Connecting Communities for Ocean Forecasting at CommOcean 2026

This year’s CommOCEAN 2026, held in Bergen on 2–3 September, brought together ocean scientists, communicators, policymakers and other stakeholders around the theme “Communication for and within the UN Ocean Decade: Setting Sails for 2030.” The conference highlighted the importance of connecting ocean science with society and ensuring that scientific knowledge can contribute to decision-making, policy and action.

CommOCEAN 2026 is administered by the European Marine Board Communication Panel and organised by the University of Bergen on behalf of the Norwegian Marine University Consortium. This year marked the seventh edition of the event, providing an opportunity for the ocean community to come together, exchange experiences and explore new approaches to communicating ocean science.

 

   

Photos: Eivind Senneset

 

The conference opened with a keynote from Emmy Award-winning TV producer James Honeyborne, who is known for his work of Blue Planet II and Our Oceans. His experience in bringing complex ocean science and stories to global audiences provided a fitting start to a conference focused on how we can connect ocean knowledge with wider society.  

 

 

Photos: Eivind Senneset 

The OceanPrediction DCC team joined the event to share resources and tools that support communication and engagement across the ocean prediction community, as well as to contribute to the programme through a plenary session. In the exhibition and poster space, attendees had the opportunity to learn more about the OceanPrediction DCC Technical and Community Framework, Regional Teams and the OPERA project through printed brochures and materials. Postcards featuring images generated using the Copernicus MyOcean Pro Viewer offered a visual way to engage with ocean prediction, showcasing sea surface temperature and ocean currents across the South and Central America Region, the African Region and a global ocean view. 

The exhibition also provided an opportunity for attendees to ask more in-depth questions about OceanPrediction DCC activities and resources and to register for the OceanPrediction DCC Atlas. The table became a space for conversation and knowledge exchange, allowing participants to explore how ocean prediction connects different regions, disciplines and communities.

   

 

During the closing plenary, OceanPrediction DCC’s Communication and User Engagement Officer, Yandeh Sallah, presented “Connecting Communities for Ocean Forecasting: Dashboards, Learning Tools, and Capacity Building.” The presentation highlighted the role of communication, accessible resources and practical tools in making ocean forecasting more accessible and useful to wider communities. The plenary, “Taking Science Communication to Ocean Action,” also brought together Lucky Dlamini, Vår Dundas, Isabel Caballero and Yandeh Sallah, highlighting different perspectives on how communication can help move scientific knowledge towards engagement and action.

The conference concluded with a keynote from OceanX communications and PR leads Karuna Tuli and Rachel Rhodes, who shared OceanX’s approach to bridging ocean science and communication. Their contribution provided a fitting close to the event, reinforcing the importance of combining scientific knowledge with effective communication and storytelling to reach wider audiences.

For ocean science, coming together as a community is therefore not simply about sharing scientific results. It is about developing a shared language, building relationships, understanding the needs of different users and exchanging the tools and approaches we use to communicate within our sector. For ocean prediction in particular, these connections are essential to ensuring that forecasts and scientific knowledge can reach the people and communities who need them. Effective communication, supported by the right tools and resources, can help turn research into trusted knowledge that supports policy, decision-making and action for our changing ocean.

Thank you to the University of Bergen and the European Marine Board for hosting another successful CommOCEAN. We look forward to seeing everyone at the next edition!

Photo: Irmelin Grønevik