOS is also contributing to three further side events entitled Multiple Threats to Polar Oceans led by Plymouth Marine Laboratory, What the Extreme Low 2023 Sea Ice Tells Us About Antarctica’s Future led by the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania and ASPeCt, and The Role of Sea Ice Biogeochemistry and Ice-associated Ecosystems in the Earth System led by BEPSII. SOOS activities will be coordinated by SOOS Co-Chair, Dr Sian Henley, and SOOS will as well be represented by SOOS WSDML RWG Co-chair, Dr Stefanie Arndt. Find a more detailed program of SOOS activities below:

Dec. 6 (Wednesday) Sea Ice:
Global Feedbacks

Antarctic sea ice hit a record low this year, with potential feedbacks to ice sheet loss and global ocean currents. In the Arctic Ocean, ice-free summers will still occur within the 1.5 Cº limit; but by 1.7°C, this is projected to become an annual phenomenon. By 2°C, projections show ice-free periods stretching from July to October most years; with feedbacks including increased permafrost thaw and Greenland ice loss/sea-level rise; and harm to Arctic food chains and communities.


13:00   What the Extreme Low 2023 Sea Ice Tells Us About Antarctica’s Future

• In February 2023 Antarctic sea ice recorded its lowest ever area since sustained satellite records began, the second such record in as many summers. Since then, the research community is alarmed by a winter cover so low that it changes our understanding of Antarctic sea ice variability. We propose to give an expert briefing on the global climate and ecosystem implications of this year’s Antarctic sea ice, framing 2023 in comparison to 1.5°C and 2°C projections.
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• Contacts: Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania

18:00  The Role of Sea Ice Biogeochemistry & Ice-associated Ecosystems in the Earth System

• In this session, speakers will explore the impacts of ocean warming, sea ice decline, and shifting seasonality on sea ice biogeochemistry and associated ecosystems in both Polar Oceans. They will approach these topics from diverse perspectives, examining various spatial and temporal scales of impact. Our understanding and readiness for ongoing and future sea ice changes are hindered by the scarcity of observations and limited satellite data. The speakers will emphasize the crucial areas where research is urgently needed to address both current uncertainties and those that lie ahead.
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• Contacts: Biogeochemical Exchange Process at Sea-Ice Interfaces (BEPSII) international working group, Finnish Environment Institute

Dec. 8 (Friday) Polar Oceans:
Long-tailed Legacy of Acidification, Warming & Freshening

Polar oceans and high latitude seas already show fisheries and shell impacts today, because these colder waters absorb CO2 more quickly. Those impacts will be greater still with overshoot of CO2 concentrations especially above 450ppm, which with current growth of 2-3ppm annually will be breached around 2030. Warming, freshening and invasion by low latitude species all only add stress towards (in worst-case emissions) a mass extinction event. 


11:30    Antarctic and Southern Ocean Ecosystems Under Severe Threat from Climate Change

• Antarctic and Southern Ocean ecosystems are under severe threat from climate change impacts, such as sea ice loss, increasing temperatures and ocean acidification. This side event will give an overview of Southern Ocean ecosystems, their global importance, and the role of sea ice in supporting their productivity and function. We will then explore recent dramatic changes in Antarctic sea ice, ocean temperature and ongoing acidification, their impacts on these globally important ecosystems, and the action required to manage and safeguard against them.
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• Contacts: The Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS), the Marine Ecosystem Assessment for the Southern Ocean (MEASO), the Integrating Climate and Ecosystem Dynamics in the Southern Ocean (ICED) program, the SCAR Expert Groups on Biogeochemical Exchange Processes at Sea-Ice Interfaces (BEPSII) and Antarctic Sea Ice Processes and Climate (ASPeCt).

18:00    Multiple Threats to Polar Oceans

• The Arctic and Southern Oceans are crucial components of the Earth system. Their unique ecosystems are under serious threat from warming, acidification, freshening and ice loss. Polar oceans already experience changes in chemistry, and continued warming is leading to range shifts, changes in food webs, ecosystems, fisheries, and climate regulation. This session highlights the latest scientific and discusses the wider societal and political impacts, while emphasizing the need to raise ambition for reducing emissions. It will particularly highlight, where possible latest science that demonstrates the need to stick to 1.5°C.
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• Contacts: Plymouth Marine Laboratory

Find the live stream and all recordings here…