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Open access to scientific data is increasingly recognized as critical to fostering scientific progress, trustworthy and reproducible science, global information equity, and evidence-based policymaking. It requires scientists to not only share their data, but to share in such a way that the data have high utility for later users. The FAIR data principles define a set of characteristics for making data “findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable” (Wilkinson et al., 2016). Training scientists, particularly early-career scientists, on these principles can improve the volume and quality of open science data. 

The Nippon Foundation–Partnership for Observation of the Global Ocean (NF–POGO) Centre of Excellence (CofE, https://pogo-ocean.org/​capacity-development/centre-of-excellence/) has provided advanced training in observational oceanography since 2008. Each year, a cohort of 10 scholars is selected to participate in this 10-month postgraduate-level program, which consists of expert-led instruction and hands-on experience. The CofE targets early-career ocean professionals (ECOPs), primarily from developing economies, and addresses global disparities in oceanographic expertise and resources, offering scholars unique opportunities. 

Mangrove forests are increasingly recognized as a natural bulwark against the impacts of climate change. They provide an array of ecosystem services, including coastal protection, fishery enhancement, and carbon storage. Yet, over one million hectares have been lost since 1990 (FAO, 2020). To reverse this decline, mangrove restoration and conservation are key. 

The Backyard Buoys project (https://backyardbuoys.org/) enables Indigenous and coastal communities to gather and use wave data to enhance their blue economies and hazard protections. These communities have been historically underserved, and climate change is making weather and wave predictability even harder. Leveraging low-cost, scalable marine technology in partnership with regional ocean observing networks, Backyard Buoys offers a system for community-managed ocean buoys and data access to complement Indigenous Knowledge. These innovations include a sustainable process for community-led implementation and stewardship of affordable ocean buoys along with co-designed and co-produced mobile and web-based applications (apps) that render data easy to access and understand. 

The Partnership for Observation of the Global Ocean (POGO) and the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR) have been running a Visiting Fellowship program in ocean observations that has trained 200 fellows since its inception in 2001. We report here on the medium- and long-term impacts of the training, as demonstrated by a combination of quantitative results from evaluation questionnaires and qualitative reports from fellows and supervisors. The key findings are that the fellowships have had positive impacts on the fellows themselves (e.g., participation in new research projects, implementation of new techniques, long-term collaborations), as well as “training the trainers,” with most fellows indicating that they had passed on the knowledge gained. Benefits to the host supervisor and institution are also apparent through continued collaborations (e.g., reciprocal exchange visits, joint publications, joint projects). More widespread impacts are evident, where fellows have become key participants in the international scientific community. 

The Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) is a global community of practice and network that links individuals and groups in an effort to monitor and understand changes in marine biodiversity. MBON functions within the larger framework of the Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Observation Networks (GEO BON). These networks support mobilization of data to help nations to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations (UN) in 2015 and to address their own internal, local management needs. Marine biodiversity data are important for allowing countries and local communities to monitor changes that result from local human pressures and climate change. Such data enable informed planning and management of coastal areas and resources. 

For more than 60 years, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has promoted the peaceful use of nuclear science and technology for addressing major socioeconomic and sustainable development priorities at national, regional, and interregional levels. The Agency’s Technical Cooperation (TC) Programme is the primary mechanism for transferring nuclear and related technologies to its Member States, helping them to address their priorities in a variety of areas such as health and nutrition, food and agriculture, water and the environment, industrial applications, and, of course, the safe and secure use of nuclear energy. Here, we briefly describe the types of TC Programme projects that promote the sustainable development of coastal countries and the mechanisms IAEA uses to identify and support the projects. We highlight two of these projects. 

Ocean acidification (OA), an alteration of seawater chemistry caused primarily by anthropogenic carbon emissions, is a global issue. However, the local expression of OA can vary widely in nearshore waters around the world. This is due to localized factors such as river input, eutrophication, topography, location (e.g., temperature), and sensitivity of local species. Human impacts from OA also vary depending on societal uses of the ocean and its resources. Managers, policy­makers, and governments need to understand the status and susceptibility of their regions in order to make effective decisions and drive policy. In the early 2000s, scientists recognized the need for a global ocean acidification observing system and called for a coordinated approach to effectively assess global as well as local status with consistent methods. As a result, the Global Ocean Acidification Observing Network (GOA-ON) was formed in 2012 with three goals: (1) to improve understanding of global OA conditions, (2) to improve understanding of ecosystem responses to OA, and (3) to acquire and exchange data and knowledge necessary to optimize modeling of OA and its impacts (Newton et al., 2015; Tilbrook et al., 2019). 

Multidisciplinary and multinational cooperation is a prerequisite for success in marine research. The only way to establish sustainable global and regional management of the ocean is to view it as a whole and study all its different facets holistically. In addition to large-scale data collection, such studies require an exchange of knowledge, harmonization of laboratory and evaluation methods, and the mutual use of infrastructure. To further these goals, international training and education opportunities as well as work experiences need to involve underdeveloped regions in a meaningful and equal manner in order to reduce differences among national stakeholders, help promote the blue economy, and lead to better life conditions in a sustainable environment. 

Ocean acidification (OA) is broadly recognized as a major problem for marine ecosystems worldwide, with follow-on effects to the economies of ocean-dependent communities. The urgent need to mitigate and minimize the impacts of OA is a scientific and political priority, as highlighted by the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report (IPCC, 2022) and by the inclusion of OA as a target in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). In addition, over 20 years of strong scientific evidence on the impacts of OA provides compelling arguments for urgent CO2 mitigation. Reducing CO2 emissions will require ambitious regulatory and economic instruments, as well as effective systemic changes across governments and societies. It is critical to implement adaptation measures to minimize the impact of OA, among other key environmental stressors, as the mitigation process takes time, and the impacts of OA are already felt globally. Assessing the impacts of solutions and their potential implementations requires information at local scales, considering the variabilities in marine ecosystem responses to OA (e.g., local adaptation, species redundancies).