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Britain is set to join a major new ocean science programme led by the European Union, as Andy Burnham’s government looks to strengthen cooperation with the bloc.
Oceans have moved higher up the political agenda in recent months, particularly as the current “exceptional” El Niño weather pattern in the equatorial Pacific is expected to contribute to more extreme weather around the world this year.
Warmer seas played a role in Britain’s heatwaves this summer, while scientists are concerned about a small but potentially serious risk that continued warming could cause a key ocean current that helps keep Europe warm to weaken or collapse.
At the same time, the international science community has raised concerns about the uncertain future of major US science programmes that support research and monitoring efforts around the world.
In June, the European Union launched the €92 million (£78 million) OceanEye programme to strengthen funding and research into the world’s oceans. The initiative will also develop a virtual “digital twin” of the ocean, allowing scientists to better understand the rapid and significant changes taking place in the seas.
Environment Secretary Angela Eagle is expected to announce today that Britain will join the programme, Sky News reports. The UK will share significantly more data from organisations including the Met Office with scientific partners in the EU and Canada than it has previously.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said the programme would help shape future flood-defence measures and coastal planning, while supporting efforts to protect communities from extreme weather events such as storms and flooding.
Ms Eagle told Sky News that the UK is a “climate-science superpower” and said joining the alliance would enable Britain to work with international partners to better protect the oceans and communities affected by climate change.
She said international cooperation was essential to addressing the climate and nature crisis, adding that no individual country could deal with the threat alone.
Britain is due to formally join the programme at an event at the United Nations headquarters on Wednesday. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney are also expected to attend.
The move forms part of a wider strategy by Andy Burnham’s government to expand UK-EU cooperation in areas including technology, defence and manufacturing. However, progress on manufacturing cooperation has been affected by a proposed “Made in Europe” law.
Richard Allan, a professor of climate science at the University of Reading, welcomed Britain’s decision, particularly at a time when several long-running monitoring programmes face an uncertain future.
He said the ocean has a major influence on the weather experienced on land, while stressing that no single country can monitor the entire ocean by itself.
The administration of US President Donald Trump has been seeking cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s ocean programmes, whose data supports systems and research used internationally. However, $368 million (£275 million) in funding for the Ocean Observatories Initiative was retained following strong opposition to proposals to end the programme.
The ocean data collected through international cooperation could also play a role in supporting Britain’s maritime defence and security activities.
Klaus Dodds, professor of geopolitics at Middlesex University London, said the US remains a leading global scientific power but faces increasing competition from China and the EU and is now viewed by some as a less dependable partner.
He also stressed the importance of ocean information for naval defence and maritime awareness, particularly as European waters face security threats linked to Russia and the so-called “shadow fleet”.
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