Monaco is once again at the forefront of marine conservation, hosting the second IAEA Winter School on Ocean Acidification and Multiple Stressors this past November. Over two weeks, a group of early-career scientists from around the world got hands-on experience and expert guidance on how to protect our oceans from rising threats like climate change, pollution, and acidification.
The world’s oceans are under pressure like never before, with human activities causing ripple effects that threaten marine life and coastal communities. Overfishing, pollution, and shifting ocean chemistry don’t just act alone—their combined effects can be far worse than expected, making it even harder to predict and prevent damage. That’s where this program steps in, training the next generation of marine scientists to understand these complex interactions and find solutions to protect ocean ecosystems.
Bringing together 12 young researchers from 11 countries, the Winter School mixed cutting-edge science with real-world applications. Participants learned to distinguish between different types of ocean stressors and conducted lab experiments on coral health, investigating how acidification, warming waters, and pollutants like lithium impact marine life. Their findings will contribute to a global research effort aimed at better predicting and mitigating these effects.
The learning didn’t stop in the lab. The group also visited the Oceanography Laboratory in Villefranche-sur-Mer to practice testing ocean chemistry and worked with advanced tools like the MEDDLE simulator, which allows scientists to model how different environmental changes interact. “This course gives participants the skills and confidence to design experiments tailored to their own regions,” explained Sam Dupont, Senior Lecturer at the University of Gothenburg and IAEA consultant.
Backed by the IAEA’s Ocean Acidification International Coordination Centre and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, this initiative is more than just a training program—it’s a global network in the making. With these young scientists now equipped with the right skills, they’re set to return home and apply their knowledge to safeguard marine life and the communities that depend on it.
Monaco Life is produced by real multi-media journalists writing original content. See more in our free newsletter, follow our Podcasts on Spotify, and check us out on Threads, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Tik Tok.
Photo credit: Michael Olsen, Unsplash
