Program

The Integrated Marine Biogeochemistry and Ecosystem Research (IMBER) project is a global environmental change research initiative. Since it started in 2005, IMBER has provided new understanding about potential environmental effects of global change, and impacts and linkages to human systems at multiple scales.  It is apparent that the complex environmental issues and associated societal/sustainability choices are at and across the interfaces of natural and social sciences and the humanities, and require both basic, curiosity-driven research and problem-driven, policy-relevant research.  Collaborative, disciplinary, interdisciplinary and integrated research that addresses key ocean science issues generated by and/or impacting society is required to provide evidence-based knowledge and guidance, along with options for policy-makers, managers and marine-related communities, to help towards sustainability of the marine realm under global change. This recognition underlies a new vision, “Ocean sustainability under global change for the benefit of society”, to guide IMBER research for the next decade (2016-2025). A perspective is provided on the way forward for the next 10 years of the IMBER project as the global environmental change research landscape evolves and as new areas of marine research emerge.  IMBER science aims to foster collaborative, interdisciplinary and integrated research that addresses key ocean and social science issues and provides the understanding needed to propose innovative societal responses to changing marine systems.